Playlist Week of 2013-12-14

* Nono: Composizione Per Orchestra N.1, etc. (Deutsches Symph./Hirsch) (Wergo CD)

* Dusapin: String Quartets & Trio (Arditti) (Aeon 2CD)

* Toudie Heath: Kawaida (O’Be Records LP)

* Herbie Hancock Sextet: Aarhus, Denmark July 1971 (FM CDR)

* Herbie Hancock Septet: Baker’s Keyboard Lounge, Detroit, MI 1972-10-08 (FM CDR)

* Herbie Hancock Septet: Strata Concert Gallery, Detroit, MI 1973-02-20 (SBD 3CDR)

* Herbie Hancock Septet: Jazz Workshop, Boston, MA 1973-03-21 (FM CDR)

* Alice Coltrane: Transfiguration (Warner Bros. 2LP)

* Gato Barbieri & Dollar Brand: Confluence (Black Lion/Arista-Freedom LP)

* Chico Freeman: Beyond The Rain (Contemporary LP)

* Egberto Gismoni: Sanfona (ECM 2LP)

* Ralph Towner: Batik (ECM LP)

* Bennie Maupin: Moonscapes (Mercury LP)

* Larry Coryell: Planet End (Vanguard LP)

* Allan Holdsworth: Velvet Darkness (CTI LP)

* Weather Report: Weather Report (Columbia LP)

* Weather Report: Sweetnighter (Columbia LP)

* Mephista: Black Narcissus (Tzadik CD)

* Mephista: Entomological Reflections (Tzadik CD)

* Kris Davis: Massive Threads (Thirsty Ear CD)†

* Dawn Of Midi: Dysnomia (Thirsty Ear CD)

* Al Jarreau: Look To The Rainbow: Live Recorded In Europe (Warner Bros. 2LP)

* DJ Spooky: Optometry (Thirsty Ear CD)†
* Frank Ocean: Nostalgia Ultra (FrankOcean.com MP3)†
* Frank Ocean: Channel Orange (Island/Def Jam CD)

* Shelby Lynne: Just A Little Lovin’ (Lost Highway CD)

* The Oxford American Southern Music CD: Tennessee (Oxford American 2CD)

* Grateful Dead: May 1977 (selections) (GDP/Rhino 14HDCD)

* Santana: Caravanserei (Columbia/Mobile Fidelity SACD)

* Anthony Phillips: The Geese And The Ghost (Passport LP)

* Anthony Phillips: Wise After The Event (Passport LP)

* Anthony Phillips: Pieces And Private Parts (Passport LP)

* Anthony Phillips: Sides (Passport LP)

* Goblin: Tour EP 2013 (Death Waltz EP)

* Bill Bruford: Bill Bruford’s Earthworks (Editions EG LP)

* Cocteau Twins: Aikea Guinea (4AD/Capitol CDEP)†/‡

* Cocteau Twins: Echoes In A Shallow Bay (4AD/Capitol CDEP)†/‡

* Cocteau Twins: Tiny Dynamine (4AD/Capitol CDEP)†/‡

* Cocteau Twins: Love’s Easy Tears (4AD/Capitol CDEP)†/‡

* Cocteau Twins: Sunburst And Snowblind (4AD/Capitol CDEP)†/‡

* Cocteau Twins: Iceblink Luck (4AD/Capitol CDEP)†/‡

* Guided By Voices: Suitcase: Failed Experiments and Trashed Aircraft (d.1) (Fading Captain 4CD)

* Beck: “I Won’t Be Long” (Fonograf 12”)

* Beck: “Defriended” (Fonograf 12”)

* Beck: “Gimme” (Fonograf 2-12”)

* Steven Wilson: The Raven That Refused To Sing (KScope BD)

* Beach House: Beach House (Carpark/Heart Break Beat LP)

* Beach House: Devotion (Carpark 2LP)

* Lower Dens: Nootropics (Ribbon Music 2-45RPM LP)

†=iPod/iTunes

‡=car

Commentary:

Some folks have been asking, “Hey, you bum! Will Sun Ra Sunday ever come back?”

Well, I hope so. One of my goals for 2014 is to get back on track with my blog, with perhaps a couple changes in format. It’s just that lately I have not had the time and energy to devote to writing—particularly in-depth analyses of Sun Ra bootlegs. But I do plan to return to the project eventually!

Now that my home studio is (nearly) complete, I have been spending the vast majority of my spare time learning how to use Pro Tools with the Universal Audio Apollo interface while working on getting a decent drum sound—all in anticipation of getting together with Sam Byrd over Christmas for a real live recording session. There are still some crucial things I haven’t quite figured out yet (like monitoring within the UA Console) but, fortunately, there is still some time between now and then.

While Pro Tools is the de facto industry standard, it is not without its problems. I wasted an entire day in a panic when the software suddenly lost the connection to my hardware. It also has a tendency to crash when pushed too hard—and this is on a brand new MacBook Pro! I can only imagine what a nightmare it must be to run Pro Tools on a PC. Moreover, it is not a very intuitive program, with some essential stuff buried deep within sub-menus that are not always easy to find. Nevertheless, Pro Tools is an extraordinarily powerful tool and I have just barely scratched the surface. When everything is working properly, recordings made in the high-res 24bit/96kHz format sound really, really good.

The Apollo, on the other hand, is a dream machine—right out of the box. Not only does it work flawlessly as an audio interface, the local quad-core DSP chip allows for the use of amazing UAD plug-ins without sacrificing processing power on the host computer. This means zero-latency monitoring and limitless sonic possibilities during mixdown. The Apollo comes loaded with several essential plug-ins along with vouchers and coupons to purchase more from their website. Unlike Pro Tools, Universal Audio makes life super-easy (maybe too easy). While not exactly cheap, plug-ins like the Fairchild tube compressor and the Studer A800 multitrack (photo) convincingly emulate vintage analog gear costing tens of thousands of dollars—if you could find them in working condition! And, for Christmas, Lizzy gave me the Precision Mastering bundle, which includes a multi-band compressor, EQ and limiter, allowing me to give my finished mixes a polished, professional sound.

So, I have been busy doing things other than writing on my blog. I have about 45 minutes of music recorded, most of which I am pretty happy with. Maybe I will upload some of this stuff to SoundCloud and share these experiments with you if there is any interest. Most importantly, I think we’ll be in good shape for my session with Sam later this month. Who knows – maybe a new album is in the future?

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SHAMELESS PLUG DEPT.

Our last CD, Indeterminate (Improvisations for Piano and Drums) is still available by clicking the link below. Thank you for your support!