Playing Unplugged

jingle_jangle · Post by **jingle_jangle** » Wed Oct 26, 2005 8:14 am

Aitch, I forgot to mention:

When we said "unplugged", we were most assuredly NOT referring to the tub!

wayang · Post by **wayang** » Wed Oct 26, 2005 9:31 am

That's Aitch...always 'puttin' in a plug' for Rickenbacker...

winston · Post by **winston** » Wed Oct 26, 2005 9:31 am

I have a bathroom update for you.

I have a very inexpensive small home recording studio. The recording interface hardware is made by Creative. It has some software that comes with it. The software has some options to acoustically enhance your sound. The options are for places like a "garage", "theatre", "jazz club", "dance hall" etc. I just noticed that it also includes an option for the "bathroom".

wayang · Post by **wayang** » Wed Oct 26, 2005 9:39 am

Be sure to wash your hands after using that one...

jingle_jangle · Post by **jingle_jangle** » Wed Oct 26, 2005 9:40 am

Does it make your Rick sound a bit, er, tubby?

winston · Post by **winston** » Wed Oct 26, 2005 9:50 am

Surprisingly the sound that effect produces is quite pleasing. Unfortunately you cannot just apply the effect to a single track, so it makes it appear that the whole band is playing in the bathroom. Howard don't get any ideas!!!

ozover50 · Post by **ozover50** » Wed Oct 26, 2005 11:17 am

Sorry 'bout that, Joe.... there's always the shower!

I'm done with bathrooms (as far as guitars are concerned, anyway!). Maybe I'll go for the Exhibition Building - there's a thing happening there this coming Saturday - they're trying to get over 2000 guitarists together to play the intro to "Smoke On The Water"!!

I'm hoping there will be a video or audio link I can post here.

Oops! I just found out that no amps will be used - acoustic only - boring!!

winston · Post by **winston** » Wed Oct 26, 2005 11:24 am

I hope they all know how to use chromatic tuners, otherwise it will be an awful mess.

In keeping with this observation, I vaguely remember a story (I am not sure who said this)where a famous personality was asked how he/she like their first classical concert. The answer was something to the effect that he/she really liked their opening number, the one before the main event. The orchestra in fact was tuning up.

ozover50 · Post by **ozover50** » Wed Oct 26, 2005 11:31 am

Hahaha! If you're not into classical music there would be one saving grace - the piece would be short!!

shamustwin · Post by **shamustwin** » Thu Oct 27, 2005 6:27 am

There's some story which I'll get wrong here about Sinatra recording in the basement of the Capitol records building which was made of brick and he liked the acoustics there. I wonder if any studios have tiled rooms?

wayang · Post by **wayang** » Thu Oct 27, 2005 7:02 am

We used to rehearse in the tiled basement cafeteria of a former Catholic school... the whole building had been converted into art studios, a temporary situation while the archdiocese looked for a buyer. They sold it earlier this year, and it was razed to make a parking lot.

Those 'lunchroom' acoustics were amazing...

Aitch, 2000 guitarists playing Smoke On The Water??? Thank g*d someone had the presence of mind to ban amplifiers...messing around with some sh*t like that could cause the Earth's Magnetic Poles to reverse...

melibreits · Post by **melibreits** » Thu Oct 27, 2005 7:08 am

Yikes! I can only imagine, LOL!!!!!

ozover50 · Post by **ozover50** » Thu Oct 27, 2005 11:25 am

There would be a further problem if amplifiers were allowed - it's happening in a very old and delicate building - "classified by the National Trust". Too much noise and the whole joint could collapse like a house of cards!

randyz · Post by **randyz** » Thu Oct 27, 2005 11:37 am

Speaking of bathroom acoustics, I work in a building that contains and honest-to-goodness reverberant chamber. This room was built to run sound tests on various air-conditioning components. It is rectangular in shape with a high ceiling and a capacity of just under 10,000 cubic feet. I have attempted to play guitars in this room, but the reverberation time is simply too long.

wayang · Post by **wayang** » Fri Oct 28, 2005 7:08 am

We built several steel tanks to hold water at the Distillation Plant in McMurdo...weeks and weeks of welding. When they were finally closed up, and before being filled for the first time, the acoustics inside them were out-of-this-world...I have a recording I made inside one with the long 'squeak and slam' of the manhole cover being closed. Sounds like closing time at the Gates of Hell...