Information on Home Recording
by Gabriel Hasselbach
Gabriel Hasselbach is a very successful performer and producer in Vancouver, BC. Gabriel is our original endorsing artist and has his own signature line of Gabriel mouthpieces designed specifically for him. Along with an extensive list of performing and producing accomplishments Gabriel has acquired a great deal of expertise on how to record the trumpet. Gabriel has kindly agreed to share his knowledge, especially as it applies to recording in a small or home studio on a budget, here on the Wedge website. This the first of a number of regular installments on the subject from Gabriel describing why recording your own playing is a useful exercise.
Hi, my name is Gabriel.
This tome comes from my laptop here in Beijing where I am performing at the Olympics with my band, debuting material from my latest CD 'Cool Down'.
I am a Wedge Mouthpiece convert ... it has really made playing fun and easy again .... and at the suggestion of Doc Harrison, I am starting an ongoing series of columns on Home Recording. I somehow ended up being the go-to guy in Vancouver for home studio recording (especially for the trumpet) and he tells me that the topic of recording, loaded with questions, always seems to come up in conversation. So, I guess I got drafted!
1. Why should I record myself?
This is the fundamental question, isn't it? From a purely educational point of view, recording one's practice (and performance) is almost a necessity. We never know how we really sound (technically more than sonically) unless we scrutinize our playing after the fact. Timing and intonation issues become so much more apparent, and stumbling blocks are easier to identify and dissect. The biggest issue is often 'non-notes' - those notes that don't ring fully - which undermine any style of performance. They go by so quickly and we are usually in such denial about them, that only playback reveals the truth. Recording both practice and performances is a critical tool for any trumpeter.
From an artistic point of view, recording one's self is the door to creating your legacy. When we return to ash at the end of our lives, after countless hours in front of music stand, audience or microphone, we all hope in our souls that we left some sort of indelible mark on the world. Now with such great strides in audio technology, you can create world class recordings of yourself, your band, and your legacy without a 20 pound rolls of 2 inch Ampex tape and a $30K Studer recording deck the size of an office safe (and just as heavy). Ditto on the SSL mixing console, Neumann mics, Lexicon plate reverbs, and misc compressors, limiters, etc. Now all that gear 'virtually' fits in a space the size of 2 shoe boxes, and gives equal or similar results. Wow, times have changed!
Next installment: Record yourself for pennies!
Gabriel Mark Hasselbach
Sassabrass Entertainment
& Wind Tunnel Multimedia
604.736.2153
o 604-218-1785 cel
1-877-341-3477 toll free mssg + fax
New CD and catalogue @ www.windtunnelmultimedia.info