It always blows my mind how you all seem like one big family and everything is so chill and collaborative. It's the last vestige of a great time in music that I miss dearly.
This is a pretty tight bunch. Most of this band is doing a recording session at Tuff Gong in Jamaica coming up. I’ll have to do a video on that one as well
I remember the first studio that I engineered and produced at in the 70s. We used a 4 track 1/2" Ampex tape machine and a Heilsound board. We mixed to an old 1/4" Ampex 351. I used a lot of reel-to-reel decks during the 26 years I was in radio.
Great video! Thanks for the great work! Just an idea for a possible future video... Would love for you to do a video on the Nashville numbering system and how all the studio musicians in Nashville use it. I understand the basics, but just the basics and would love to fully understand it. 😊Thanks again and keep up the great work.
Mara tape machines? My college just bought one. I am so fortunate to have spent time in an environment that supports tape. My teacher actually went to 1979 last year and broke down his Cake recording session. Love that tape warmth! The engineering said mixing on tape is a little difficult but I am betting it’s more about the editing process. Great video!
Vivian (the young lady assisting) came to my studio once while she was still in college for an AES convention. She then went on to intern with my friend Benjy near Winston Salem and it's awesome to see her in Nashville! She's a class act for sure.
I freely admit some of the technical jargon goes over my head.... but that's OK! I still get a sense of what you're doing here and it's super-interesting. Thanks for sharing this!
Love videos like these. Had the privilege of experiencing Nashville and a recording session with Jeff King, Mark Hill, Tommy Harden,Pat McGrath and Jeff Roach. I am from South Africa and still sometimes have to pinch myself that I had that experience. Please keep em coming. Great tone and playing man 👌👌👌
I had to laugh when the engineer said that it's difficult to mix off the 24 track tape. Back in the 70's that's the only way we could do it. Mixing back then was an incredible artform in and of itself. 😊
@@NickyV I took note of that immediately! Working with tape is definitely a different animal than working with a DAW. Props to this young man for having the skills to work with tape!
I saw that the engineer said he would mix using pro tools and I totally get that, but doesn’t mixing in a digital system negate the purpose of tracking to tape?
Great channel man. So awesome to get a bit of peek for this kind of professional recording and tracking sessions. Thanks for sharing. Living vicariously through you. Wish you all the best.
That was very enjoyable and thank you! I still have my Teac A-3440 4-track reel to reel from the early 80’s and a bunch of 10” reels with my home recordings during the 80’s and early 90’s. Spent countless hours with it. That warm compressed tape sound was/is magical.
I used to have to roll the 2" tape machines around Sound Stage on Music Row, up the elevator, back down, front stage to back stage. I was a skinny little rail hauling gear 12-16 hours a day, 6 days a week.
@@NickyV a few hundred pounds each probably. We had probably 4 2" tape machines and 1 Sony 1" digital tape machine to roll between the 4 rooms in that studio. Upstairs was where Martina McBride and her husband John had a studio. Next door was Ronnie Milsap. It was a fun place to work.
@@NickyV People used to stop by all the time. Wynonna Judd showed up out of the blue one day and made us PB&J sandwiches. Alan Jackson came in late one evening with a 6-pack of beer and we sat in one of the lounges just hanging out.
Jimmy Capps who did thousands of studio sessions on guitar said in a UA-cam video that track recordings as opposed to non-tracked make better recordings. He said it is better to make the singer sing to the music track than the band play to the singer. He said you get a lot more out of the band that way. He would of course feel that way. I once actually worked the original old mixer in RCA Studio B. That is another story.
All about serving the vocal is my take on it…sometimes that might mean inspiring the vocalist which might have been what he was getting at. Jimmy is a legend for sure. Thanks for watching!
Great to see tracking to two inch and a real Hammond. My little studio has a 24 track Stephens, no computer, and I love working with this analogue setup.
I worked at a studio for a while that had that same tape machine sitting in the corner. Unfortunately, by the time I got there, I never got to see it in action. It could still be patched in, but the engineer that knew it well was about to retire. Everything then was ADAT, then eventually ProTools, with the MCI 2” just being a conversation piece.
In the days of analog tape, organization was incredibly important… the reason for track sheets. It’s funny that ‘Welcome to 1979’ has cue mixers that are CAT 5 based. More like ‘almost welcome to 1979’. In 1979 the engineer dialed in a cue mix for everyone. 😂😮😢
Amazing thanks for the coolest insights as to what you get to do as a pro session player. Any chance you can tell us the artists name? Would love to hear the mixed product!
@@zvotaisvfi8678 I think James will be mixing it at his studio and flying some parts around a bit. Wanted the tape tone and saturation but flexibility and surgical(ness) of protools.
Wondering if there is any perceptible audio loss when going from 2” tape to ProTools, once it’s all mixed down. Any loss of analog warmth or depth??🎶🎶🎶 Rock on Nicky!🎶
Hi Nicky, Nice pedals on your iSpot pedal board I'm not sure what the XTS Interface is though or what some of the other ones - But I did notice the Timeline which usually goes with the Mobius and I would think the Halo should fit right in instead - I don't understand the number chart from what I can see - It makes sense if the number on the bottom is really below the top number for example I see something that looks like a 45 now is that a IV / V? I can see later in the video that you did discuss the number chart. Thank You! I Was curious thought when you dumping form tape to protools I didn't understand that you had the track separation unless there were only 4 tracks. Thank You, Alan
Thanks man! The XTS is just a box for the quarter-inch input and output. My favorite delay pedal I've ever used is the Tremolo delay in the Timeline...I put that on more records than any other delay. Alos love the clock work from J Rockett. Haven't messed with a Halo yet.
@@NickyV Hi Nicky, I like the Halo because I can get a dry delay and an infinite sustain if you're fast enough but the uppers like that on the upper e strings seem to die out faster than the mids but that 's guitars. I did a track with the infinite delay just as a test if you would like to hear it. It's called Through the Exit of Loneness: On the guitar solo I used the particle verb on the M-9 and the sound sounds like it might be a lot more Dwell with stable than it should. Thank you for your reply to my previous comment - I am sorry I didn't notice that before editing my comment - Great video! I will study it some more. Thank You, Alan
Great video. The click in the room during your electric part - is that normal? I guess the phone was picking it up on a room speaker while the mix was in your headset?
Nick: Informative film, as always. However, I would like to ask a serious yet, "comical" question. :) In college 40 years ago, members of the Chicago Symphony I knew were retiring claiming that, "It does not matter if it's Bach or Rachmaninoff. When you get older....it becomes just a lot of 'loud noise'". The point was that as people get older, "age" simply requires a more "quiet and sedate" environment. :) Now, that you are getting older, do you also experience this same feeling around loud drums, cranked up amplifiers, etc. ? Are there many people who are successful and work regularly overdubbing from home and sending wave files back to a producer or engineer, having done them from home from a score, etc. ? Thank you for your input. :) Antoine
Hey Antoine, Regarding monitoring volume I listen incredibly quietly. I grew up with a mother that worked in a factory and was very volume conscious…so never liked anything loud, hate tracking with drums beside me if I don’t have cans on that block at least 90% of it. So I like to feel it all and hear just enough to be inspired and play accurately. This is not shared by most musicians I know, when i Iook at my friends cue mixes…they are cranked.
@@NickyV Thank you for getting back on this matter. I always wondered how people were able to "tolerate" it. The men and women I knew as a child who were string players were called "suit studio musicians". Violinists who went to sessions with sport jackets, ties, the women wore dresses and skirts, they required NO rehearsal, did the commercial jingles playing quietly with precision and went home. :) They was my "example". It is good to know you are not losing your hearing like arena and other "live show" guys. :) Keep up the good work. :)
I also laughed out loud at the comment, "It's kind of difficult to mix off analog tape" ---that's all we were doing in the 90's... yes, 1990's. With flying faders and automation on an SSL... it was all you knew to do. It's actually easy peasy.
Does it make any sense recording to tape when you just end up with a digital master? Probably end up with the same sample rate you would've gotten if you recorded straight to digital?
I think there’s something sonically that happens capturing on tape initially. Definitely subtle but this line of work kind of lives within that final 1-3%
@@NickyV It would be an interesting experiment to have the DAW and the tape recording at the same time and do a blind test. I really like your videos. Keep up the good work. Thanks.
I wish there was a digital controlled analog process. Well I'm sure there is something. digitally represent the "Work" of the mix, but the mix itself is analog.
The Mara team are really nice folks too. Ive had an JH24 they built for many years and they always take a call to give free tech support. Thanks for the post!
SCARY SHADES - but it fits the 1979 feel though. When you are Nicky V., you can do whatever you want - and it is still cool. Brother Nicky has his own style - and I'm hoping for the day he goes 100 percent into Bible / Jesus stuff and starts his own church. Hoping that it can happen - if Nicky V. meets the right real deal Jesus 'freak' person who really lives the life and also plays professional recording music stuff, and then they start talking - and then praying, and whammo - Nicky V. starts his own church, ha ha.
Probably smells weird in there too - funky vintage stuff all over the place. Surprised that stuff still works. Scary stuff. So please tell me that someone isn't going to start bringing back the old style monitors, glass tube stuff and huge heavy TV's and stuff. Thanks for sharing. Still waiting for the interview with your wife too. Maybe that won't happen, and I would totally understand. Oh - maybe try a different spin on your take with Christian music world from 'hellions' perspective, but maybe talk to / interview someone that wouldn't mind sharing some stuff from what they see, part II, some kind of Christian music NASHVILLE musician perspective from Nicky V. view - doesn't have to be negative, just something different. The other one got over 50k views, so other people find that stuff interesting too, not just me. Not saying I agree or disagree with all of that - but your perspective on stuff is definitely interesting. Great job Nicky V. Even from a non pro music perspective, it is nice to see the Nicky V. inside scoop, fly on the wall and all that - keep it up.
I’ll kind of feel it out with a few of my friends form that world and see if they would be willing. Not sure on that one though, might be a long shot but I’ll try :) So glad you find the content interesting and hope I can keep the goods rolling in. Thank you for the kindness and support
@@NickyV You have a very unique skill set and ability to pack in some very interesting stuff in a short video. You can talk really fast sometimes too - that is cool, and I understand what you're saying, ha ha. Yeah - if I make any suggestions it is just what I think might be interesting. Life is full of drama, and I think the music industry especially since performers are often viewed as almost superhuman and living a more 'fun' life than the average fan folks do. Thanks again for sharing your world and a sample of behind the scenes snipits for the UA-cam audience, which I think for many who click on Nicky V., enjoy watching and find your posts inspiring.
I love tracking without a click when the stars align. They were kind of doing a hybrid thing on this project putting it all in protools at the end. Vintage sound with modern editing and I guess the modern editing side of things helps when it’s on the grid.
@@NickyV Not judging you of course, only it's weird to me to record on tape and then use a click, if you want old school, unleash the band and accept little minor mistakes for the sake of magic that happen when a band play live (which I love by the way!)
Very cool. I know the greatest albums of all time were tracked this way but my question in todays world is why? Can anyone really tell the difference? I know its fun and feels like the organic part of the analog tape creates a certain vibe that digital can't replicate but is that really true? 20 years ago I'd say yes. But today, I'd challenge any world class engineer to do a blind side by side comparison and see if they could tell the difference. Not trying to be a cynic at all, I'm just curious as to why anyone would go through all the trouble.
The points you raised as definitely valid. I think there is a small sonic gain with tape but the advantages of digital in the modern DAW far outweigh that sonic analog tape saturation. Which is why they tracked to tape and edit in protools…kind of the best of both worlds. Regarding the blind test, I think an experienced engineer that lives in that world 24/7 could pick out the tape. The reason I say that is there are a handful of guys in town that can listen to a record, tell you what mics were on the overheads and also tell you which studio they were cut in…and be correct haha. Average listener telling the difference…probably not but this industry lives within the final 1% of striving for excellence.
@@zachleary108 I work only on tape. It is harder to edit, so the performers need to be better rehearsed for a session. The main reason I stick to tape is because I have a two inch machine and a big console, it works, and I don’t want to spend the money on a decent digital rig. I find that I don’t have to work as hard on recording or mixing from tape, when I have worked on a hybrid rig (digital recording, analogue mixing) it took a lot more effort to get the sound I was after.
@@NickyV Thanks Nicky. Fair enough. I appreciate those handful of guys but I've also had Glynn Johns tell me that there's no difference these days but he's also super opinionated. Interesting!
@@dale116dot7 Love the better rehearsed point. Didn't think of that. I can imagine that it forces a band to be on their game and not rely on endless punch ins.
So basically, this is all fake sh!t. Might as well use the clasp system for recording. Aero Smith did. Same BS as this. The magic of sound from the analog days is the analog summing from the tape to a mixer console to a 2 track master tape. This is very disappointing and fake advertising. Mixing sampled signals from an analog console isn't going to cut it.
I hate to say it, but that does NOT look like fun to me. That looks like work! I guess I'm even older old school than 1979. 1979 was when I got burned out and quit playing music (the first time). I'd rather just have everybody in one big room playing together like an actual band. I guess its why I'm not in that business!! Great video though!
@@NickyV that sure wasn't apparent from the video. it looked like everything was isolated. it looked like the control room had no direct line of sight, only TV screens. just sayin' what I saw in the video...
@@NickyV Good. Now I'll be able to sleep! I know you try to be non-intrusive when you shoot, but in that video I just didn't get a picture of a big room with everybody in it.
Yes, I love this kind of content. I get to see what I'll never see in real life, and I find it fascinating.
So glad you find it interesting! Thanks for watching!
Love these glimpses into the industry. Thx Nicky.
You got it! Thanks for watching
It always blows my mind how you all seem like one big family and everything is so chill and collaborative. It's the last vestige of a great time in music that I miss dearly.
This is a pretty tight bunch. Most of this band is doing a recording session at Tuff Gong in Jamaica coming up. I’ll have to do a video on that one as well
I remember the first studio that I engineered and produced at in the 70s. We used a 4 track 1/2" Ampex tape machine and a Heilsound board. We mixed to an old 1/4" Ampex 351. I used a lot of reel-to-reel decks during the 26 years I was in radio.
That’s killer. I’m 31 so missed all of that and came straight into the digital world.
@@NickyV I was writing for Mix and other magazines before you were born! LOL! I remember when digital recording became an option.
Thanks for posting. More vids like this. it was laid back and not over edited. Just a good watch.
Nice! Glad you enjoyed it!
Great stuff Nicky, thanks. I graduated high school in 1979, lol.
Haha right on! Thanks for checking the video out.
Great video! Thanks for the great work! Just an idea for a possible future video... Would love for you to do a video on the Nashville numbering system and how all the studio musicians in Nashville use it. I understand the basics, but just the basics and would love to fully understand it. 😊Thanks again and keep up the great work.
I’ve gotten this request a few times. Will definitely have to do a video on it!
Great video! I also have a 79 Yamaha and it is amazing!
Picked mine up two weeks ago and it blew my mind
Mara tape machines? My college just bought one. I am so fortunate to have spent time in an environment that supports tape. My teacher actually went to 1979 last year and broke down his Cake recording session. Love that tape warmth! The engineering said mixing on tape is a little difficult but I am betting it’s more about the editing process. Great video!
Spot on! Love that you get to experience it as well. Thank you for commenting and checking the video out!
Thanks!
This is incredibly kind of you. Shocked when I opened my phone and saw this. Truly appreciate it and so glad you enjoyed the video!
you’re quite welcome. this video is basically a free lesson!
@@exerscreen2525 Ill do my best to keep the goods coming.
Vivian (the young lady assisting) came to my studio once while she was still in college for an AES convention. She then went on to intern with my friend Benjy near Winston Salem and it's awesome to see her in Nashville! She's a class act for sure.
Love that! She was delightful to work with.
Fascinating stuff! More of this please.
You got it man! Appreciate you watching…hope the triad stuff is going well!
@@NickyV I appreciate you putting out great content! Ha! Yes, I’m deep into it as you will see. 😊
I freely admit some of the technical jargon goes over my head.... but that's OK! I still get a sense of what you're doing here and it's super-interesting. Thanks for sharing this!
Absolutely! Thanks for checking the video out!
Love the behind the scenes. Thank you!
You got it! Thanks for watching
Great content as always!
Appreciate you coming back!
Thank you for sharing. Very insightful. Keep up the great work sir. Cheers!
You got it! Thanks Juan!
Love videos like these. Had the privilege of experiencing Nashville and a recording session with Jeff King, Mark Hill, Tommy Harden,Pat McGrath and Jeff Roach. I am from South Africa and still sometimes have to pinch myself that I had that experience. Please keep em coming. Great tone and playing man 👌👌👌
Those guys are absolute monsters. So glad you enjoyed the video!
I had to laugh when the engineer said that it's difficult to mix off the 24 track tape. Back in the 70's that's the only way we could do it. Mixing back then was an incredible artform in and of itself. 😊
Spot on. Props to him for being in his 20s and knowing how to work with tape. The modern DAW definitely has made things easier haha.
@@NickyV I took note of that immediately! Working with tape is definitely a different animal than working with a DAW. Props to this young man for having the skills to work with tape!
Mixing still today is an artform, either when its mixed from tape or not. Just have to rewind all the time is all
Yeah and it sounds so much better on tape!! Especially drums!!!
I saw that the engineer said he would mix using pro tools and I totally get that, but doesn’t mixing in a digital system negate the purpose of tracking to tape?
Great channel man. So awesome to get a bit of peek for this kind of professional recording and tracking sessions. Thanks for sharing. Living vicariously through you. Wish you all the best.
You are more than welcome. Appreciate you checking the videos out!
Thx for taking us along the ride! All the best from Germany🤘
Stellar! Thanks for taking the time to check it out!
The 24 track tape machine is old school. But the black rotary phone on the mixing desk is REALLY old school! 😊 Not to mention the KISS 8-track tape!
Hahaha pretty rock and roll
This channel hits all my happy places! Keep up the stellar work!
Love hearing that. Thank you for checking the videos out!
That was very enjoyable and thank you! I still have my Teac A-3440 4-track reel to reel from the early 80’s and a bunch of 10” reels with my home recordings during the 80’s and early 90’s. Spent countless hours with it. That warm compressed tape sound was/is magical.
I love that. Tape definitely does a different thing. Thank you for sharing and checking the video out.
I used to have to roll the 2" tape machines around Sound Stage on Music Row, up the elevator, back down, front stage to back stage. I was a skinny little rail hauling gear 12-16 hours a day, 6 days a week.
Wow! Those machines look heavy
@@NickyV a few hundred pounds each probably. We had probably 4 2" tape machines and 1 Sony 1" digital tape machine to roll between the 4 rooms in that studio. Upstairs was where Martina McBride and her husband John had a studio. Next door was Ronnie Milsap. It was a fun place to work.
@@AKDanMusicMan Thats too cool man. Thank you for sharing that.
@@NickyV People used to stop by all the time. Wynonna Judd showed up out of the blue one day and made us PB&J sandwiches. Alan Jackson came in late one evening with a 6-pack of beer and we sat in one of the lounges just hanging out.
@@AKDanMusicMan It's amazing the things we stumble into in this town.
Right away those drums sounded fantastic!
100%
Thanks for watching
Hey man! Thanks for this video! It’s awesome 😂
Love Welcome to 1979 and their team! Great video!
Thanks! So glad you enjoyed it!
AYYYY thanks man for this video!
You got it! Thanks for letting me wave an iPhone around and ask you questions haha!
Jimmy Capps who did thousands of studio sessions on guitar said in a UA-cam video that track recordings as opposed to non-tracked make better recordings. He said it is better to make the singer sing to the music track than the band play to the singer. He said you get a lot more out of the band that way. He would of course feel that way. I once actually worked the original old mixer in RCA Studio B. That is another story.
All about serving the vocal is my take on it…sometimes that might mean inspiring the vocalist which might have been what he was getting at. Jimmy is a legend for sure. Thanks for watching!
Thanks for Sharing. Love Tape Machine Saturation Sounds and Textures 🎸👍🙏
I’m with you on that one. Thanks for watching
Great to see tracking to two inch and a real Hammond. My little studio has a 24 track Stephens, no computer, and I love working with this analogue setup.
That’s crazy cool! Appreciate you watching
Great stuff Nick!!
Glad you enjoyed it
Real cool video.
Thanks man! Glad you enjoyed it
I worked at a studio for a while that had that same tape machine sitting in the corner. Unfortunately, by the time I got there, I never got to see it in action. It could still be patched in, but the engineer that knew it well was about to retire. Everything then was ADAT, then eventually ProTools, with the MCI 2” just being a conversation piece.
Seems like most studios have one sitting in the corner as a conversation piece of days gone by.
Thanks for checking the video out!
Thank you
You got it! Thanks for watching
Would love to hear you talk through charts in more detail, how you create them/alter them on the fly would be a really interesting watch for me!
I’ve gotten this request a few times now so I’ll definitely have to make a video on it.
This is so amazing to me....Thank you to EVERYONE! Looks like so much fun! Y'all have a great week. Nicky..you're amazing.
You are very kind. Thank you for watching!
In the days of analog tape, organization was incredibly important… the reason for track sheets.
It’s funny that ‘Welcome to 1979’ has cue mixers that are CAT 5 based. More like ‘almost welcome to 1979’. In 1979 the engineer dialed in a cue mix for everyone. 😂😮😢
Haha spot on. It’s has a few modern conveniences.
Thanks for watching
wow. what an experience. thanks for sharing...love the bts. =)
Thanks for watching! So glad you enjoyed it
Would love to see a video on the skills needed to be a session player along with your own experience!
Might have to work that video up. In short…feel, part, accuracy, tone, social skills.
Amazing thanks for the coolest insights as to what you get to do as a pro session player. Any chance you can tell us the artists name? Would love to hear the mixed product!
So glad you enjoy it! The artist name is Nick Ryan. Not sure when the tune is coming out but he’s a talented cat for sure.
i liked the first one you played because it seemed to fit well with the steel
There were some cool moments in there for sure. They might use pieces of that on the other choruses if needed. Thanks for checking the video out!
wierd that they dump it rather than mixing off the tape....
@@zvotaisvfi8678 I think James will be mixing it at his studio and flying some parts around a bit. Wanted the tape tone and saturation but flexibility and surgical(ness) of protools.
Love this!!
Thanks for watching!
Good stuff!
Glad you enjoyed it
Cool.
Great video
Thanks!
Wondering if there is any perceptible audio loss when going from 2” tape to ProTools, once it’s all mixed down. Any loss of analog warmth or depth??🎶🎶🎶 Rock on Nicky!🎶
I'm honestly not sure on that one. Will have to ask James his opinion next time I see him after he's lived with the mix a bit.
Hi Nicky, Nice pedals on your iSpot pedal board I'm not sure what the XTS Interface is though or what some of the other ones - But I did notice the Timeline which usually goes with the Mobius and I would think the Halo should fit right in instead - I don't understand the number chart from what I can see - It makes sense if the number on the bottom is really below the top number for example I see something that looks like a 45 now is that a IV / V? I can see later in the video that you did discuss the number chart. Thank You! I Was curious thought when you dumping form tape to protools I didn't understand that you had the track separation unless there were only 4 tracks. Thank You, Alan
Thanks man! The XTS is just a box for the quarter-inch input and output. My favorite delay pedal I've ever used is the Tremolo delay in the Timeline...I put that on more records than any other delay. Alos love the clock work from J Rockett. Haven't messed with a Halo yet.
@@NickyV Hi Nicky, I like the Halo because I can get a dry delay and an infinite sustain if you're fast enough but the uppers like that on the upper e strings seem to die out faster than the mids but that 's guitars. I did a track with the infinite delay just as a test if you would like to hear it. It's called Through the Exit of Loneness: On the guitar solo I used the particle verb on the M-9 and the sound sounds like it might be a lot more Dwell with stable than it should. Thank you for your reply to my previous comment - I am sorry I didn't notice that before editing my comment - Great video! I will study it some more. Thank You, Alan
Nicky, I’d love to see you play again!! ❤️Joice
Have to book a cape gig sometime
You can ask Steve Allen about us cutting on tape during the sound shop days 🤗
My name is Hayden btw lol prob should have mentioned that
Really enjoying your videos. I would love to know what model that 79 Yamaha is.
Thanks! So glad you enjoyed it. It’s an FG-330
@@NickyV Those old Yamahas are awesome!
Used to buy Ampex 456 2 inch tapes for $60 (used). Only holds 3 to 4 songs. Nothing like tape though.
It definitely does a certain thing. Was great getting to experience it
Great video. The click in the room during your electric part - is that normal? I guess the phone was picking it up on a room speaker while the mix was in your headset?
There was another box next to me with its headphones blaring the click I believe.
Nick: Informative film, as always. However, I would like to ask a serious yet, "comical" question. :)
In college 40 years ago, members of the Chicago Symphony I knew were retiring claiming that, "It does not matter if it's Bach or Rachmaninoff. When you get older....it becomes just a lot of 'loud noise'". The point was that as people get older, "age" simply requires a more "quiet and sedate" environment. :)
Now, that you are getting older, do you also experience this same feeling around loud drums, cranked up
amplifiers, etc. ? Are there many people who are successful and work regularly overdubbing from home and sending wave files back to a producer or engineer, having done them from home from a score, etc. ?
Thank you for your input. :)
Antoine
Hey Antoine,
Regarding monitoring volume I listen incredibly quietly. I grew up with a mother that worked in a factory and was very volume conscious…so never liked anything loud, hate tracking with drums beside me if I don’t have cans on that block at least 90% of it. So I like to feel it all and hear just enough to be inspired and play accurately.
This is not shared by most musicians I know, when i Iook at my friends cue mixes…they are cranked.
@@NickyV Thank you for getting back on this matter. I always wondered how people were able to "tolerate" it.
The men and women I knew as a child who were string players were called "suit studio musicians". Violinists who went to sessions with sport jackets, ties, the women wore dresses and skirts, they required NO rehearsal, did the commercial jingles playing quietly with precision and went home. :)
They was my "example". It is good to know you are not losing your hearing like arena and other "live show" guys. :) Keep up the good work. :)
)Come to the Basement this Wednesday (12/11) if you want to hear some real psychedelic rock. I always record to tape.
I also laughed out loud at the comment, "It's kind of difficult to mix off analog tape" ---that's all we were doing in the 90's... yes, 1990's. With flying faders and automation on an SSL... it was all you knew to do. It's actually easy peasy.
Does it make any sense recording to tape when you just end up with a digital master? Probably end up with the same sample rate you would've gotten if you recorded straight to digital?
I think there’s something sonically that happens capturing on tape initially. Definitely subtle but this line of work kind of lives within that final 1-3%
@@NickyV It would be an interesting experiment to have the DAW and the tape recording at the same time and do a blind test. I really like your videos. Keep up the good work. Thanks.
The tape will overdrive and compress naturally, so it's great for effect.
Really cool electric guitar playing. Great parts.
Thanks! Glad you enjoyed it!
The engineer looks like a young Jeff Gordon.
Hahaa
Name of the song? Is out yet?
It's not out yet but Ill post something in the description or my insta story when it hits the streaming platforms.
I wish there was a digital controlled analog process. Well I'm sure there is something. digitally represent the "Work" of the mix, but the mix itself is analog.
God that would be the best of both worlds. The billion dollar idea
Everybody should learn on analog. It’s a art that’s rapidly becoming extinct
Very true. Helps to understand the modern DAW
The Mara team are really nice folks too. Ive had an JH24 they built for many years and they always take a call to give free tech support. Thanks for the post!
Love that! Thanks for checking the video out!
@@NickyV keep this format, it's perfect and unpretentious
Nice to look at, but as Dean Parks said, before there was Pro-Tools, there were Pros
Still pros but now we have logic haha.
…definitely get what’s Dean is saying though.
Rock star shades bro,,,
SCARY SHADES - but it fits the 1979 feel though. When you are Nicky V., you can do whatever you want - and it is still cool. Brother Nicky has his own style - and I'm hoping for the day he goes 100 percent into Bible / Jesus stuff and starts his own church. Hoping that it can happen - if Nicky V. meets the right real deal Jesus 'freak' person who really lives the life and also plays professional recording music stuff, and then they start talking - and then praying, and whammo - Nicky V. starts his own church, ha ha.
Cool studio, looks like mine. lol
Nice! Thanks for watching
ahhhhhhh
Tory Slusher uses an iPhone. Good enough for her.
Probably smells weird in there too - funky vintage stuff all over the place. Surprised that stuff still works. Scary stuff. So please tell me that someone isn't going to start bringing back the old style monitors, glass tube stuff and huge heavy TV's and stuff. Thanks for sharing. Still waiting for the interview with your wife too. Maybe that won't happen, and I would totally understand. Oh - maybe try a different spin on your take with Christian music world from 'hellions' perspective, but maybe talk to / interview someone that wouldn't mind sharing some stuff from what they see, part II, some kind of Christian music NASHVILLE musician perspective from Nicky V. view - doesn't have to be negative, just something different. The other one got over 50k views, so other people find that stuff interesting too, not just me. Not saying I agree or disagree with all of that - but your perspective on stuff is definitely interesting. Great job Nicky V. Even from a non pro music perspective, it is nice to see the Nicky V. inside scoop, fly on the wall and all that - keep it up.
I’ll kind of feel it out with a few of my friends form that world and see if they would be willing. Not sure on that one though, might be a long shot but I’ll try :)
So glad you find the content interesting and hope I can keep the goods rolling in.
Thank you for the kindness and support
@@NickyV You have a very unique skill set and ability to pack in some very interesting stuff in a short video. You can talk really fast sometimes too - that is cool, and I understand what you're saying, ha ha. Yeah - if I make any suggestions it is just what I think might be interesting. Life is full of drama, and I think the music industry especially since performers are often viewed as almost superhuman and living a more 'fun' life than the average fan folks do. Thanks again for sharing your world and a sample of behind the scenes snipits for the UA-cam audience, which I think for many who click on Nicky V., enjoy watching and find your posts inspiring.
What I personally do not get is why record on tape and then use a click but probably that's just me.
I love tracking without a click when the stars align. They were kind of doing a hybrid thing on this project putting it all in protools at the end. Vintage sound with modern editing and I guess the modern editing side of things helps when it’s on the grid.
@@NickyV Not judging you of course, only it's weird to me to record on tape and then use a click, if you want old school, unleash the band and accept little minor mistakes for the sake of magic that happen when a band play live (which I love by the way!)
@@NotoriousFunk Ya man I totally get it. All good and I'm with you on that...sometimes that's where the coolest magic happens.
Very cool. I know the greatest albums of all time were tracked this way but my question in todays world is why? Can anyone really tell the difference? I know its fun and feels like the organic part of the analog tape creates a certain vibe that digital can't replicate but is that really true? 20 years ago I'd say yes. But today, I'd challenge any world class engineer to do a blind side by side comparison and see if they could tell the difference. Not trying to be a cynic at all, I'm just curious as to why anyone would go through all the trouble.
The points you raised as definitely valid. I think there is a small sonic gain with tape but the advantages of digital in the modern DAW far outweigh that sonic analog tape saturation. Which is why they tracked to tape and edit in protools…kind of the best of both worlds.
Regarding the blind test, I think an experienced engineer that lives in that world 24/7 could pick out the tape. The reason I say that is there are a handful of guys in town that can listen to a record, tell you what mics were on the overheads and also tell you which studio they were cut in…and be correct haha. Average listener telling the difference…probably not but this industry lives within the final 1% of striving for excellence.
@@zachleary108 I work only on tape. It is harder to edit, so the performers need to be better rehearsed for a session. The main reason I stick to tape is because I have a two inch machine and a big console, it works, and I don’t want to spend the money on a decent digital rig. I find that I don’t have to work as hard on recording or mixing from tape, when I have worked on a hybrid rig (digital recording, analogue mixing) it took a lot more effort to get the sound I was after.
@@NickyV Thanks Nicky. Fair enough. I appreciate those handful of guys but I've also had Glynn Johns tell me that there's no difference these days but he's also super opinionated. Interesting!
@@dale116dot7 Love the better rehearsed point. Didn't think of that. I can imagine that it forces a band to be on their game and not rely on endless punch ins.
@@zachleary108 The punch ins are ok, it’s the cut-and-paste that is a bit painful.
Recording to tape. Near the top of the list of things I never want to do again. That and vinyl mastering.
It was definitely a pretty cool experience. Thanks for watching
This early and already three comments 🎉,,,
The chickens laying eggs,,,🎉,,,
Hahaha I’m an early riser
Uh, last time I checked, lollipops were for eating.
Haha doubles as a fantastic pointer.
UA-cam wont let me like on these video's?
Not sure why that is but I appreciate you watching!
Ah yes the Mci……I prefer the 3m79……
This is cool.. but bro, work on the vocal fry. Not a sermon, just a suggestion
So basically, this is all fake sh!t. Might as well use the clasp system for recording. Aero Smith did. Same BS as this. The magic of sound from the analog days is the analog summing from the tape to a mixer console to a 2 track master tape. This is very disappointing and fake advertising. Mixing sampled signals from an analog console isn't going to cut it.
There is no false advertising. We recorded it to tape just like the title said. They just wanted the control on the back end to mix in protools.
@NickyV Understandable. Just kinda, well you know...I wish there was a studio that did it the old school way. Like in 79.
@@380stroker I'd love to work at one of those for a week and soak it up.
@@NickyV Same.
I hate to say it, but that does NOT look like fun to me. That looks like work! I guess I'm even older old school than 1979. 1979 was when I got burned out and quit playing music (the first time). I'd rather just have everybody in one big room playing together like an actual band. I guess its why I'm not in that business!!
Great video though!
We were all in the room except for the acoustics. Appreciate you checking the video out!
@@NickyV that sure wasn't apparent from the video. it looked like everything was isolated. it looked like the control room had no direct line of sight, only TV screens. just sayin' what I saw in the video...
@@anthonypanneton923 Drums, Bass, Steel, Keys, Electric Guitar were all in the same room, acoustic isolated upstairs by the control room.
@@NickyV Good. Now I'll be able to sleep! I know you try to be non-intrusive when you shoot, but in that video I just didn't get a picture of a big room with everybody in it.