Caevan O'Sh!te

Originally posted by doug osborne "This is my most effective tool!" No foolin'! Same here; ear-fatigue's a drag, especially throwing in any congestion and inner pressure anomolies from allergies, colds/flus, etc...

Watershed , alcohol, fretless, and younggunmn- thanks for the interest, and all of your positive replies! Wow, I really expected at least some raggin' on my noodling little sketch there. Thanks for the compliments; I'm almost embarrassed, as if I tricked people somehow... (I'm gonna hafta get a copy of Mark Knopfler's Local hero, a friend on another forum made similar comments regarding that comparison! Gotta be completely undeserved, though, Knopfler rules!) The whole little schebang was really just done to have an example of the sounds of P-90 pickups on a 24 & 3/4" scaled guitar; maybe I'll actually make something out of it, someday, when I learn how to properly record! Both tracks were recorded direct, with all effects and processing (respective to each of the two tracks) printed simultaneously live/in real-time. Les Paul Studio "Gem" with P-90 "soapbars", specifically set-up and strung for Open-D tuning, bridge-pickup selected, played fingerstyle, both tracks. Johnson J-Station digital-modeling preamp. Clean track: "blackface Fender"-model, lotsa compression and EQ, speaker-sim turned OFF. Overdriven track: " '70s Marshall"-model, "Fane/Hiwatt" speaker/cab-sim, lotsa EQ, compression and noise-gate with attack-delay effect. Recorded direct to n-Track Studio software, on a mediocre PC with NO soundcard or videocard (just the mobo's on-board sound capabilities). Analog 1/4" outputs of J-Station to analog stereo mini-jack on mobo via a cheap Y-cord. I recorded the clean arpeggiated track with several false-starts, then when I decided it was acceptable enough for what it was, I improvised overdriven lead-lines over its playback three times to come up with a basic direction, then hit "record" on a fourth pass, and it was done, stick a fork in it and turn it over! The "backwards" sounding, volume-swelled parts were all done totally live/in real-time and printed with the help of the J-Station's onboard compressor and noise-gate. I've spent some time cultivating my "touch", particularly with my picking-hand, and I pretty much NEVER use a pick. An initial note's attack will be "swelled" as the 'gate opens, and all following sound is then "normal" sounding, untill there's a low enough lull in signal-strength to close the 'gate again. Then it starts all over again; selective, touch-controlled volume-swells. You can get the effect on each note with muting and damping. I absolutely love volume-swell and "reverse" type sounds, and I've probably used nearly all approaches to get that effect before. Yhup, P-90 pickups can be noisey, especially around a big ol' CRT (guilty!). Trust me, it could've been a LOT worse! But, you're right, it could've been better, with a quieter/lower noise-floor. I've got a less-than-perfect cable arrangement (of less-than-perfect cables), as well... Thanks, again! And thanks to anyone who read this far, too!

Alright, I'm in! I'm a TOTAL NOOB at recording, hard-disc/digital/PC-based or otherwise. I barely know how to do so with what I have. (I'll get around to that in threads with future questions, I'm certain.) I probably barely qualify to make sonic toast with the gear, hardware and software that I have. That being said, "FWIW", here's my submission for critical and expert scrutiny, scrotiny, and suggestions afield: "Soapbar Example" Currently my sole postable/linkable mp3 (hosted by a good friend). Forty-odd seconds of two guitars (or rather, one guitar, twice), tuned to Open-D, originally done on-the-fly simply to give an example of P-90 "soapbar"-equipped guitars in action. I won't bore you with any more mundane details unless they're requested. I already have my own opinions about its artistic shortcomings, don't worry about sparing my feelings or anything! It's presented here both to start off kicking the ball around, and to get any and all actual useful information that anyone cares to throw my way. (READ AS: FREE EDUCATION) Be as critical as you want!