PSA: Amp setup features in a blog update

After many alterations, and with more alterations likely still to occur, this is generally how my main amp setup is currently looking.

On the pedal shelf are 3 of the BYOC pedals which I've soldered myself, including the Phase Royal (orange), an OD2 (black), Mouse (blue / green). And on top of the rack case is the 4th I built, an speckled orange Ping Pong analog delay, which I've virtually never had a use for, and which I guess I ought to sell for having lack of use for.

The pedals on the rack shelf are on independently-switchable channels, but are ordered as:
BYOC Phase Royal > BYOC OD2 > BOSS Metal Zone > BYOC Mouse > Big Muff Pi

Then things go to the preamps, and in the preamp effect loops are:
Analogman Bi-Chorus > Strymon TimeLine

I'm using the Vox wah pedal out front of everything for a signal buffer, which serves to keep the guitar tone bright and full as the sound signal runs through long stretches of otherwise tone-depreciating instrument cable until it reaches the power amp.

I also started recording a new track, though I'm sort of in a paused state on it... but I might be about ready to start working on it again. Here's a small spoiler concerning it: It's sounding really great.

C~ Soundscapes

 

My completed Phase Royale pedal, and a new track demoing it - The Blue Tides and You

I've completed the phaser pedal I mentioned I was building in the posts Blurbing some news, and Almost there with DoE. It sounds great, probably my fav phaser pedal I have used.

Here's a track I recorded just with my phone, showing the pedal in some mild-phasing action. Its effect can be dialed in far more intense, bigger, and tangier, though, and the pedal has Speed, Depth, Resonance, and Mix controls, as well as a 4 / 6 phase stage toggle switch - all in addition to the classic MXR Phase 90 sound.



 

 

 

C~ Soundscapes

 

Having no more ados to further, here is (new track) Drops of Emerald

C~ Soundscapes

 

I'm now working with Will on the drums for DoE

I've started working with Will Jones once again for the drums for Drops of Emerald (Will played drums on tracks The Stars are Iridescent, Superblast!, and My World Come True).

I had programmed close to half the drums for the track before I contacted Will to see if he'd like to work with me again for this track, and now we're sending clips back and forth while we discuss what we think works best for the music (whereas with the previous tracks I just handed them to Will and he sent me the final thing, though I edited-in some kick drum grace-notes on MWCT).

It's enjoyable for me to hear how a drummer thinks about the track, and I look forward to being able to post the final result here. I'm not sure how much longer it will be, but perhaps a couple or a few days more, just guessing.


Here's a teaser (*warning, spoilers!*):



Intro - 0:00
Chorus 1 - 0:12
Verse 1 - 0:41
Chorus 2 - 0:57
Verse 2 - 1:25
Heavy Part 1 - 1:42
Chorus 3 - 2:03
Verse 3 - 2:31
Heavy Part 2 - 2:47
Heavy Part Extension - 2:26
Solo Chorus - 3:35
Solo Verse - 4:03
Segue - 4:22
Ending - 4:40

C~ Soundscapes

 

Almost there with DoE

I've finished all guitar and bass work on the new track, Drops of Emerald, and am working to finish the drums. Awesome track, thinks I.


Also almost there is the DIY phaser pedal I'm working on, here shown in all its glorious sprayed-on orange, compared to original.


Then:

Now:

Maybe it's because I used a lot of coats of paint, but after drying for a day and a half, the surface of it still feels a bit sticky and emits paint smell.

C~ Soundscapes

 

Blurbing some news

Good news: I've started recording another track, which at this time is titled Drops of Emerald, and is already amazing sounding.


Other good news:

- My guitar amps, including the JMP-1 of previous blog mention, are now all fully functional and set up
- I've figured out ways to improve my guitar sound
- I've improved my recording techniques and so have also improved my recorded guitar sound

It's like everything has recently received a big level up, where my gear-readiness and sound is concerned. I haven't really done much with bass for a while though, we'll see how that goes for this upcoming track.


Cool enough news: I'm building a new guitar pedal, a Phase Royal. I've built a few of these kit pedals before, and my main boost and pedal distortion comes from pedal kits which I've soldered together. The actual soldering doesn't take too long, maybe a couple of hours. Waiting for spray paint to dry on the pedal enclosure is the longer part. I think that this one'll be a slightly more reddish orange that the traditional MXR phaser that it's based on (with a whole bunch of features added):

C~ Soundscapes

 

A Merry Mixmas compilation

Just in time for Christmas, I've remastered and put together into a compilation some of the tracks I've previously put out.

I only now listened to these tracks using a different audio setup than what I had mixed them on, and I immediately heard a lot of things that could be improved. And so I improved them.

The biggest difference is going to be the bass sound and levels, which I reworked on most of these tracks. But I also adjusted the sound levels of some drum elements, and the occasional guitar part. I also made some previously mono guitar parts stereo, and boosted the spread of a stereo part in My World Come True (yeah, I'm using that title again, instead of Our World Come True. I think it gives a bit of a menacing edge). I hope these mixes sound a lot better than they did before.

An exception is Being Like the Wind, which is unchanged from its earlier sound design, but included in this compilation nonetheless.


1. Mezo
2. Superblast!
3. My World Come True
4. Being Like the Wind (not remastered)
5. Liquid Crystal
6. Minotaurous






And if you'd like to download the wav files for these tracks, you can even do that, right here:

Also, feel free to share this video and these tracks. Hope you have good holidays.

C~ Soundscapes