CBC radio wants songs I haven't recorded

Subject: RE: CBC radio wants songs I haven't recorded
From: Bee
Date: 12 Mar 08 - 02:39 PM

Good luck with the project, Marion. I'm just a listener, in terms of recordings, but I can report anecdotally that a friend of mine had a CD professionally (albeit cheaply, through friends in the business - and I did the cover art)recorded about twelve-thirteen years ago. Only CD she has (A Maritime Woman, Ruth Nichols and Drimindown), but it still gets airplay on CBC now and then, and gets requests for copies quite often.

Subject: RE: CBC radio wants songs I haven't recorded
From: GUEST,Marion
Date: 12 Mar 08 - 01:12 PM

Thanks folks.

b.w., good to hear your take on the question; right now I'm leaning towards doing a quality recording of just the one song, and a member of the song circle has put me in touch with a relative who might be recording it for me.

Jim, the Bill Gallaher song I mentioned is "Newfoundland Sealers", which is on both his "The Last Battle" and "Across the Divide" CDs.

Marion

Subject: RE: CBC radio wants songs I haven't recorded
From: black walnut
Date: 12 Mar 08 - 09:49 AM

thanks for the update Marion. Go girl go!

I recently shared some of my thoughts on self-recording on a children's music forum. I have had some of these pass through my hands and quite honestly, nothing compares to a professional studio with a producer and engineer. I would rather hear a simple version done really well - with everything in tune and balanced - than a 'raw' self-recording. Now I'm certain I am going to be shunned tarred and feathered for saying that. But I am going on what I have heard.

Ths same goes with the packaging. Professional packaging really does indicate that the music was not only loved but also cared for.

There, I've said it.

Hugs and best wishes,

~b.w.

Subject: RE: CBC radio wants songs I haven't recorded
From: Beer
Date: 11 Mar 08 - 11:49 PM

Stay at it Marion and it will bare fruit.
Beer (adrien)

Subject: RE: CBC radio wants songs I haven't recorded
From: Jim Lad
Date: 11 Mar 08 - 08:57 PM

What was the Bill Gallaher song?

Subject: RE: CBC radio wants songs I haven't recorded
From: Marion
Date: 11 Mar 08 - 08:24 PM

Thanks for your continued interest. Unfortunately, I've gone nowhere with this particular opportunity - when I wrote back, the producer clarified that she was looking for something to use the very next day. (However, she says she did use the Bill Gallaher song on the same topic that I recommended to her, so some good came of it.)

It was a little frustrating to not be able to offer a recording, especially since I've got a good song that's right on topic, but this has really underlined to me that I've got to get some stuff recorded.

Also, at the last song circle I got a request for my most-requested song, one about Anne of Green Gables (you've heard it, Debbie), and someone pointed out that the 100th anniversary of the book is this June. So now I'm determined to record a version soon and try to get it out there on time for this opportunity. I'm just trying to work out whether I'll record it as a single and have it professionally recorded and printed, or make it a homemade project with lots of songs. I've already started 2 Mudcat threads to figure this out, and I'll probably start more...

Take care, Marion

Subject: RE: CBC radio wants songs I haven't recorded
From: Bee
Date: 10 Mar 08 - 12:02 PM

Me too. Marion, didja, didja? When can we listen?

Subject: RE: CBC radio wants songs I haven't recorded
From: black walnut
Date: 10 Mar 08 - 11:54 AM

What's happening, Marion? I'm wondering where you've gone with this opportunty?

~b.w.

Subject: RE: CBC radio wants songs I haven't recorded
From: black walnut
Date: 02 Mar 08 - 02:25 PM

Hi Marion, you might want to talk to Ken Whiteley too, if Paul doesn't have time. Either one would be great at helping you get a radio-quality version of your song with simplicity and ease.

Congrats. This is very exciting!

~b.w.

Subject: RE: CBC radio wants songs I haven't recorded
From: GUEST,Bob Ryszkiewicz
Date: 02 Mar 08 - 11:55 AM

Les Paul & Mary Ford...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qZ_5ubk2H4k
bob

Subject: RE: CBC radio wants songs I haven't recorded
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 02 Mar 08 - 12:45 AM

I remember an interesting discussion of the recording sessions that Les Paul and Mary Ford did around their home, literally in EVERY room of the house, trying for different acoustic effects.

SRS

Subject: RE: CBC radio wants songs I haven't recorded
From: bankley
Date: 01 Mar 08 - 08:33 PM

My daughter, Audrey lives in TO, has a PXR4 also, and knows folks with good home studio chops.... thing is she's tagging along with her boyfriend's band 'Holy Fuck' for a couple of weeks somewhere between L.A, Tuscon and Denver... she'll be back in mid-March. Other good people to talk with up there is Noah Zacharin or Brian Blain...

all the best....

Subject: RE: CBC radio wants songs I haven't recorded
From: GUEST,Bob Ryszkiewicz
Date: 01 Mar 08 - 08:16 PM

JOE MEEK...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VxdTq67MRdE
bob

Subject: RE: CBC radio wants songs I haven't recorded
From: GUEST,Bob Ryszkiewicz
Date: 01 Mar 08 - 07:36 PM

Hi Don; Looks like you're good to go over there. Recording is an Art. So it's not so much what you've got, but how you use it. Remember the positioning of those mics is critical. eg. by turning them in a horizontal position, you can cut back on sibilence(ssss's), by not directly attacking with your voice from the front. No pop filter? Piece of scotch tape with a small piece of cardboard helps. No, it's not a Los Angeles $1,000,000+ studio, but using the room you have and getting creative with recording, like getting creative with music, goes a long way. The studio IS the instrument...
And yes, you'll get the purists going, but MY Neumann...yada yada yada....Remember, it's what comes out the monitors that counts, but above all, IT'S THE SONG and the way it's presented/performed. And, LISTEN, LISTEN, LISTEN... That is why there's a revolution going on, as we speak, as hundreds of thousands of artists turn to recording their music themselves...
For more info. in the Logic Pro 8 realm(Mac), be sure to check out Logic Pro 8/SFLogic Ninja on YouTube. And, if you're a PC user... The DAW's are really not all that different. So if you've got Pro Tools, Cubase, etc. there's always something you can incorporate with minor adjustments. I use PreSonus' FIREBOX 24bit/96K Firewire Recording Interface with an Audio Technica AT-2020 mic(and others) with multiple DAW's(Logic Pro 8/Cubase/GarageBand(RESPECT) and my beloved Mac Mini(modded to 1GB-RAM) and with that, I get AIRPLAY all around the world...For which I give Thanks to The Creator...bob

Subject: RE: CBC radio wants songs I haven't recorded
From: Don Firth
Date: 01 Mar 08 - 06:49 PM

Hey, great link, Bob! Thanks.

The mic that McGuinn uses is quite a bit pricier than the ones I got. I got the Marshall Electronics Pro Pack Plus for $250. It includes a large diaphragm voice mic, a smaller diaphragm mic particularly good for "quick attack" instruments such as an acoustic guitar, plus shock-mounts for both mics, a pair of 15' cables with XLR connectors, and a tidy little padded case to stow all this in. I know a couple of people who have this set, and they like them real fine.

The hard drive on my computer is too slow (5400 rpm) for the Lexicon Omega interface, so I got an external (USB) hard drive—7200 rpm. Half a terabyte. That oughta do it!

Gotta get my studio set up. I'm champing at the bit to get at it.

Don Firth

P. S. I think the gear will sound great. It's how I'm gonna sound that's got me concerned!

Subject: RE: CBC radio wants songs I haven't recorded
From: Marion
Date: 01 Mar 08 - 06:33 PM

Thank you for your comments, everybody. I am in fact in Toronto. Asking to use the CBC studio is a move that hadn't occurred to me - seems a little bold to me - but if one locale wants to hear the stuff, maybe they'd set something up with another locale? I think I'll email Paul Mills, who used to be a big CBC guy, to first ask if that's a realistic idea.

Marion

Subject: RE: CBC radio wants songs I haven't recorded
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 01 Mar 08 - 06:07 PM

Marion, what wonderful news! However you manage to get the music to them, I'm sure they'll be delighted with the words and your voice and accompaniment.

Good luck!

SRS

Subject: RE: CBC radio wants songs I haven't recorded
From: GUEST,Bob Ryszkiewicz
Date: 01 Mar 08 - 06:04 PM

And, just for fun...
Roger & Dolly...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f_pM9Ts7jxA
bob

Subject: RE: CBC radio wants songs I haven't recorded
From: GUEST,Bob Ryszkiewicz
Date: 01 Mar 08 - 05:59 PM

Roger McGuinn's Recording Tips...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NGb_Z44iymA
bob

Subject: RE: CBC radio wants songs I haven't recorded
From: Don Firth
Date: 01 Mar 08 - 05:48 PM

If it were me, I'd go for option #3. These days, fairly simple basement studios can turn out some pretty high quality stuff, especially if it's just voice and guitar and doesn't require a whole array of microphones.

A couple of months ago, I saw a copy of Roger McGuinn's DVD "Guide to Home Recording on a Computer." The lash-up he uses is pretty simple and not all that expensive, and he said he had recorded his last two commercial CDs using that gear.

It gave me some dangerous ideas! I just got a couple of pieces of recording equipment (a couple of good condenser microphones, a USB analog to digital computer interface (Lexicon Omega—$200 US), and downloaded a copy of "Audacity"—freeware—and as soon as I get a couple of mic stands, I'm in business. Good set-up for what I have in mind—getting the songs I know recorded and stored on CDs. What I do with them after that (just archive them, or start frisbeeing a bunch of CDs out on an unsuspecting world) depends on such mundane considerations as finances. . . . (As Dave Van Ronk said, "in vinyl, veritas.")   

Marion, this sounds like a good opportunity. The best of luck with it! Keep us posted.

Don Firth

Subject: RE: CBC radio wants songs I haven't recorded
From: Peace
Date: 01 Mar 08 - 05:42 PM

BEEYOUTIFFULL. That is fantastic news, Bob. Really.

Subject: RE: CBC radio wants songs I haven't recorded
From: GUEST,Bob Ryszkiewicz
Date: 01 Mar 08 - 05:41 PM

Why Mr. Peace. We seem to meet in the strangest of places. Are you sure you don't wanna buy some Bruce Murdoch CD's? The guy is just great. I'm sure you'd like him if you met him and listened to his music. It's all good over here. Just got new monitors(KRK) for my studio, and req's from radio stations in Belgium and Denmark for my CD. Lots of support coming through from around the world. It's all good...bob

Subject: RE: CBC radio wants songs I haven't recorded
From: GUEST,Bob Ryszkiewicz
Date: 01 Mar 08 - 05:35 PM

Then ya got yer ZOOM H4...
http://www.samsontech.com/products/productpage.cfm?prodID=1901
...which is a high quality Field Recorder/4-Track Studio/and Audio Interface...bob

Subject: RE: CBC radio wants songs I haven't recorded
From: gnu
Date: 01 Mar 08 - 05:31 PM

Whatever happens, good luck with it... and the REST of your music. Still put that tape in the deck now and then.

Subject: RE: CBC radio wants songs I haven't recorded
From: Peace
Date: 01 Mar 08 - 05:27 PM

Yo, Bob. Howzit, buddy?

Subject: RE: CBC radio wants songs I haven't recorded
From: GUEST,Bob Ryszkiewicz
Date: 01 Mar 08 - 05:26 PM

Marion: All good suggestions. If the CBC wants it, that should be a simple session @ the CBC done in an afternoon. You can always use your computer with an interface...
http://www.zzounds.com/cat--USB-Audio-Interfaces--2424
Or, if you're a bit shy with tekkie stuff, somebody near you with a home studio should do the trick...bob

Subject: RE: CBC radio wants songs I haven't recorded
From: Peace
Date: 01 Mar 08 - 05:02 PM

LOL

Won of these daze . . . .

Subject: RE: CBC radio wants songs I haven't recorded
From: The Mole Catcher's Apprentice (inactive)
Date: 01 Mar 08 - 05:02 PM

"I'm not 100% sure but I think Marion is in Toronto."

Marion is in Toronto, I just checked her website. You can contact her using the same source (the website)

Charlotte (on that big island off the west coast of Canada)

Subject: RE: CBC radio wants songs I haven't recorded
From: bobad
Date: 01 Mar 08 - 05:01 PM

"Pout the Yinyang" good name for a band, that.

Subject: RE: CBC radio wants songs I haven't recorded
From: Beer
Date: 01 Mar 08 - 05:01 PM

Ooops!!
That's what I get for assuming.

Subject: RE: CBC radio wants songs I haven't recorded
From: Peace
Date: 01 Mar 08 - 04:59 PM

CBC has studios there coming pout the yinyang.

Subject: RE: CBC radio wants songs I haven't recorded
From: bobad
Date: 01 Mar 08 - 04:58 PM

I'm not 100% sure but I think Marion is in Toronto.

Subject: RE: CBC radio wants songs I haven't recorded
From: Peace
Date: 01 Mar 08 - 04:55 PM

All the advice on this therad is good, Marion.


Regarding Ron's "I have a Korg PXR4, multitrack digital, about the size of a sandwich."

That thing is awesome. Course, it might have something to do with the guy recording guitar on it, but awesomw it is, indeed.

Subject: RE: CBC radio wants songs I haven't recorded
From: Beer
Date: 01 Mar 08 - 04:35 PM

Marion.
Please contact Scott Yates at C.B.C Newfoundland. He is responsible for the recording etc. Tell him his sister Ruth says for him to do everything he can for you. And please tell him to get his butt up here for this years Festival.
Beer (adrien)

Subject: RE: CBC radio wants songs I haven't recorded
From: Sandy Mc Lean
Date: 01 Mar 08 - 03:31 PM

Marion,
Congratulations! Keep us informed on your project. I agree with the others. CBC has the very best of equipment and the Nfld producer should be able to have you do it at a one of their studios in your area.
   Best of luck from Cape Breton!
                Sandy

Subject: RE: CBC radio wants songs I haven't recorded
From: bankley
Date: 01 Mar 08 - 10:42 AM

I agree with Bobad and Beer..... sometime down the road you might consider buying an inexpensive, yet hi-quality digital recorder. This will allow you plenty of freedom and accessibility when a situation like this arises. Also great for sketching out ideas, and transferring to a larger facility. I have a Korg PXR4, multitrack digital, about the size of a sandwich. You'd be surprised with the quality. eh Peace ?

the best of luck to you...R

Subject: RE: CBC radio wants songs I haven't recorded
From: Beer
Date: 01 Mar 08 - 10:12 AM

100% behind what Bobad said.
All the very best of luck.
Beer (adrien)

Subject: RE: CBC radio wants songs I haven't recorded
From: greg stephens
Date: 01 Mar 08 - 10:07 AM

Marion
Just for voice and guitar, which I think is what you are talking about, the sort of domestic equipment that loads of people have is more than adequate to make a recording that is OK for radio. You don't reallly need any fancy studio technology. Sounds as if speed is what you need here: if there is an opportunity, go for it, don't waste time and money looking for a super-duper professional finish. Unnecessary. Do the best you(or your friends) can by tomorrow morning!
Good luck: I know your songs, they are very very good. Take any opportunity to get them out in front of the public.

Subject: RE: CBC radio wants songs I haven't recorded
From: bobad
Date: 01 Mar 08 - 09:57 AM

The CBC has recording facilities, tell her that you don't have a good recording and ask if you can record it at the CBC.

Subject: CBC radio wants songs I haven't recorded
From: Marion
Date: 01 Mar 08 - 09:44 AM

Hi folks - I hope you can help me out with some suggestions here. I just got an email from CBC radio in Newfoundland; the music producer found some lyrics of mine about an historical event in Newfoundland, and wants to know if I can send a recording.

I know this is the kind of opportunity I should jump on - the songs in question are very appropriate to the venue, with one song being better than the other. But I don't have any recordings right now except a fairly crude home recording - the better song still on analog, and the worse song on a burned CD (thanks John!). I am saving up to make a real CD - next year, I hope - but can't afford it now.

What should I do? Here are the options I see:

1. Send the home recording - which I doubt is the best option, as it's clearly not broadcast quality.

2. Tell her I hope to record them next year and will send them then.

3. Go for the middle route in quality - find somebody with a basement studio who will let me do a recording that's a step above my own recording, if not a professional job.

4. Record just the better song in a professional studio - is this something that studios do? Any idea of how much money I'd need for this?

Thanks a lot, Marion

PS The songs are "I Will Bring You Home" (better one) and "Newfoundland Sealing Disaster" (worse one); lyrics at my website under "historical songs".