The Ultrasuede BLOG

Barrence Whitfield & The Savages Review

Sun, 2 Oct 2011 09:54:17 -0400

Kevin Finn from Boston’s The Noise:

“Whitfield and company crank their trademark amped-up old school R&B with a ferocious energy that would put most punk bands to shame.”

Read the whole thing here.

UltraSessions Recap

Sun, 2 Oct 2011 08:36:37 -0400

The All Night Party UltraSessions during the annual Midpoint Music Festival were a big success. Thank you to everyone who helped make it happen: the bands (see below), ANP’s Dave Davis, Monika Roberts and Brad Schnittger, Brian Niesz for the audio production and Bill Gwynne for the video production. A special thanks to Jeff Roberson and Joe Klug, good friends who helped with cameras, production and stage managing. We even got a shout out on BoingBoing! It was truly a case where the whole exceeded the sum of the parts. The most harrowing moment occurred when the neighborhood lost power minutes before Jake Speed & The Freddies were due to start with a studio full of musicians and audience members. Ultrasuede is DARK without lights - there are no windows. We got everyone out safely using cell phones to light the way and prepared for Plan B: an acoustic concert on the loading dock behind the studio. We grabbed laptops, cell phones and a couple battery-powered mics. Brad continued to stream live from his iPhone. Those watching said that the impromtu reality stream was one of the best moments of the weekend. Just then, the power came back on. We were actually a little disappointed. Everyone was looking forward to the outdoor scramble. We re-booted the gear and The Freddies played a great set in the studio to an appreciative audience.

Link to photo gallery

Links to the archived performances:

The Chocolate Horse
Fists Of Love
The Kickaways
Mad Anthony
The Dukes Are Dead
Jake Speed & The Freddies

UltraSessions Are Back

Mon, 19 Sep 2011 17:45:43 -0400

UltraSessions (live in-studio performances with a tiny audience of super-fans) are back for MPMF in 2011!

We’ve got an ambitious line up, featuring two bands per day, including three (3!!) great bands you can’t catch anywhere else during MPMF!

Thursday we start it off with a band The All Night Party has loved for years, The Chocolate Horse (click here for FREE Chocolate Horse tix!), at 1PM. At 3PM, local super-group Fists of Love (click here for free tix to Fists of Love Ultrasession) kick MPMF into gear, ahead of the venues or Downtown events.

On Friday we feature a couple of the best young bands in the region, and crank it up early with The Kickaways at 12:30 (click here for free tix to The Kickaways). Mad Anthony keeps it going with a second show at 2:30 (click here for free Mad Anthony UltraSession tix).

Finally on Saturday The Dukes Are Dead go on at 12:30 (click here for free tix to The Dukes Are Dead), and Jake Speed and the Freddies make their only MPMF appearance at 2:30 (click here for Jake Speed and the Freddies tix for free).

Welcome Bill Gwynne

Wed, 25 May 2011 11:32:31 -0400

We are excited to announce the addition of Bill Gwynne to the Ultrasuede engineer ranks. Bill was already making records when I bought my first tape machine. My first studio experience as a young musician was at Bill’s former studio. Bill brings with him a wealth of experience, a diverse group of clients, some cool mics and an advanced headphone monitor system.

Remembering Bones

Thu, 5 May 2011 15:59:22 -0400

On April 18, our Cincinnati music community lost a talented drummer and a good friend to many when David "Bones" Hebert died after being shot twice by Cincinnati Police Sgt. Andrew Mitchell. Differing versions of events have emerged and investigations are underway. In the meantime, most people who knew Bones have had a difficult time trying to picture him the way he’s been portrayed in the few, sometimes conflicting, official statements that have been released so far. I don’t remember the first time I met Bones but I’m sure it was at The Comet, where he worked for many years. I didn’t know him well but I always enjoyed running into him. If you spent any time in Northside, where I lived for most of the 1990’s, you ran into him a lot. He was a free spirit. He was a generous soul with a mischievous grin. He recently relocated to Cincinnati after living in Portland for a time. Although he didn’t say so, I got the feeling that coming back here was more out of necessity than choice. It was good to see him again. He looked a little older and his eyes were tired but he was still smiling. Since his tragic death, Bones’ friends have honored his memory by demanding answers and accountability at community meetings and City Hall, raising money for his family in his native Louisiana and celebrating his life with a Northside version of a New Orleans funeral procession. It truly sucks to see so many friends so sad but I don’t think I’ve ever been more proud of our music scene and creative community.

http://www.facebook.com/davidboneshebert

King Studio Article

Thu, 5 May 2011 15:54:02 -0400

Soapbox Media has a good article about the ongoing King Studio project. Here’s the link:

http://www.soapboxmedia.com/features/0405kingstudiosexperiencecenter.aspx

Logic Resources

Thu, 12 Aug 2010 19:54:37 -0400

We use Apple computers and Logic Studio software to record. If you’re a Logic user, too, here are some links to free plug-ins, presets and IR files, along with a few recommendations on how to spend your hard-earned dollars on good stuff:

If you have any good tips of your own, e-mail them to me and I'll add them.

-John

Free Stuff:

A bunch of useful compressor presets including a great wideband de-esser and SSL 4000G mix bus compressor models.
http://www.popmusic.dk/links-us.html

3 Free Plug-Ins at Audio Damage - A distortion “stomp box”, pulse modulator and Rough Rider Compressor. The compressor will do some extreme processing. I like it on guitars.
http://www.audiodamage.com/downloads/

Massey Tape Head Plug-In - Models tape saturation. Easy to use. Very basic. Not sure how much it sounds like actual tape, but I do love the way it sounds, especially on vocals.
http://www.smassey.com/au.html

Izotope Vinyl Plug-In - this plug-in makes your audio sound like a record. Add dust, scratches, warping, etc. Probably nore of a novelty than something you’d use on every session. Free and fun. Win-win.
http://www.izotope.com/products/audio/vinyl/

Ultasuede Gear Collection - an archive of IR's and Space Designer Presets made from our plate and AKG BX10 reverbs, plus other goodies.
https://files.me.com/theotherjc/d8nckg

Free collection of IR's for Space Designer - some great IR spaces. Definitely worth the download.
http://www.acousticas.net/World/IRs/AcousticasM7.zip

*NEW ADD* More free plug-ins from AirWindows. I haven’t tried them myself but there are a lot of them and they look pretty cool.
http://www.airwindows.com/

Also recommend, but not free:

Metric Halo Channel Strip - Compressor/Gate/Limiter. Sounds amazing. Extremely versatile.
http://www.mhlabs.com/metric_halo/download/index.shtml#downloads

Audio Damage Liquid Flanger and Fluid Chorus - The Flanger and Chorus plug-ins that come with Logic pretty much suck. These are a lot better.
http://www.audiodamage.com/effects/

PSP VintageWarmer - Awesome multi-band compressor w saturation. All their stuff is good but this one's my favorite. Sounds great on everything: tracks, mixes, busses, etc.
http://www.pspaudioware.com/plugins/dynamic_processors/psp_vintagewarmer2/

Izotope RX - Suite of correction plugs for removing noise, hum, clipping, digital grunge. Saved my butt a few times. The first time it saves yours, it'll pay for itself.
http://www.izotope.com/products/audio/rx/

Melodyne Editor - Pitch correction. Clunky Germanic interface but really powerful. You can actually go into a chord and retune individual notes. I was able to fix a vocal part on a combo vocal/acoustic gtr. track w/out affecting the gtr. part.
http://www.celemony.com/cms/index.php?id=products_editor

UAD Powered Plug-Ins - I’ve mentioned them before. They rule. You have to buy the hardware and it’s not cheap but it’s worth every penny. Once you own the hardware, you can add plug-ins a-la-carte. They have a deep selection of classic processors and effects, carefully modeled using the actual, analog units. Purchase and installation is simple and fast via their website. Should you decide to sell or upgrade your card, you can transfer your plugs to the buyer or keep them for use w/ your new hardware. Are you listening Waves?
http://www.uaudio.com/menu/products.html

New Releases

Thu, 12 Aug 2010 19:37:59 -0400

It’s been a busy year and the tree is bearing fruit. New releases recorded at Ultrasuede include:

The Wolverton Brothers - Crooked EP CD (75orLess Records)
Magnolia Mountain - Redbird Green CD, Double LP (Sleep Cat Records)
The Kyle Sowashes - Nothing CD, 12” LP (Anyway Records)
The Seedy Seeds - Roll Deep 7” EP (Shake-It Records)
Sparrow Bellows - Sparrow Bellows
Low Hanging Wires - Repeat Offenders EP

Due out soon:
The Sundresses - Off (multiple formats on The All Night Party Label)
The Greenhornes
Incline District
Wussy - Eddie Hinton Lost Highway 7” (Shake-It Records)
Wussy - Funeral Dress (Shake-It Records) A stripped-down, acoustic version of their first record.
Cash Flagg - their first full-length release.

Almost done:
The Hiders - This will be their 3rd full-length release. A collaborative effort recorded at Ultrasuede, Bill Alletezhauser’s Bat Cave and stately Wayne Manor.
Wussy - This will be their 4th full-length release and the first w/ new drummer Joe Klug.

Incline District in CityBeat

Tue, 25 May 2010 16:24:33 -0400

CityBeat has a short feature story on Incline District in the May 19-25 issue. Incline District are currently working on their first full-length CD at Ultrasuede.

http://www.citybeat.com/cincinnati/article-20712-incline-district-(profile).html

http://www.myspace.com/inclinedistrict

So you want to build a home studio?

Thu, 20 May 2010 00:59:20 -0400

So you want to build a home studio? Here is some free advice:

Make sure your mix position is as neutral as possible. If you are hearing reflections, standing waves and frequency combing where you sit, you'll always be working from a deficit. Spend as much time as you can listening to all kinds of music in your mix position so you can learn how it sounds relative to the outside word.

Don’t buy junk (including cables). You really do need quality gear to make recordings that sound professional. You don’t have to buy the most expensive gear but quality gear will always sound good and maintain its value over time. Cheap gear is just a waste of money. Save a bit longer and buy the good stuff. The recommendations below are my personal opinions, based upon my own experience.

If you're going to go digital, get a Mac and a decent interface. If you’re using ProTools, you’re going to have to use their hardware. At least get a Digi002 or Digi003 I/O and pair it with an outboard preamp. Logic, DigitalPerformer, Nuendo, Ableton Live and Cubase let you use the I/O hardware of your choice. Personally, I use Logic. It’s a good balance between an engineer-oriented DAW and an artist-oriented creative suite. The stock plug-ins, instruments and loops are plentiful, useful and sound great.

Plug-Ins:

$ Metric Halo Channel Strip is an affordable, feature-rich, all-in-one EQ, compressor and gate. The EQ is outstanding - one of the best I’ve heard - and the compressor is intuitive and sweet. MH make great stuff and they support it well, too. (They even make a version for GarageBand!)

$ PSP VintageWarmer 2 is a multi-band compressor plug-in that sounds great on mixes, vocals, drums, guitars; almost anything. As a compressor, it’s easy to use and pleasing to the ear but the distortion emulation is what sets it apart. You can dial up anything from a gentle tape-y sound to full on F5 destruction. You will probably want to use it on everything.

$$$ Universal Audio UAD-2 Powered Plug-Ins are hardware-based plug-ins. That means you have to install a UAD-2 DSP card in your computer to use them, which makes them a bit more expensive. On the plus side, they consume very little of your computer’s resources while delivering spectacular performance. UAD’s emulations of classic audio hardware are so good, it’s often impossible to tell the difference between the plug-in and the real thing. Seriously. UAD-2 cards come bundled with a few plug-ins. To get the most out of a UAD card, you’ll probably want to purchase additional plug-ins from their online store. The UAD-2 card is an investment that grows as you add to it over time.

Digital I/O (interface) Hardware:

$$ Apogee Duet - The Duet is an elegant 2-channel digital I/O. It's more expensive than many units with similar feature sets but it’s well worth the price. You can wait on the external mic pre if you get one of these, as the built-in mic preamps sound very good.

$$$ If you can afford it, the Metric Halo ULN-8 is easily the best interface on the market, in my opinion. It is a truly revolutionary piece of hardware with 8 excellent, built-in mic preamps.

Mic Preamps: You’re probably going to spend at least ~$200 per channel for a professional-quality mic pre.

$ StudioProjects VTB-1 - single channel mic pre/DI with tube gain circuit that you can dial in for variable warmth.

$ Sytek MPX-4A - 4 channels; quiet with lost of gain. Suitable for ribbon mics, too. You can buy a version with different op-amps on channels 3 & 4 for a slightly different tone.

$$ Seventh Circle Audio Modular Mic Preamp - This is essentially a case with a power supply. You fill it with SCA modules (sold separately). The company offers several different models, each of which is based on a classic mic pre design. They sound great and cost less per channel because you can rack up to 8 modules in one box. You can buy the modules pre-assembled. If you’re up to it, you can save a bit of money by ordering the models in kit form and assembling them yourself. Plus, you can buy them over time as your budget allows.

$$$ Manley Dual Mono Mic Pre - This 2-channel mic pre has a wonderful silky smooth tube sound; warm and clean at the same time. One of my favorite preamps. Manley gear is never cheap but always worth the price.

A few general mic recommendations:

$ Shure SM57 - affordable, all-purpose mic that no studio should be without. Sounds good on everything. Also worth a listen: Oktava MK-012, Studio Projects C1 and C3

$ Cascade Fat Heat Ribbon mic - a very affordable ribbon mic that sounds great.

$$ AKG414 - all purpose, professional, large-diaphagm, multi-pattern condenser mic found in may studios. A good place to start a serious mic collection.

$$ Royer R121 - This ribbon is my favorite mic for guitar amps, bar none. Also great on horns, strings, acoustic guitar and drum kits.

Speakers - Self-powered monitors are a good value. Tannoy, Dynaudio, Event, Alesis and Mackie all make affordable monitors. You can get a decent pair of powered speakers for under $500. Read up, listen to different speakers at the store. Stereo speakers generally do not make for good studio monitors but they can be great as a second reference.

Headphones are a necessary evil in the studio. Spend too much and you’ll be extra bummed out when they inevitably break from carelessness or general wear and tear. Spend too little and they will be useless, perhaps even detrimental. You’re more likely to get a great performance when the mix sounds awesome in the headphones. The reverse is also true.

$$ For monitoring and mixing: Grado Labs SR-80 are open ear design which makes them comfortable and accurate, but unsuitable for most recording applications, due to bleed.

$ For recording: Extreme Isolation -25db. These aren’t the greatest sounding cans but they are affordable and provide excellent isolation, keeping click tracks and playback out of your recording mics.

Talkback & Monitor control:

$ PreSonus CS-1

A solid book about the basics of studio construction is Building A Recording Studio by Jeff Cooper. http://www.amazon.com/Building-Recording-Studio-Jeff-Cooper/dp/0916899004

Tape Op magazine is free and it's an endless resource for info and creative inspiration.

The Tape Op Message Board website is a great place to learn, share ideas and ask questions. The people are knowledgeable and helpful. http://messageboard.tapeop.com/

If you’ve read this far, please allow me to suggest that recording your band’s basic tracks (drums, bass, etc.) in a purpose-built studio like Ultrasuede is another way to make your home recordings sound better. Our collection of high-end and vintage mics and analog gear will give your tracks a solid sonic foundation as your project moves forward. Our professionally-designed control room is the perfect place to finish your mixes with the confidence that the results will sound great everywhere.

-J