State of the Art: Circa 1982
We didn’t let him finish the sentence, “Hey, I know a guy who knows a guy who has an old LinnDrum mach…”
Sold.
And now its here. This thing is incredible. The original LM-1 was the first drum machine to use sampled instruments (gasp) as its sound source. Roger Linn figured out this technical wizardry in the seemingly non-digital late 1970s by storing high quality samples on individual EPROM chips.
Then, he added a sequencer, trigger inputs, and storable memory patches for patterns. People like Prince and Michael Jackson flipped. You could create rhythms, quantize the pattern, and add “swing” all while tuning the individual samples. A revolution.
Our LM-2 arrived yesterday. We’re having too much fun. This thing is truly dated, unhip and not-cool in all right ways. We’re running it through delays, guitar pedals, and everything else imaginable.
You’ll have to stop in and play it, just don’t bring your drummer…
Secret Studio Strategy: Find a big warehouse for your business.
If your space is big enough, friends will drop things off for you to “hold on to”. And by that they mean “fix” and / or “store”, but this isn’t always a bad thing as you might be able to use their equipment it in the interim (and sometimes longer).
The conversation will start innocently enough, “Yeah, we’re clearing out the garage”, or “I’m thinking about finishing the basement”. And the next thing you know, weird odds and ends will start showing up at your door.
To date, we’ve taken in all sorts of musical insanity. The most recent? A Rhodes Chroma Polaris II.
In the heady days of corporate growth, companies looked for “assets” to add to their “portfolio of brands”. CBS, a known entertainment conglomerate made up of television, radio, and recording divisions, pursued such a strategy with vigor in the mid-1960s and into the 1980s snatching up Fender Guitars, Rhodes Electric Pianos, Steinway, ARP and, somewhat surprisingly, even the New York Yankees.
Apparently this sort of behavior created “synergies” and “dynamic products” which one could “sell aggressively in emerging markets”.
Borne from the Fender / Rhodes / ARP amalgam, the Chroma is an odd beast bearing little resemblance to any of the founding companies from which it was developed. We’ve since cleaned and powered up our new instrument, and you know what? It sounds really cool. Matter of fact, we might totally love it. That said, we’re still trying to figure out: 1. What do all the buttons do? 2. Where did the low “D” key go? and 3. What’s the difference between a Polaris I and II? So, give us a few days for the true verdict.
Bottom line- if you’re building a studio, find a big empty room with an inexpensive lease and tell your friends about how much space you have.
Thanks Mitch, this thing looks fun…
Happy Birthday Les, we miss you.
Today, Les Paul would’ve turned 96 and we’ve got him on the hi-fi.
Since since his passing last year, not a day goes by that his spirit and contributions don’t influence the work that we do.
Many have called Les Paul an innovator, and without question, that’s certainly an apt description. However, as aspiring creatives with hopes and dreams of our own, it seems like a tall order to wake up every morning and think, “Today I must innovate!”.
Instead, what we like to celebrate in Les’s legacy and look to in our own lives is his ceaseless curiosity. Les was curious about music, tones, fingering, and melodies. He was curious about recording technology and how he could capture an additional accompaniment over a previous recording. He was curious about how to build a solid body guitar that could be amplified on stage without needless feedback.
That curiosity and inquisitive approach to life ultimately led to millions of record sales, the invention of multi-track recording, the development of the Gibson Les Paul guitar, induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award, and countless other accolades.
Fame aside, one only has to listen to “How High the Moon” or his other records to understand the life he led. A life of exploration, creativity, collaboration, and curiosity. Sitting in our humle little Minneapolis studio, we can only hope to do the same.
Thank you Les. With you in our lives, truly, “Somewhere there’s music…”
Want your vintage guitar to play like new? Go to @foxtonemusic
Just the other day, we broke a string on our 1966 Gibson J-50. Surveying the damage, it was clear that the rest of the strings were ancient, the neck was dirty, and intonation was off. Clearly the old war horse could use a setup.
And while there are several great guitar shops in town, we’re lucky to have Foxtone Music about 500 feet away so we figured we’d give them a try.
Our Gibby came back today. It feels like new and sounds even better.
Bottom line, the folks at Foxtone do an amazing job. Thanks fellas, we’ll be bringing a few more by soon…
BAM!
Before #iCloud, a look back at #northernspark
Yes, its true, we are biting our fingernails in rapt anticipation of Steve’s impending WWDC2011 keynote (even though our dentist told us to stop doing that on Friday). And as we near the presentation, rumors abound about the impact iCloud could have on the media and content industries.
Still, before we weigh in on future pronouncements, we wanted to look back at a more localized event from this past weekend, Northern Spark.
Organized by a coalition of hundreds of artists, organizations, the Walker, the Clean Water Land and Legacy Amendment, Northern Lights, and others, this “show” involved an all-night festival of public art on display (some of them as massive installations) in locations throughout the Twin Cities metro. For one night only.
In short, we were blown away. Not only was the art itself engrossing and captivating, but the public participation and involvement was staggering. Crowds, not individuals, dominated our public spaces all night. We rode on a paddle wheel boat with family down the Mississippi, listened to trumpeters on the balcony of the Landmark Center, saw old friends at the Walker at 2am, met new friends on the Stone Arch Bridge at 3am, and saw groups of all ages taking in the spectacle from dusk until dawn.
In a word, “Wow”. During this process of absorbing music, video projections, and interactive experiences, we were challenged to rethink our city, our community, and the power that art can profess. This show was nothing short of amazing.
Our sincerest thanks and gratitude to everyone that made this event possible.
And now, off to Endgadget for the live blog feed. iCloud, here we come…
You have managed to find NoWare. We are a music based creative house located in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
