Troublesome Bass

I have been producing my own music long enough now to dread creating my own bass tracks. Ironically, I love the sound of bass instruments. The low end is really the "glue" that ties a song together. I just never seem to be satisfied with my own performance when I record myself, the sound I create, or the way that sound finds it's way into the mix. I am realizing now, after years of making the same mistakes, that the bass frequencies are the toughest part of the audible spectrum to get right.

Perhaps my problem is two-fold: first, bass frequencies require more power to be reproduced accurately through speakers, and second, I have always used small monitors to mix with (the largest I have ever used have only a 5" driver). I am providing them enough power, at 100w per stereo channel, but I typically listen at very low levels in an effort to hear more high end detail. Bi-amped monitors would help this tremendously. They have a separate power stage for both the tweeter and the driver, thereby eliminating any overdriving of the high frequencies as you crank the volume looking for more bass (or cowbell!). I don't have the money for these at the moment. Although there are cheaper models out there, average cost for a high quality pair is around $2000, and I don't own skis yet.

At more reasonable prices that I can justify, there are monitors with 6 and 8" drivers which would reproduce the sound of bass instruments quite a bit better. When it came time to focus on the bass tracks, I could bring the levels up a little. I would imagine that plan might not sit well with the neighbors, for the same reason that elephants use low frequency voicings to communicate over long distances: bass travels. I am certain that the complaints would be centered less around the sound, but the repetition of that sound many, many times!

Another interesting and sometimes difficult aspect of mixing bass tones is their surprising complexity. While the majority of the power (amplitude) of most bass tracks is contained in a similar low frequency set, the overall timbre of the sound is often dependent on high frequency "flavoring" that adds character to the sound. Very often I read the advice of professional engineers who stress the importance of carving out a sonic space (usually with EQ) for each track within a mix to ensure that it will sit well with all of the others in the song. Naturally my first inclination, as is the first inclination of everyone who reads this advice, was to place the bass exactly where we all think it should go. Down low. Equalize out everything above 500Hz, and hope for the best. This technique led to a lot of frustration for me, as the result was dull, lifeless thumping beneath the rest of the mix that felt somehow disconnected from the music.

It was not until I saw a visual representation of the frequency spectrum created by a bass guitar that I realized how much audio information exists above 500Hz. This opened up an entirely different way of thinking about bass in general. I found myself applying significant boost to the mid-range of almost all bass instruments just to hear what they had to offer. I compressed only the high frequencies to give punch and clarity in my mixes. It sounded good. The bass, it seemed, had something to say at last.

This kind experimentation is key for the budding engineer. Advice can only carry you so far. In this case it could be argued that it was dead wrong. I am not suggesting that we collectively "throw out the manual" created by those that have come before us, only that maybe we should place more emphasis on creativity. I am realizing that professional studio producers guard their signature techniques fiercely, and for good reason. It's their livelyhood at stake. Unfortunately, this leaves the rest of us with little to run on.

What I Really Sent to Rolling Stone

"published" in the March 4, 2010 issue of Rolling Stone:

Wow. I have always had a deep appreciation for John Mayer's music, but I feel somewhat disappointed by the way in which he is handling his fame. Your recent article mentioned several other "guitar greats" of the level that I think John would aspire to, and who certainly hand a hand in shaping his sound. Of these artists, I could not tell you who Eric Clapton, Stevie Ray Vaughn, Buddy Guy, or Jimi Hendrix ever shared a bed with. It's a sad fact that Mayer's sexual conquests have become such a large part of his resume.

Zach Wilson
Glenwood Springs, CO

Needless to say, I am a little upset that RS decided to edit this. Call it sour grapes, what have you. I was all kinds of stoked to see my opinion in print. I wanted to at least hang the clip on my fridge, but damn if I'm embarrassed to even have this simple pleasure.

General Thoughts on Solar Water Heating

Had a recent conversation with a co-worker that reawakened some feelings I have harbored about the use (and very often, misuse) of solar collectors for water heating. We spoke about the thermal system installed at her home, which was designed to offer supplemental heat for a radiant floor loop. This in-floor heating system is primarily operated with a gas boiler, which has been working overtime-her monthly propane bill in the winter is $500+. This wouldn't seem so shocking under normal circumstances. This is Colorado. The house is in a deep and sheltered valley, at high altitude. It's damn cold.

Here's the problem: the house was constructed of strawbales, and it's a one bedroom. So you've got a seriously well insulated structure, that's really small. This place should, on paper, stay fairly warm on it's own. The amount of energy required to heat it should be minimal. Did I mention she has had to run the domestic water a bit to flush the glycol (anti-freeze) out of the pipes before she takes a shower? Obviously there are big problems with this system, apart from the fact that it's not doing what it was originally designed to do.

This brings me to my point. After all of the experimentation that has occurred in this arena starting, lets say, in the early seventies, you'd think that we'd have dialed this technology in to the Nth degree by now. I asked if she knew when the building was constructed. Apparently, it's only a few years old. This startlingly bad system was recently commissioned. I think the truth is, we have dialed this stuff in pretty well. So what's the issue?

A little about my experience in this field. I had the pleasure (or horror!) of installing domestic solar hot water systems for four years or so. I also did a few tie-ins to radiant floor systems as well. This by no means makes me an expert, but I feel like I have had enough of an opportunity to see what works well, what the trouble spots are, and how the technology can be put to good use. The majority of the systems I worked on were more or less packaged deals, sort of "standardized" to work for the most homes. However, the company I worked for previously would entertain almost any customer and their wild fantasies as to what could be done with the power of the sun. This being said, I did see some systems, that probably would have made more heat if they'd been set on fire, and should have been.

My opinion on why there are so many failed or failing thermal systems is based on several factors:

1. We ask too much of the equipment. There are practical limits to the amount of heat that can be produced by a single flat-plate solar collector, not to mention harvested by the system. You may be able to provide enough heat for hot water in your house, but it is highly doubtful that you will heat your entire home with only one panel. I understand. These collectors cost thousands of dollars, and if four would do the trick nicely, why not get two and be happy with half of the bill taken care of by mother nature, right? Wrong.
2. There are all kinds of vagaries that affect the way these systems perform. Flow, pressure, thermosiphoning, etc. Most of us do not possess the skills to determine exactly what area of collector square footage will be required for a given goal, versus storage tank size, factoring in pump size and energy consumption... You'd need a team of NASA scientists to know exactly every detail that could have an effect on ultimate production. The best we can hope for in most cases is to under-produce (supplement) rather than over-produce (spend too much money and potentially create to much heat; read: steam, system failure).
3. Human beings. We make mistakes. Thermal systems offer amazing potential to make more of them. In my short (thank God) career of putting these things in, I cannot tell you how often my soldered joints failed. It seems like that's just the way plumbing goes sometimes. Bad fittings, valves, pin-hole leaks, all happen with regularity, and sometimes it's just installer error. Aside from what we can do wrong in the building process, there's our seemingly insatiable lust for bigger and more complicated systems of all types. This must have something to do with the need for a feeling of more power and control in our lives. The fact that you could potentially outsmart nature with a strong dose of electronics and engineering. I dunno. I know that I have witnessed systems grow with the logic of, "well if this works, wouldn't this work if we installed another valve here, and another pump here to do this?"

To be fair, solar thermal is much more reliable than it has ever been, and there are fewer troubled systems out there. I would like to think that this is the result of the "throttling back" of the industry, and the common realization that simpler is truly better when it comes to design. As for our plagued system here in Colorado, I suspect that it may have been installed by someone that was new to solar. My co-worker mentioned that she had heard that the glycol in the solar system was to be separated from the potable water supply by pressure alone. She also said that when it came out of the faucet, it was black, a sure sign that it had been burned by overheating at some point. That just ain't right. There are a lot of new faces entering this business everyday, some clearly with dubious technical know-how.

I am psyched that my first solar gig allowed me to see both the functional and the non-functioning, the useful and the useless in solar hot water. Though I appreciate the technology and desire my own system, I am now equally psyched not to be installing solar thermal at all.

Thanks for reading.

Orient Blue Mako

I did finally make a watch purchase after the holidays this year. I wasn't able to get the Seiko Alpinist that I have so coveted in the past few months. The nearly $500 pricetag was just a little too much to swallow in this economy. I am very happy with the Orient that I settled on, after many nights of internet research. I have admired the brand for a while, as it has been a staple in the asian market forever, and is just now making in-roads in the west. Some of their models, frankly, don't do it for me, but the divers I find to be quite classic. With the coming of the new year, prices on-line plummeted and I couldn't help myself... Trigger pulled.

Being that this is what I would consider my first real watch as an adult (it doesn't have C3-PO or R2D2, or any of the cast of Sesame Street on the dial, and it isn't a Swatch) I was pretty excited when it showed up on my doorstep. I won't go on and on about the packaging, but the box is a nice touch, and it makes you feel like you've got a much more expensive piece in your hands. The heft of the thing is great. You get a very strong sense of solidity and strength. So far, I would say that you can't beat the Mako for value. Water resistant to 200 meters (660ft.), day/date, rotating bezel, and automatic movement, all for just over a hundred bucks. The stainless steel bracelet was the deciding factor for me, as I have always had trouble with the fit of traditional watchbands. Having the ability to custom fit the bracelet was key, not to mention the look is without a doubt, burly.

I do have my one gripe, which apparently I share with every other Mako owner. The end-links that attach the bracelet to the watch case are hollow, rather than solid, as you will find on more expensive models. Pardon me, but this is truly the "weak link" of the entire watch. I have heard that due to rather thin spring bars and this hollow structure, this will be the watch's downfall if there is to be one. I am not complaining. For the price, I still think this thing is a steal.

So there you have it, if you're interested. Maybe this mini-review will help if you to are about to jump into the world of the watch fetish. There are certainly more pressing issues in life, but this is just a little corner of mine.

My Amazement and Appreciation For Technology

Please take this post as an article completely independent of all others that you will find here. I would not want to be labeled a hypocrite for my contradictory love of all things electronic, and incessant pleading for mass lifestyle change to the small and simple. I still and will always believe that simple living saves lives, with the exclusion of really complicated music studios and fancy microphones.

I was thinking about signal flow the other night. If you are producing a record for mass distribution, you are always aware of the specter of background noise and ways to reduce it. With the advent of "in the box" recording, where a computer and analog-to-digital converter is all you really need to track, edit, mix and master songs, this is really easy to take for granted. I have never had to deal with serious routing of a signal chain from mixer to outboard effects, back to the mixer, to a recording device (maybe a tape machine) and back again. Worried, that at each patch to an input or output jack I am creating a decrease in the signal-to-noise ratio that will have to be dealt with sooner or later. This change in the way that recordings happen is truly a revolution in music on par with the advent of the CD, the single largest jump in audio technology to be available to the masses.

Let me explain in further detail. Because it is possible to record directly to a software recording program (usually called a DAW, or desktop audio workstation) the only objectionable noise that might be captured could be sounds outside of the studio space: like car horns, dogs barking, sirens from the nearby hospital, low flying aircraft, etc. You get the point. In my little makeshift studio, the worst offender is my computer's fan, which runs almost constantly. The sound of the fan running is usually not intelligible in the final product, meaning, listeners don't usually say to me "hey, is that a computer fan running in the background there?" It sounds more like white noise. And it drives me absolutely nuts. I have tried to cover the tower with heavy blankets. I have looked into the investment of longer cords and cables, so that I could "remotely" operate the computer, which I could place in the closet. I have tried to "EQ out" the low hiss. I think I have resigned myself to the fact that I am not producing U2's new album, so maybe I should just shut up and deal.

If you are really clever, can figure out the programming and have a lot of money to spend on digital libraries of sampled instruments, it is possible to avoid microphones all together and compose entirely in the digital domain. No noise concerns there! I've done a little of this and I have to say, it's pretty amazing. You can integrate the sound of a snare drum recorded in absolute silence in some fancy studio somewhere into your tracks and enjoy pristine stillness at any frequency outside of the drum itself. As Borat would say, "Niice."

So back to analog recording. I am going to hereby give mad props to anyone who produced music before the advent of digital technology. These folks waged the constant battle to keep a high signal to noise ratio intact, while routing their music through all manner of outboard gear. In fact, if you weren't using a really expensive mixing console, you probably did all of your EQing, compressing, limiting, gating, what-have-you on numerous external devices. Each, with it's own signal-to-noise characteristics.

This brings me to the most interesting aspect in all of this technological gibberish, musical claptrap, recording hocus-pocus. Now that we have eliminated the ghost in the machine: noise, we're well on our collective way to letting it back into our music. To some degree. There has been a huge resurgence in the use of "antique" recording equipment. Everything from microphone pre-amps to dynamics processors, these vintage monsters from the stone-age of sound run on vacuum tube power, giving them unique tonal character that you just can't get nowadays. Even with the finest software impersonations of these studio bits (that's a whole other post waiting to happen) you just can't achieve the dynamic range of tubes. Turns out our ears really dig the oh-so squishy, flexible sound of all kinds of things, not just guitars, pushed through vacuum tubes. Voices warm up, synthesizers seem to have more depth, horns seem less brash...

I find this so bizarre. In the late sixties and early seventies, electrical engineers were doing all they could to eliminate tubes from anything that utilized them. Apart from being wickedly hot and fragile, they're generally onerous to replace, and quite simply: they fail. So musical amplifiers of all types switched to transistors, for all kinds of reasons. Cheaper. Smaller. Used less power. Safer. Very rugged. Studios all of the sudden, could be smaller, and quite a bit cooler. I guess this is a case in which convenience has not won out, because here we are, January 2010, and you can leaf through any Musician's Friend or Sweetwater catalog and see page after page of tube devices, waiting to fill your rack-spaces. Many of these are faithful reissues of classic studio gear from decades ago.

To be fair, we have come a long way. Chances are you would not link these boxes together in series, like batteries in a flashlight, pumping up the noise floor at every step. The computer is going to sit right in the middle and be your virtual hub for these elements, so that any excess noise is limited by the device itself and the few number of connections: 2 (1 in and 1 out). The fact that you are recording to a hard drive in your computer is a huge space savings over an analog tape machine and all of the hardware associated with it. Everything is getting tinier. My mixer, which I consider a luxury because I made perfectly decent recordings before I owned it, is about the size of a small notebook. 12"L x 10"W x 3"H. Amazing when you consider it houses four microphone pre-amps, an audio interface, on-board effects, and eight traditional channel strips.

Where is this industry headed? I can't really envision the future of pro audio and recording technology. For the moment the advances seem to be focused on improving the bit-count on all software programs and plug-ins, which to me seems rather esoteric. If I can't eliminate the sound of my computer fan from my live tracks, then why would I spend good money to eek out a bit more headroom and dynamics by recording in 24 bits/192kHz? Effectively, you would be able to hear the fan muck a lot better.

From my chair, I will continue to marvel at the advances as they roll by, only buying the few bits and pieces I feel are necessary to produce at my level. I am constantly aware that what I possess in my simple studio now holds more power and tools than Eddie Kramer had at his disposal when he recorded Jimi Hendrix, or the late Willie Mitchell when tracking Al Green.

The New Year, and the End of Another Decade.

Well, I guess I can officially claim success at this point. I have lived to see 2010. This is longer than I ever thought I'd be alive, what with all of my years of partying, reckless driving, adventure sports, and general lack of respect for boundaries as a whole.

I spent this entire decade from 1999 to 2009 living as a east-coast transplant in the west, in Prescott Arizona. As I look back now, I realize that it was this past decade that has really defined me as a man more than any other. I have to admit I have not seen enough decades come and go to call myself an expert at judging them-I have only seen three and a half so far. This one though, the early two thousands, has been powerful for me. I have had one leg in my twenties and the other in my thirties in this decade. Ask anyone. We all say that this is the time that we really come into ourselves. It is so formative for most, that some people simply can't hang, and burn out. Think: Morrison, Hendrix, Joplin et al. Luckily, for all of the craziness, most of us make it out alive.

Some of the key events I endured during the last ten years:

-Abject, unbelievable poverty. The kind you are a little embarrassed about, but if you have other poor friends to share it with, it's all good. In fact, somewhat liberating.
-Hard work. I worked my ass off for the better part of this period. At one point I held three different jobs and worked seven days a week. But I admit this was not without it's benefits. I have become more of a jack-of-all-trades than anyone I know. I have worked in construction jobs, restaurant jobs, driven everything with wheels, sold stuff, you name it. There's just no substitute for that kind of education. I continue to work hard. It's just habit now.
-Scared myself sh*tless. I have willingly placed myself in more danger than is sane or logical. I have traveled faster under the force of gravity than a human body should safely travel. I have climbed higher, sped quicker, sweat and cursed louder, and suffered more intensely than I ever thought I would. As a result, I have made the best friends of my life, laughed longer, cried with more pain, and relinquished my spirit to the grandeur of life. I wouldn't trade that for anything.
-Learned a heck of a lot. When you are in your late teens, early twenties, you are just so damn selfish. I was so selfish that I got in my own way all the time. Luckily, I met people who taught me to put the effort into what it is that you want-friendships, career, sports, whatever. Those jobs I mentioned earlier... Because I wasn't only focused on the paycheck, I learned how to do so many things, and do them with all kinds of people.
-Became a spiritual person. This does not mean that I started going to church. It does mean that I did in essence "come to the crossroads," and that lead me to an interesting place. After a lot of meditation and investigation I realized that there is something bigger than us and this plane of existence that defies explanation and is exceptionally personal. Some people get together with others to share this, others don't. I'm in the latter group.
-Existed in a partnership. Oh! my struggles with this. For years a successful relationship with a member of the opposite sex seemed so distant. Until I learned that it doesn't just happen. It is always a work in progress, and as long as you're still working on it, you're doing fine. I guess it comes down to finding that person that's willing to do the work with you and understands your "work style." At long last, I finally found my partner and married her this year.
-Relative wealth and comfort. After years of working for low wages and few benefits, I finally got my act together and realized what I'm worth. Surprisingly, as soon as I realized this, the money just appeared. I'm not rolling around in stacks of hundred dollar bills everyday, but I think for my qualifications, I'm doing all right. Maybe I should just ask for this?
-Come into myself. This is the grand total of all of the above. I have settled into this being, after all of the soul-searching and experience. There are things about myself that I would still like to change, and things about myself that I refuse to change. All in all though, I am psyched to posess this body and mind. I consider myself lucky.

So, where am I heading? Where are we headed in the coming decade? For once, it isn't unclear for me. I am looking forward to kids, which I am guessing will happen soon. I am hoping that having children will not be the single most life-altering event in my life. That seems so cliche. I am driving toward more experience in life with or without a nest of rug-rats. Hopefully kids will enrich these experiences, rather than provide an anchor. Maybe this is all wishful thinking. Who knows. Society? Humans being on the planet Earth? I have no idea what the future will hold for us. I have my selfish hopes and desires though.

My short list:

-Reduce energy dependence on foreign oil. How about we get to the point that we are satisfied with our domestic oil reserves and we're gunning for full energy independence with a new renewable energy infrastructure? It is entirely possible and could become a reality in the next twenty years if we are all willing to sacrifice a little. When I say "a little," I really mean a small stretch. Smaller cars, more efficient buildings, smart-grid technology. Hey, maybe if we let go of our attachment to foreign oil, we can stop killing people in the Middle East. Duh.
-Create more domestic jobs. I'm gonna go ahead and hang this out there. If unemployment is high and the economy is south of cheese, doesn't it make sense to focus on implementing local, state and national programs to improve our failing infrastructure (roads, bridges, utilities, etc.) similar to the New Deal programs of the 1930's? How hard could it be? I can guarantee that pulling ourselves out of financial ruin would be harder. I hear a lot that our workforce isn't suited to the kind of work that would be required to install a nationwide "smart-grid," large-scale wind turbines, and other renewable energy generation and distribution systems. The only logical answer to this is a question: how many project managers, laborers, secretaries, financiers, and marketing professionals does it take to get anything accomplished in our society? A lot. By the way, the Mexican immigrant that you pick up on the corner doesn't seem to have a problem doing just about anything you ask him to do.
-Healthcare for everyone. I cannot believe the rhetoric that continues to mire this process. Furthermore, I cannot believe that some members of congress actually complained that they had to work "into the holidays" to get this bill ironed out. They do realize they work for us right? I know that it's a dream and probably a shot in the dark, but I want an insured populace for the new year. Or a pony.
-Bring the troops home. George W. Bush's war is over. He didn't get us any farther than his Daddy did. To put it in perspective-we've been at war in the Middle East in some capacity for 20 years. 20 years! Sure, we have a few more unclosable bases in Iraq. Sure, we've brought Pepsi and Levis to another corner of the globe. We've got billion dollar planes that no one can see! We've also parked ourselves right in the middle of a culture we don't fully understand and can't hope to repair with any amount of money. Afghanistan? Those poor people have endured enough. I have always looked at Vietnam with such disgust and this is my generation's Vietnam. Don't we ever learn? I think it's high time we reallocate some tax dollars and spend that money at home, with a large portion of it earmarked for treatment of PTSD.

Just this. That's all I'm asking for right now. Let's shrink our "influence" on the rest of the world a bit in the years to come and focus on what good we can create here. We are, on the whole, a good and well-meaning people, but we need to stop believing that everyone should look and act exactly like us. Homogeny is dead.

As for today, tomorrow, and the beginning of 2010, I wish for a peaceful end to violence everywhere, more connection and community, and the seeds of enlightened thought to spread throughout the world.

Thanks for reading.

Turkey Day Musing

Thanksgiving (of which I participate in it's entirety) and the holidays in general, have led to some interesting thoughts this year. Of the folks I know, very few actually remove themselves from the holiday games. Most of us (myself included) throw ourselves head-long into the fray, eating like ravenous hyenas, purchasing beyond our means, and wondering why we continue the tradition year after gluttonous year. I am reminded, of late, of the premise in the book "Ishmael" (Daniel Quinn) that there are two groups of people-the "takers" and the "leavers" and into which group most Americans fall. It is during the holidays, when our penchant for excess really kicks into high gear, and we display our desires like the feathers of a peacock. Collectively. As a nation. We announce to the world that we will take all that we can until there is no more to take.

I began to think of the percentages. Could it be said that it's an 80/20 split between those of us who wallow in excess and those of us who exhibit control over our desires during this time of the year? I bet it's more like 90/10 or even 95/5... Does it really matter in an economy stabilized by constant growth? Until we enact a new model, this is it! It's a good thing to get out there an consume! You are putting people to work with each dollar you spend!

Okay. For the sake of argument, I am going to challenge this. In these dire economic times, couldn't we choose to take the hint and see the err of our ways? Utilize the slow-down as a way to jump the rails of this economic system and get onto something new... That's probably ignorant optimism speaking. We are too heavily invested in this way of being. It will require a total meltdown, a total disaster for us to change to existence on a sustainable level. I had temporarily forgotten the golden rule of change within a population: no change happens without pain and suffering. Right.

Onward then into the holidays. Eat into gluttony, drink until drunk, and please, dear god, spend unwisely.