Ohmz Audio

28/07/2024

20/07/2024

A special shoutout to two vocalists today: Chris Cornell, who would have been 60 today, and Chester Bennington, who died 7 years ago today.

I credit Chris Cornell and Soundgarden/Audioslave for the style in which I play guitar, and I credit Chester and Linkin Park as one of the bands that bridged hip hop and rock for me.

Chris Cornell also sang one of my favorite James Bond themes, "You Know My Name", from Casino Royale. Like many folks my age, Chester's lyrics and voice spoke to us on a deep level, showing that it was ok to have feelings that were hard to face. Unfortunately for both, taking their own lives was the way they chose to deal with these feelings.

A toast to Chris Cornell and Chester Bennington - two of the greatest to ever do it.

17/07/2024

Happy birthday to one of my favorite rock albums, "Yellow and Green" by , released on this day in 2012.

This double album followed the color themed naming conventions of the first two Baroness albums, Red Album and Blue Record, which would continue with Purple (2015), Gold and Grey (2019), and end with their 2023 album Stone (could be argued that it describes a color, but that's an aside).

In terms of the standout songs, Yellow had the single "Take My Bones Away", an in-your-face upbeat song in B Minor; Green had "Board Up The House", a slightly downtempo, stoner-esque song in G Major/Minor with a kick-ass riff at the end.

Turn it up loud and have a listen!

21/06/2024

Happy Friday, y'all! Wanted to share an album with you that I've recently rediscovered: 'e', by the Jonas Hellborg Group (1993). Most people don't know Jonas Hellborg (bass 🎸) - at least in North America, anyway - but you'd probably know some of the names he's collaborated with: John McLaughlin (Mahavishnu Orchestra), Ginger Baker, and even Buckethead.

This particular album sees him form a trio with brothers Anders (🥁) and Jens (🎹) Johansson, and they bring the heat, proving that with the right combination you don't always need a big band to make a great album.

e is posted in its entirety on YouTube, so go check it out!

15/06/2024

Today is a good day.... To say happy birthday to Ice Cube, who turns 55 today.

Easily one of the most iconic rappers from the West Coast school of rap, Cube formed NWA with Dr.Dre and Eazy E in 1987, and they were instrumental in growing the gangsta rap subgenre. Cube would leave the group in 1989 over management disputes, eventually starting his own solo career that had three critically acclaimed albums. He also began acting in films; Boyz N The Hood (1991) is one of his earliest acting roles, but it would be his role as Craig in Friday (1995) that made him legit. His own son O'Shea Jr would play a younger Cube in Straight Outta Compton (2015), the NWA biopic.

Happy birthday to Ice Cube -

13/06/2024

Just had a kick-ass time engineering a session with Kate ()! We've been working on a song for the past little bit, and today we added vocals! Fun times had indeed.

I got to test drive this LCT441 Flex for today's recording, and I gotta say, I'm very impressed by this microphone. Lotsa bang for your buck, and it sounds awesome. Eager to try it again on a future vocal session!🎙️

09/06/2024

You know the guitar, but do you know Les Paul?

Born June 9, 1915 as Lester Polsfuss, he is obviously best known for the Gibson guitars that bear his name; guitars that some people feel are the best ever made (specifically from 1958 and 1959). However, he was a bit more than that. Les Paul also pioneered many recording techniques that he used with his own music, including overdubbing (sound on sound), multi track recording, and even some early tape delay effects. He wrote songs with his wife Mary Ford throughout the 1950s, which sold many copies.

Technique wise, he was more of a country and jazz guitarist, as seen in some videos of his playing. These days, the Les Paul guitar spans across many different genres.

Happy birthday to Les Paul -

04/06/2024

Happy 11th anniversary to one of my favorite albums, "... Like Clockwork". The marketing campaign behind this album was top notch, and the singles leading up to the release were perfect. Of note is the debut of drummer Jon Theodore, though he only played on the title track; Dave Grohl handled the drums for the rest of the album. The day before the Canadian release (the US release was June 3), the band played the album from start to finish at The Wiltern in Los Angeles, streaming the concert; it was an amazing show.

Favorite tracks: they're all great. Top three are I Appear Missing, Smooth Sailing, and My God is The Sun, with honors to If I Had A Tail.

03/06/2024

Today I had Good Buddy™️ Evan over to Ohmz Orbital to put some guitar down on one of the Mega City Nights tracks! As usual, he did an absolutely smashing job. Great times engineering this quick sesh, and catching up with each other afterwards!

I've also got a new quirk that I'll start employing when I sit down at the computer: when Ryu is illuminated, it's time to record.

"Whatever you find worthwhile in life is worth fighting for."

30/05/2024

Happy 60th to Tom Morello, one of the absolute giants of guitar. Best known as the riff master behind Rage Against The Machine and Audioslave, Morello has also carved out his own solo career as The Nightwatchman. He's also an outspoken activist, teaming up with System of a Down frontman Serj Tankian to form the non-profit group Axis of Justice. Of course, you can't mention his activism without mentioning his mom, Mary Morello, who is still going strong at 100 years old.

Tom Morello is part of the reason why I collect guitars like trinkets and name them. He's also the reason i got into guitar effects.

24/05/2024

Yesterday would have been Dr. Robert A. "Bob" Moog's 90th birthday. Widely credited with popularizing the synthesizer, Moog - sometimes pronounced Moog - released the first commercially available synthesizer in 1964, with a smaller, more portable variant, the Minimoog, debuting in 1970. After selling his company to Norlin Musical Instruments in 1971, he remained as a designer until 1977, starting another company, Big Briar, the following year. It was renamed Moog Music in 2002 after reacquiring the rights to the name. He died in 2005, aged 71.

So is it Moog (MOO-g) or Moog (MOH-g)? That's the running joke in the synth community. Moog himself preferred the latter pronunciation, but was ok with the former. Pronouncing it MOH-g equates it to Mogh, the father of Worf, from Star Trek. As a Trekkie, that's the one I go with. 🖖🏿

Happy 90th birthday to Bob Moog -

20/05/2024

takes his job as Supervising Producer very seriously. Good thing he only wants to be paid in head scratches.

19/05/2024

Synth Sunday over here at Ohmz Orbital! We've got the venerable MiniFreak in the studio again, as well as a funky little monosynth from , the RTG (Random Tone Generator), which does exactly what it says: generates random tones. We're running it all through the beginnings of since I had to dismantle MK1 to get moving money last year. This time we're doing it in stereo, baby! Pyramids and Avalanche Run, plus Julianna stereo chorus.

12/05/2024

Is there such a thing as a bad microphone?

I don't believe so.

There are microphones that work best for certain applications, and even certain microphones that sound better on certain instruments and even certain voices. But just because a microphone is "cheap", it doesn't make it bad.

I had an encounter this week with someone who was convinced that a certain high end microphone was going to make him sound better. He didn't trash any cheap mics, but he alluded to the fact that one of his favorite artists used this high-end microphone as well, so it stood to reason that he'd sound good too.

It's not that simple, friends. It really isn't.

Choosing a microphone isn't just about the make. You also have to consider the signal path. If you're plugging a high end microphone into a budget-class interface and just turning up the gain, you might find it doesn't sound as good as you think, much less like your favorite artist. Having access to a good microphone preamp is also a key thing, because it gives you more control over your sound. The microphone is just the beginning. What you do with the sound that you get out of it is where the magic happens; there's no one-touch fix.

The mic I'm holding in the picture is an old Shure SM48 that I inherited from an old job. I've used it on lots of recordings, including a record I'm working on now. It's a reliable mic that does the job, and gives me a good, usable sound. It doesn't cost $4k, but it can sound like it.

No matter what mic you're using - cheap or expensive -

08/05/2024

Steve Albini, a prolific audio engineer and producer, passed away yesterday at the age of 61.

Albini was the founder and head engineer at Electrical Audio, a studio in Chicago. Over the course of his career he worked with a myriad of bands, including Nirvana, The Breeders, Mogwai, and The Jesus Lizard. Although credited as a record producer for most of the time, he apparently disliked the term and preferred to be credited as a recording engineer instead. He also took no royalties from bands that recorded at his studio, as he believed it was unethical.

RIP Steve Albini -

29/04/2024

Me, ruining the vibe at your party with my taste in music. 😎

"Shinobi Town" has had some great reviews so far, and even though I don't have a lot of reach with it, I'm still happy it's out there for someone to discover. That's why I do what I do; create and share with the world. It's a beautiful thing.

🔗 in ☣️ to listen!

17/04/2024

It really does feel good to tick the "finished" box on something, even if it was just a side quest. 🖖🏿

SHINOBI TOWN drops April 26th on Bandcamp!

24/03/2024

Sunday Funday at Ohmz Orbital - tracking some guitars for a new project that I'm producing! Still really early to talk about what all's involved, but let's say this one is a bit of a challenge that I'm definitely up for. Using my fresh out of the shop Squier Affinity Telecaster (codenamed SubZero), recently set up and rewired with new Fender Tex-Mex pickups, and plugging into the pristine sounds of the Dream ('65 Deluxe Reverb) and Woodrow ('59 Bassman) pedals... It's like having the real thing, but in pedal form. Constantly in awe at how authentic they sound.

17/03/2024

A History Of Sound: The Taco Bell B**g

One of the most recognizable sounds in the last 30+ years is the Taco Bell B**g, a sound that was created in the simplest of ways: a not-very-complex setting on the Yamaha DX7 synthesizer.

The B**g was first heard in 1989 and has been used since. In recent years, the B**g has gained popularity thanks to its use in memes; there's also a video going around (maybe more than one) of people discovering the sound on their own, usually by accident.

15/03/2024

An educational post about humidity as it relates to guitars:

My day job is in music retail, and I'm asked a lot about why it's important to keep a guitar (mostly acoustics) properly humidified. It's simple: you extend the life of your guitar by keeping it in good shape. Jadzia here is a 38-year-old guitar that hadn't been properly humidified by the time I purchased it last year; although it was still playing great, and I had spent good money on a Plek to get the frets as level as possible, the fret ends were still sharp. Unfortunately, my apartment is dry, and a moldy filter meant I couldn't use the humidifier I have to keep it passable. Thankfully I was able to get those sharp fret ends dealt with today, and now Jadzia plays as great as the day it came off the assembly line in 1986.

The moral of the story: keep your instruments humidified! You'll save money, you'll save time, and you'll keep your instruments for longer. But if you do have to get them looked at, make sure to find yourself a good technician that takes their time to address the problems and goes a step further to ensure that the problem is fixed 100%.

Big shoutout to Jay Crafton for the excellent fret work. If you're local to Toronto, look him up!

11/03/2024

The bass world has lost a giant: T.M. Stevens (1951-2024) is not exactly a household name, but you've definitely ly heard him play on dozens of records with dozens of artists, including Tina Turner, Steven Van Zandt, Billy Joel, Steve Vai, Nona Hendryx, Joe Cocker, Cyndi Lauper, and many others. I first heard of him through my earlier bass playing days, when I was obsessed (still obsessed, admittedly) with Warwick basses, a brand that Stevens endorsed throughout most of his career. There's a funny video of him with another Warwick artist, Jonas Hellborg (another amazing bassist you've never heard of): a short clip of them playing two melodies on the same bass.

Rest in power, TM -

10/03/2024

It's Super Mar10 day, so why not highlight the second most famous person attached to the jovial plumber we all know and love?

Koji Kondo (born 1961) was the very first person hired by Nintendo to specialize in sound and music. While his compositions are many, the one that stands out is, of course, the overworld theme from Super Mario Bros.; it's the sound of a generation. His compositions for The Legend of Zelda series also rank as some of his most iconic. He's still involved with music for the Mario series, even as recently as Super Mario Bros. Wonder, but not as much for Zelda any more.

I have always believed that music makes a good game great, and Koji Kondo has proven that over and over again.

A tip of the hat to one of the greatest to ever do it!

03/03/2024

Synth History: The Roland Bass Line

In the synth and drum machine world, there are five unofficial days which "commemorate" five devices, all made by Roland. Today, March 3, is the first of these days this year; henceforth, it is known as 303 Day (03/03, natch) and it honors the TB-303, otherwise known as the Bass Line!

The 303's original run was from 1981-1984, and during that time, it didn't fare very well; it was targeted to musicians that wanted to replace bass players in the studio. The main reason for the 303 flopping was the fact that, despite its design to mimic electric bass tones, it didn't sound good. Despite that, there is some use of it, notably by Orange Juice's track Rip It Up, and Charanjit Singh's "Ten Ragas to a Disco Beat". However, it developed a cult following in the years after being discontinued. in fact, it's responsible for the acid subgenre of electronic music thanks to Phuture's track "Acid Tracks". Around 10,000 original 303s were manufactured; after being cut from production, Roland sold off the remaining units at a deep discount.

More recently, it's seen a revival in two newer and ostensibly more improved variants: the TB3 Touch Bassline, released in 2014 (currently discontinued), and the TB-03, a direct recreation of the original with added features that make it easier to program.

Happy !

01/03/2024

Happy March, audionauts! (Is that a word? WELL IT IS NOW)

ahem.

Pardon my excitement; I can finally announce that a new cover track will be dropping this month on Bandcamp: a reimagining of "China Town", from the classic Sega game The Revenge of Shinobi.

Originally written by legendary video game composer Yuzo Koshiro, "China Town" is one of RoS' most iconic tracks. The soundtrack has lots of bangers, but I felt this one lent itself to a good interpretation. I'm happy with the results; I started putting this together around New Year's and despite some hiccups, it came out great. Can't wait for y'all to hear it.

In addition to the track, I'll be releasing a short video on how I mixed it, so stay tuned for that as well!

23/02/2024

#21, "Nada" (pics 1 and 2) and #22 "Polo" (pics 3 and 4)

The two latest additions to Ohmz Orbital, at the cost of Black Mage II, the headless bass. Named after two NPCs from the game No Man's Sky.

Nada is a Stingray 5. Polo is a Vintage Modified Jazz Bass '77. The American-built counterparts of these basses would fetch around $2000cad and up.

I took Nada on a road test this week for a jam session and I was impressed. Just the kind of sound I want in a bass. Polo has only been on some demo recordings so far, but for something that only cost me $150, it sounds like it's worth way more. 🤘🏿

Need some bass tracked? Hit me up. 🖖🏿

07/02/2024

A shoutout to James Dewitt Yancey, aka J Dilla (February 7, 1974 - February 10, 2006) on what would have been his 50th birthday.

Despite his short life, he has a lasting legacy, working as a producer with some of the biggest names in hip-hop, and overall elevating the bar for other producers that followed; he was particularly known for his approach to drum programming, which had a loose feel. He was also a member of Slum Village, both as producer and rapper. His second and final album Donuts has had a lasting influence on the genre; 29 of the 31 tracks were recorded during his time in hospital.

Raise It Up for Dilla, one of the best to ever do it. 🍩

28/01/2024

An update on "Interplanetary: Mega City Nights", January 28:

It's become apparent that I can't put off certain things any longer. Mixing the album has proven difficult for two reasons: 1. I've had to go in and redo a lot, re-recording parts and cutting others because they don't fit, or don't sound good;
2. My hardware is old. Lately I've been dealing with performance issues stemming from my computer being old, and while I've been able to do a lot with it up to this point... It's impossible to make changes when your computer constantly hiccups while you're trying to record a part.

As a result, in the next month or so, I'll be announcing a crowdfunding campaign with two goals in mind:
1. Raising some funds to upgrade my computer.
2. Promoting the album and giving it a wide release.

The upgrades will also help with future releases, some of which I've started but can't follow through with because of the computer issue. As well, I've begun reaching out to artists in hopes of finding some steady production gigs; I can't really do that with an aging infrastructure. To be clear, I'm not raising money for more music gear; I have enough there. It's the method of getting that gear on tape that needs attention.

So, to sum up: need new parts to upgrade, not gonna be cheap, raising money, you'll get rewards for it, and I'll be able to get the album out the way I want to.

Stay tuned ... 🖖🏿

25/01/2024

Musicians that influenced me: Shavo Odadjian

I started navigating different genres of music in search of something new to hyperfocus on around 19-20 years old. I started listening to Linkin Park, Rage Against The Machine, because it was a near perfect fit with the hip-hop and rap I was raised on. System of a Down wasn't really nu-metal in the same way as Korn, for example, but the subject matter appealed to me, and so did the music. I hadn't started playing bass much during the band's bigger days, but when I did, Shavo's bass lines were part of my "I wanna learn this riff" lists.

This article revealed something I didn't know about him, though: he played some shows with Parliament Funkadelic. 🤯 Imagine having to fill in for Bootsy Collins? Woof. But he fit right in. Gig of a lifetime 🖖🏿

12/01/2024

Sending out a big CONGRATULATIONS to on the release of their new album, No Signal, out today! I was a part of this band in its infancy (we recorded our first album, Shed, for $500), and I'm proud to have supported this latest effort via Kickstarter after seeing the band grow and evolve over the years.

If you're local to Toronto, Xephyr will be doing a release show at The Rockpile (Dundas West/427, in Etobicoke) next Friday, the 19th. You can stream No Signal on all platforms, but if you want a physical copy (a better way to support, imo), go see them in person next week along with some other kickass Toronto bands.

Go listen to No Signal now! 🤘🏿

30/12/2023

Using my last post of 2023 to shout out one of my favorite drummers of all time: Jon Theodore, who turns 50 today.

He's best known as being the first drummer for The Mars Volta, doing drums on their first three (and imo, their best) albums, before being fired. He had a brief collaborative effort with Zack de la Rocha, One Day As A Lion, which resulted in a one-and-done self-titled EP. He also contributed to Incubus' frontman Brandon Boyd's album The Wild Trapeze. More recently, he has been the full time drummer for Queens of the Stone Age, featured on two albums: Villains, and In Times New Roman.

Influenced by the likes of fusion drummers such as Elvin Jones, John Bonham, and Billy Cobham, Jon Theodore is a super versatile drummer that's adaptable to virtually any style of play, and whose flashiness still adheres to the pocket.