ATC-X-Chestra
One multitracked "Jim Rousey" chord (my beloved piano teacher/childhood hero from up San Francisco way) and the rest is all raw. No EQ. No plugins. Just a bit of Audio Maximizing to push the Quad FIlter System Mini, S.E.M., 303 and 2600 fiters up front and center.
C.O.D.E. FILTERED THERIOT (Buratto/St. Regis/Catero/Levy)
It started with that anthemic wah-wah and freight train tremelo of Grecco's; solos and rhythm sugar came years later. The lyric and melody writing sessions with cool cat and co-designer of the Cadix Bank, Catero Colbert (no relation) fleshed-out the balance of the main tune. Live synth magic, my daughter Camille's first recording session, my son's Carlo and Salvi's essential commentary and merriment, a little riffin' 'n runnin', St. Regis chestnuts featuring Ellis Hall (how does he do that?), ol' school beats and EIII sweetening by (Black) Jack Levy, Baron von Münchhausen genius, missed deadlines and sleep seizures... paint the colors that follow.
- "Then sowing time was over, and he found himself with nothing to do. It was like coming dazed out of sleep, out of the warm, sunny valleys where people lived into a region where cold peaks of savage despair stood bleakly above the lost valleys, among black and savage stars." Faulkner, Flags in the Dust
C.O.D.E 8: Cadix & Theriot patches, C.O.D.E.-filterboxed voices, vocoders, vocals (cheap mics and all), El Grecco guitars & their noises, synth drone pulses, crossmod and crushing quick auto-triggering input processing with its Revolution #9 style board fuzz; Hindi intro leads, pervasive polyphonics; intro kicks; leads 1st chorus (and elsewhere); locked-to-clock L.F.O. theatrics; many melodic and manly basses before ride section, including 2nd verse subs; potent Pulsar leads at end of said ride; "West Coast" basses in Cm (cf. totally unrelated ending sequence); descending peacefulness.
ATC-X QFS: that distorted party in the verses, single note pulsar leads in verses and more later on.
SE-1X: 909 kicks, worm leads, basses 2nd chorus, meaty slides in guitar breakdown/solo, big bouncin' bold Peter Cetera styled pick-rock-funk basses on ride, warm basses under yet warmer chords.
Grecco Buratto: Rock guitar heroics––thought we was 'posed to kick it my dude?
Catero Colbert: "So high we are flying."
Ellis Hall: "Few words... love light shines."
Jack Levy: Beats & Sound Design in C minor (Few Words) Tag.
Camille: Mmm ks, gorgeous choral harmony, Peaceful hymn solo at end.
Carlo: Spoken intro, laughter, "Stop... You can stop now."
Salvatore: "That's not Happening, "I'm Sparticus."
Three mixes: Extra Virgin (EV), Light Mastering (LM), Heavy Mastering (HM).
At the Omega Inn
Having passed through a rather harrowing phase of my life as a father of 3, quite intact, thanks be to God (none to the promoters and witless believers of barbarous fictions), I can happily paraphrase, the rumors of my insignificance were greatly exaggerated. And don't these external input processings sound tremendous?
The freedom to rework this track from the 2001 NAMM Show Extravaganza is one of the small favors The Eternal did for me just before deliverence... if only my kick drum had been centered! Small favors include: Faith, Hope, and Charity and the truest friends imaginable. In that company I would include Fr. Austin & Fr. Craig at OLG... lifesavers.
ATC-X: Quad Filter System: Pusle edge bass, vocal
bass, the bass booty glue.
Omega8: Orch and Piano sample processor and locked-to-clock mood shaper, "Murchie" and other essential bass accents, "L6" changes near end, Classic ATC-X Lead, SH-2000 style Pulsar lead, controller draw/massive patch change vassal, wet solo, providential pads: just listen to that 1:24 miracle.
SE-1X: The lead junkie, the odd bass note, a smattering of tuned chords: the meditative one at end is fed through a vintage Dynachord CLS 222. "If you get into town here come on in..."
E4X: Additional vocal filter color.
I Don't Have to Tell Her (Instrumental)
"I feel like I am in Africa."
ATC-X Quad Filter System: Dependable basslines and occasional higher octave sensibilities. I never have to hunt for grease in this box, it oozes out on its own.
1st Omega8: Theriot bank, L.F.O. basses, string section doubles and accents––the mandolin flavored patch in the ride being my favorite–wait, no, the Gospel culmination (I had to have church up in here C. Von!); MIDI-synched changes leading to one of many faux terminations; percussive yet flowing African flutes which homage those immortal "Abbey Road" trades from "The End," with that call-to-prayer arabic scale effect; "Jaco" mini-solo; SE-1X-ish faux whammy bar...
2nd Omega––"Tim & Bob Edition" with discrete OpAmps: polyphony and critical bass & lead testifying; chord explosion/epiphany just out of the bridge; "Crystal Mansion" horn-like turnarounds; oud/kyoto-inspired plucking; ATC-1ish "Zawinul" lead; indelible 8-voice unison bass thumping near end.
SE-1X: Funky worms, the odd bass, glassy, gorgeously garish tuned chords in bridge; deep undergrowth pads at 6 minutes.
Mix #2 benefits from our C2s compressor: 4x1 Longest attack, shortest release setting.
Nicolino's Cut
Last year's Winter NAMM demo, this years "cut". Every bit as satisfying as a quiet Saturday at the barbershop with your #1 son. My daughter was there as well, rolling her eyes at me much of the time. Back to the music...
ATC-X: Big bass, (that should've be enough), crunch flavors, hot chocolate fuzz at end.
Omega 8: shimmers and wash chords, arresting stabs, lead and bass doubles and bubbles, real-time controller orientalism": you know, that painting sound on grains of rice sort of thing where hours pass shaping sinlge beats to the bar; midi synced L.F.O. ear candy; "synth from the vault"––thanks Salvi (cool son #2) for the MC love.
SE-1X: That Zawinul lead patch... had to use it to excess; leetle snares and one very big hashy kick; overdriven chords near end.
p.s. That sometimes audible high whine is the un-lovechild of DP and my M-box: didn't have that shielded USB cable handy when in the mood to track.
Laughable Hour
It's nice when friends stop by...
Omega 8 with Obie, Moog, 303 and 2600 filters: Ethereal pads, punches, backstabs, wurlys, synced L.F.O.s, baby cries, 2 and 4 voice basses, swells, bells, funky worms, main bass (until the tag funkout in D minor).
SE-1X: Main (Omega) bass doubling, bass in D minor, additional leads and many lovely unrecallables.
ATC-X: Tuned chords, crunchy or otherwise.
Let Me Just Say This
Never let a good Analogia Project go to waste I always say
SE-1X: basses for the most part, tuned chords and leads (thrown in just for the funk of it!).
ATC-X: leads, excepting the Sonny Rollins inspired Obie Rack solo atop the haunting Maurice Ravel lift; filtered William Holden––yeah the rugged back in the day Hollywood actor––album snippet.
Omega 8: Gorgeous synth polyphony doubles of ATC-X/Holden.