While this year has seen a bit of a slow start from us, we’re actually quite busy behind the scenes! As previously noted, we’ve stepped away from our previous style of videos in favor of actual footage of the band. As the studio work typically isn’t filmed (or exciting to watch) we’ve come up with a few ideas; some of these however require some better weather for outdoor footage and April has once again proven to be anything but convenient if you’re looking for solid sunshine or even just a dry spell.
Of course, that leaves time for other things, and we’re happy to announce that we’ve got a few tracks in the works; some leaning towards our initial style, others branching off into uncharted waters.
Not long ago Ody decided to get a digital kit in order to facilitate a wider array of sounds and quicker concept work. This has really proven to be a game changer, and we’re looking forward to put this to good use in upcoming tracks where applicable. On the note of percussion instruments, Pellie decided to get a tambourine and had some fun with it in the studio. “Yes, it sounds silly, but there’s more to it than initially meets the eye“, he remarked; “There’s the angle which determines the length of the rattle, the motion and force with which you shake or strike it – and of course the ultimate question, how do we mic it?“. Unsurprisingly, the trusty SM58 was dutifully clipped to a stand and various takes ensued. “I had this sound of a tambourine in my head, but I wasn’t getting it from digital kits nor from the instruments already present” he explained; “so one Friday the whole band went off to a local place and we tried some different models. I think we have a winner for now, as it blends nicely with the splash/crash from the drums but doesn’t get in the way of the vocals or other instruments“. So far it’s been used on a couple of tracks and has been holding up nicely.
In other news, Pellie has decided to build a custom amp as a side project. The PR1 is in part a nod to the name of the band and the concept behind it; breathing fresh life into things of yesterday and giving them a new twist. Some time ago a suitable old radio was sourced and stripping commenced. “It fit the bill quite nicely for a couple of tenners, honestly” he said, “and came with a full set of what appear to be the original ~1965 Philips Miniwatt valves. While everything appeared operational, there were some issues with the tuner section and I decided to re-design it from scratch rather than tag in an instrument jack at the phono input. The EL84’s, ECC83 and so on will work nicely in other gear – this amp is going to be rather unconventional. Perhaps a thyratron as the HT rectifier, a single-ended PL or PCL output and the ECC85 in the preamp. It’s going to have a bit more gain than a Valve Junior, but some of the design is coming from there. The original Magic Eye can serve as a VU meter, I think. There’s no output transformer because they did that on the speakers back then, so I’ll have to order something for that.”
The chassis has been stripped down and the tag strips are being cleaned up. While there’s no ETA on this side project, Pellie hopes to have it operational before too long.
