Alex Mine's Music and Sounds Blog

The Final Post (perhaps...or maybe not. Who knows, really?)

2015-03-21T12:07:00.000-04:00

Cheers!

Today is March 21, 2015. My last post was a podcast I recorded back in October 2014. That’s almost half a year ago.

This blog was primarily a place to post recordings from small-format (6-channel or less) guerrilla concert recordings I did in venues specifically picked for their sub-optimal recording conditions. I did this for my own edification and in the hope that someone might stumble across these pages and pick up a tip or two from them and in turn improve their own recordings. And if you discovered some new music you liked along the way, then bonus.

And though it was enjoyable, I feel like I've learned what I wanted to learn from all this. Therefore, I am no longer doing the recordings or podcast. If you want to read about that, look to your right and read “About This Blog”.

I had lots of fun doing these recordings and I learned many surprising things along the way. It was fun for someone who spends the bulk of their life tucked in a comfy studio with controlled acoustical conditions and practically unlimited sonic capabilities to do a 180° and record an acoustical event that only happens once with 2-6 channels in chaotic and acoustically horrific conditions. I truly enjoyed these experiences and have gained much respect for those that do audio work in the field. It truly is it’s own art.

Truth is, my own interest in this blog waned about 2 years ago. And I believe it is important in life to edit out the things that do not bring you joy in order to make space for the things that do. So now it’s time to pull the plug on this, if only in my own mind, to de-clutter and make room for the new.

These days, I am back in my happy place (the studio) working on multiple projects, both musical and post-related. And as always, I continue to try to push myself both technically and creatively. Forever learning. I might share some of the new things that are happening on the blog here. But I may not. There’s already so much noise on the internet. I haven’t yet decided whether I want to keep adding to it.

So with that, I bid you adieu. For now. As always, thanks for stopping by and have a great day wherever and whoever you are!

Podcast #5 - Miray Live at The Cavern

2014-10-15T11:23:00.002-04:00

Post 2 of 2 to properly populate the 2 podcasts to iTunes. Full shows available there. Just search "Alex Mine Music and Sounds".

Here's a clip from the show...

Each show is around 45 minutes and I recommend you listen to them both, as they're both quite enjoyable.

Thanks!

-Alex

Podcast #4 - Lilly Mason Live at The Cavern

2014-10-14T21:15:00.000-04:00

Hey all, this is a 6-channel recording I did with the portable at The Cavern Bar in Toronto on October 11, 2014.

The evening’s acts were Miray and Lilly Mason, two fine performers with some really excellent and interesting bands. It was a fun night to record.

Here are some samples of the show:

The full shows are available on iTunes. Just search for the “Alex Mine Music and Sounds” Podcast on iTunes. The recordings are about 45 minutes each.

Please note - I record shows for free when I can to foster and promote the amazing Funk/Nu-Funk/Jazz/Groove scene in Toronto. If you play music that fits into this category and want me to record your show, contact me via my websiteand if the venue and the date work for me, I will come down and record your show gratis. Basically if it’s funky or groovy, I’m interested.

I also offer location/remote recording for very reasonable rates for any genre. Also contact me via my website if interested.

Enjoy the recordings and thanks for stopping by!

-Alex

One year later…

2014-04-17T21:07:00.000-04:00

Life is a funny journey. I started this blog and podcast back in January 2013. It was a really interesting experience for the ensuing four months until a devastating personal tragedy derailed my intended publishing schedule. At first, I thought I’d be back to it within a month or so. A month turned into months, which now has officially turned into 1 year and 2 days.

Of course, the funny thing about life is that even in the face of tragedy, time marches on. Work needs to be done. Bills need to be paid. Housework needs doing. Friends and family need you. And pains that once seem to engulf your soul begin to dull and fade. And once you pass the first anniversary of a tragedy, it starts to become a part of your history and you start putting one foot in front of the other and begin to remember who you were before the tragedy. That’s where I am now.

To be honest, this is the first time I’ve felt like writing since I stopped a year ago. And I’ve had a number of interesting recording and musical experiences in that time. There's lots of interesting material just from that. And there will also be future podcasts and posts to come.

I’ve done some multitrack remotes. I had a professional ruin an important 48 track MADI multitrack concert recording for one of my bands due to internal signal routing. I managed to save the same recording through a combination of mixing the television broadcast feed and a Zoom H1 that I placed on stage with me in front of the drum set. I’ve used that same H1 on other gigs and done some A/B tests with it and my AKG 451s and DR-680. I’ll save you the details, but my opinion is that things sound like what they sound like. And until someone re-invents the laws of physics, a Zoom will sound like a Zoom. A DPA mic will sound like a DPA. 48 tracks (when they work) are better than 24 are better than 16, 8, 6, 4, and 2. They’re all good in their own ways. But ultimately, things sound like what they are, don’t they?

I will continue to talk tech when I feel like I can post something that someone may find useful in their own life. Ultimately, my goal in that regard is to help people make better-sounding recordings. And I will post other writings, too. I’m going to go easy on myself for the time being and not commit to a schedule yet. I doubt it will be weekly again for a while yet. But hopefully, eventually I’ll get back up to speed with it. One step at a time. Putting one foot in front of the other…

Be well and thanks for reading along.

Alex

A Short Pause

2013-04-15T17:10:00.001-04:00

Hi all,

Due to some unforeseen personal circumstances, I unfortunately have had to cancel a wonderful podcast recording for April and have not had time to do any other posts over the past few weeks.

I will be back writing at the blog come May and/or June and will resume my regular publishing schedule and podcasts at that time.

Thank you for your understanding, thanks for stopping by, and I hope to see you around then!

-Alex

Upcoming albums: Stacey Y, Set The Water Straight

2013-03-27T20:43:00.003-04:00

There's something funky happening in Toronto lately. Actually, there's been a lot funky happening in Toronto, which is awesome. There's been a whole Nu-Funk/Neo-Soul thing happening on the ground here for a while. It's been quietly bubbling away for years, but I believe there is a bona fide funk scene on the verge of exploding in a serious way in this town. There are more clubs around that feature this music, a lot of younger musicians have rediscovered the organic groove and feel of the genre, and funky jam sessions keep cropping up all over town.

And I think it's great. It's great because it makes people dance. It's great because to play it, musicians have to know how to play well both as individuals and as a unit. It's great because it's uplifting, energizing and celebratory. And it's great because as much as I love the ubiquitous Canadian singer-songwriter, let's face it, that genre is incredibly tired. The Canadian music public could use a good, funky kick in the pants.

A bright light among all the Nu-Funk/R&B/Neo-Soul artists playing around town is Stacey Y.
She's a multi-instrumentalist. She's a Royal Conservatory and Humber College schooled-musician. She's performed and recorded in Nashville, New Orleans, Memphis, Austin, and Havana. And clearly, the musical energies of these locales have left an impression on her music.

Stacey is currently in the finishing stages of putting together her upcoming full-length album called Set the Water Straight, set to release June 2013. The album is currently available as a preorder here. She has released an amazing single from the upcoming album called Save the Future. Please click here to listen to it. It's your loss if you don't. Seriously. It's great.

Take a look at the video below where she talks about the production a bit.

This looks like it's going to be an amazing album, so I think if you dig the track, you should definitely do the preorder and reserve your copy today. Stacey is also offering some other neat packages at higher prices which you should consider, too. This looks like a very promising album by a very talented local musician and singer. I'm definitely looking forward to checking it out and am hoping to record Stacey and her band for a future podcast at some point.

Stacey is playing at Cherry Cola's at 200 Bathurst St. in Toronto on Wednesday, April 3rd, 2013.

Her CD release is on June 20th, 2013 at C'est What.

For more info about her, go to her website or her facebook page.

Thanks for stopping by!

-Alex

Up and Coming Artists: Coronado (Interview)

2013-03-21T13:30:00.000-04:00

Summary: Really tight, well-produced, melodic synth pop. And a FREE downloadable 6-song EP “Remain Calm”, released February, 2013 – get it while it’s still free!

***Also: Coronado is playing at The Piston (937 Bloor St. W, Toronto) on April 17th along with Most People and Paradise Animals.***

Tech Specs - Nadjiwan at Joe Bidali's Toronto Record

2013-03-17T22:00:00.000-04:00

My drum kit in the Black Lodge. Oops, I mean,Joe Bidali's.

This was a really busy night for me. Not only was I playing drums on this gig, I was doing the podcast recording. And since I already needed to organize those two things, I ended up running the PA to top it off. Yikes!

The best part about the recording of this gig was that I finally had a show where I didn’t have to worry about a separate sound guy’s setup and I could take the appropriate time to set up additional mics on things. What this meant was that I was finally able to push the envelope of what the little Tascam could do. I think the result speaks for itself.

Podcast #3 - NADJIWAN at Joe Bidali's

2013-03-14T13:06:00.000-04:00

NADJIWAN's Amp mic'ed up and ready.

(Song - "Drowning".

To download full 37 minute podcast, please subscribe via iTunes.

Search for "Alex Mine's Music and Sounds Blog".)

NADJIWAN is the full-band incarnation of Marc Nadjiwan/Marc Merilainen's music. Marc is an award-winning singer/songwriter with a variety of projects always on the go. He’s done projects ranging from full-on rock and roll albums to TV scoring to writing music for theatre.

Tech Specs - Michael Lake at Brick Works Record

2013-03-07T06:00:00.000-05:00

This was a fun recording to work on for a number of reasons. In addition to all the things mentioned in the previous post, I especially enjoyed being up early on a Saturday. Seriously. There’s just something about waking up early on the weekend that’s invigorating.

Bright and Early Recording at Brick Works

Same as last time, I went in with minimal time to set up and get things happening. But I’ve started to branch out with what I’m tracking and used the full 6 tracks that the DR-680 has available to record on (without tapping the SPDIF L/R in – that’s tracks 7 & 8 if you want them) on this recording. I definitely missed the extra 2 tracks, as I went much more multitrack with this recording.

Podcast #2 – Michael Lake at Brick Works

2013-03-01T15:36:00.000-05:00

Michael Lake and Nathan Smith During Soundcheck

(Song - "Anna Lee".

To download full 34 minute podcast, please subscribe via iTunes.

Search for "Alex Mine's Music and Sounds Blog".)

Imagine, you wake up early on a beautiful, snowy February Saturday in Toronto with a hankering for some hand-baked bread and organic coffee. What better place to go than the Farmers Market at Evergreen Brick Works, a really cool forward-thinking and eco-friendly place with around 50 farmers, artisanal farmers, food producers, and chefs.

The Brick Works adds to this pleasant, earth-friendly vibe by regularly having buskers play at the market. On Feb 16^th, the artist providing the delightful sounds was talented Toronto singer-songwriter Michael Lake, accompanied by the equally talented Nathan Smith on the fiddle.
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Birth of Rock and Roll

2013-02-19T21:28:00.003-05:00

A while ago, in the pursuit of my love off all things BBQ, I went on a road trip to Memphis, Tennessee. Memphis, along with Kansas City, Texas, and North Carolina is one of America’s great BBQ destinations. Memphis also has an incredibly interesting and rich history. It was a hotspot of the civil rights movement of the 1960s. Sadly, it was also the location of the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., a great man and one of my personal heroes. Visiting the National Civil Rights Museum at the Lorraine Motel (the location of the shooting) was one of the most powerful and moving experiences of my life.

Plaque at the National Civil Rights Museum

Visiting Memphis is a real education about the roots of rock and roll. It was the happening music scene of the 1940s and 50s. And what a scene it was. Elvis, Johnny Cash, BB King, Jerry Lee Lewis, and many others pushed musical boundaries. From a technical standpoint, advances in the technology of magnetic tape recorders and in the 50s, the transistor radio, altered how people interacted with music in a way similar to other revolutions like the phonograph and the iPod.

On Guerrilla Recording

2013-01-30T21:05:00.000-05:00

This week’s post is about technical stuff. If you’re into recording stuff, you might enjoy it. If you have no interest in such things, it’s probably best to give this post a pass.

I’ve changed the “live recordings” bit on the subtitle of this blog to “guerrilla concert recordings.” The point of this change is to more accurately describe what I’m doing. From a technical standpoint, this podcast is about trying to make good-sounding recordings while purposefully limiting the tools that I allow myself to make those recordings. The word guerrilla is meant to describe this ethos – keeping things small, adaptable, mobile.

Podcast #1 – The Soles LIVE at The Central Jan 19, 2013

2013-01-22T19:57:00.000-05:00

(Song - "My Newest Revelation".

To download full 50 minute podcast, please subscribe via iTunes.

Search for "Alex Mine's Music and Sounds Blog".)

Welcome to the inaugural podcast of this blog! On Friday Jan 19^th, 2013, I had the opportunity to record the local Toronto indie band The Soles at The Central, a cool little spot in Toronto. It’s a fun little club heavy on vibe with a great, friendly bartender/soundwoman who amazingly managed to serve drinks AND run solid sound all night. I was duly impressed.

Limitations and Art

2013-01-15T06:00:00.000-05:00

My Tascam DR-680, powered up and ready to record!

“The absence of limitations is the enemy of art”

-Orson Welles

As you read yesterday, a part of my podcast series will be concert recordings. For those that don’t know, recording a concert these days can be a fairly involved process. And when it is really involved, it requires a truck with a whole lot of gear in it and an incredible amount of coordination between production and recording staff (yes, it takes a crew to do this properly). Of course, when it’s done that way, the results are beautiful, professional, and lovely.

What to Expect

2013-01-14T15:00:00.002-05:00

Things are starting to take shape around here. Today, just a quick post to update you on what to expect here at alexminemusic.com.

Welcome!

2013-01-08T22:01:00.000-05:00

Welcome to my blog. I actually started this blog a couple of years ago, but this is the first post. When I set this up, the idea of what I wanted to write and do here wasn't fully formed. I just thought it'd be fun to write something. There were a number of ideas bouncing around my head at the time. I toyed with writing about politics, BBQ, crazy spicy food, spirituality, and many other things. But when I set the blog up, I ultimately decided to not post anything for a while and let the idea of what this blog should be percolate. And so it remained for a couple of years.

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