Piano Man...
From the original Analog Industries archive. Some links and images from that era no longer resolve.
I’m going to be recording some solo piano pieces for my next album, and since I don’t actually have a piano, this will necessarily involve booking studio time. Given the choice between SF, PDX, L.A., and Seattle, where am I likely to get a good sound? Obviously, I’m not familiar with studios on the west coast, having spent all my “real” studio time in Chicago, NYC, and London.
I’m looking for a lively roomy sound, upright grand rather than concert grand (although the right concert grand would work fine). I would liken the sound I’m looking for to the solo piano pieces on Drukqs, lots of piano personality. I plan to record direct to 2-track 1/2”. I see that Jackpot has an upright grand and 1/4”. Anyone here record solo piano at Jackpot, and is there a reference recording of that piano somewhere? Or do you have another suggestion? I don’t want to fly to Chicago or NYC just to do this one simple thing.
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Just off the top of my head Elliott Smith's XO and the second Decemberists album were done at Jackpot. Based off of that, I'd guess that it's the same piano used on The Decemberist's "Billy Liar," "As I Rise" (for a more roomy old school bluesey kind of sound), Elliott Smith's "Baby Britain," "Waltz 2,"etc. None are solo recordings, but it should gibe you an idea of the piano's character.
Hmmm. Jackpot has moved locations since those recordings were made. The room sound will be entirely different, I guess. Oh, well, I guess that's not a big deal. They've still got an EMT 140, and it's a day trip for me, versus days plural for SF or LA. I don't have any hopes of finding a studio worth a shit in Seattle, but I'm willing to be wrong there in that.
-CR
I take that back, those particular Elliott Smith tracks from XO were not done at Jackpot.
From what I have been told the piano at jackpot is amazing, though the people I heard that from aren't exactly professional musicians.
I know they have Elliott Smiths piano and that in itself is pretty cool.
Let me just say for the record that, songwriting skill aside, anyone who has ever sat through even one Elliot Smith soundcheck, let alone a round dozen, would never, ever put "Elliot Smith" and "cool" in the same sentence. That man was the biggest tool I've ever had the misfortune to be afflicted with, and at least three times a year at that. The only band more annoying to deal with was Quansi (not sure if I have that spelled right, or am even remembering the name right) who, joy of all effervescent joys, was occasionally Elliot Smith's opening/backing band.
So let's not use that as a benchmark any more, please? I'm having flashbacks.
-CR
I don't comment often, but the Elliott Smith carrot you've just dangled has me interested.
Stories, please!!! Though I doubt that'll happen.
Also, it seems sort of silly to me that in the days of hilariously oversampled Giga-libraries and whatnot that you'd feel it was necessary to book studio time to record piano. Maybe it's those damn real, weighted keys! They just feel so good.
Unless, of course, you just have a lot more money than me and think it might be inspiring and a cool experience. In that case, rock on.
Quasi, as in the dude from the Donner Party and the chick from Sleater-Kinney?
The very one.
Stories? Sorry, there are none. That dude is (or, rather, "was") a whiny bitch when it came to soundcheck. One of those people that is never, ever happy with the monitor mix, yet can't manage to tell you what's wrong with it, and to top it all off, he actually whined in baby talk. It'd be better if it was an interesting story, but trust me that sitting there watching this for 3 or 4 hours even once, in the theatre that arguably has the best monitor system on the entire American club circuit, can be trying in the extreme, never mind all the times I had to do it.
I've seen literally thousands of soundchecks in the six-odd years I worked at Metro, and he was the second worst at getting a mix, after Matt Johnson. But I cut him slack because, well, I like his music, and he used vocal distortion on stage, which is a tough beast to tame.
(As an aside, I'll note that, in my personal experience, DNA in San Francisco and the dearly departed First Ave. in M/SP could also lay claim to "best house monitor system in America" but Metro has much higher traffic than either of those clubs, so it is doubly impressive.)
As for recording the piano, there is no such thing as a sampled piano that is even 5% of a real one. You can immediately tell the difference. And what's so odd about going to a studio to record? Isn't that what they're for?
-CR
Tic-Tac do you really think that Ivory and Giga-whatever can even come close to having it over a nice piano in a nice room with well placed mics and a nice signal path onto 1/2" tape? They are nice software, no doubt, but goddamn. They're like frozen meal versions of good food.
Dearly departed First Ave?
I've been to a ton of shows over ten years at First Ave and as far as I can tell, it is still alive and kicking (http://www.first-avenue.com/calendar). . .
Though I live in Seattle now and I miss it like crazy. Oh the horribly soggy pizza. Oh the absolutely clueless sound guy.
Seriously, though. I would have loved to see you do live sound for a first ave show, CR. I went to so many there that sounded like absolute shit.
It was the worst when a band I really loved was on tour and I'd see them in Chicago and maybe Madison and then come to my favorite club on the planet (first ave) and have it sound far, far worse than any of those shows just because the sound guy is afraid to really push a compressor or roll off the mud at 250hz on the vocals. Nothing worse than an overly-loud sm58 ruining a set because it sounds muddy as hell.
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