What constitutes a good record: A loud record? How about a good selling record? Musically interesting?

My new approach.
I am becoming a minimalist of sorts. I know I’m not the only one. It’s actually emerging as quite a fad in the urban/indie christian music scene and in the indie music market in general. There is this weird sense of space that I have become partial to, and at the the very least, I love romanticizing about. I find myself enjoying live records more than radio hits… even of the same band or same song(s). It’s plainly because expensive records are formula records. A certain combination with a bit of promotion guarantees extensive cash flow. I’ve got nothing against money, I make a bit doing this. However, every time I make a record or help produce a record, a thought runs through my head: “Am I helping create this music to sound as it should… allowing it to reach its full potential?”. Sometimes it’s a flat “no”. And then we begin re-tracking or possibly even tossing it and starting over.

Along those same lines, I used to feel like I needed to add a lot of electronic instruments to projects coming through.  I can hear the dead space, but I have no idea why two guitar parts, 11/12 tracks of drums, two vocal parts at an absolute minimum, and a bass can’t sound like rock n’ roll.  There is dead space, and at times there is a huge need for backing instruments and a plethora of effects to aid in the “over-intimacy” induced by close-miking and individual tracking.

But don’t think I’m crazy.
I realize that unless I want to produce garage rock for the rest of forever, I’ll need to layer samples, layer guitars (layer everything), and add in all kinds of creative backing instruments. The big idea here is to only add what is musical and highly useful to the song, not just because its easy to do so on the computer.

I’ve got some other things up my sleeve, but I’ll leave you with that. Your thoughts/comments are welcome.

Wade

Quote from a book I read by Emilie Bronte a long time ago.  Time to apply.

People learn to count on things that they see proven right in front of their eyes. If it’s not obvious, is it relevant? is it real?

But as we all are supposedly getting ‘smarter,’ the definition of faith is becoming dull and lifeless. “The confidence that what you hope for will actually happen, assurance in something you cannot see.”

One need simply cut off the female end of a microphone cable, (strip the wire) and solder pin 3 to negative and pin 2 to positive on the speaker terminal. The ground is only connected at the XLR side. Simple as that.

Now, many will know that Yamaha makes a commercial version of just such a thing. The Yamaha “Subkick” retails for around $370. The best part about this project is that it cost me $55 for the woofer, and about 10 minutes of my time to solder together.

Here is a sample of the kick drum (Premier maple), first with the microphone (Sennheiser e902 placed slightly inside), then with the woofer, and finally with both. Please don’t try to evaluate this with your laptop speakers or iPod headphones. You will need something with a subwoofer or basically anything that can produce some bit of low end. From there, the difference should be obvious.

Signal chain (very simple): mics>828mkIII>CPU. In Logic: extremely light subtractive EQ and compression, and phase inversion on the woofer.

Was it worth it? I think so..

Wade

I’ve had a lot on my mind lately. Here’s everything worth noting:

First, I have to wonder what all the hype is about prayer. I have always prayed to God since I was little. We’re old friends. I have never heard him speak physically back to me, and I don’t know anyone that has. That doesn’t mean it hasn’t happened, I just don’t know anyone it has happened to. People say God speaks back through scripture and circumstances. I’m ok with that. I’ve definitely read my fair share of scripture that sounded like a letter written to me… hit me right where I’m at. And my circumstances– I have seen, felt, and literally experienced Christ on many different worship occasions. Emotions run high, and playing drums is definitely an adrenaline booster. But what circumstances would I include without these? The general church doesn’t have this to count, and God doesn’t just dance around the fellowship hall waiting to answer life questions.

So back to prayer. I’ve done it all my life, and? Am I totally missing Your response God? Have you said anything and I never listened? How will I know its you?
–Lately, this has been my prayer.

At the beginning I made an offending statement…what is all the hype about prayer? Think carefully. It is talked up on a regular basis in any church (or any major religion for that matter), and it is most likely done by every person in at least one point in their lives. The best of Christians pray when they are needy. I have. I heard once that God will not hear the prayer of a lost person unless it is “Lord, Save Me” or something of that nature. Although that sounds believable, I still haven’t found the scripture on that one. But of the millions, of the masses, who has heard the voice of Christ? Who feels as if their circumstanes were altered because of devout prayer to the Lord? There is no way to try your life both ways (with prayer and without) to see what works better or if it ends the same.

You might wonder why such a “seasoned” Christian would be asking such questions at this point in their life, but I would guess that most don’t ask and never know for sure. I am making a point to find out. To find God, and to learn about where He is.

So now my prayer is this- Lord, I know you are working, but I need to know where, and how I am involved. I can’t see clearly. I doubt You from time to time. Show me -beyond the shadow of a doubt- Your glory. Make it so that no one can deny it, myself or anyone. Just show me You, and don’t hold back.

Is there any encouragement from belonging to Christ? Any comfort from his love? Any fellowship together in the Spirit? Are your hearts tender and sympathetic? Then make me truly happy by agreeing wholeheartedly with each other, loving one another, and working together with one heart and purpose. Don’t be selfish; don’t live to make a good impression on others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourself. Don’t think only about your own affairs, but be interested in others, too, and what they are doing.

- Phillipians 2:1-4

Recently I’ve had a couple of those kind of situations come up in my life. It seems like society tends to kick these kind of people to the curb, and hey, no pointing fingers, I’ve definitely taken that approach before. Its true that, contrary to every move you make to try and help these people, they may just continue to be as they always have.

I find that sometimes happiness turns people away more than an argument. Its like people expect conflict in their lives and find life awkward without it. I once read that movies without conflict have little effect on the audience. If you think about it, when is the last time you saw a movie about a perfect relationship, world peace, or anything that is perfectly content from beginning to end. The truth is, there wouldn’t be much of a plot line to a story that starts well and ends well. Something has to happen in the middle.

The people on my heart, the ones I need to reach, they are just in the middle like everyone else.  What’s liberating about this idea is the fact that they can be helped. and they can change. But don’t think for a minute that they need to be more like you or me.  I’m not on a quest to get someone to be more like me or one of my friends.

The big idea that I’ve had to really wrap my head around lately is that I have huge problems too.  Why would I wish my problems on someone else? No- those people, you, me, we all need to be like Jesus (I’ll be the first one to say it).

What is it with me…Did I think that I was perfect? Did I think that I had it together?

.Wade

Lately I’ve been thinking about the idea that “I am where I am for a purpose”. I’m not somewhere else; I’m here- sometimes I have to tell myself that.

Everyone is gifted at something, and it’s important to find that gift and learn how to use it to worship God. God created us to worship, and I firmly believe that he gives us opportunities in our lives to do just that…the chance to live for what we have proclaimed on Sunday’s. From here, the way gets a little bit confusing for me. Paul tells the Corinthians that there is a place for everyone in the body of Christ. No one single member is intended to take on the plan for another. I’m not even sure you could if you wanted to! But that means without you or me, lives are left unreached. How important then, is it for a person to seek out God’s will for his or her life? So much rides on whether you or I listen to the voice that pursues us. The road will seem long and the way will seem unclear. It is then that we draw ourselves near to Christ. He is paving the way for all of us, and each of us has our own place. So right now I’m having a lot of trouble deciding why I’m where I am, and how God is using that to make me who I’m going to become. I’m not somewhere else…I’m here. Now.

I am myself (no one else), and it’s important that I ask God what that means.

If you are not a drummer or musician, then pay no mind to this empty entry, because you will surely be disappointed at the sheer lack of other more important information.

The way it’s been, I’ve been using Zildjian Z custom rock crashes. These cymbals are…nasty.  They mud up a mix and don’t contain well in smaller venues. I suppose I would have a different opinion if I were playing in arena’s and stadium’s every day, but as it were…I’m not so I don’t.

After bearing these as a burden for the past year or two, I decided to finally make the swap to my favorite cymbals ever. Zildjian K Custom Dark series. I have heard these from friends and on countless records, and recently decided these were the best for me. So the move begins, and it came in the form of a 20″ K custom dark ride, shortly followed by an 18″ K custom dark crash which is currently in the mail. As for a 2nd crash, I’m not quite sure if I will get a 19″ K custom dark, or if I might pull a curveball and get an 18″ K dark medium thin (which I also like a lot).

For now, I’ll be using the dark ride, dark crash, and my 18″ Z crash. The Z won’t blend very well, but it will be fine for temporary use.

We play again on the 15th and 16th, so I’ll post pics soon of the partially new set-up.

EDIT: ok, so I never took pictures. I must’ve just gotten side-tracked.  Oh well.