Conference napalm::commusic_v1

Re; -1

	Yes - 'Home Recording for Musicians' by Craig Anderton.

	It's reasonably up to date, available in paperback.  Call
some local music stores to see if they have it.  I THINK it's around
$14.

	Also, check your local library (if you live in Nashua, the
public library DOES have these) for back issues of KEYBOARD and
MUSICIAN magazine.  Take home an armful and start reading.  They
have many informative articles (even the ads are interesting) about
home recording and equipment in general.

						- Karl

The book Karl just recommended is a good, easily understandable book.  
I also recommend that you read it.

I subscribe to MUSICIAN and find it to be a good source of info and 
entertainment, especially the articles by Freff. I am into the more
electronic/synth/computer aspect of music and have been very happy 
with my subcription to POLYPHONY magazine, recently revamped as 
ELECTRONIC MUSICIAN.  It contains loads of home recording oriented 
articles and addresses a lot of technical stuff without getting too 
far out there.. As a matter of fact, the editor of this mag is the one 
and only Craig Anderton.  That guy seems to be everywhere!!

I just rushed out this note as soon as I saw yours and consequently I 
don't have the address for ELECTRONIC MUSICIAN (ne:POLYPHONY).  If 
you're interested, send me a mail msg and I'll get it to you on 
VAXmail. 

                              regards,
                              Doug

I play drums too, and I've managed to survive in an apartment without
soundproofing as follows.   First, I put "Gladstone pads" on all my drums.
This is a large (14") circular rubber pad with a raised center (about 5"
in diameter) in which is embedded a steel plate.  For smaller drums I cut
the edge of the pad off, for larger drums (e.g., 16" floor tom) I just put
the pad roughly centered on the head.  The pad absorbs most of the stick
impact, feels pretty much like a head, and on the snare drum, still gives
some snare response.  For the cymbals, I use Drum Workshop cymbal mufflers.
These are like Ace bandages sewed into a ring that fits around the edge
of the cymbal and completely damps it.  You can ride and crash to your heart's
content and just barely be heard in the next room.  This leaves the bass
drum.  I jury rigged some very heavily muffling for the front head and
made a "wimp" beater for the batter head out of an old beater, replacing
the felt ball with a soft foam ball.  This takes some getting used to, as
it doesn't feel like a bass drum at all.  Note that a lot of the bass drum
sound is transmitted through the floor via the bass drum's spurs;  this is
probabaly what your downstairs neighbors will complain most about.  So I
tooke some heavy foam and made some big "feet" for the bass spurs, and it seems
to have worked (this is especially a problem for Simmons bass drum pads - 
there's no head to absorb anything, so all the impact energy goes right into
the floor.

I use a drum machine to record in the apartment, but have also used the
Simmons.  You can record at whatever level you like - you listen at a
reasonable level.  Guitars and bass likewise - go straight into the board,
and keep the monitor levels down.  No complaints.  Vocals are a b it more
problematic.  This approach works as long as you don't need any volume
dependent effects (e.g., feedback) or screaming vocals.

len.

A few more things - I obviously don't record my acoustic drums when they're
muffled like that - this is just for practicing.  Recording (live acoustic)
drums is a major effort that I try to avoid - it requires lots of mic's and
processing gear or a big room for a nice ambient sound.  Hence my resorting
to the Simmons or a drum machine (Roland TR-707).

If you muffle your cymbals with the DW product, wash the mufflers first
(by hand, warm water, Woolite - otherwise they lose there stretch).
There's something in them as they come new that stains the cymbal (it
comes off with cymbal polish, but why ask for more work).  You will
probably have to special order them from your music store - I know of no
place that keeps them in stock. Any DW dealer should be able to get them for
you.  I got mine from Wurlitzer.  After you've seen one, you might try
making some yourself - they cost about $4 apeice, and they must require
about $.50 worth of material.

len.

	A good, basic book covering all aspects of recording is "AUDIO IN
	MEDIA" by Stanley R. Alten. Another book that is very good, but 
	somewhat more advanced is "MODERN RECORDING TECHNIQUES" by Robert
	Runstein. 

	-William J.

Here's some other reading:

	*The Recording Studio Handbook-by John M. Woram
	 Sagamore Publishing Co. Inc.

	*Sound Recording-by John M. Eargle

	*Sound Recording Practice-by John Borwick

	*The Audio Cyclopedia-by Howard M. Tremaine
	 Howard W. Sams & Co., Inc.

	*Microphones: Design & Application-by Lou Burroughs
	 Sagamore Publishing Co., Inc.

	*Modern Sound Reproduction-by Harry F. Olson
	 Van Nostrand Reinhold Co.

	*The Technique of the Sound Studio-by Alec Nisbett
	 Hastings House Publishers Inc.

	*Magnetic Recording-by Charles E. Lowman
	 McGraw-Hill Book Co.

	I've got some Audio magazines that are real helpful...I'll give
	you the list after they're assembled.

	-William j.

HERE GOES...
	"db, The Sound Engineering Magazine"
	 Sagamore Publishing Co.
	 1120 Old Country Road
	 Plainview, L.I., N.Y. 11803

	"Recording Engineer/Producer"
	 P.O. Box 2449
	 Hollywood, CA  90028

	"Audio"
	 North American Publishing Co.
	 401 North Broad Street
	 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania  19108

	"Modern Recording"
	 Cowan Publishing Corp.
	 14 Vanderventer Ave.
	 Port Washington, N.Y.  11050

	"Journel of the Audio Engineering Society"
	 Lincoln Building
	 60 East 42nd Street
	 N.Y., N.Y.  10017

	-WjB

Well, I finally got a copy of Craig Anderton's book that you all suggested.
Boy, that book is in demand.  The booksmith said it was bought as soon as
it hit the shelf. (Luckily, I was there when it hit the shelf one night).

Now for the obvious question.. Has anyone tried to build the mixer
described in the back of the book??  I think it might be a little over
my head at this stage in the game. (I'm in software, not hardware as you
may have guessed).

One other question, is that Craig on the cover?(amazing resemblance to Sting).