Man! I'm so pissed. Me and Dave spent so much time on the CD and then when we made copies, they didn't always work in every player. I suspect it was Dave's duplicator, which sucks because it's nice and very convenient to use. But I guess it's just a lesson that we had to learn. Don't skimp when it comes to making the copies. I always get lazy and I'm like, "oh, copies are copies.. let's just get 'em done!" but really, if your dupes don't work, there's no point making a record at all! Man, I wish I'd brought my computer. I could just run off copies and do them real slow and it would be all ok, but damn.. it's at home. Oh, well.. we'll figure this out eventually, but I feel bad for people we sold the CDs to. Hehe.. not a good PR move for sure.

But I do like the way the CD turned out. All in all.. there were some compromises considering time and considering differences of opinion, but I still love it. Really the is the goal in recording. I mean, if you can't live with the results, there's no point going through all the trouble. But, if the results are worth it, I, for one, will jump through any hoop to get it done.

Me and Dave and his sister went to the Rose Bowl Swapmeet. Dave was looking for a banjo (which he found!). I wasn't looking for anything in particular, but I came away with some cool stuff.

👁 Shure Bullet Mic

Mic #1 The shure Bullet mic. Mine is actually the older version without the volume knob.

👁 On the Far Left

Mic #2 The Midland 22-104 (it's the one on the far left)

👁 Melodica

Also, I got a melodica. It kind of looks like the bottom ones.. but only sort of.

I got another mic, too, but I couldn't find a picture of it.. oh, well.

Dave got a Banjo, too! That's fucking awesome! Watch out for more "banjosity" on Mr. Brownsuit songs.

But as things usually go when I go to a swapmeet full of awesomeness.. I left some treasures behind. I just couldn't part with 150 dollars for a French Horn.. man, it was cool. Oh, well.. I can't even play it.

Well, right now, I'm on the computer while Mary is over here recording some parts for Katie the Pest. Now someone (maybe no one.. whatever.. it's rhetorical) may be thinking, "what are you doing on the computer while someone is over recording?" And well.. it is a bit odd.. I mean usually I sit or stand very intently listening to the performance and analyzing it and watching levels and whatnot.. but recently I've been thinking about studio performance.. I mean, some people don't perform well when they know that someone is there, sternly listening to their performances. I can be as nice as I can, but they know or think that I might be getting bored or judging them or what have you... Granted, sometimes I have the luxury of recording with one person over many years and they get used to me being there, but most people aren't. So, I've been trying to adjust my recording style to suit people more. So that is why, right now, instead of standing over Mary, watching and listening, I'm here. I'm trying to create a more relaxed atmosphere. Whether it works or not.. we'll see. Maybe she'll complain that I'm not paying attention.. or maybe, I'll get an awesome performance out of her, that I might not have gotten otherwise.

Ah, I'm such a nerd. I spent all last night setting up my computers in the front room, complete with two separate screens (was using one before, and switching between two computers!) and I figured out how to network them together so I don't have to keep using zip disks. Yay! It's kind of slow, but it works.. I know that some of you aren't much for recording with computers, but I just like having as many tools as I can get and they make for a much more flexible working situation.. but they do add a large amount of fuss.

Also, I believe I figured out how to record mandolin finally so that it doesn't sound lame.. I used my new "crappy" shure mic and ran it through my tube amp/DI and put it right in front of it and used a "good" mic a few feet away, so it sounded rather "old timey" but with a bit of room.. it worked out well! Now I just have to install fan/fans on my tube amp/DI so that it doesn't smoke after an hour or two of use.. hehe.

Now I'm spending the Fourth of July editing tracks.. a perfect evening. Now I just hope my yard doesn't catch on fire.