Bounce to Disk

I’d like to welcome Koji Mabuchi as a contributor here at Bounce to Disk.  Koji is an engineer and gear enthusiast living in New York.  I hope he’ll share some of his extensive knowledge of microphone modifications and other boutique gear.  Welcome, Koj!

This episode of the Watt From Pedro Show features Mike Watt interviewing Nels Cline of Wilco in January 2007.  It’s around two hours of total guitar technical geek-out.  The sound quality is rough because it was recorded in a moving van with the windows open, but there’s a lot of righteous stuff in there.

When mixing on a computer, many prefer to sum the tracks in the analog domain, which can result in more depth of field and a wider, more defined stereo image.  There are several analog summing boxes on the market, but they can be very expensive.  Naiant is now making a very affordable passive analog summing cable that could be a cool alternative.  Please comment on this post if you have any experience with it.

Owens Corning 703 insulation is the go-to material for absorption panels in recording studios because of its particular density. Unfortunately, it’s a bit hard to find because hardware stores like Home Depot don’t carry it. ATS Acoustics builds and sells panels which are expensive and have questionable design characteristics, but they also sell OC 703, extra-wide burlap, and spray adhesive that you can use to build your own custom panels. I’m building bass traps, clouds and membrane absorbers for my mixing studio.

Joshua Myers is an accomplished composer and producer. His production credits include World Waits by Jeremy Enigk and These Friends of Mine by Rosie Thomas, and his compositions have appeared in many motion pictures and television productions. He plays keyboards in The Fire Theft, and was kind enough to answer some questions.

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Tim Midgett was a founding member of Silkworm, a legendary and influential Chicago-via-Seattle rock band with an uncompromising aesthetic. His new band, Bottomless Pit, is about to release a 45 RPM double LP. He is an electrical engineer, home recordist and true high fidelity enthusiast. Also included - a song download from the forthcoming Bottomless Pit album. Photo by Heather Whinna.

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Continuing with Lanois, here’s a nice interview with him from Music Glob.  And another.

Carl Saff is an excellent mastering engineer who has been operating Saff Mastering in Chicago since 2000. He recently took his business to the next level, making it a full-time gig. His affordable rates have always helped bring the clients in, but his work and service really stand on their own.

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Here is a trailer for Daniel Lanois‘ new film, Here Is What Is. The film premiers at the Toronto International Film Festival in September 2007.  Lanois at Wikipedia.

If you’re building or re-housing rack gear or other electronics, you can design and order a custom aluminum front panel from Front Panel Express LLC.  Take a look at their finish and etching options and download their designer software.