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Studio
Jitters
Q I’ve been
doing a lot of recording in my home studio, and every time I push
the Record button, I tense up and can only get through the song
by being extra careful and less energetic—something that definitely
comes across in the recording. How can I improve this situation?
Dan Phelps
Crystal Lake, Illinois
A Consider
the first few dozen hours in the studio to be learning time. Don’t
worry about the music, but pay attention to your physical comfort:
the headphone setting that’s right for you, how you like your chair,
where you put the music stand and microphone, etc. Similarly, when
you listen to the playbacks, ignore the music at first. Listen for
chair squeaks, string buzz, heavy or erratic breathing, and intro
and outro silences. Try working with and without a click track,
which can be a comforting studio companion for some players. Once
you learn how to fix glitches and clams by punching in and using
parallel tracks, a lot of the pressure will be off, and you can
relax more. So, practice doing punches, overdubs, and parallel tracks
until you can do them in your sleep.
Next, start paying attention to your playing. The secret is to
pay attention without worrying about it. Try to get things down
in the first take or two; often, the best energy comes across in
the first few runs. The secret of most studio pros isn’t that they
always nail a track on the first take. Rather, they know how to
work steadily and productively in the studio, understand when a
track is functional and musical, know how to fix flaws, and let
go of the mistakes that don’t matter.
An experienced set of ears and another set of hands on the recording
gear could make a difference, too. If you have a friend who is knowledgeable
about the music you play, has some interest in recording, and can
help you make wise decisions, ask him or her to assist with your
project when you’re ready to get some serious tracks down.
Good luck, have fun, and remember to breathe.
—Paul Kotapish
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Calibrating
Tuners
Q What
does the calibrating button on my electronic tuner do?
Margaret Withers
Gold Hill, Colorado
A The calibration function allows you
to adjust your tuner to an instrument (such as a piano) that’s not
quite tuned to pitch but is difficult to retune quickly. There are
also some orchestras that tune slightly higher than A-440, which
would require a similar recalibration. In most other cases, it would
be best to leave the tuner at the default setting.
—Teja Gerken
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DIY
Brace Repair
Q I’d like to reglue
some of the internal struts on my old Fender Newporter. It has a
neck with no heel, which is bolted to the body. Any advice for someone
who has never worked on a guitar?
Guy Sharpless
New Orleans, Louisiana
A
It’s easier to work on those guitars with the necks off,
unless you need to use the neck as a handle. Check Frank Ford’s
Web site (www.frets.com).
He’s got some neat tricks for regluing braces, including one setup
designed by Dan Erlewine of Stewart-MacDonald’s Guitar Shop Supply
that uses miniature turnbuckles (in a "push" mode rather than "pull")
to push the brace back up flush with the top, propped against a
pad resting on the back. It’s a bit like using a car jack. Regluing
braces is not brain surgery, but it is a job to be done neatly and
correctly. You wouldn’t believe what we guitar repair techs see
in the way of sloppy glue jobs. You need to use the correct glue
and apply firm but gentle clamping pressure. You have to do a lot
of this kind of work by feel since your arm will be in the guitar’s
soundhole and thus blocking your view. A few luthiers (Ford and
Erlewine included) use the kind of micro–video cameras that doctors
use for laparoscopic surgery. As they’re messing around inside the
guitar, they watch what they’re doing on a video monitor. Very high
tech!
—Rick Turner
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Send Questions, tips, or observations to Acoustic
Guitar’s online discussion forums at www.acousticguitar.com
or write to Dear A.G., Acoustic Guitar, PO Box 767, San Anselmo,
CA 94979-0767.
Excerpted
from
Acoustic Guitar magazine,
March
2002, No. 111.
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