Conference napalm::guitar

We had two main notions in producing this recording:

 - To get as natural a band sound as possible; we called it trying to get an
   "acoustic" sound.
 - Performance had priority over sound; we thought capturing good performances
   was more critical in getting our music across.

These two ideas were used to guide decisions throughout the project.  We also,
of course, were looking to keep costs as low as possible.

The original tracks were done live in Paul's basement and recorded onto a
Tascam 38 8-track reel-to-reel.  Microphones used were just SM-57s, 58s,
and a comparable level EV.

Guitar tracks were done with a mid-80's ES-335 dot reissue through a Fender
Super 60, close miked with a single microphone.  Paul also used a few Boss
pedal effects and an old Roland Space Echo.  The acoustic overdub on
"Rainforest" was done with a miked Yamaha classical.

Bass tracks on the first three tunes were done with a Tune Zi-II six string
bass with active electronics; "Rainforest" was done on a 60s' Fender Jazz
strung with very old Rotosounds.  Bass signal was recorded direct from the
pre-amped line-out of an SWR SM-400.  The SWR has a single 12AX7 in the
preamp.  I was also playing through a single 15" cab so the band could hear.

Sax, winds, and some percussion were recorded on one track through the
EV mike.  I think there were three mikes for the drums; one kick, one snare,
and one overhead.  Clearly, we could have done more with miking the drums.

Our recording methodology was to roll tape at weekly practice sections, and
save versions of tunes that had some "magic".  Logisitically this involved
about 5 reels of 1/2 tape and some creative shuffling.  We did this over the
course of a few months, after which time we had two or three takes we liked
of several of our tunes.  Once we had enough material to choose from, we
relistened to the tapes and chose tunes and takes that we liked best.  There
were usually at least one or two free tracks on the tapes; Paul and Jim
tried redoing a few of their solos, but I'm pretty sure we decided to go with
the original solos in all cases.  Once takes were settled on, Paul added his
overdubs and we also fixed a couple of mistakes using open tracks.
    

We tried doing some mixes ourselves on the 8-channel Tascam board and weren't
too happy with the results.  So we decided to see what a pro studio could do.
We went to Barking Spider in Sudbury MA, owned by former DECcie Steve Mallet.
It's a small operation in the basement of Steve's house, just he and his
engineer Rob Bernstein.  But they are very well equipped with a nice board
and lots of high end processing gear, plus they were very cooperative and
supportive.  Even though we were a very low budget project, they treated us
with respect and enthusiasm.  We gave Rob one track (Fries) and said "see
what you can do with this in four hours".  This is the mix that made it to
the CD.  We were very pleased with what he had done, so we went ahead and
did similar mix sessions for the other three tunes.  The band was present
for all the mix sessions, but it was mainly Rob turning the knobs and us
providing guidance.  We spent about 20 hours to mix the entire CD.  Obviously
we could have spent a lot more time, but I think we had definitely passed
the knee of diminishing returns; this was the most bang for the buck.
I can't say enough about Ron Bernstein; he worked wonders with our original
tracks, especially in such a short amount of time.  The final mix was sent
to 2-track DAT.

For manufacturing CDs, we contacted several houses (like DiscMakers)
advertised in the back of magazines.  It's a fairly competitive market right
now and they all had packages that were close in price.  We finally decided
on Allston Cassette and CD, primarily because they were local and we figured
this would make communications and problem solving easier; in retrospect, this
was a good idea.  Wayne Johnson, who owns Allston CD, suggested we do some
digital mastering before going to production.  Our original mixes were very
hissy (largely due to that Space Echo) and he thought he could at least do
some noise reduction, plus he had some of his own ideas about final eq.
Wayne uses Digidesign SoundTools, a Mac based system.  This was one of the
most fun aspects of the project; it was truly amazing to see our recording
as a waveform up on a Windows screen, and manipulate it in the digital domain.
The power and avenues digital sound processing technology now makes available
to the average musician really hits you.  The recognized leader in digital
noise reduction is Sony's Sonic Solutions system.  We heard the SoundTools
referred to as "poor man's noise reduction" and mastering houses usually
charge less for it.  It did a good job of getting the noise down, but it did
seem to alter the sound of the mix somewhat; it wasn't totally transparent. 
Thus it required Wayne going back in and trying to "fix up" with eq what the
noise reduction had taken away.  It took a couple of iterations to get a final
mix we were happy with, and we never really got back to the original.  In
retrospect, I think I'd spend the money for the Sonic Solutions noise reduction
next time.  We spent somewhere between 12 and 16 hours doing digital mastering,
and overall I think it was worth it.  Again, Wayne was great to work with;
he really went the extra mile for us in helping us to get a master we could
live with.  Inserts and packaging were included in our deal, and Wayne's
art department did a nice job.  We had to supply most of the artwork and
ideas, but they worked with us and had some good ideas of their own that
made it into the final result.  Most of this was done on a desktop publishing
system, again on a Mac.  It was interesting to see how much was being done
on Macs in this field; they're everywhere.
    

    Thanks for putting in the details of the project, Rick.  Interesting
    reading!!
    
    Greg

    > Paul and Jim tried redoing a few of their solos, but I'm pretty sure we
    > decided to go with the original solos in all cases.  
    
    Amazing how often that happens.
    
    The db wilfred band just finished recording our (latest) demo.  My
    keyboards are sync-ed to tape.  Since you need to have something
    to play along with, I decided to put the keyboards down first
    and then re-record them after everything else was finished.
    
    So I just did 4 songs in a row, all first tape, just so that Fred,
    Willy and Heather could have keyboards when they put down their tracks.
    
    To make a long story short, when we were finished with everything else,
    and I finally had the time to "redo" the keyboards I discovered that
    I really couldn't do anything as good as those "rough" tracks and
    so three of the four songs have the original "rough" keyboard tracks.
    
    Since I've been squeezing this demo in between various other things,
    I can honestly tell you that the night I had allocated to redoing
    the keyboards was probably the ONLY night I got to bed before midnite!
    
    This was because it was clear that what I already had was good.
    
    ;-)
    
    	db
    

    Thanks for the reports, Rick.  I'm going to print them off and use them
    for liner notes.
    
    You don't dwell on your bass much, but I can tell the audience that
    this thing not only sounds great in your capable hands, but it's 
    *gorgeous*.  And heavy, too.  I want one, as soon as I learn to play 
    the four strings I've got now.
    
    Dave

		Rick,excellent info,thanks a lot for taking the time to do it.
	I will send you a mail message about the CD tomorrow.
	
						Tom.

    On behalf of Rob Bernstein and myself, thanks for the kind words, Rick!
    
    Steve
    
    P.S.  One of the reasons the Sonic Solutions houses tend to be more
    pricey is the cost of the software they've bought.  Last time I braved
    a price list, Sonic's noise reduction softwear alone was over $10K
    (ack! wheeze! choke!).  It *is* good, but it isn't completely
    transparent either.  I heard a version of it at a demo given for Bob
    Ludwig and the operator said that using it was a balancing act between
    removing noise and coloring the tracks.  I guess that's the "art"
    portion of the craft.

    While I don't have much time to go into details, I do want to let Rick
    and the rest of AQ how much I enjoyed the CD. It's been played a couple
    dozen times so far, and even provided some interesting background music
    while setting up a show in Chicago.
    
    Without a doubt, the best "deccie" music I've heard to date. Even if
    Rick wasn't a friend, I'd dig the daylights outta RR.
    
    Great stuff.
    
    Edd

    
    I too picked up the AQ CD over the weekend.  My wife and I have
    listened to it several times now, and we think it's great.  We really like
    the title cut (all 23+ minutes of it).  Great job!
    
    Al
    

    Thanks to everyone for the comments, and I would encourage anyone else
    who's heard the CD to let us know what you think.  And also please don't
    be shy about mentioning things you think could have been done better.
    This was (and still is) very much a learning project for us.
    
    Update on AQ: the CD is currently available at the Minor Chord in
    Acton, Solstice Sun in Maynard, Tower Record locations in Boston,
    Cambridge and Burlington, all Newbury Comics locations, and Cambridge
    Music's downtown store (near Berklee).  We also expect to be in HMV and
    Strawberries soon.  We're usually in the jazz section, sometimes local
    music if they have one.  Note that the big record chains have been
    very cooperative in carrying us (thanks, big guyz!).  We've arranged
    with most retail stores to sell the CD for $12 and we may be upping our
    price to $12 for direct sales at gigs as well.  However, we will continue
    to honor the $10 price for direct sales to notesfile people.
    
    In fact, I'd appreciate some input on this from people out there. 
    Would $10 vs $12 provide any extra incentive for you to buy a CD from
    someone at a gig?  Do you think $12 is a fair price for our disc? 
    Please respond via mail if you have anything to say on this.  Thanks.
    
    Alternate Quartet will be playing a benefit for the Walk For Hunger on
    Sunday, May 1.  We'll be playing at one of the entertainment stops
    along the walk route, at Magazine Park in Cambridge (right on the
    Charles, near the Hyatt).  I think our slot runs from 1:30-3:30 in the
    afternoon.  Pray for good weather and hope to see you there (be sure
    to stop and say hi if you do).
    
    /rick

    
    
       Rick, 
    
       I need two and I'll pick'em up at N.Comics. 
    Thanks for the info. 
    
       Rick.
    

    
    	If you haven't spoken to them yet, I'd suggest approaching Rockit
    Records in Nashua, NH... they have a pretty diverse customer base, many
    of whom would be interested in this type of music. As a former
    long-time Rockit employee, I know the store is willing to sell local
    music on consignment, and if the folks working there like the music
    on the disc, they'll give it some in-store play... that can always
    generate more sales! Go see 'em and tell 'em Brad sent ya. :-)
    
    

    And if you get them [Rockit] to stock it, I'll buy a copy.  I don't
    get to those other areas very often.

    Rick, Paul,
    
    	Thanks for helping me locate a copy of Rainforest Rhumboogie.  
    I have listened to it a lot over the past week and a half and really
    have enjoyed it.  Hell, it is even helping me get over the empty nest
    syndrome.  My youngest and last at home moved out a week ago.  Don't
    know whether to feel bad or change the locks :-)
    
    	Great job on the CD!
    
    Thanks,
    Joe
    

    My copy of the CD came in last week (thanks Rick!), but I've only had
    time to play it through a couple of times due to the fact that I'm
    living in a world of dry wall dust while remodeling the house.
    
    However, the day it arrived I put it on the stereo to listen to while
    pulling staples from the hardwood floors in the living room (some
    previous owner put carpet down and stapled the pad). One of the
    contractor's workers was helping me. He is a recent immigrant from
    Honduras, and only speaks a little English. About 3/4 of the way
    through "Fries" he looked at me with a big grin and said "Eees good
    music. I like much!". So ... I don't know how it'll play in Belize,
    but it seems they'll like it in Honduras even though their rain
    forests aren't on the cover.
    
    Theo
    

	Hi,here are a few thoughts about the AQ CD.

	I`ve listened to it extensively for the week I`ve had it,and enjoy 
	it very much.

	1) It`s a very `natural` sounding CD.Could this be due to it being 
	   recorded on Analogue gear?I dunno,but it`s a very good - for me - 
	   sound with none of the `coldness` associated with the digital
 	   medium.

	2) The music is great,it`s so refreshing to hear musicians playing
	   for and off one another instead of showing off their chops.
		My favourite track is....you`ve guessed the title track.Just
	   because of the way it flows and swells and develops and....really
	   good stuff guys I like this disc a lot! 

	3) I can hear a Shorter/WR influence in there,but it`s no more than
	   that ie no copying/slavish imitation.
		I must admit that the only group your music `reminded`
	   me of was an old Eurojazz outfit called Colours which was led by
	   bassist Eberhard Weber and featured another Boston musician,the 
	   great Charlie Mariano on alto and soprano.AQ does not sound like 
	   them,but the feel of the improvisations reminded me of them in the 
	   way you patiently work through the themes and then build the 
	   improvisations.

		Thanks very much for sending me a copy,have you got the disc
	   I sent to you yet?

				
						Tom 

	PS Is that a quote from Watermelon Man in there as well?

    I take the Eberhard Weber/Colours comparison as a very big complement.
    
    re Watermelon Man  -  yeah, probably.  That tune was in our a set a
    long time ago.  To be honest I hadn't even noticed it myself; I'll have
    to go looking for it.  That's one thing about the CD; even *we* still
    discover new things in there.
    
    I am enjoying the Man CD very much, especially the live tracks.
    Sounds like a good deal both ways, eh?  Thanks
    
    /rick

Quick reminder: Alternate Quartet is playing a benefit for the Walk For Hunger
this Sunday, May 1.  We'll be at one of the entertainment stops outdoors along
the route, at Magazine Park in Cambridge (right on the Charles River, Memorial
Drive side, near the Hyatt I think).  We'll be playing from 1:30 to 3:30.

Hopefully the weather will be nice; stop by if you get a chance, check out
the band, say hi, and support the Walkers if you can too.

/rick

    
    	It wasn`t Watermelon Man,it was a Miles/Shorter associated
    tune whose name totally escapes me !!!!!
    
    					Tom
    

    re .-1
    
    Is that personal name from "Wheels of Confusion" by Black Sabbath?
    One of my all-time favorites!

    cool! 
    
    sorry, back to the AQ discussion (maybe AQ could cover that tune!)

    Re: .19 ... I wonder if you might be hearing Jim and I quote Miles'
    "Jean-Pierre" riff on "Pyramids" ?  We were trading back and forth
    and fell into that riff in the midst of our improvisation.  We even
    went back and tried to substitute it, but the live, original
    (surprised?) worked better.
    
    BTW, Jean-Pierre was a tune played in lots of Miles' live sets around
    1982-85. 
    
    /Paul
    

    	YES!!!!!! That`s it,it`s been bugging me for days.Thanks for that
    input Paul.
    
    			Jack Johnson
    

    Please excuse the "tooting our own horn" here...
    
    "Rainforest Rhumboogie" just got an excellent review in the September
    issue of Metronome.  This fine publication is available free at better
    music stores in the Boston area :-)  We even made their top 5 picks
    for the month (whatever that means).
    
    We also have a package in to N.E. Performer; keep an eye out for a
    review there, hopefully soon.
    
    /rick

    AQ got together for a little jamming last week, and Ed brought along a
    disc he wanted us to hear.  It's called "Snide Remarks", a new release
    by John Scofield's drummer Bill Stewart.  Ed fired up the third track,
    "Mayberry" and it sounded, shall we say, somewhat familiar?  There it
    was, the opening chromatic bassline from AQ's "Waltzing With the Aliens";
    same tempo, same meter (well, at least it was a different key).  Our
    jaws hit the floor.
    
    It's actually a pretty cool tune; they keep it a straight 10 (instead of
    the alternating 10-9 we use for the head) and modulate it more, and layered
    on top is a melody line based loosely on the Andy Griffith TV show theme
    song.  Now why didn't we think of that? :-)
    
    What's interesting is that Paul sent a copy of our CD to Scofield a couple
    of years back.  And the "Waltzing" bassline, while not complex, is pretty
    distinctive.  Coincidence?
    
    /rod_serling
    

    
    Earn money the American way.....    SUE!!!
    
    ;-)