STUDENT NEWSLETTER 28 January
2007
I hope this letter finds you all happy, healthy, and warm. Good sitting inside and playing guitar days.
Eventually you will want to record yourself for posterity or maybe even prosperity! Twenty years ago it was very expensive to record but that is not the case today. Home computers have more than enough disc space to run recording software that is as high quality sound as any studio in town. You can record your own songs and sell them on the Internet. You can print cds for promotion purposes. All in your own home at your own private pace. Take all the time you want! The recording time is free! Another take? No problem.
For me the most productive learning of music did not come from the many years of experience I had, or the years touring and performing nearly every night, or the years spent at I.U.. The most I ever learned about music came working at Goodnight Dallas Studios back in the early 80s. Hearing myself on tape was a real eye opener. Things you thought would sound great did not, and the things you thought did not sound good do. The point was you did not know what you sound like until you hear it on tape. The tape did not lie. Playing it over and over would yield details you never thought about before. I found it so helpful I started recording every gig I did to analyze the next day. It really focused me on what works and what does not. Just because you know a particular lick does not mean you got to play it. Honest gentle critique won't kill you. The truth is in the pudding. Mmmmmm! Good pudding.
If I am not teaching I am in my studio. I would rather be recording than anything else but teaching. My set up is relatively simple. I have used the same rig for years. The recorder/mixer is a Roland 1880
When I got mine it was $2,500 six years ago. It has paid for itself many times over. All my jam alongs and lessons cds were done on this machine. I still use it daily. But since the technology is so last century, I might be more inclined to go with a computer based recording system next. Like a Mac 5! Simple recording programs can be had for $200 that would make your computer record very nicely.
At the very least go to Radio Shack and get a cheap cassette recorder to record yourself. It will help!
The search for the perfect tone never ends. But after years of consideration, trial and error this is my rig more or less. It is not easy to find the original vintage stuff anymore, so this is the new equivalent.
Every bit of my new gear comes from MusiciansFriend.com for the past seven years. Best prices, selection, and return policy there is. AND they bring it to your door! If you click thru to MUSICIANS FRIEND .com from this web site to buy something, I get an advertising credit and it does not cost you a penny extra! Musicians Friend is where I get all my new gear. Click on the bar below to go there. If the bar does not appear on your browser go here and click on the MusiciansFriend bar at bottom of that page.
Always Stay Tuned. A lot is going on around here!
Rock On,
Joe "TheGuitarman" Pacciano, C.G.P.
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