This year I finally got off Windows XP and Cubase 5.5 and got a new Windows 10 studio computer.
I have not had a great deal of time to record new material on it, but I wanted to try out my new toys. In addition to the computer, I’d bought updates to software that I was using, but couldn’t install them on my old computer because they latest versions all only run on Windows 7 or newer.
So rather than write and record something completely new, I started simple by taking a song I’d recorded in 2011 or so, rerecording just the vocal and guitars and reprogramming drums, and remixing it.
This gave me a great chance to try out a bunch of new tools: EZ Drummer 2 (I used The Blues expansion kit), Amplitube 4 (on direct bass track) my new Presonus ADL700 channel strip (on rerecorded vocal and guitar track), Waves Kramer Master Tape (previous mix of this song used Nomad Factory MAGNETIC II), the Waves TG12345 channel strip (used on most tracks in new mix), Waves Abbey Road Plate reverb (on vocal), Waves IR1 convolution reverb (ambience from Bluebird Cafe jazz club on guitar, organ and drums), and on the final mix, the ik Lurssen Mastering Console, T Racks Stealth Limiter, and Waves Abbey Road Vinyl.
The organ this time around was a Kontact organ. Previously I’d used B4 II.
And of course this was my first opportunity to work in Cubase 8.5.
Great start for a new operating system. Blues-- how could that go wrong??? Love it. I appreciate all the updates on the tools, but c’mon, tell us about the guitars!!! Love the sound!
Thanks. I love talking about guitars.
I only used one guitar, and didn’t overdub. It was a Hamer T62 which is a three single coil guitar like a Fender Stratocaster. I have Lace Sensor pickups installed in it, and the neck pickup, which was what I used for this whole song, is voiced to sound like a Texas Special single coil.
The guitar was plugged into a BBE Soul Vibe Way set to a very subtle modulation, a Huge Green Rhino overdrive and a Peavey Wiggy amp. For the solo, I stepped on a Way Huge Angry Troll boost that was in front of the Green Rhino overdrive.
The Wiggy’s speaker cabinet was mic’ed with a Heil Pr30, which as I mentioned was plugged into a recently purchased Presonus ADL700 channel strip. For the guitar track, I didn’t even use the EQ or compressor. But the compressor is handy when tracking vocals through it.
The bass was a Peavey Fury which got amazing classic P bass tones, but which I’ve unfortunately sold since that part was recorded. The amp was probably my Gallien Krueger RB400, which I’ve also since sold, with a Sansamp Bass Driver pedal in front of it. The speaker cab was a Hartke Transporter 1-15" bass cab. The bass was probably recorded with my Stedman N90 mic back in 2011. The mic preamp was either my TL Audio tube compressor’s preamp or my Presonus M80.