Marinating

It has been nearly two weeks since I set out to answer a list of important autobiographical questions that hopefully will yield essential artistic direction to the Redline Project. Six responses to as many questions are posted in the blog archive, and much light is shed as I look back at the explorative paragraphs.

The keyboard greeted me a few minutes ago as I readied myself to answer the seventh and final question: In a world full of endless noise and chatter, what do I have to say that may add something of worth to the dialogue? More than a new foray into my soul, this final introspection aims to synthesize the bits of information scattered about several posts. As such, it is a daunting task, and tempting procrastination began rapping at the door.

I clicked onto CNN first for a look at the news stories, then I headed over to eBay to check on prices of used preamp direct boxes, and finally meandered onto the SORBA forum (a black hole for mountain bikers filled with discussions of anything and everything even remotely related to the topic) before I gripped the reality that I am simply not prepared to type up a sound summary on the blog tonight.

Like a good hunk of cow flesh, I am going to let this soak in the juices for a day longer before I cook it up and serve it.

Allow me instead to offer some new morsels of knowledge that should propel me forward through some of the technical challenges of the Redline Project:

For weeks I have bellyached about unwanted fuzz and other aural annoyances whenever I plug a guitar (acoustic or electric) into my interface. I learned tonight that the problem may be a guitar signal that is too feeble on its own. As I crank the gain past reasonable settings to coax enough volume, what should be minimal noisiness amplifies along with the sound waves from the guitar. A fog of buzzes and hums results; not exactly yielding a respectable result. The fix: an active direct box that sits between the guitar and the mixer. A quick search of eBay (mentioned above) lists adequate products for around $30 plus shipping. If my friends with big hearts and big attics have any of these laying around, please drop me a line.

Though I remain undecided, I am leaning towards a 'yes' on the big purchase of Melodyne, an advanced vocal editor that lets recordists fix even severe issues with vocal tracks, yielding astonishingly natural results. A price tag of $300 is stuck to the box, which means I would have to sell another bike to bring home this wonder of programming. The jury is still sipping coffee in the break room, mulling over the evidence. To be continued...

A friend brainstorming with me about reducing noise in my setup's circuitry reported his luck with cheap adaptors that remove the ground wire from three-pronged plugs. Any ground loops present in the wiring are obliterated, which often chokes the life out of unwanted fuzz. Users of such a remedy may quickly learn the downside if they operate ungrounded gear during an electrical storm. If the house is struck by lightning, it could spell 'lights out' for the equipment (and for its user).

Target sold me two of these adaptors for $1.19 - marvelous to possibly clear major hurdles at Studio Redline with the same amount of cash that can buy a soda. I vow to cease use of these adaptors immediately at the first sign of thunderheads. (Why do I feel like I am seven years old again, paying a visit to the county pool?) I will report on my successes, or lack thereof, in a matter of days.