TABBER MILLARD HOW TO
TABBER MILLARD FULL

How to mic a snare (“use a 57”), how to record upright piano (“point a pair of AKG C12’s at the back from a foot and half away”) but exactly where to point the 57 on ‘this’ snare, how much stereo to shoot for on the upright are the details on which the devil bases almost all his levels of success. These days it can seem everyone has the same information available to them and to some extent we have. Not hang time in terms of swapping jokes or sharing the peanuts but considered, observational hang time where you’re able to pick up on the vibe, the pacing, the approach to the day’s proceedings. The key ingredient in any Master Class is hang time with the Master. What it’s like working in the studio with Alan Parsons But at 8.30 the relentless Parsons, flanked by a die-hard delegation of attendees, snuck back in the control room to complete a punchy mix.Īnd so ended a memorable almost 12-hour session-almost certainly a record for MCTS events.

TABBER MILLARD FULL

Come 7PM, a time when normally the session would be well into a mix, backing vocalist Brandon Kinder (known, with Justin Wiseman from 'The Rocket Boys') was still in full flight.Īlan called timeout to do certificate signing and photos as several attendees had cars if not flights pending.

With six musicians on the live tracking session and a full crowd of attendees interested in all aspects of micing it took awhile to get everything set up and in fact an early lunch was taken before tape (metaphorically) was rolling.Īs the day progressed through tracking, guitar and keyboard overdubs to vocals-Casey impressing all concerned with his technical chops and emotional range from full voice to falsetto (Alan used a Neumann look/sound-alike Bock 47-'very nice,' he said afterwards-on the lead vocal)-the clock also ticked relentlessly. A hasty email to Jon elicited a good luck, sorry to miss you but we’re already en route to Denver.)Īnd so the Austin session began in earnest with drummer Tabber Millard explaining his unique hand-built and ballsy sounding kit, complete with an alternate kick drum and wafer thin second share (that he mainly uses for hip hop and breakbeats). (Speaking of which, Jon Anderson was in town, playing the night before with Rick Wakeman and Trevor Rabin at the Moody Theater. It seems a quick and sensible route, but is it? Is that how Yes would have ended up with Close To The Edge? Almost certainly, not.

So often nowadays songs are arranged, if not pretty much written, in ProTools. Soon he and Alan were at the piano attendees gathered around like anxious relatives at a birth as the arrangement tightened and got more to the point quicker. But a little long, Alan felt, for the job in hand. This was a classic MCTS mix of studio owners, tech CEOs, producers, young musicians (one coming from as far as Sao Paulo), church music directors, entrepreneurs… an airline pilot embarking on a studio-building project… Everyone had a mission, a purpose and a song in their heart.Ĭasey McPherson has some deep prog rock roots and his song White Matter Recess bustles with bars of 2/4 and 7/8 while remaining hooky and catchy. The master class got under at 10 sharp with the customary round of everyone having 30 seconds to introduce themselves. “The high or low voices?” we asked Casey. Native son Casey McPherson assembled a fine posse of young guns for the Austin master class: a pair of pedal-laden guitar slingers, a pair of pedal-laden keyboardists, a bassist, a splendidly inventive drummer who not played an intriguing kit, he also built it too, and a dedicated backing vocalist who specializes in Beach Boys harmonies. They also breed great independent-minded musicians, who are trying the fight their way through the haze and maze of life on-line-with all the many challenges and opportunities that brings. It’s hot, people wear cowboy hats and sport an amiable southern drawl, they make s*&*-kickin’ BBQ and all that good type of stuff. ‘Live Music Capital’ Austin-may be the blue dot in a red state but it’s still very much Texas. Recording Rock in Austin: Live Music Capital of the World MCTS Chicago Date: NovemCountry: USA Venue: Orb Studios Event: MCTS Level 2 Artist: Casey McPherson Engineer And Producer: Alan Parsons Event Manager Charlie Steves Assistant Engineer Robert Sewell Event Producer: Julian Colbeck for KEYFAX NewMedia.

Tabber millard