"Dishes" Live At Martyr's

So here's a little example of some live recording - from this past summer's Diana & The Dishes cd-release party at Martyr's in Chicago. The track is titled "If You're Not Mine", and features some groovy banjo work by multi-instrumentalist Mike Przygoda.

This is a "matrix"-ed recording, a mix of the house P.A. (line out) and my binaural recording head Lamont (microphones), time-shifted, equalized, compressed, limited and high-quality mp3'ed for your listening pleasure.

Photo by Bil Gaines



If you happen to enjoy the song, you might want to pick up the album "Take A Picture", HERE or HERE.

The PAWNS - First Line Of Defense

January 19th, the Pawns had their cd-release party at Martyr's in Chicago. Yes, the album that was recorded in less than a week (and pared down, mixed and mastered in only a year!) is finally finished. It's titled "First Line Of Defense", and if you happened to come to the show at Martyr's, you were treated to a free copy of the album: quite a special release, since the cd came in a 45-rpm-style sleeve, along with a full double-sided lyric sheet, sticker, and three buttons!

The show was a rousing success - the band managed quite well, even though there was barely enough room on stage for the multiple keyboards, acoustic and electric guitars, banjo, drumset, bass, vibraphone, cello, and a bunch of amps, let alone the handful of guest musicians!

The Pawns rocked - here's the song "Off Limits" which I recorded at the show (with the help of my binaural aide, Lamont):



And because I'm so proud of the work we did on the album (mixed and mastered here at the Moonroom!), here's a song from the album, "Howard Street":



Now, there has been talk in the band that they may make this album a digital download ONLY release. If that ends up being the case, these cd's in this special package are going to be the ONLY physical release of the album.

If you are interested in getting a copy of this special release while there are still some left, contact Mike Przygoda at mprzygoda#hotmail.com (replace the # symbol with the @ symbol). I would urge you to get one while you can.

My Qlist (Mic List)

Before I post some audio examples (soon!), I thought I might show a quick list of the microphones I'm currently using (LDC is Large Diaphragm Condenser, and SDC is Small Diaphragm Condenser, of course):

2 Apex 140 Miniature Cardiod Condenser Mics
1 Apex 215 Dual-Ribbon Mic
1 Astatic 930VP Variable-Pattern Boundary Mic
2 AT4040 LDC Mics
2 AT803 Miniature Omni Condenser Mics
2 AT803b Miniature Omni Condenser Mics
1 AT875R Short Shotgun Condenser Mic
2 ATM63HE Dynamic Mics
2 ATM25 Dynamic Mics
1 AT Pro-1 Dynamic Mic
2 AT Pro 8HEx Headset Hypercardioid Dynamic Mic
3 AT ST90 Mark II Dynamic Mics
3 CAD E300-2 Multi-Pattern LDC Mics
2 CAD equitek e70 SDC Mics (omni & cardioid capsules)
4 CAD M179 Multi-Pattern LDC Mics
1 CAD M9 Tube/Valve Mic
1 CAD Trion 6000 Multi-Pattern LDC Mic
1 Heil PR 40 Extra-Large Diaphragm Dynamic Mic
1 "Lamont" Binaural Dummy Head
2 Naiant MSH-1c Miniature Condenser Mics
4 Realistic PZM Pressure Zone Mics (Modified)
2 Shinybox 23 Ribbon Mics (Modified)
2 Shure SM57 Dynamic Mics
1 Shure BG-4 SDC Mic
1 Superlux S502 ORTF Stereo SDC Pair
1 Superlux WB-383 Miniature Condenser Clip-on Mic
1 DiMarzio Clip-In Acoustic Guitar Pickup

Plus a few mighty elderly clunkers that barely deserve to be classified as microphones, but I do occasionally use them for their unique..."clunkiness".

3-D Sound? 3-D Microphones!

Here is a picture of "Lamont", my dummy head, used for recording binaural stereo. Binaural recording is a process used for ultra-realistic stereo. A pair of high quality omnidirectional microphones are mounted on either side of the lifesize resin head, picking up sounds exactly the way a real head would. This allows for some startling effects: a whisper right next to the ear, a flute solo that travels around the listener, people speaking in a room...all with incredible depth and vivid tangibility.

Then there's this oddity - an obscure Crapitol/EMY album from 1963 called "With The Dummies". Might this be where Frank Zappa copped the line in Camarillo Brillo: "She said her stereo was four-way"? One of the tracks on this album, "Eight Ears To Hear You" was later cribbed as "Eight Arms To Hold You" by both The Beatles and Veruca Salt. This album remains unheard by all but a select few, since it was recorded in the highly experimental octophonic format. Rumors of an 8-track release are unfounded - so far, the few 8-tracks that have turned up have proven to be fakes. Also rumored to have influenced Wayne Coyne of the Flaming Lips (see their album "Zaireeka", a 4-cd set designed to be listened to on 4 different cd players simultaneously!).

NOW BACK TO THE REAL WORLD...Here is a groovy picture of an assortment of microphones used here in the Moonroom. Since I was originally posting about binaural recording and 3-D sound, here is a 3-D photograph! Click on the picture to get the big version, cross your eyes until you get a third version in the middle of the original two, focus on it, and there you have it - microphones in three dimensions! Wow! And how many 7 foot square moon posters have you seen, let alone in 3-d?!?




Why name him Lamont? Click the funky-looking bar below to find out...