Java came up to my place for the weekend to track some overdubs. I had recently set up a somewhat impromptu studio in the guest bedroom at my house, and this was the first time I had a chance to use it. The room has an angled roof and nightmarish acoustics, which I had to tame with copious amounts of studio foam on the walls and ceiling. It seemed to work out well, and we got a lot accomplished. For vocal overdubs I used the Neumann TLM-103 through the Vintech 1272 preamp, compressed lightly with a DBX 160A. I also used the Neumann for acoustic guitar overdubs along with a Shure SM-81, also through the Vintech and DBX. I placed the Neumann near the bridge for a full-bodied sound and the Shure where the neck meets the body for a brighter sound, and Java's wonderful vintage Gibson acoustic guitar sounded great with these combined. We also did some electric guitar tracks, Java again playing my Telecaster through the Ampeg Gemini I, miked with the SM-81. Java also did some keyboard tracks, playing my newly acquired vintage Whirlitzer electric piano. Mid day Sunday our friend Bob Plotkin came by to add some violin tracks. We worked together on string arrangements for a couple of the songs, and Bob also did some improv stuff. His violin parts added a whole new dimension to several of the songs. I used the Neumann, Vintech and DBX on his violin as well. Bob was kind enough to snap some pictures of the session. After they left I spent Sunday evening doing some pre-mixing. Java hopes to have the project finished in January. Visit his site www.javajel.com
