Alan Parsons: From The Dark Side of the Moon to The Alan Parsons Project:

[Old Joad]

 

[smallstonefan]

Looking forward to watching this, thanks. 🙏

I spent two days with Alan at a mixing class at his Parsonics studio. He was a calm, classy guy. One of my favorite studio items is a copy of Dark Side of the Moon that Alan signed for me while we were eating sushi at his dining room table! 🤘

Here are a few photos : one of the signed album and one of Alan regretting letting me push the faders! 🤣

[craigb]

The shirt you're wearing in that first pic looks familiar... (in the reflection!). 😆

[smallstonefan]

My biggest takeaway from my time with Alan is his influence on my bass recording. On day 2 of the class he brought in Toad the Wet Sprocket to record and walked us through his process. I got to hang out with their bass player Dean Dinning. He was a super chill dude. He told me the story of how he came up with the name Toad the Wet Sprocket and how the Monty Python actor reacted when he heard it on the radio. It was awesome hearing the story come from him.

Alan was recording Dean through the Neve and using a dbx 160vu on the bass. (He was using a second one on the vocals). He said he preferred to use a Fairchild (as he said in the above interview) but the Fairchild is an expensive beast and he really likes the dbx. He sets ratio halfway between 6 and 10 and gets max reduction at noon on the meter; I think it was his assistant engineer Noah that said -10db is as hot as they want to hit it and that's the middle position (noon) on the meter. 

This is a photo of Alan's dbx 160 VU while recording Dean. 

Dean said it was the best recorded bass sound he had ever had and he was thinking of getting a 160vu. I ended up getting one when I got back and that's how I record bass - using Alan's techniques. 

 

 

Also: Did anyone notice anything else in the photo of the album that was related to the interview with Alan? 😁

 

[craigb]

1 hour ago, smallstonefan said:

...Dean Dinning. He was a super chill dude. He told me the story of how he came up with the name Toad the Wet Sprocket ...

The next time I see you at an event I want to hear this story!  (I can wait!) 😁

[PhonoBrainer]

Make sure you zoom in to see the look on Alan's face. Pretty great!

[Old Joad]

20 hours ago, smallstonefan said:

Looking forward to watching this, thanks. 🙏

I spent two days with Alan at a mixing class at his Parsonics studio. He was a calm, classy guy. One of my favorite studio items is a copy of Dark Side of the Moon that Alan signed for me while we were eating sushi at his dining room table! 🤘

Here are a few photos : one of the signed album and one of Alan regretting letting me push the faders! 🤣

That is very cool, thanks for putting up the pix🤘

 

11 hours ago, smallstonefan said:

My biggest takeaway from my time with Alan is his influence on my bass recording. On day 2 of the class he brought in Toad the Wet Sprocket to record and walked us through his process. I got to hang out with their bass player Dean Dinning. He was a super chill dude. He told me the story of how he came up with the name Toad the Wet Sprocket and how the Monty Python actor reacted when he heard it on the radio. It was awesome hearing the story come from him.

Alan was recording Dean through the Neve and using a dbx 160vu on the bass. (He was using a second one on the vocals). He said he preferred to use a Fairchild (as he said in the above interview) but the Fairchild is an expensive beast and he really likes the dbx. He sets ratio halfway between 6 and 10 and gets max reduction at noon on the meter; I think it was his assistant engineer Noah that said -10db is as hot as they want to hit it and that's the middle position (noon) on the meter. 

This is a photo of Alan's dbx 160 VU while recording Dean. 

Dean said it was the best recorded bass sound he had ever had and he was thinking of getting a 160vu. I ended up getting one when I got back and that's how I record bass - using Alan's techniques. 

 

 

Also: Did anyone notice anything else in the photo of the album that was related to the interview with Alan? 😁

 

Toad the Wet Sprocket album Dulcinea is one of my all-time favorites 🍻

[57Gregy]

11 hours ago, smallstonefan said:

Did anyone notice anything else in the photo of the album that was related to the interview with Alan?

You stole his phone?

[smallstonefan]

Nope.

30 minutes ago, 57Gregy said:

You stole his phone?

Nope. lol

Edited August 9, 2024 by smallstonefan

[smallstonefan]

It's the microphone. 🌞

Alan talks about using this Neumann on snare and he uses it on acoustic guitar. I got it for acoustic guitar and it's amazing how much it "sounds like an album" to record an acoustic guitar through that mic into a Neve pre. So I guess both my acoustic recording and bass recording techniques came from Alan. Thanks Alan! 🙏

[Grem]

36 minutes ago, smallstonefan said:

It's the microphone.

On the mixer?

 

[smallstonefan]

23 minutes ago, Grem said:

On the mixer?

 

In front of the album. Ah, I'm sorry I wasn't specific! I was referring to the picture with the album in it.

[craigb]

Ha!  I had the right answer typed in and didn't see my reply.  Then I see it still in the editor unsubmitted...  Oh well! 🤷‍♂️

[Grem]

3 hours ago, craigb said:

Ha!  I had the right answer typed in and didn't see my reply.  Then I see it still in the editor unsubmitted...  Oh well! 🤷‍♂️

I have done that too!!

[Grem]

5 hours ago, smallstonefan said:

It's the microphone. 🌞

Alan talks about using this Neumann on snare and he uses it on acoustic guitar. I got it for acoustic guitar and it's amazing how much it "sounds like an album" to record an acoustic guitar through that mic into a Neve pre. So I guess both my acoustic recording and bass recording techniques came from Alan. Thanks Alan! 🙏

Yeah, I see it now. Another Duh moment!!

Can I ask what is that to the left of the mic, a statue of...

[smallstonefan]

1 hour ago, Grem said:

Yeah, I see it now. Another Duh moment!!

Can I ask what is that to the left of the mic, a statue of...

Sure! That's a fun little piece. It's a little hut and palm tree carved out of iron wood we bought from an artist who lives on a beach in Negril, Jamaica. 

[craigb]

7 hours ago, Grem said:

Yeah, I see it now. Another Duh moment!!

Can I ask what is that to the left of the mic, a statue of...

 

6 hours ago, smallstonefan said:

Sure! That's a fun little piece. It's a little hut and palm tree carved out of iron wood we bought from an artist who lives on a beach in Negril, Jamaica. 

 

C'mon Michael!  Wasn't that obvious??! 😆

[57Gregy]

22 hours ago, smallstonefan said:

Negril, Jamaica

Finally! Now I know where Negril is. Thanks.
"I looked in Miami, I looked in Negril. The closest I got was a month-old bill".

[Terry Kelley]

Saw the Beato podcast. It was great! I never imagine Parsons being 6’6” though. 

[smallstonefan]

1 hour ago, Terry Kelley said:

Saw the Beato podcast. It was great! I never imagine Parsons being 6’6” though. 

He is a big guy. He does look like he's lost a bunch of weight though and that's great to see!