In the zone.
I like the way tape sounds. The djembe sounds very nice on this emulated tape daw I am using called TAPE 16. But the sound isn’t why I am hooked on this method of making music. The workflow feels like recess in my brain. It is as if the music sounds better with additional brain power instead of unlimited options.
Logic Pro sounds amazing, has amazing features when you can find them, and it can do amazing things. Unfortunately for Logic Pro, I prioritize work flow. TAPE 16’s workflow for the kind of music I am making is far superior to that of Logic Pro’s. I can tell you why.
The thoughts we lose.
I forget things. I am on psych meds and I didn’t need the help to begin with. I can have a great idea in Logic Pro and forget it before I get to hear it. It’s frustrating. It is the DAW equivalent of walking into a room and forgetting what you needed from there. It happens many times a session. I wonder what would happen if I was able to make noise before forgetting what I was intending to make. Enter TAPE 16 DAW.
TAPE 16 is easy. My brain doesn’t struggle with features and possibilities. I think more about my part. I practice and feel good about stuff I am pulling off on tape. I hit record, do my thing, check it, move on. I don’t even have to sit at computer. I just carry my phone with me around the room..operate tracking with it. Remote transport. It is just like the transports at the analog studio we went to of bkbirge’s last year to make protest rock. (link is to Boots on the Ground in repository.)
Been tracking a few days for the Djembe Funk project.
After tracking almost a week, I can say readily that TAPE 16 DAW is better for Djembe Funk than Logic Pro is. Djembe Funk is half improvised and half practiced parts. TAPE 16 rewards the practice and it makes it very easy to improv. Logic pro is a fine DAW, but for my little one-man jam rock band, it is not the superior one.
I am excited to try it for The Kintners music soon too. Now, The Kintners is a lot of singing, words, rehearsals, very calculated. I try to have plain messages in Kintners songs and for me that takes more prep than cool shit to listen to for funsies like Djembe Funk. We’ve been writing a lot of The Kintners stuff. Album soon there too.
“Fix it in the mix,”
I was talking to a friend yesterday about how ingrained “Fix it in the mix” philosophies are. I didn’t consider myself a fix it in the mix guy but I absolutely am. I just didn’t know I was doing it. A cool feature to me about this DAW is “fixing it in the performance” is pretty much the option unless you use other programs. Plugins are available, but you aren’t steered to just lay anything down and make it sound nice in the DAW. Here, it sounds nice before I hit the record button. It has to.
This may not seem like a draw to some folks. But the accumulation of tracks with real intent on them speaks to me. I can hear what I am going for because I did it. The intent is a nice thing to hear. It doesn’t need fixing. Just practice. lol.
But it’s really about flow.
The main draw to me with this thing is the workflow. It is quick, it is rewarding, it sounds great, and my brain feels centered on the music, not features, not frequencies, not plugins, not computer accompaniment, not a bevy of options.. just playing my part. I know the “refreshing” word gets tossed around a lot in reviewing shit. But this DAW really does feel refreshing. It feels like a hard reset to focus on what’s cool, fun, and even important; getting ideas down on “tape.”
I never had a tape machine or analog recording systems. This is new to me. Forgive me for being so excited. I always thought it was the sound that drew folks who worked it. But it’s the workflow for me. I am hooked on practicing then hitting record and seeing what happens. It doesn’t work like that in Logic Pro for me. I don’t know why, I suppose it could. But the distractions are overwhelming and the options make me dizzy.
We recorded this in an analog studio in Houston with the legendary bkbirge. Fuck ICE, fuck Trump.
But.. the sound.
That said, this thing sounds great. You can change tape speed at the top to get different “grit.” You can “flange” your reels and the two reels have different flange flavors. You can import easily, but so far I like just starting with a metronome. I did make some beats in MPC in case the metronome loses its inspiration here. But so far, acoustic guitar, synth, drums, bass, vocal, djembe, and the Les Paul sound fabulous.
About djembe..specifically…
The djembe is noticeably nicer out of the gate on “tape.” I don’t know why. I am guessing the tape effect rolls off some harsh frequencies. That’s nice for an album with Djembe in the name. lol.
The cost.
TAPE 16 is very affordable in my world. I paid 29 dollars for it. Compared to many DAWs I have purchased and no longer use, it is a steal.
This DAW is enabling folks all over the world to get ideas down and jam to their own music. I am very happy to be a part of that. Try it. Here. Do the demo like I did. Bet you lose 30 bucks to it.
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