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News
| Date |
Sat 28 August 2004 |
| Subject |
NEWS |
|
Hi All Well here is the news. With "Cradle of Filth" away on their first
ever official band holiday of two weeks. The weekdays have freed up a lot.
This weekend we recorded four tracks with a band from York called "Sitting
Still" They are a tight outfit with a great drummer so very little repairs
to drum tracks. Also it was good to record most of Zac O'Niel's kit again.
He has made a lot of good sounding drum tracks with this old premier kit
most notably with "Extreme Noise Terror", "Failed Humanity" and "Criminal".
Jan the drummer with "Sitting Still" quickly found his way around it and
laid down some fine tribal tom stuff for his band to overdub. Although most
of the live guitar tracks will be played back in the mix and did not need
much repair only a couple of drop ins for better tempo follow down to the
end and a couple of slipped chords in the first chorus of one song. Its
such a joy to get a band sounding so good live and it helps so much with
the overall groove and vibe in the tracks. Tonight we have "Rebirth" in
the drum room rehearsing and I am going to get a chance to give the new
PA set up a good blast. I have had it up and running with Dan from "Cradle"
but he only sang a couple of songs before having to dash off for another
interview. Tonight it will provide for Vox and Keys and live Kik. It should
sound fabulous with the new settings in the system controller. I still am
amazed about how much level you can get before feedback even with a relatively
close mic proximity and 6 dB of compression. Sad day today though "Terror
Folk" flew home to Slovenia today. They are such a good band and have been
so well received in England. I hope they get back soon as the sessions we
did recently with Neil Innes are sounding fantastic. Still I will have to
go as the next band are due soon and there is a lot of mics and stands and
cables to clear up from last night. No rest for the Wicked Eh!. Regards
Mark |
| Posted By |
Mark H. |
| Date |
Tue 14 September 2004 |
| Subject |
What's On This Week |
|
Hi Folks Here Is The News Cradle return today for another 6 days of mayhem
prior to their South American Tour. Zac O Neil and my son Robin were in
over the weekend recording drum tracks for the new album, Now eight songs
into it. Sounding very good as usual. Rebirth were in last night and I have
a drummer audition booking tonight for a couple of hours with new customers!.
HUX Records are in getting an album re master. I have been fooling around
with kik drum trigger samples again. I am still working on a sort of biamp
dual stereo sort of set up. So the click can be mixed in more or less without
EQ change. Still just an experiment and only for the extreme Metal Heads.
I have the rest of John Dowie and Dog Man with Neil Innes to record for
the beeb later this month that will be hilarious. Have to go now Bye! |
| Posted By |
Mark H. |
| Date |
Sun 12 December 2004 |
| Subject |
Whats been going on |
|
Hi All I have been very lax in writing up news but here is a taste of
what’s been going on I have just finished an Album with Doreturna for Six
Six Six records it is sounding fine and powerful thanks to some tight playing
in the scrubby bits. Hux records have been keeping me busy with digital
mastering albums by the Grimms and Elton Dene. I have a lot of hip hop mixing
for Rosco of UNIT and we have got interfacing our respective systems down
to a fine art now so productivity is soaring. Lots of new bands in the new
year so happy Christmas all. Regards Mark |
| Posted By |
Mark H. |
| Date |
Fri 23 September 2005 |
| Subject |
OK I KNOW I Should Update the site |
|
Dear All Its been a long time since I have updated the site. Oh well
I have imported a few bits of audio gold dust from the US. I have bought
a Harris Gates Solid Statesman Compressor and a Broadcast Electronics CLE
500 Compressor Limiter. Esoteric or what Having had a chance to get into
the Solid Statesman on a number of different signals KIKS SNARES BASS SAX
TRUMPET VOX. I Must say that I am very chuffed with it. It is allot like
a Urei but with a max Clean output of +20 DB and very classy UL output transformer
it gets a snare cracking with headroom to spare and if pushed to distort
give a fantastic punch with it. The distortion is very rounded and even
through the range and the signal to noise is awesome. Went to Sowter transformers
the other day to variac up some Vishay caps for my old RCA OP 6 Pre Amp
they are such a helpful bunch. They just let me use all their test equipment
and a bench and left me to potter about for half the afternoon and would
not take my money. They were very interested in the old beast and dusted
off an enormous valve equivalent book and gave me a lot of valve specs and
options I had no idea existed like the mullard special purpose valves made
for HMS Collingwood they are Bright Red and will look the bollix in the
amp Chelmer Vale Company have a box brand new. Also there is another equivalent
of interest the KTZ63 it is a very large glass envelope valve as opposed
to steel. I have got my feelers out for a set. I wonder what they will sound
like its going to be a while before I have finished experimenting with all
the possible combinations. I have Cradle in today and Rosco in tomorrow
Sunday off I promise. Rebirth on Monday The Ballistics Tuesday. ETC. Regards
Mark.• ¨¨ •. ¸¸.•´¯ •.Mark Harwood Engineer Springvale Studios |
| Posted By |
Mark H. |
| Date | Sun 14 May 2006 | | Subject | Agriculture | | Hi folks have been doing a bit of work in Camberwell in the past couple of months
back at sunny Springvale Suffolk now. I have been dealing with triffids this sunday
they have invaded the car park and are now fully in retreat don t think its been working with the film idea of using water to kill them. So I have resorted to fire and chemical warfare.
There is a whole new security gates system at the studio entrance all very smart and
totaly inconveniant so its now important to ring in on arrival so I can come up like a jailer and unlock the draw bridge so as to speak. What I am thinking is that the triffids can t get in
anymore but I think thats just wishfull thinking. Still we won t get anymore triffid scratches on Elite productions nice big merc truck getting in the bottom car park now phew.
I wonder if they cover any agricultural work related issues in audio engineering coursework
at college these days. Rural idyls need some tending. | | Posted By | Mark H. |
| Date | Wed 07 June 2006 | | Subject | Painting and stuff | | Hi I have just finished repainting the drum room. Phew Its jolly smart now. “The Affair” have been doing more recording for the album and we just did a three song session for “The Imagineers” and its DJ Drama and Rosco tomorrow. Cradle have been in and out loading up gear for the German Festivals that all went off early due to the world cup. Sad day today Louise went back to LA to do some stuff at the mothership and hopes to get a part or two while up in Hollywood. The studio won’t seem the same without her.
Regards.• ¨¨ •. ¸¸.•´¯ •.Mark Fairfax Harwood Engineer Springvale Studios | | Posted By | Mark H. |
| Date | Thu 13 July 2006 | | Subject | Myspace | | I seem to spend a lot of time on myspace. I spose I ought to write something on here though.
Here ya go. Got a phone call from Paul at gold artists today wants to book a rehearsal for Antony and the Johnson’s thing is a real piano is required. No bother I say make a couple of phone calls and discover that the joanna hire business in Suffolk is a total gonner. I have to get a piano all the way from Cambridge Pianoforte. What s going on round here too many village fete piano smashing competitions . Still Nigel is your man now for piano s round these parts the only man. Unless you know different. It begs the question the dread thought what would happen if Nigel was unable for whatever reason to fulfil a chaps piano requirements. It does not bear thinking about. What a cruel and inhospitable world it has become for the humble acoustic piano
cast out replaced by sample based midi control what has a piano ever done to you I say that it should not be freely available from hire companies. Hug a piano today thats what I say.
Regards Mark | | Posted By | Mark H. |
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