We-Verb

R.I.P. We-Verb

2011-03-06T02:10:00.001-08:00

Aside from a few informational messages, We-Verb will be discontinuing any updates.

If you have been referred to this website by Blythe's business card, please refer to the following website:

http://positronicbliss.com

Thank you for reading, but now on to bigger and more epic journeys... life beyond the confines of college.

Latest Happenings....

2011-02-21T07:57:00.000-08:00

February has been a busy month in many regards... the Audio Engineering Society- San Francisco chapter hosted their meeting at Cogswell on February 10th. Robert Rich spoke about mastering and the loudness wars, and its effects on current music. It sucked hearing 'Death Magnetic' for a few seconds, but it illustrated two points: 1) Don't over compress and 2) Don't listen to modern Metallica albums if you have any self respect.

Later that week I visited Robert at his home studio, and hung out with him for about an hour and a half. He explained details on his modular synth, as well as some work-flow issues he goes through when he gets a project. I can't wait to take his class next semester!

My current projects involve reigniting the Cogswell student AES chapter... but it looks like I will have to venture outside the campus in order to do so. This is where I really, really miss Foothill (that, and... my Royer R-121), students actually wanted to do things. More on that as it happens...

The Laser Harp? Le sigh. The school and its logistics have gotten in the way, so we may just purchase some SCA preamps, and build those for Cogswell Studio A... since we have such a large injection of cash from the Boeing project.

On the upside, I am definitely graduating in Spring of 2012... and I already have some ideas for my portfolio project. Go go audio restoration website!

I will be attending my first Game Developers Conference in SF on March 4. Looking forward to seeing what the rest of my school is so damn excited about...

I have also decided on my second tattoo, that will be on my right wrist:

The first Omega (the curly 'W' right after the capitalized 'F') is going to be a heart, integrating love from the frequency to the time domain. Yes, I am a nerd, and I an definitely ok with getting a tattoo of a math formula on my person.

More as it happens, midterms next week, then hopefully delving back in to some audio related projects.

New Mix...

2011-02-02T09:49:00.000-08:00

Just a quick update, this is my current mix from the Rob Owen session, one that was released as a single and didn't make it onto the album. This is my take on the song, I am fairly proud of it, because this is the least processing I have ever used on a session (read: EQ and compression... that's it), and I recorded everything else.

Additionally, I am feeling brazen enough to share with you guys, the first thing I ever did in a DAW. I'm especially not proud that it was in Logic, but that's the way things roll. Originally, it was a remix of my teacher's (Scott Church) friends, but then I made the piece dissolve into a sound scape... which I feel truly expresses the emotions I was feeling at the time... all that time ago in 2005:

Number One.

2010-12-25T09:14:00.000-08:00

Just a quick update... We-Verb has received its first number one acclaim. Remember the Rob Owen project? Music Connection Magazine has named it #1 album of 2010. We tracked everything except the kit.

Happy Holidays from We-Verb!

It's that time of year again...

2010-11-02T22:13:00.000-07:00

Yes, it's the 129th annual Audio Engineering Society convention, held in San Francisco! The awesome starts Thursday, and goes through Sunday.

If you're a student, you can Google for a free exhibit pass, to go in and see all of the vendors pushing their product. And hopefully, unlike the 2008 convention, the Celemony guy won't be so sad, because 'Direct Note Access' is actually out!

Also, students, if you can spare the $30 a year membership fees, it's worth it! You get access to a lot of great information, can join the student chapter, AND the membership fees practically pay for themselves with the access to scientific papers for research projects.

You'll be getting live coverage from your favorite audio blog team [ahem], in the days to come. See you in San Francisco*!

* From the entire We-Verb staff, we formally would like to congratulate the Giants for a kick-ass-world-championship-wielding year! Also, Brian Wilson, you're my OTHER hero named Brian Wilson.

Bread Board Tube Screamer: Stage One Complete

2010-09-09T10:20:00.000-07:00

That's right! We've been rambling about this for months, and we have finally gotten the time (and components) to commence our first bread boarding project.

And as We-Verb tradition dictates, that is a beer in the background (Lagunitas IPA for anyone interested):

And our completed breadboard! It now only awaits us making connections, and then the testing... oh the testing. More on that to come...

------------------------------------------------------------ > > > > >

In additional unrelated news, BlytheRocks had to go up to San Francisco last week for a work event held at Fort Mason, and holy crap look what I found:

Now any self respecting audio enthusiast who looks at that and doesn't think "I want to take an impulse response of that space" is probably a little unbalanced and shook seek professional help. And just when you thought it couldn't get any better...

Boo-ya! Printed PCB with components still in:

And all of this brings up a very important point: Never go anywhere without recording equipment. I may use this as an excuse to buy a Zoom H4n

We-Verb: Two years of aural bliss.

2010-08-31T10:26:00.000-07:00

I had to get this in before August ended (Jesus, it's September already?), We-Verb is 2! Ah, the terrible two's, which can only mean that the coming year will be filled with becoming more independent and making life hell for those around us.

Ahh, but what year isn't about that?

Our Boeing project is currently in the mixing stage, and will be posted as soon as it has been finalized and bounced from surround to stereo. Our audio program at school has literally doubled, so also look forward to some tutorials and forthcoming projects.

The recent influx of Pro Tools HD gear, and the Mbox 3 has been triggering talks of "What the hell is Avid up to?" on Gearslutz. Warning: Do not read if you are still working through ADC (automatic delay compensation) trauma with your therapist.

And finally, the Audio Engineering Society will be holding its convention this November in San Francisco, and you will be getting live coverage from your favorite audio blog (ahem).

So thank you for your support of two years, and you can look forward to another year of audio kick-assery*!!

*That's right, we write about audio AND make new nouns.

Impending Awesome

2010-07-30T10:15:00.000-07:00

We-Verb is still here, only with partially melted minds (due to school)...

2010-07-26T00:31:00.000-07:00

For those of you wondering: Yes, we are still alive and well. "Real" school has gotten in the way of any creative projects or ramblings that we may have posted here. We are currently wrapping our minds around second order linear differential equations, and LRC circuits.... yeah, we said "Ouch" too.

Never fear! Our sound design project for Boeing is nearing its end, and we will post it here as soon as it is completed.

However, I must admit one little, minuscule faux pas- I may have purchased Logic Pro for the above project... wait, hear me out... ONLY due to the fact that it has surround mixing. I will soon post about the trials and tribulations of having to work in a DAW that is not our sacred Pro Tools. I will try to think of another entry title other than profanity, but I can't guarantee anything.

New Year, New Projects, We-Verb style.

2010-03-28T13:05:00.000-07:00

Oh! You thought We-Verb was long dead and forgotten, didn't you? Silly people! Yes, it seems that the last post of top music in an underwhelming decade may have done us in, but it's been a new year for nearly 3 months, and things are looking up! The National and Of Montreal are both coming out with new albums in the coming months, and the new Yeasayer album is quite good. By quite good, I mean that I've been listening to it for 3 months, and I have yet to throw it out my car window in a fit of exasperation and disgust.

Putting BlytheRock's music snobbery aside [at least until the new Of Montreal record leaks], the staff at We-Verb have been busy with various engineering endeavors. First and foremost, we have been laying the groundwork for our future with... what's it called? Ah, school. Boring comments on scholastic content aside, we are about to start up a sound design project for Boeing. We will be doing music/SFX/ambient noise/aural awesomeness in general for a 13 minute long instructional video that has robots doing routine checks on an airplane. More on this as it happens.

More upcoming events: We are about to begin our first bread-board project, a tube screamer, and once school is out we will begin tracking some of AnalogueRazor's material in the studio. And, it is never too soon to get stoked about AES in San Francisco this November!!!

For now though, here is one of our finished mixes from the Rob Owen project that we tracked last summer. Enjoy, and you will be hearing from us soon!

BlytheRocks Top 28 Albums of the Decade Part II: #15-1

2009-10-01T23:24:00.000-07:00

I know you all have been waiting, and here it is, my final 15:

15. Isolee ‘We Are Monster’
This is one of the few electronica albums that I have heard that actually is successful in the implementation of original sounds. Not only are they original, the compositions are actually interesting to listen to. Since music technology is so readily available, a lot of people can make beats and aural electronic stimulation, but they are all working out of the same libraries. Isolee is the Autechre of the 00’s.

14. Wrens ‘Meadowlands’
I first heard this album when I was an angsty 20 year old, all the way back in 2005… back when this record had been out for two years. It resonated with me then, and listening to it today in 2009, when I am more cranky than angsty, and it resonates with me now. As a recording engineer-in-progress, this is probably the only album under the “Bedroom Recording” category that I actually revere. There is something so solemn about the vocals, and charming about the home mix job, that makes these songs endearing.

13. Boards of Canada ‘Geogaddi’
I hesitate to use the annoying genre tag of IDM, or intelligent dance music, because this is so far from dance music, but it is absolutely brilliant. This calm and calculated foray into imagery that is a psychedelic mixture of color, and often successfully conjuring up those warm fond feelings of childhood.

12. Godpseed You! Black Emperor ‘Lift Yr. Skinny Fists Like Antennae to Heaven’
If this past decade has been an overkill of anything, it’s post rock. A lot of bands are trying to be what GY!BE is, and should give up now because it’s hopeless. No one can match the dynamic power of the 786 member group (there are actually like 13 of them, but as many side projects they have done, you would guess that the original total was in the 700 range). This album is the most powerful of them all, with all the energy of their other albums, but the arrangement in this piece moves one at the deepest core. Yes, I may cry when I listen to this one, so shut up.

11. Subtle ‘A New White’
This is one of the more unique bands of the past 10 years. Subtle rolls with electronic backing that could be an album on it’s own, but also have awesome timbre with hip-hop vocals. Words cannot do this album justice, so just trust me on this one.

10. Scissor Sisters ‘Scissor Sisters’

God damn it do I love a flamboyant record, and this is by far the most solid. With a disco, funk, Elton John influence tied in with sleepless nights of amphetamines and feather boas, Scissor Sisters deliver. Most of this album is spunky pop music but has moments of epic Pink Floyd inspired ballads. This is also probably one of my favorite album covers too.

9. Walkmen ‘Bows and Arrows’
I hate hipsters as much as the next genuine music snob, but the Walkmen pull it off with a subtle and stylish execution. The lyrics and overall tone of the music are reminiscent of Kerouac, if he spent his time in modern-day hipster infested Brooklyn instead of San Francisco. This album has a certain crunchy sound to it, and just BARELY beats its predecessor ‘Everyone Who Pretended to Be Like Me Is Gone”.

8. Black Heart Procession ‘Amor del Tropico
I hate Pink Floyd. Not because I think that they are untalented, or that they have shit production, quite the opposite on both of those points. I hate them because they are constantly shoved in my face.
That being said, ‘Amor del Tropico’ is like Pink Floyd for the rest of us. This album starts out with a lighthearted Carribean vibe and eventually gels into a lush, dark orchestral masterpiece. The production on this record kicks absolute ass, and seems to satisfy the urge for musical gluttony whose void (I imagine) is filled for other people by Pink Floyd.

7. National ‘Alligator’
This is absolutely one of the best records I’ve ever heard. For a while I was debating on whether ‘Boxer’, their sophomore offering, should hold this spot, but upon a thorough listen, this album totally wins. In fact, it is still in the CD player in my car because I can’t get enough of it.
There were enough single-worthy songs on to draw me in the first time I heard it, but the more I listen to it straight through, the more rewarding it becomes. The songwriting is brilliant and original, and the mixes textured and flowing. Plus, Mr. November, the last track, should have been #1 song of the decade.
6. Serena Maneesh ‘Serena Maneesh’
This is a satisfying conclusion to the My Bloody Valentine ‘Loveless’ chapter. Though Serena Maneesh is clearly influenced by the shoegaze icons of the early 90’s, they put a crunchier spin on the sweeping wall of sound.
I had a chance to hang out with Serena Maneesh when they played at a small club in Tempe, AZ back in 2006. Before the drinking commenced, I was lucky enough to speak to Emil (the lead singer), about what he was trying to achieve in regard to production value. He said that it was important to him that everything be recorded through analogue gear to tape, to achieve the level of saturation that he was hoping for. Then they put on the worst show I’ve ever seen, didn’t finish their set, but redeemed themselves by being awesome at the house party that succeeded their train-wreck.
I should also say that this record was destined for the top ten, even before that show.

5. South ‘With the Tides’
I will absolutely never get sick of this album. The song writing is melancholy, and nothing says melancholy like lush instrumentation of mandolins and quadrupled guitars. Everything sounds like it was doubled, so the result is a huge sound that still manages to maintain some dynamics.

4. Daft Punk ‘Alive 2007’
This is absolutely one of the greatest performances of all time. Apart from this being the Daft Punk nerd’s wet dream, this is also an easy cop out for my list, as I was going back and forth between ‘Discovery’ and ‘Human After All’. This allows me to represent both, along with the gems off of ‘Homework’.

3. 65daysofstatic ‘The Fall of Math’
As a music elitist, I am trained to say that I hate concept albums, but I am all over them if they are done right. ‘The Fall of Math’ is a post-rock electronica story about when the world as we know it is destroyed, and the horrible aftermath of those who lived through it. There are a lot of original sounds on this record, and while 65DOS never topped this record, their follow up, ‘One Time For All Time’ is worth checking out as well.

2. Of Montreal ‘Hissing Fauna, Are You the Destroyer?’
I know this album by heart, and I still don’t even know what I can say about it. It is bliss. There is so much going on, so much being said, and it never falls into incomprehensible chaos. Chaos, yes, but chaos one can relate to and decipher! From bouncy pop songs like “A Sentence of Sorts in Kongsvinger” to 11 minute long epic anthem “The Past is a Grotesque Animal”, to my life theme song “Labrynthian Pomp”: “How you wanna tag my style when I am so superior, how you wanna hate a thing when you are so inferior.” I couldn’t say that better myself.

1. Spiritualized ‘Let It Come Down’
Probably one of the last, best albums to ever grace the presence of our aural cavities. Real strings. Real brass section. Real awesome. If you doubt me, refer to the statistic of 115 session musicians… unfortunately in this day of the year 2009, all replaced by Reason.
This album is about the wall of sound, the internal battle of drug addiction, and the epic ideas from the frontman who can’t read music, Jason Pierce (who articulated the orchestral and brass pieces through a tape recorder where he hummed the melody that he wanted).
This formidable giant of sass and vigor is unrivaled by any album that has graced its vibrations upon my ears. Therefore, it has rightfully earned the highest honor through my strenuous decade of evaluation and intense scrutiny.
Congratulations, Spiritualized. You have beat out Of Montreal, a formidable opponent. Please note, that this does not forgive ‘A & E’.

Through jaded ears and a hopeful heart,
BlytheRocks

BlytheRocks Top 28 Albums of the Decade Part I: #28-16

2009-09-02T00:37:00.000-07:00

Top 28 albums of the 2000’s That BlytheRocks Has Important Opinions Upon
Part I: #28-16

If a certain website that shall remain nameless can throw together an arbitrary list of top 500 songs of the decade that decides the ultimate of which is Outkast “BOB”, I feel pretty justified in making an overly-calculated list of relevant albums of the past decade.

This isn’t exactly a proud moment, reflecting the fact that this wasn’t a particularly proud decade. With the explosion of the internet and file sharing, genres of music have crossbred and spawned the bastard categories such as “laptronica”, “dubstep”, and “Radiohead”. This clearly has contaminated a large portion of the music, most of which manifests itself in the cesspools of Myspace and YouTube.

There have been some last death rattles of the art form that we know and love. Though there weren’t any giant movements such as grunge in the 90’s, we still received some offerings from the aural gods that there may be some hope left.

That being said, a number of these albums are representations of a group of albums that I found relevant, with the one listed standing for the most relevant. No, that’s not how these elitist charades work, but it’s how my list works, so love and accept it, because it’s from your local charmingly jaded music elitist… BlytheRocks!

Here is the first 12 selections of 28 albums I have important opinions on:

28. The Avalanches ‘Since I Left You’

This album still astounds me, purely for the transitions. This is turntabilism like it should be, graceful segues between cult vinyl junkie standbys, and without the safety net of “phat beats” looped. The only other time I’ve heard this style so tactfully executed has been on DJ Z-Trip and DJ P’s ‘Uneasy Listening Vol. 1”. However, with a track titles like “Frontier Psychiatrist” and “Two Hearts in ¾ Time”, how could you omit a mention of the Avalanches? Not me, my friends, not me.

27. Isis ‘Panopticon’

This is a combination of postrock and metal… one of my favorite examples of mixing. The instrumental bits could be an album on their own, but the superb automation of the vocals and heavier parts are stunning. Fun fact: The album cover looks exactly how the music sounds.

26. Death From Above 1979 ‘You’re a Woman, I’m a Machine’/The Icarus Line ‘Penance Soiree”

I debated whether to put The Icarus Line or DFA1979 here, which holds the spot for chaotic but calculated raw rock, and as I write this I am still undecided, so they both

win. They are both very solid records for what they stand for… insanely emotional and chaotic phases in one’s life. Both of these albums possess the raw gritty analog feel that is easily pulled off through incomprehensible lyrics and distorted guitar. Fantastic.

25. Modest Mouse ‘The Moon and Antarctica’

So this one took a lot of effort… mostly because of the abomination that was “We Were Dead…”, quite an accomplishment to fuck up a major label record when you have just acquired the coveted Smiths guitarist JOHNNY FUCKING MARR. Really? You’re going to release that? Ugh.

Despite all of my rage at fucking up something that should have been handed to them, and some other built-up agitation at the inebriation level of Brock on two separate performances on two separate tours in two separate cities that I may have attended, yes, despite this and this run on sentence, I will allow Modest Mouse to appear on my top decade list.

‘Moon’ was like a photograph, it was a place in time where this music fit in, and it fit well. I love MM “This Is a Long Drive For Someone With Nothing to Think About”, their first official release and debatably their most raw. I think it is my appreciation for that record that has led me to the fond feeling that this record conjures up in my music elitist soul.. When you take this album as a single entity in space, it works and is moving and raw. So much so, that I have begun consideration of letting the prior grudges slide.

24. The Field ‘From Here We Go Sublime’

Another placeholder I wrestled with, was Stars of the Lid ‘And Their Refinement of the Decline’. Both of these artists represent what I interpret as awesome experimentations with psychoacoustics. It’s almost post rock, but with possibly too much attention to the layering of the horizontal axis us nerds call “frequency”. Brilliant. Intricate. Quaint. I adore this.

23. Beirut ‘Gulag Orkestar’

I feel like this album should be played on a dusty phonograph in a musty loft in Amsterdam. Though released in 2005, it has such a beautiful warm and vintage feel to it, everything from the instrumentation to the processing on his voice. It’s what I always wanted the Decemberists to be, until they sold out to the Colbert Report crowd.

22. New Pornographers ‘Twin Cinema’

I can’t believe I am admitting this to the internet, but I was absolutely floored by this album when I downloaded the leaked version from Oink (RIP). At the time, this felt like the apex of pop music. The album starts out with an adorably anticipated album title track song, of course heavily featuring Neko Case’s vocals right up front with Carl Newman. After that, it’s a bi-polar journey through dark serenades, epic buildups (‘Bleeding Heart Show”), peppered with silly pop music all the way through. So yes people, I do like the New Pornographers, but only up until this album.

21. Cut Copy ‘Bright Like Neon Love’

I don’t care how this sounds, but this album is absolutely adorable electronica pop music. Bright pulses and catchy rhythms, and a little restrained. I think I like this album even more since “In Ghost Colours”, their sophomore album, was released in 2008. While that album is more aggressive with production and song writing, this is a modest look at what was to become, and it makes it better every time I listen to it.

20. Wolf Parade ‘Apologies to the Queen Mary’

This was one of those show-off bands were their EP being the talk of P-fork town… not to mention they had TWO lead singers, both scraggily and Canadian, even before the LP came out they had it made! Luckily they didn’t pull what I like to call a “Bloc Party” (have an awesome EP and then follow up with an embarrassing full length). Despite the fact it was produced by Isaac Brock, it was actually good! Fantastic instrumentation, catchy songs, and a perfect balance between the guy with the good voice and the one I can only stand because the next track has the guy with the good voice. As loyal music nerds will note, these two kids went on to do their own projects…. Sunset Rubdown (crap voice guy) and Handsome Furs (good voice guy). The sad outcome of this branching off is that Sunset Rubdown has some cool music, but I can’t stand every track of that guys voice. Ironically, the Handsome Furs has the guy with the good voice, but the music is intolerable. So I’m just planning on playing dumb that either of these P-fork darlings ever did anything else, and appreciate this one album gem from Wolf Parade.

19. Les Savy Fav ‘Go Forth’

I love this band, just because of the lyrics married with the vocal delivery. It has ample supplies of sass AND swagger that are the catalyst for my endless adoration. It also has really articulate guitar and drum lines that seem to respond to what the lyrics are saying. “Let’s Stay Friends” was also a great album, but with a cleaner sound. The Hold Steady totally wishes they were these guys…. but won’t be, so give up.

18. Vitalic ‘OK Cowboy’

Some may call him the “sophisticated Daft Punk of any music connoisseur worth their weight in pretension”. Wow! Whoever said that certainly IS worth their weight in music pretension! Oh wait, that was the brainchild of me. Damn I’m good.

Regardless, this record still has the edgy French harshness of electronica, but with a format and enough variation that even the people NOT spaced out on [insert any drug preference here] can enjoy! Not to mention a radio-friendly single that should have been, ‘My Friend Dario’, this should have been so much bigger than it was.

17. Andrew Bird ‘Armchair Apochrypha’

Damn you Andrew Bird! Damn you for your gimmicky whistling with your gimmicky indie stage name! And damn you for ever releasing this album! It was too good for me to ignore any longer, and too good for me to not acknowledge its’ existence. I have to admit, I MAY have been guilty of getting you confused with Antony and the Johnsons… but to be fair, you both have that shy if not slightly ambiguous solemn voice, and in your defense you are not nearly as whiney. You got me with your words, your stupid clever words and vast vocabulary. Ok, you win. I bought your album, and have listened to it much more than just a passing whim. Yes, the whole thing. You had me when you asked us to “quantify”… oh and the lush strings. Sigh. Welcome to number 17… jerk.

16. Tool ‘Lateralus’

I don’t even want to hear any “but’s” followed by something that rhymes with… shit… well rhymes with ‘Aenema’ or anything related to ‘Aenema’ the album itself. Lateralus stands on it’s own. It has a cleaner sound overall, while still retaining the complexity that all of us nerds know and love about Tool. If I could pick Lateralus, plus the 2 tracks on ’10,000’ days that weren’t bullshit filler with a random noise generator, I would put that here. Alas, filler tracks are unforgivable, so… sorry. Lateralus it is.

** BlytheRocks #15-1 albums of the decade soon to follow... stay tuned!! **

The Red Apples 'Wake Up in Love'

2009-08-16T23:04:00.001-07:00

I just finished mixing a song for The Red Apples, an indie singer-songwriter duo from Santa Clara.

There was a lot of processing involved, as the engineer who recorded this project (Read: Not We-Verb staff) failed to use a pop filter. This caused several soft 'pops' and 'clicks' to infiltrate all of the lead and harmony vocal tracks. Kids, please, even if it's an embroidery hoop with some panty hose stretched over it, use a god damn pop filter when tracking vocals.

Alas, I resorted to my trusty Audio Suite in Pro Tools, I processed about 5 seconds of audio at a time with iZotope RX, an audio restoration program. For those of you interested in audio restoration and can't afford the sexily efficient CEDAR algorithms, I highly recommend RX. It allowed for a smooth removal of the offending sounds without leaving artifacts on the original vocal track.

So here is the Mp3 version of my mix for 'Wake Up in Love':

And to reiterate my very important point:

The Audio Cyclopedia by Howard M. Tremaine

2009-08-02T11:52:00.000-07:00

Will and I were perusing a small thrift store in Los Gatos the other day, when we stumbled upon their small used books section. This is what we found, for $1.00:

This 1,703 page reference guide contains information, schematics and explanations of everything from equalizers, transformers and coils, vacuum tubes, pickups, magnetic recording, power supplies, and dissections of vintage microphones. Yes, everything that this blog is about.

We did a quick Amazon search and found that this book is fairly rare... prices ranging from $80-$300. A Gearslutz search revealed that nearly every audio book ever written references this holy grail of audio details.

That being said, we will be posting excerpts from this book as we undertake the task to preserve the priceless information it holds.

Expect that soon, we're still reeling from how much happiness one can obtain from the exchange of a single dollar.

We-Verb Project: Rob Owen

2009-07-10T00:36:00.000-07:00

We have currently been working with Rob Owen, a singer/songwriter from Santa Cruz. Insert shameless plug.... oh, about here: http://www.robowenmusic.com/

Thus far, we have tracked drums, acoustic guitars, a scratch vocal track, and hand percussion (!!!!!!).

Speaking of drums, want a killer kick sound? Try a MA-200 outside of the kick, and stick a D112 inside.... add a little D-Verb (simple, yet sexy) to be a showoff on your blog, and you have this:

And as if you needed visual confirmation:

Here are some other random pics from our aural escapades...

Our drum set up:

Will doing some editing for the bass player:

Blythe holding down the talkback mic so Rob can play in the control room as a reference for the bassist and drummer:

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More will be posted soon as this project progresses.... we are also venturing into open water with assembling a DIY audio project without the proverbial floaties of a printed PCB:

Yes, my friends, a bread boarded Tube Screamer is on the way.

We-Verb Challenge

2009-05-13T00:55:00.000-07:00

Before we start getting back into serious posts about our happenings (recording, mixing, our new SCA preamp shootout, wrestling with a multi-mod guitar pedal), I would like to issue a challenge...

Give me one reason why these invalids deserve the acclaim they have been handed out of, what seems to me, sheer accident:

Vampire Weekend... populating the young adult section of a library near you.

SCA: N72

2009-03-27T01:36:00.000-07:00

Why yes, we have purchased a Neve clone from SCA.

Be prepared.

The Long-Awaited Preamp Shootout!!

2009-03-02T22:09:00.000-08:00

Yes, we have finally waded through the murky, and uncharted-since-university-3-years-ago waters of the first half of a real academic semester, and we are here to boast the results of a preamp shootout that took place over a month ago, that we just haven't had time to share.

[Yeah, I know, worst excuse ever. The actual scenario was that AR and I got abducted by the Digidesign gods.... and... and... yeah, no, I've got nothing.]
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The C84 was amazingly easy to construct. It took us about 4-5 hours total, and it worked on the first try.

Here is our PCB in the "final" stages:

Just as we had opened what we call our "Final Stage Beer"... we discovered that we had 17 more pages of wiring the damn thing to the power supply in the chassis. No pictures of that part... we were a little too annoyed to take pictures, so we probably supplemented that with another "First Stage of Final Stage Beer":

Andddd... we jump to the ultimate tier of construction: Completion with functionality! You can tell it works from the giant LED... you see it there? Yeah you do.

Here it is ladies and gentlemen, the shootout:

Mbox2 with Focusrite preamps:

Seventh Circle Audio C84:

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Coming soon to We-Verb (no, really):

- We will be doing a couple microphone mods... a minor one and a major! More details to follow.

Purple Haze

2009-01-25T02:46:00.000-08:00

From the February issue of EQ:

Fig 3. The purple waveform is compressed, while the magenta waveform is the original signal. Note how the uncompressed waveform has much higher peaks.

And yes, that is the original border at the top of the page... nothing screams compression like lavender in contrast to plum.

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This week on We-Verb:

- We won't make you wait any longer: Our preamp is............ functional! (On the first try, might I add!) Scientific shootout between the SCA C84 and the...... Digi Mbox2. It will be nothing less than epic.

Happy New Year from We-Verb!

2009-01-03T00:47:00.000-08:00

That's right! We celebrated New Years day the same way as the rest of you, with a glass of bubbly and a nice hot soldering iron to keep you warm. (Also, please ignore the monitors in the background, we are borrowing them to test them out... we will go into failure another time.)

We just wanted to give you a quick update, we have dove in to soldering components to the PCB on the C84 from Seventh Circle Audio.

First we had the painstaking task of sorting through the 150 or so electrical components and parts, matching them up to the Bill of Materials, just to make sure that everything was there. Clearly, the most fun was the tiny resistors, where their value is indicated from several colored bands that each stand for a number, and since the people who came up with this system were not art students, a lot of the colors look similar.

Luckily we have a digital multimeter, so we were able to verify the resistor values accurately. Also, for anyone else pursuing a project like this, once we found the value of the component, we put a piece of tape on it and wrote where it goes (e.g. R22, means resistor 22, which is silk-screened on the PCB):

We will post more as it happens! Since I'm sure you're dying to see it... yes, here is another gratuitous PCB shot:

Pitchfork's Top 50 formula... revealed!

2008-12-30T23:22:00.000-08:00

I have refrained from ranting about Pitchfork Media (intentionally not using a hyperlink to their main site, for your own protection) here on We-Verb on several occasions, but since it's a holiday, we're all allowed a little headroom... analog style (meaning I'm probably going to clip a little on this one, but at least it will sound good).

Every year Pitchfork comes out with its' much anticipated Top 50 albums of the year list. Some years have been fantastic as far as content and correct ranking (2005, 2007 are the recent ones that comes to mind). Then some years, like this one, I feel like flying to Chicago, hunting them down (I'm pretty sure most of the writers look like this mongoloid, who probably want to make love to their hero ,who they look like, while listening to the most tragic hit single the music industry has ever had infiltrate its' sacred fortress of respected indie-crossovers) Um, wow, not sure where that came from... but, like I said! Flying to Chicago and hunting down the PF hipsters to slap them across their round woeful faces! That would be my reaction to the 2008 Top 50 PF Albums of the Year list!

Yes, this year they have stuck to their "Oh shit! We were barely paying attention this year!" formula. A formula only I may dissect, because I have read them for so long, and know their cunning and malevolent ways:

Top 50-41
This spot is saved for the giddy kid in all of them! This is for the cool art, the radical colors, the pretentious photographs, essentially the "Hey, I like the cover too much for the music to ruin this for me!"albums that they haven't really listened to, but figure they should give a shout-out for the visual stimulation that they have provided. Some years, an album the PF staff know that they should like (because it's actually musically solid) but really just don't, make this tier. This year it's David Byrne & Brian Eno 'Everything That Happens Will Happen Today'.

Top 40-31
This is usually the experimental junk. Albums they really want to like because they are so edgy and forward thinking, but just plain don't. This is usually peppered with noise-rock and electronica. When they have no real basis for any decision they are making, they will throw in legends who have released albums this year. Apparently 2008 was especially confusing and off-base, because they put two: Arthur Russell and Nick Cave.

Top 30-21
This the tier that we (the people who follow music) finally start recognizing artists. This is crunch time for the PF writers, this is where the obligatory names need to start showing up, they can't just make up pretentious bullshit now! This is where artists who have made stellar albums in past years, who then follow up with sub-par offerings this year, land... Hold Steady, I'm looking at you! This is also the resting place for albums that should be higher on the list, but aren't, because they released their album in the first 6 months of 2008, so therefore fall out of a fickle hipster's mind in December (Flying Lotus, Atlas Sound). Also, in their never-ending attempts to touch base with the hip-hop genre, they start throwing in picks to make them look like they pay attention to things other than indie (note: Kanye West).

Top 20-11
Again! Time is of the essence! This tier is usually the early-year darlings. The ones where you once saw daily news of their happenings and tours in the PF news feed any time before late spring. Though, since it's the end of the year, it discounts the quality of the music they've made... you know, just slightly, so they drop to here. In February, I knew what the Crystal Castles were eating for lunch, in December, they're #15... ouch. (Also, I should note that The Walkmen 'You & Me' is astounding, and deserves way higher than #19.) You will also note that more hip-hop titles abound here as well (You guessed it! They are trying really, really hard to fit in with other genres... well, one other genre).

Top 10-1
Crunch time kids! Usually, they get the top 10 albums in there, just not in the right order. Often times, they concede defeat to the revolting trend-band of the year (Vampire Weekend, oh how I loathe thee), and throw them in mid-pack. This year they have the good band that has released a stellar-album (Portishead) at #2, then they usually do the most popular album from their respective genres, as follows:

Collaboration: Hercules and Love Affair
Electronica/Post Rock: M83
Electronica/Dance: Cut Copy
Punk: No Age
Hipster Favorite (Even though this album isn't very good): TV On the Radio
Experimental/Punk: Deerhunter
Nod to Classic Rock: Fleet Foxes

Keep in mind that these are all interchangable! It's all about the nerd that has the best argument in the boardroom in regard to order, but you will always find this collection in the PF Top 10.

I also can't help but note that in order to get #1 with Pitchfork in the past two years, you need to have your album art resemble Hieronymus Bosch's work, but you know... hipper:

2007 PF #1: Panda Bear 'Person Pitch':

and

2008 Fleet Foxes 'Fleet Foxes'

asjksjkh!!!! <-- The Promised Excitement via Keyboard

2008-12-24T03:13:00.000-08:00

Happiness is:

So you know like the first time you get high, on oh, let's say crack, and you think how the hell did you ever live without it? Yeah, replace the word 'crack' with 'Pro Tools 8', and that is about the only opinion that every cell in my body can agree upon.

I am currently going through every plug-in that comes with PT8, and judging it only in the way that I can: With the correct-and-undisputed opinion of its' feature's advantages and disadvantages. Expect the Overview of Awesome Materialized to be posted soon... maybe. Well, expect it to be posted if I can get over my excitement by stopping my workflow to jump up and down in my chair with unadulterated giddiness. (I really wish I was exaggerating on this fact, but alas, the chair jumping-in thing has been occurring, and occurring frequently).

Blythe's Top Ten Albums of 2008

2008-12-21T01:37:00.000-08:00

While 2007 was a fruitful music year (Panda Bear, Of Montreal, Andrew Bird, Animal Collective... to name a few), 2008 made up for the over-exertion of its' predecessor, and by which I mean it completely slacked off and lost interest in commercial music.

So my top ten is somewhat biased, and somewhat being a complete asshole, because it contains entries that are TECHNICALLY, not 2008. I feel that I have enough experience in being a music snob that I can integrate past years' selections into the current year, as we are experiencing a musical emergency:

10) Brian Wilson 'That Lucky Old Sun' (Obligation, you see, we owe him for 96% of the music we enjoy today, research some Beach Boys and you'll see the correlation)

9) Animal Collective 'Water Curses' (Yes, I feel that an EP can beat out any album dated anywhere past May 2008)

8) South 'You Are Here' (I feel that a band that is musically inclined, and can produce themselves, deserve a spot in the year's honorable mentions. Kudos for having perception of the genre they profit within.)

7) Battlestar Galactica: Season 3 soundtrack (You are missing out if you are not watching the show... but further, if you appreciate music, you miss out more than the degenerative loser!). The soundtracks are very reflective of primitive African rhythm, with the lush complexity of a full orchestra section. Even though the show is based in uncharted territory of outer space, it makes you experience the tribal beats that our hearts call home.

6) Spiritualized 'Songs in A & E (Though his voice has been desecrated through illness, there is the same amount of soul there, as in his previous albums.) The full experience of gossip and modern rock, you feel at home in both genres listening to this album. I should also add to die-hard fans... it took me months to deal with the vocal change... but have come to accept it, out of necessity for an artist I adore.

5) Of Montreal 'Skeletal Lamping' (Alright, I'll admit, it took some getting used to, but this album is pretty awesome, and is the personification of kinky, wild sex. Mission accomplished! As that was the goal of the album).

4) Elbow 'Seldom Seen Kid' (One of the better music-oriented albums this year. Great song-writing, unique voice. Yay! New sounds!)

3) The Walkmen 'You & Me' (Alright you guys, I forgive you for the 2006 embarrassment 'A Hundred Miles Off'. You're 2008 offering is solid enough for me to forget you ever made the other one. You came back to your roots of sad, melodic NYC rock. I approve.)

2) Fleet Foxes 'Fleet Foxes' (This is here for two reasons: The first being that as much as I hate to admit it, I totally care what other music snobs think of me. The second is that this album has a vintage sonic quality to it, and I am still astounded when I listen to it that it actually was 2008. I also enjoy the songwriting.)

1) Of Montreal 'Hissing Fauna, Are You the Destroyer?' (Yeah what?! In fact, I AM so edgy to put a 2007 album as my number one album of 2008. You know why? Because I still listen to it, and it still puts to shame its' nine predecessors, and everything that was released this year.
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So may I suggest a New Year's Resolution to the music industry: Let's try some standards this time around in 2009, cool? I'm about to kill someone for something interesting to listen to...

Oh, also, if you could paralyze Ben Gibbard's vocal cords, I would be very appreciative. You know, just if you have the time.

How to Record a Band in 27 Minutes

2008-12-15T02:21:00.000-08:00

How so very naive of us to only post about sessions that go flawlessly. We paint the inaccurate picture of tranquility, that aside from a problematic snake, the recording studio is nothing but sunshine and ribbon microphones.

The scene is last Sunday. The We-Verb staff, already tired from a long-term project session the previous day, show up to record an emo-hard-core band. At first glance everything appears normal, kids setting up drums, someone banging around on drums, also instructing placement, of aforementioned drums. You would think that this person was in fact, the drummer... think again.

The real drummer was in Pleasanton, at work, and would not be arriving to the session until several hours later. For those of you unfamiliar with the ideal recording chain, it's drums, bass, guitar, vocals... all elements tracked separately for sonic isolation.

Yes, it is at this point that the band informs us they would like to track guitar first. Begrudgingly, we mic up the cabinet, give each other the "Oh shit" look, slink into the control room, quadruple checked that the click was playing and clearly audible, and pressed 3 on the numeric keypad.

[Let this be a lesson to you rebels! Just because that piercing rhythmic click is slicing through your headphones directly into your brain DOES NOT mean that you have to play your instrument in time with it! That would just be silly.]

We managed to track two, 2 minute songs, and proceeded to track bass guitar DI.

Shortly after we have spent a couple hours with guitar and bass, doing multiple takes and various punching in, we then hear the drummer is en route. We proceed to mic the kit, taking up all 9 working channels on the snake. The drummer arrives, sits down, we start recording... about 20 seconds go by and he stops: "I can't play to this." (OF COURSE HE CAN'T PLAY TO IT. The entire session is referencing a foundation track that is full of wayward rhythm changes. That is why, my friends, you start tracking with DRUM AND BASS FIRST.)

So then a request meekly surfaces: "Is there any way we can record and all play at the same time?"

With a half an hour left in our session, we all break off and scramble with inputs and musician placement. Making quick decisions on what mics to take off of the drums to free up inputs, moving baffle walls between the drummer and the guitarist, shoving the lead vocalist into the storage room with an SM57, plugging the bassist DI in the control room, and trying to figure out what input has been changed to what in Pro Tools.

Yes, we did track the two songs they had wanted to track with the band playing simultaneously. Coincidentally, it is the exact two songs that were the catalyst for this We-Verb post, because I am procrastinating on mixing them.

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Now that the semester is over, we actually have time to post here! We have some backlogged recording sessions to detail, the best being the track that Will played drums, bass, and guitar! (AKA: We heart tube amplifiers!)

Also, our DIY audio projects are almost complete: We painted our Green Ringer Octave pedal, and will be posting about the long term, multi-mod Crybaby wah pedal.

We are going to dive right in to building our own preamps, via Seventh Circle Audio. To answer your question: Yes, yes we are in fact, so badass, that we build our own preamps.

I might accidentally post a Top Ten Albums of the Year list... because you all should at least know what is worthy of the music industry offerings. And like the economy, this was a frugal musical year.

Most importantly, PRO TOOLS 8 COMES OUT THIS WEEK. You can expect that post to contain nothing but random characters on the keyboard, because I'm going to be so excited and speechless that no articulate language will be able to escape my fingers.

Showing Off

2008-11-19T23:21:00.000-08:00

Ok, so this may be totally whore-esque, but recently, A.R. and I have been kicking ass and taking names in our respective field-of-current-choice (Please note that we both kick ass in many of the same, as well as differing, fields).

Analogue Razor.- This is completely unadulterated by any plug-in or mixing (sans a L2007 on the master fader, because, you know, it's the equivalent of Pro Tools crack, once you start using it there is no end)... there will be a more polished version published later, but if anyone wants to hear the concept of sexy personified aurally (sorry to be unprofessional... but holy shit!), you should listen to this, like now.

He played the drums, bass, and guitar... so talented!!!!

BlytheRocks- A very lesser version of awesome, since it's only mixing, but I'm mixing some fantastic talent, so it makes it a lot better:

So, coming soon, the session details of Analogue Razor's recording, and maybe a concert review of the best night my existence (read: Of Montreal. In SF... ecstasy.)

Also, if anyone is curious, Pro Tools 8 is on pre-order on Sweetwater for only $149.99... only $50 less than I had verbally speculated... sweet!.. water.

In The Studio: Vocal Mic Shootout

2008-11-04T00:29:00.000-08:00

So in addition to being slightly obsessed with Pro Tools 8, I have now added another irrational inanimate object into my constant-thought-rotation: RIBBON MICROPHONES.

See the skinny mic that looks like it has ears? That is our Royer R-121... sigh. (From Left to Right: CADGXL3000; Royer R-121, M-Audio Nova, and Neumann U87)

If I elaborate it's probably going to sound like a porn script, but seriously: Warm. Supple. Soothing.

Ok, think of a person who you love, and how you feel when they hug you really close... if you could make that a filter and add it to audio, that is exactly what a ribbon microphone sounds like.

Well, I guess we used some other microphones too, the Neumann, the CAD, and an M-Audio mic. The M-Audio I'll post only for comparison, because it definitely has it's own flavor. Since this isn't a post about an album review, I won't tell you what to think, you should decide for yourself:

(Also, I should say that unless noted otherwise, any audio clips posted will have NO effects added to them, sans an EQ3 that cuts everything below 125Hz... just to make sure that these MP3's don't sound shittier than they already do.)
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Neumann U87

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CAD GXL3000

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M-Audio Nova

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Royer R-121

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It should also be noted that we found a fantastic set-up to capture vocals:

Will faced the carpeted walls (there is an official, and less concise, name for these that escapes me at the moment) and sang into them while standing on the green board... it captured a full and lush sound while eliminating a good portion of the room.
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*** Coming Soon on We-Verb: ***

- More electrical engineering geekiness in all of it's glory! We have moved on to several modifications of a Dunlap Crybaby wah pedal. It's going to kick ass!
- Maybe an entry about miking drums? Maybe.
- Will has lunch with Colin McDowell from McDSP on Friday!!! This is probably the pinnacle of awesome.

In The Studio: Guitar Mic Shootout

2008-11-01T14:19:00.000-07:00

So recently we booked some studio time at Foothill College, for an intimate 1-on-1 with Pro Tools HD (and a Control 24) and a decent mic cabinet... which includes a NeumannU87, an AKG414, and a RoyerR121 (a ribbon mic!).

First on the agenda was a mic shootout for the guitar. We went a little overboard with this one:

Seven mics at once, the two pencils are a Neumann KM184 (black) and Will's CAD something (I forgot the model number, but it's the silver pencil mic). From back row left to right, starting with the boxy looking mic is the AKG414, NeumannU87, CADGXL300, Rode NT-1A... then kind of in front (the black boxy looking mic below the Neumann) is the Audio-Technica AT4050.

Call us overzealous, call us ambitious... but a more accurate description to call us would be "really fucking excited". Here are some highlights, with comments to a minimum so you can hear for yourself:

(Note, I know MP3 is definitely not the ideal format for critical listening, I will figure out how to embed a .wav file soon!)
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Neumann U87
A classic mic! Sounded very vintage on the guitar, with a great transient response.

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CAD GXL3000
Very clear and bright. Hardly any artifacts.

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AKG 414
Warm. Awesome. Not that I had a favorite or anything...

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A.R. in action:

When it's vintage, you totally have to show off:

*** Coming soon: In The Studio: Vocal Mic Shootout... also known as 'How Blythe Fell In Love With Ribbon Microphones' ***

Green Ring Oscillator Guitar Pedal

2008-11-01T00:03:00.000-07:00

Our first DIY audio project, for your aural pleasure:

First part is the clean guitar signal, then it decrescendos and the next part you hear is our pedal in all of its' glory! (at 27 seconds, for anyone who is counting)

Enjoy.

(Also, I figured out the audio >> blog thing, so definitely more coming soon!)

Digidesign Preview PT8

2008-10-02T17:36:00.000-07:00

Yes, I am obsessed with this: Go here now.

I love you Digi, probably more than some of my family members, but I have to say that dark steel gray looks a hell of a lot like Logic Pro.

PRO TOOLS 8: CONFIRMED

2008-09-30T15:05:00.000-07:00

This just in from mixonline.com

DIGIDESIGN PRO TOOLS 8: Pro Tools 8 (which includes Pro Tools HD, Pro Tools LE and Pro Tools M-Powered) has been completely updated with a new user interface, dozens of new bundled plug-ins (including five new virtual instruments and 20 effects), fully integrated MIDI and score editors, and expanded editing features. The user interface is enhanced with a more modern color palette and higher-contrast text and graphics, yet the key functions users rely on are still right where they should be, while enhancements—such as dockable Editor windows and a configurable Edit Window toolbar—make it easier to navigate than ever. Pro Tools 8 software will be available in late 2008 for Windows Vista (32-bit Business or Ultimate), Windows XP and Mac OS X 10.5 (Leopard)-based Pro Tools HD, Pro Tools LE and Pro Tools M-Powered systems. AES Booth: #702.

I think I'm in love... modern color palette? 20 new effects? 5.. virtual.. instruments... dockable editor windows.. sigh.

This week...

2008-09-29T15:47:00.000-07:00

A lot is happening this week, first and foremost is the AES Convention in San Francisco, where PRO TOOLS 8 is expected to be previewed. You had better believe we are going to be all over that shit!!

I guess this is also first as well, because it's just as important. We are going to have a new type of feature called DIY Audio!! We are going to build a guitar pedal, and eventually expand into preamps, and maybe some vintage equipment as well!! Words cannot articulate our excitement, so the following will have to suffice:

fjdlgjdlkgjklsdjgkje9wtwu5ih3oiio3j!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!rjelkjrlk!!!!!!!!

This week is going to kick ass.

PS- Cut Copy and the Presets concert on Sunday... now THAT is second to the other things mentioned above.

Second Opnion: Metallica 'Death Magnetic'

2008-09-26T00:43:00.000-07:00

I consulted my therapist about having to listen to a full, modern Metallica album, and she suggested that I outline some ground rules before delving into the murky waters of commercial metal. So if you will, please picture the following written in crayon with suns with smiley faces strewn about:

- Listen to as little of the new album as possible, but just enough to make a stable opinion of it

- Do not put on “Ride the Lightning”, enjoy it, then make up a convoluted path that they would probably follow through a decade, and then do a review of where I think they would have ended up, instead of actually listening to Death Magnetic

- Remind myself that there are worse things to subject myself to, like Death Cab for Cutie, or rubbing lemon, salt, and copious amounts of heroin into the cut marks on my arms (Not across the street but down the highway!) that would have been the result of listening to Death Cab For Cutie.

So with pinhole pupils and a heavy heart I bring you, the (DEEP BREATH) ‘Second Opinion’ of Metallica ‘Death Magnetic’:

Will did a damn good job acknowledging that this record is a victim of the battle of compression dipped in compression with a dash of compression, also known as the Loudness Wars. While it would be very easy to exploit the fact that no one wants their name on the sleeve of this record, I decided that the media and fans have covered that enough.

What I think is the most interesting part of this record is that not only the audio engineering community is upset about the state in which it was released, but the general public can hear it as well. I find this fact astounding… that average people can hear the lack of dynamics.

That is not meant to sound condescending in any way, but for a record to be so poorly mixed that an untrained ear can recognize that fact is unprecedented.

Of course there was an outcry to this travesty, from professionals and consumers alike. Intertwined with poor production (A 7:00 single? Come on guys, my 20-year-old pothead brother knows better than that!)

All of this unrest has begat some amazing results. A collective movement of fans trying to resurrect the glory they at one time felt for this band. People cutting down songs, independent projects of remastering the album , etc.

Really, this is the loyalty that this dying field of the music business needs! Since the dawn of the internet, music has become a very fluid, niche consumer-influenced medium. Everyone has a very detailed description of music that they like, and they rarely venture outside the red line, more or less participate.

The movement behind this record has truly moved me. It gives me hope that people recognize the minute details of information (musical, lyrical, etc) that is being fed to them, and if that happens to be distasteful, they do something about it.

Though ‘Death Magnetic’ may not be my personal preference of auditory art. I respect it as the catalyst for musical awareness among loyal fans and the general public.

Let this be the reminder that the artistic fields we adore and indulge in can always be molded into the influences, that in our hearts, we desire them to be…. Art has always been a community-based outlet, of both our human and mortal capacity. We owe ourselves to not let it stray from that mainstay.

PRO TOOLS 8

2008-09-22T20:14:00.000-07:00

is confirmed, bitches! We have confirmation that Pro Tools 8 will have its' undoubtedly glorious debut at AES, and will probably be available in Spring 2009.

The We-Verb staff will personally bring you the details from AES in early October.

Coming this week: Will's highly anticipated review of Metallica 'Death Magnetic'; Blythe's begrudging second opinion; and fun things that you can do with Tool "10,000 Days".

Disappointment... in the plural form too.

2008-09-18T23:11:00.000-07:00

Time to get back into the swing of things. It’s been a weird week, and a disappointing one at that. Metallica? Attaining good reviews? From sources I adore and respect?

Shit.

Half of the We-Verb staff is upset about this, only because this means that she will have to conduct a ‘second opinion’ of Death Magnetic… meaning that she has to actually listen to the damn thing.

So in the spirit of being disappointed, here are my top 5 hyped-up disappointments:

Band of Horses- This band was the result of two members of Carissa’s Wierd [sic] wandering off and creating ‘Everything All The Time’, which was one of the most exciting things about 2006. The sweeping instrumental movements tinged with sadness, like night-driving through the thick forests of the Pacific Northwest. Combine that with desperate and innocent vocals caressed with the perfect amount of delay to make my heart slap back and forth in my chest.
Music that moves me, for god’s sake! Yes! I’m in! It was the first CD I had bought since I was employed at a record store (which was 2005… if anyone asks, I have no idea how I acquired music within that timeframe).

2007, rumors of a new Band of Horses record. Yay! Only, Mat Brooke (the main instrumentalist from Carissa’s Wierd) is no longer with the band. Um, ok… maybe it’s still good?
Nope, what we got was “There Is A Ghost in My House”. The voice does nothing without the sweeping background music to back it up, the result is a whiney, dare I say it… emo… clusterfuck of annoying.

Bloc Party- What can I say? Your 2004 EP was rad. It was hip. It felt earthmoving,… at the time. Little did I know, you were Gang of Four rip-offs that never developed into your own sound. Stop making boring albums with equally boring covers. I used to have hope for you, but now you are no better than the mongoloid infested Vampire Weekend. You make me shudder with disgrace that your music is legal. Which reminds me...

Vampire Weekend- As my beloved iLm so delicately put it; You are the Arctic Monkeys of 2008…. Which means you’re a piece of dust floating in space that happened to catch a flicker of light from a distant star for just a moment. You mean nothing, and your mere mention in music news was pure luck. You’re worthless and I would rather lose a portion of my frequency range of hearing than listen to your record.

Primal Scream- Ok, so I also could have put Oasis, Blur, or Pulp in this placeholder as well. They’re all early 90’s British bands that seemed like they were the children that would grow up to change music for the better. But unlike the 3 alternatives, Primal Scream had a solidly mixed album (Screamadelica, much?) as well as the mold-shattering 180 record(XTRMNTR). They’ve released two albums in the past three years, the first whose name I can’t be bothered with, their 2008 disaster is titled ‘Beautiful Future’. The prophecy fulfills itself if your definition of a beautiful future is “typical virtual instrument filler with repetitive lyrics that make me wish an asteroid crashes into the exact location that Bobby Gillespie is currently standing”.

South- This may be my own private disappointment. You guys produce your own material, of which I am in awe of, and absolutely adore you for this fact. You have morphed between records from mandolin-playing troubadours to honoring the good parts of New Order. Your 2008 offering ‘You Are Here’… kind of boring. I promise I will try to listen to it more, but really, I expected more from you guys. I don’t want to say it, but my heart did break just the tiniest bit.

Honorable mention to my Disappointment Fest- Radiohead… but we have an entire entry planned for these guys, and I dare not ruin the surprise.

Updates...

2008-09-16T20:44:00.000-07:00

... shall commence soon!

Just pretend that we posted a "We will be sans internet for a week" message... um, a week ago.

I would have forged such an entry and altered the time stamp, but I kind of forgot how to work this thing.

Waves Certified?

2008-08-31T23:53:00.000-07:00

I know the question has been on all of your minds, and I am here to quell your worries with the answer: Hell yes! Will and I are both certified in Waves processors.

Aside from our superior implementation of them in our work, today we decided to play trivial pursuit in the form of a multiple choice test... answering mind numbing questions about the parameters we already know how to operate. Why, how do you spend your Sunday afternoon? I prefer filling mine with compression. Lots of compression.

Additionally, if you pass the Waves Certification Program you get a free shirt. I feel it was my moral obligation to inform you of that... had we been aware of that fact, we probably would have taken the test sooner.

Rumour

2008-08-25T19:34:00.000-07:00

... has it that Pro Tools 8 is in beta testing. We have some pretty reliable sources (someone with close Digi connections who is more obsessed with Pro Tools than we are... yeah, those people exist).

If we hear anything else, it will be posted here.

My speculation: AES will reveal the truth... you know how Digidesign can be an attention whore.

Introductions

2008-08-24T15:39:00.000-07:00

The staff of We-Verb got kind of carried away this week, clearly we were too eager to express our opinions about a sham indie artist and a washed up rock band hanging by a thread to past iconic prestige. I would love to say that this probably won’t happen again, but that would just be a lie.

However, our quips make more sense if you have some back-story: We both are complete music geeks. We both prefer the DAW Pro Tools. We both treasure condiments and odd food combinations. Our basic framework is the same but the way we operate within that framework is through a series of lovely parallels, which I will gladly share with you now:

So now you can see how this will get interesting. Our plan is to approach music and music production from both sides of the recording booth, musician and engineer, so all ground is covered. Plus, when people are different they develop rivalries with hilarious consequences!

Second Opinion: Metallica (I want that 7:56 of my life back)

2008-08-23T12:56:00.000-07:00

(insert a very long and awkward pause)

Sorry about that, I'm back from having to vomit... I just got the stomach wrenching news that Metallica is still making records. You remember when that racehorse had to be euthanized on the track because it broke it's ankle and it just wasn't going to heal? This is what should have transpired with Metallica after S & M... and I'm just being generous because I like strings.

No, I am not a connoisseur of heavy rock, nor am I familiar with any Metallica record that is not named 'Ride the Lightning'... but certain circumstances have brought me to this painful moment... and I will persevere.

After falling asleep through the painfully long intro, I was softly awoken by the entrance of a vocal part. The first thought that ran through my mind was "Well shit! Incubus got heavier!" Yes, the vocals had qualities reminiscent of this guy. Ouch.

One aspect I did find exciting is the repetitive guitar part that goes on for like 3 minutes straight. That basically means that if fate brings me to such crossroads, my novice guitar skills could potentially score me a gig with Metallica.

I should also note that they finally start rocking out at the 5:00 mark... come on guys, you make radio friendly rock music! Your target market has an attention span of about 1:35... and that's on a good day! My humble advice would be to follow the likes of your fellow on-the-radio colleagues, or switch to post-rock, where pretentious bastards can get away with an 8 minute song.

Metallica - The Day That Never Comes

2008-08-21T12:10:00.000-07:00

It's been a while since Metallica did anything particularly relevant, so many did not notice that today they released a stream of their new single "The Day that Never Comes" over at their website. Not that they don't have any fans; millions of ravenous metal heads slobber at the thought of Metallica returning to form after a decade of blues-rock or ill-conceived garage concepts. The strangest thing of all my be this new single, the first ever specifically written to be played in guitar hero.

Ok, so that may be a stretch, but the song format is less thrash from days of "...Justice..." or "Lightning" and more progressive, starting out slow and melodic with more than a touch of eighties hair ballad, before speeding up into some "Black Album" hard rock and crescendoing in dueling solos clearly influenced by Guitar Hero mainstays such as Dragonforce. Not that this is a bad thing; since "St. Anger" decided to forgo soloing in leu of more snare drum, devil-horn aficionados believed Metallica's days of shred were gone for good. It's nice to see they still have their chops. And oh, what chops!

So... yay for soloes, and maybe we'll have to look past iffy songwriting and contrived lyrics to get there. Ah, good ol' Metallica. Probably the biggest question mark other than soloes had been lead singer James Hetfield's voice, which has sounded shot for years now and really suffered on their last release and subsequent tours. Live clips showing early versions of songs on then new album, "Death Magnetic," only reinforced fears that the band was soon done. It seems that producer Rick Rubin may have noticed this too, because there seems to be liberal use of processing and perhaps more than a little autotune thrown on to keep Hetfield's voice in line. And once again, that isn't necessarily a bad thing. Unlike their past effort, the vocals don't make the songs intolerable, letting the prodigious shredding shine without distraction.

Death Magnetic comes out September 12 worldwide and on Guitar Hero (the intended audience).

Album Review: Scarlett Johansson 'Anywhere I Lay My Head' (2008)

2008-08-19T21:12:00.000-07:00

I’ll be bold and go ahead and call it: set-up. If there is any pin-up girl to the hipster music critics it is Ms. Johansson. I wholeheartedly agree, she had some awesome performances in Ghost World, as well as Lost In Translation. When that fact is combined with the general agreement upon the validity of Wait’s catalog… now this starts to get suspicious.

I like to stick with a general rule with artists whose catalog I tend to occasionally indulge: They are either masked, dead, or just fucking insane. I’m not sure how I would react if someone I preemptively found attractive made a record.

That being said, I totally WANT to hate this album. I really do. They trick me with the chamber pop instrumental intro, and they second song she sounds like a man at first… but damn! It hits me on track 4... her vocals are irreverent and haunting. It’s a darker Fiona Apple… it’s what one would listen to driving across the country alone with a big open sky above, exploding with stars.

Not to give her all the credit, the arrangements are beautiful. The wall of sound is lush, and definitely compliments the low tone of her voice. Everything is balanced and where it should be. She hits her notes, and in my opinion, there is not an obvious use of pitch correction… so the girl has a vague understanding of music theory!

For what it is, it’s good. I can accept the novelty of it, and for whatever marketing reason behind it, it was well executed. My only regret in all of this was having my Last.Fm application open while analyzing it, further proof that I fell into the hype of my music elitist male counterparts.

* * In unrelated news: If anyone knows how to delete history on a Last.Fm account, please email me ASAP. * *