Hackney Road

This is Hackney Road, where I've been rehearsing all week. The picture doesn't do it justice - it was beautiful. Driving round these old London streets in the Saab listening to this music, it's like being in an episode of The Sweeney

Sonor Mahem

Here is a gratuitous post about the Sonor drum kit I bought a while ago, which I have set up at home [it's too precious to have it at the studio where it will be hit repeatedly with wooden sticks by unruly visitors]

First up are some scans from a Sonor catalog that I used to have [in 1979 when I was 11]. I used to stare at every page endlessly re-reading every word and drawing pictures of the pictures and generally dreaming of owning one of these amazing instruments. Thanks to the great sonormuseum website where you will find the rest of this catalog and tons more Sonor stuff

Now what is interesting about these pictures [apart from the fact there is one of the Acryl kits exactly like the one here] is that the smallest kit featured was the one I longed for the most, namely the rosewood in picture 2, because that was my favorite finish

Well, two years ago my dream came true and I stumbled across the ultimate drum kit, bearing in mind what I've just said and also how obsessed I am with anything from the late 70s. Below is the post I put on the sonormuseum forum in August 2008 explaining what happened

Hi everyone
I have lucked-out massively this week. I wanted to fulfill a life long dream and get a vintage Sonor Phonic rosewood kit [ever since I got hold of a copy of the sonor catalog when I was 11 in 1979 - which I still drool over]

So I started looking on the bay, and put in a few enquiries on this board. I realised it wasn't going to be an easy task. Then I called a Sonor dealer here in the UK who put me in touch with a music shop in manchester who he thought had a Sonor kit knocking about. They sent me a picture of it and the next minute I was driving the 300 mile journey in a van trembling with excitement

The guy in the shop had told me it was in good condition. But in fact it was like walking into a drum shop in 1980 and buying a BRAND NEW SONOR DRUM KIT [except that it was cheaper, even in 1980 pounds]. It still had the red cardboard tags hanging on it and the original grease on the stands!!!!! The most it had been played was while it had been in the shop over the last few weeks. There is not a single scratch or mark on it anywhere. The chrome is perfect. It also had its original [Sonor?] cases. So I bought it and here it is set up in my front room. I would be interested to know its exact date. I guess the silver badges date it after 1980, and the hardware before 1983? The snare is a bit odd - its a 505 with a parallel snare - is that normal? Is there a way of dating them form the serial numbers on the badges? It sounds beautiful, amazing, like going back in time......

You can check out the thread here 

and also here

Below are lowres pics I took at the time, and below them is a video featuring the great Bernard Purdie, on his Sonorlite kit [a contemporary of the Sonorphonics that I have]

Warp Speed Nine

Sent my way by Paul - forget the Aeron, this would make the perfect chair for studio one....

Thomas Clausen-Telegame

In my ongoing search for lost musical treasures that I make on the various Library Music blogs and websites I very occasionally stumble upon a true gem. This short album on the Capitol Production Music label by Thomas Clausen represents everything I love about old music. Thanks to the fantastic Dusty Shelf for doing the hard work. It is so simple and beautiful, and conjures such a strong feeling of a bygone age with about as few ingredients as is theoretically possible. I made a short compilation below, but be assured that the whole album [all 16 mins] is like this, with the exception of a brief detour into more baroque territory. I think the whole album only uses a Fender Rhodes and Minimoog, that's my best guess

Ebay Day

Its Flu time again, so I'm watching a donkey-kong documentory on TV and browsing the bay a lot

Check this out, '70s Sonor Phonic Acryl in Germany for £1000 [he's selling a matching snare separately for £300]

Telefunky Console

Here is a very interesting console I just saw on ebay. Its essentially a Telefunken, well sort of because it was made by Hans Becker. See the text below. It was originally made in 1974 for film composer Klaus Doldinger, check out the clip below for some early-80s synth soundtrack work done on this very desk

 

This auction is for a very cool vintage ABE custom recording console. This was designed and built in 1974 by Ex head designer of Telefunken Hans Becker after the close of the company. Hans tells me that this was one of only two recording consoles that he built and was made to the highest specification. This one was made for the award winning film composer and Jazz musician ‘Klaus Doldinger’ (Das Boot, Never Ending Story, Air Force One). It was then sold to WEA Germany and spent some time at their studios before coming to the UK.


This console is the centre point of my studio. It has been fully refurbished and is fully functional. It has a very punchy API sound and is extremely versatile. Fat drums, bass and punchy guitars.


This desk has allowed me to track to protools or to my 16 track analogue tape machine or bounce between the two without patching which is very handy if you are using tape to warm up your DAW.


The console has a very comprehensive list of features:
28 main inputs
24 monitor inputs
4 groups
Mix Bus Compressor/Limiter x2
RTW Plasma meter (L/R)
Ernest Turner PPM Meters (L/R) (ex BBC added by myself)
Full jack patchbay (left side of console)
Talkback (beyer)
24 multitrack/tape sends
Stereo master out
Monitor out
Group outx4 with inserts


28 of each of the main inputs feature:
Mic input 80db stepped with 10db fine adjust pot (very punchy API sound) Beyer transformer balanced.
Line input
Mix input (from tape/protools)
Tone input (direct from tone generator for line up)
3 band EQ :
3k-16k with 20db cut/boost Pull up the freq sweep knob for tight Q
500hz-8k with 20db cut/boost Pull up the freq sweep knob for tight Q
40hz-600hz with 20db cut/boost Pull up the freq sweep knob for tight Q
80hz/120hz low cut filter
L /R send
4 group sends
4 Aux (aux 3+4 selectable AFL/PFL)
Pan
Phase reverse
AFL/PFL/SOLO
Direct out
Insert
Direct to tape (on ch 1-24)


24 of each of the tape monitor (right hand side) section inputs feature:
Pan
Level
Cut


I have been using the monitor mixer for protools summing and is the best sounding summing mixer I have heard. Extremely rich and punchy sound-almost like tracking to tape.

The Studio monitoring section:
Speaker1-4 select/phones
Mono/Stereo switch
Phase 180 switch
L/R R/L switch
Volume
Talkback select


The console will come literally ‘plug and play’ with every loom (all OFC cable) to connect to your outboard fx/tape machines and protools converters etc!


Circuit diagrams and big box of spares included. You should also note that Hans Becker still holds some spares for this console.


Very compact - Dimentions are: 62 (long) 46 (to top meterbridge) x 35 inches deep
Removes from the stand for transport.


Please note that my telephone and 3m autolocator next to the talkback mic is not included in the sale as belongs to my m79 tape machine. I have the blank panel to go where it currently sits.


Examples of songs recorded and mixed on this console here:
http://www.myspace.com/rainmakerstudio
Or listen to the ‘Das Boot’ or ‘Never Ending’ story soundtracks!

Located in Southsea UK

Nedco Synclavier One

And here's another amazing post from Matrixsynth with a video of the NEDCO Synclavier which came out in 1976. It's totally beautiful, like a digital Modular Moog. Click on the images below for two hi res scans of the original brochure. Below that are some grabs I took from the video and below that the video. Nice music BTW

The NEDCO is the grandfather of the PSMT, and here is something I recorded on it, an edit of track 19 from Twenty Systems

Matrix Synths

Browsing through Matrixsynth is always rewarding, in particular if you are looking for a classic and beautiful new [old] synthesiser. Here are a few examples that caught my eye which are all currently on the bay. They ain't cheap, but nothing ever is these days, right?

ARP Quadra
Yamaha DX1
Roland Jupiter 8
Rhodes Chroma

I'll try and update in the comms when they are over

Cell Blocks

Like me you probably remember staying up late at night watching re-runs of the classic aussie/lessie-fest Prisoner Cell Block H. What I didin't realise at the time was that all the music was taken from library music albums which were also used on The Professionals / Sweeney etc soundtracks which I have now become such a fan of. Check out this super geeky website which lists every music cue in P:CBH, and bear in mind there were nearly 700 episodes. And for some audio check out this great post on the retro-teque blog