The Kintners Music

Since using a friend’s analog gear..

I have been slowly falling in love with the idea of recording the sound I want to make, then not mixing it to death. I may have altruistic reasons, but the main reason is that it requires less mixing. Mixing isn’t my favorite, nor am I terrific at it. It makes sense for me to minimize it since I have to do it. 

Start with a board, maybe? (I really don’t know. Just what I did.)

This first involved me getting an analog board with preamps. The preamps on every channel of the Model 24 from Tascam give me a lot right out of the gate towards sounds that require less mixing. Overall, every track is less “plinky” than I got from straight into the Scarlet from Focusrite. You can adjust gain and incoming compression. The raw track before mixing sounds better than its counterpart in a typical interface set up. That is what I am wanting. The better the raw tracks, the less mixing, I hope. Lol. 

Use all the damn rooms.

I have been learning how to use all different rooms in the house for tracking and different mics. I have a tiny insulated room for mixing music, but I am discovering it sounds better to track other places. I have a big Chameleon Labs TS-2 Tube Microphone; it likes space. As does The Myrtle from Ear Trumpet Labs. I have learned that my Shinybox 46 MXL ribbon mic often sounds good pointed at an open door. I have learned that my SM57 clones, the GLS ES57’s, have different characteristics in different rooms and all of them usable. I have found the garage to be indispensable for certain amps, vocals, and mics. Instead of, “what mic am I going to use?” I think more about the room. This is new. This is only since I have been concerned with mixing less. I guess the main tip so far is, “Engineer more to mix less.”

How’s your EQ? Can you make that easier?

One of the things I love about the Model 24 is the EQ. I know what knob to instinctively turn if I hear a boxy sound. I never got there with computer EQ. These are simple on the board: 4 knobs per track. It is very easy to hear the effect of each knob. That’s the EQ. Less mixing.

Good gain is also less mixing.

Gain is a fickle friend. I have additional control there with the board. I think that on top of the preamps really helps to lay down a strong signal. I have something else:

Not long ago, I found a new DBX rack mount 266XS gate and compressor. I discovered I can record with this on an insert with funny cables, and it helps immensely. If I take time to set the gate just right, it saves a ton of mixing out noise. This is also in the chain after the preamps but before the disc. I think this device helps everything sound better. In football jargon, this device is loaded with “intangibles.” Less mixing.  

Learn mics. Many don’t require a lot with proper room and good signal.

I got a ribbon mic not long ago, (the Shinybox 46MXL I mentioned earlier). Many times, recording guitar especially, it is good to go after it is tracked. I might have to edit it, turn it up or down, but that ribbon saves me a ton of mixing.

A cheap easy mastering solution that really is fun. (verified)

One thing I REALLY hate about mixing is mastering. Mastering is the bane of my existence. What I have discovered here is called TAPE 16 DAW. It is a virtual tape machine. It has 16 tracks. I only ever use two. Right and Left. I find this thing super forgiving as well as very rigid. The thing is, I like where it is both. The rigidity keeps me on track, and the forgiving shoots out nice surprises. If you want a mastering solution, or a 16 track “doing it old school” DAW, I can’t recommend this enough. I could see this being handy in a host of different processes. It is on sale at the moment, 30 dollars!

Free Palestine by Djembe Funk

I did all this stuff mentioned on this tune. I am proud of how it came out. I played all the parts. I mastered on the virtual tape machine. I mixed, but I didn’t mix a lot. So here, you are for real listening to me have fun. I am putting effort into the making of music. I don’t care about what comes after. I am focusing on the creating part. Nothing kills my vibe for music more than computer DAWs. I can only do an hour or so at a time before I get too frustrated to make good decisions. But this method here, I did this whole song from start to finish in a day. Slept on it. Released after mastering on tape the next morning. And, I feel good. See, I don’t like AI or social media. So I try to work around that so I can feel good instead of making compromises and choices that make me feel bad. 

Free download code from Bandcamp!

About the topic

I don’t know that I know anyone who would be offended by “Free Palestine” except a few concert promoters. Haha. A couple of friends have given me the tough topic talk. But I don’t think it’s tough. Most folks are just wrong, and that’s what is tough for them. Coming out against bombing schools isn’t tough. But coming out against your friends might be. I don’t have that issue. lol.

I hope you find a more fun way.

I know folks out there who want to do creative things without AI or skeezy operatives can do this. It is hard, at first. But you never know, you may wind up saving a ton in time and frustration. Good Luck, Kelly.

We’re talking mentally ill

In the hospital, in school, at work, at shows, in the military, everywhere, even online, mentor-type personalities have told me, “You’d do better if you weren’t mentally ill.” My answer to that is, “No shit, Sherlock.”

You’d be better at what you are trying to do if you weren’t mentally ill..

Not long ago, a friend online and a mixer I worked with told me, “You’d be a lot better at music without mental health issues.” He was trying to be nice. But engineer-types have a hard time there. It stuck in my craw. I am wrong for that. But he also should not have said it. I doubt I will get as much from him. He doesn’t care. I’m crazy, or whatever.

I have a dream

It’s important to me because I dream about being taken seriously as a person and patient. When tech-types or capitalist-types dismiss me for being nuts, they are the ones actually being nuts. But good luck telling them that.

One of many important timelines

If you can’t see how the world has been propelled forward by the study of psychology and psychiatry (and set back too), allow me to elucidate; here is just one timeline of early institutions and asylums. If folks got out of line, they got put away. What do you think the technician is saying when he says, “if it wasn’t for his mental illness…” He’s saying, “he will never be a serious part of the music scene.” Thanks, tech. I got enough diagnoses. I can do without that one too.

Meanwhile, at the house.

“I’d like it better if it wasn’t so busy,” what I found myself saying to artwork I was attempting. Busy can be good. But I was going for simple. So I wasn’t saying the art was bad, I was stating my preference. That’s okay, with art. People, it’s different. People change, know things they don’t say, don’t know things they do say. They are malleable in a way a work of art is not. People often grow. They can get better or worse since you last saw them. They can learn, they can forget. To write a whole human off because they act weird, especially for their music, is called bias.

When you are hospitalized as a mental patient, it’s easy to experience bias against other patients. No one gets out alive.

I overreacted, sure. However, I am not dealing with a mental health bias today. So, I’ll take the overreacting. As a mental health patient, it is especially painful when I notice my own bias. I try not to do it, but I am a human.

The betrayal of it all.

To be honest, it feels like betrayal as a mental health patient. It never comes from folks I thought of as enemies. Only friends and coworkers show their bias. Maybe they feel safe and let their guard down. What they do is reveal how wrongly I thought they thought of me. I feel like a fool. That hurts my feelings. Conflict ensues. Relationship toast. This cycle here is my social life in a nutshell.

But Keri, she does it perfectly.

Why it works with Keri is respect. I do not get that from the world. Keri wraps me in it. I act dumb around Keri. I even experience dysphoric anger and hypomania. I probably say the dumbest shit. She doesn’t care. She just loves. Keri is the singularly most non-biased person for the mentally ill I have ever met. This includes over ten years of psychiatric treatment. She sees the person under the crazy and talks to that. She’s always completely safe around me. Also, a goddess..

R-E-S-P-E-C-T!

I think this respect is applicable to more than just how we treat the mentally ill. We could do with a refresher course of respect online, in person, and for ourselves. I can look at a work, or listen to a song, or thumb through one of my catalogs and feel proud. I have garnered myself some respect. It doesn’t matter if anyone bought it. I am listening to it now. It works for me. I respect the artist, even if it is me.

Online I basically quit because of this issue. I need a certain amount of respect as a human or it feels like hostile territory. I do not venture into hostile territory for fun. Missions only. Some teenager calls me old fat white boomer or whatever and it bothers me. I can act like it doesn’t, but it still does. If I respect myself that day, I avoid it altogether.

How to respect someone going through a hard time.

When you look eye to eye with someone and it is obvious they are struggling, I’d advise offering assistance or staying clear. Putting their tirades and breakdowns on social media sets the whole human race back. Respect them. Respect yourself. Respect us. People do not earn respect to deserve it. They are people. They get it anyway. Waiting for the world to respect you before you respect the world is futile, verified.

Kelly Kintner

Just a bipolar patient today.

They size you up quick

It has happened after hearing a tune someone learned I was bipolar. They said “that’s why.” They liked the song, thought it couldn’t possibly come from me, and attributed it to my bipolar disorder, which is what happened. In seconds, really. 

I checked the book and..

My being bipolar often makes me very emotional. But I can’t find anything in the DSM about it making me play guitar better. My staying on beat isn’t improved by lithium. My lyrics are not granted to me by a mysterious bipolar angel. Even if I concede I am perhaps overly sensitive to emotion, that is not the same thing as being able to write a tune someone else likes. 

Please give this thought exercise a minute or two:

I hope to start a train of thought with whoever might read this. I hope you hear not just the guitars, but the sound, the decisions involved in note selection, the tones. I hope you hear not just the words, but the intent that put them there. I hope you realize if you saw this band you’re listening to live, between bar noise and a grumpy soundman, they ain’t going to sound as good. I hope you hear styles mixing together like backgrounds of coworkers. If you hear this kind of thing, there’s no, “must be the bipolar.”

My bipolar life

Bipolar Disorder is a strife for me. I am not someone who strives to be grateful for a mental illness. It’s very difficult. I battle with maturity every hour of every day. Sometimes on the inside I boil over. Then I have to use my outsides to calm myself down. That’s if I’m lucky. It is just as likely I’ll get angry and be mean. I can be full-blown clinically depressed and full-blown manic at the same time. This dysphoric anger is my nemesis. But it isn’t gone. There’s no music getting done when it shows up, I am back at survival mode in seconds. Bipolar doesn’t help me creatively, I fight it. I want to be on an even keel. That would help.

Give yourself a chance with mental illness by giving it to someone else

I hope if you are confronted with mental illness in your life, or your family’s, you don’t try to look for the positive. That’s just something folks believe so they can sleep without feeling bad about how terribly they treat the mentally ill. I hope you give yourself a chance where you wouldn’t the musicians. I am over all this bias. I’m fine, don’t feel bad about me. I feel bad about you. 

I will save you a little time getting adjusted to being newly diagnosed. What you’re going to want to do is set yourself up to be as safe as possible. This includes routines, maintenance, even perhaps changes in diet and exercise. Loads and loads of mentally ill have never had this kind of life. It’s because of poverty and bias. But at least that bipolar could write a tune. 

Kelly Kintner Editor, Producer

The Horses Mouth

The Kintners

Djembe Funk

Dear Google,

I looked myself up yesterday. I was asked how many songs I am on credits for, and I didn’t have a clue. I still don’t, but I feel good about myself. That counts for something. Right?

“Google, how many song credits am I on?” (Try it yourself, I bet it says something different.)

So it’s true, but..

All of the information in this AI answer is factual. I can’t deny I did all this stuff, even for some of the reasons it mentions. But it appears to me that it is tooting my horn. I think it gives the wrong impression of me. It probably says something different to someone else about me. I asked Keri to look it up, but since she is in the band too, we got similar. But our friend across town? “Kintner who?” This right here. This is what pisses me off. Information isn’t universal, it’s personal. This is why there’s a The Horse’s Mouth magazine.

Not mentioned, and worth mentioning..

The computer doesn’t mention I go long periods without making things at all. I can spend a full 6 months recharging my batteries. So while I may seem prolific over time, I am pretty slow on the day to day. I don’t mind. I am not trying to be prolific or quick. But you don’t get that impression here.

Another thing is MOST of the folks I have worked with no longer will speak to me. I don’t know why. It might be different strokes for different folks. Maybe someone got pissed about some bullshit I said. Maybe I was flippant about something that was important to someone. Maybe because I am bipolar and often “not myself,” they prefer to keep distance. Maybe they changed their mind about how something sounded and blame me for an error they hear. I have to guess, every time. They don’t tell me. But they ditch me. Could be them, could be me. Both. I don’t bust their balls about it. I am used to it. Maybe they don’t make music to make buddies, it’s fine. You see, I am happy about the time it lasted. Expecting forever is my fault, not theirs. No one gives you forever. They can’t. So I quit expecting it. That is a lot easier without computers, for some reason.

Google doesn’t tell you that I think musicians are badasses. I am trying to make friends with them. I don’t stand a chance with the “normies.” Just because we make a tune together doesn’t mean we are pals. But I wish it did. I like pals. I think life is much easier with a handful of friends.

So while I may be successful at recording music with other indies, I suck at making friends. I think if google wanted to be truthful with me here, it might have mentioned something along those lines. It was more interested in writing my resumé than giving me anything I could use. I don’t need a resumé for the music, folks can just hit play.

What does this mean when you multiply it times billions?

Multiply this times billions. You ever hear the term, “a legend in their own mind?” This mindset is being nurtured by google and other aggregators, AI’s, data contractors, social media.. I mean hell, it is basically how computing works. Fluff ‘em up, keep them logged in.

“Are you just kissing my ass right now?” – needs to be in everyone’s vocabulary.

I urge you to practice recognition of folks kissing your ass. It’s nothing personal, it is just the way things are these days. It doesn’t have anything to do with you, it has to do with computers and folks trained in thinking that’s what they have to do. AI does it. AI teaches it. But I can’t stand it. There’s no depth, honesty, or connections in it. There’s protocol. That’s for robots, not me. But you do you.

If you are traded by the public, I expect you not to want to decimate it.

I think publicly traded companies have an obligation to serve the public, but I must be alone here. No one else thinks that. Folks think publicly traded companies serve the individual, so they need AI customizing the information they receive individually. Information should be the same for everyone, shouldn’t it? If a rich person has better access to information than a poor person does, that’s discrimination. It’s not all access. Not “public.”

But the kissing ass thing. .. This has direct negative impact on personality, worldview, mental health, and folks just do it. I am certain many folks don’t even know when their ass is being kissed. It’s everyday. They may not even know when they are kissing ass. I don’t know, but I suspect with some people.

Sometimes, when folks ditch me, I know it is because they command some kind of ass-kissing they have been trained to receive. It makes them lonely when they don’t get it and they ditch me. Then they release songs about being lonely with AI lyrics. It’s happened more than once. It isn’t every time, but it damn sure is sometimes. Stop the madness.

Honesty, integrity, concern. Those are pillars to good human relations, historically. I think now it’s different. I think now it’s a “grab what you can while you can” society. Almost like a riot, looting. Someone may help you toss a couch through a storefront window, but it isn’t the same thing as a friend. You are mutual opportunists. It isn’t even a friendly environment. But if everyone is kissing everyone’s ass, how can you tell?

Kelly Kintner

The Horses Mouth

The Kintners

Djembe Funk

About 8 years ago..

Keri and I were in Upstate New York, doing the best we could. We had a tiny apartment in a nice neighborhood we loved. We walked to the library, grocery store. We were very very tight on money, but loaded with other things, the kinds of things needed for songwriting.

I woke with this melody in my head. I heard a cowboy dustbowl howl. I heard lots of religious setting stuff. I heard strife. I heard The Great Depression. 6/8 blues, harmonies, Southern Gothic imagery. It’ s a fun zone.

We wrote it really quickly. By 4 pm the same day we started, we were done. I had a demo already. One of those quick ones.

I like this song, but I am not religious. That’s fine.

I still like this song, for what it is worth. I don’t like religion. I don’t even like Jesus. I don’t like prayer. I don’t like church. But it doesn’t matter here. All that is setting and it is real to the period, genre. Sometimes in order to sound real, I may have to delve into things I am not into. Also, Keri and I were both raised religious, at least with one parent. It’s as much a part of our background as it is this main character’s. The religion in this one doesn’t bother me. Setting.

That one harmony….

From the beginning, Smoke and Mud has had a harmony that howls like a creak in the door of a quiet house. I think this harmony part seals the deal sonically for me. I am not sure what is going on with me with this harmony. But I like it. It isn’t the same without it.

Where to listen.

We have an unplugged version over on Bandcamp, and we have the full band collaboration over on Subvert as well as Bandcamp. I can’t tell you which I like more, just depends on the day. I hope you like both.

Fun facts:

Fun fact: David Crosby heard this on Twitter back in the day and said, “Not my thing.” That’s okay. I have seen folks cry to it with my own eyes. May not have been David’s thing. But it is somebody’s. I am fine with that.

Fun fact: Definitely our most popular song online. Locally, it seems to be “The Crab Song” that gets all the love. I love that I have made songs folks like. Don’t care which ones they pick. This is, of course, if you aren’t counting “Rain on Christmas,” our sad Christmas tune. That is played radio around the holidays every year. It is the gift that keeps on giving.

There’s lots of cool things with this one.

Maybe you like a mean Southern Gothic setting. Maybe you like Dustbowl and Great Depression era vibes. Maybe you are the right kind of Country or Americana fan. Maybe you like blues, harmony, danger moods. Whatever the case, just know we are tickled if you like our songs. Thanks so much.

Kelly Kintner

The Kintners

Choir sound is different

Over the last year, Keri and I have been working on a choir sound. We got some things, read some things, and went to town on experiments. We got in the garage. We got the closet. We even tried the shower. We just did a job for a cool song from Scotland by Andrew Anderson, coming soon. We feel good about the choir sound now. I wanted to talk concepts about making good choir in your songs.

Disclaimer:

First off, both Keri and I grew up in protestant church choir and that has a lot to do with our sound. We are not trained, we just showed up. My concept of choir might be slightly different than yours if you have never sung at vacation bible school, or a funeral, or a wedding.

If you were a dozen people, it would be really loud.

I learned by placing different mics in different rooms that the nicer mics get to do their thing in large spaces. I found this crucial for making convincing choir tracks. The room had to be bigger than my normal tracking space.

The mic I am currently using for these kinds of tracks is the Myrtle by Ear Trumpet labs. The Myrtle picks up from 3 feet away like nothing. So I put it in a large room, imagining the sound going out in front and not being able to bounce back to the mic. Huge space. Garage works. A hallway gives interesting and notable results. The small insulated room isn’t even usable here. I would have to change mics.

It has to move.

So I have my big space and I set my mic, it never moves through the whole process. But Keri and I move a ton. I have a taped out semi circle, 4 X’s, we’ll take turns. No choir we have done before sounds good up on a smaller mic, standing in the same spot. But the choir tracks have movement and realism if we stand in 4 or 5 different spots. For Andrew, we did 2 groups of 4 spots. Each.

This works for other instruments too. If you play strings, put the cello, bass, viola, and violin, in all different spots. I’d probably just go with a semicircle there too. But you can get a little crazy…

A fabulous way to learn your mics.

Maybe you have a big room with a little closet. Experiment with standing in the closet, facing the room, singing or playing. With the Myrtle, I get very usable sound this way. But I also get it with the SM58 too. Now turn the operation around. Stand in the room, face the closet, see what happens. I think this helps me with mic placement everywhere, just having done it at home. By doing this, I can echolocate places for microphones better. I have a hearing memory of their reaction to different size spaces. Muscle memory is talked about a lot in other jobs.. I use a lot of hearing memory.

Now do it with multiple distances away and to the side of that mic. You might not realize it, but you are building a choir!

Small set up, large space.

Choir tracks need space, an ensemble mic, an iPad, an interface. It is not necessary to try to force tracking at the house when you can borrow a church’s sanctuary to track vocals. We have. We’ve tracked whole live songs in churches too. Tiny donation, they open the doors. The nice mics love it. They can breathe.

Choir coming on The Kintners record out Christmas.

This time we wanted to try at the house since we are recording a double-album ourselves. Andrew got us off our butts about the choir. Glad he did. I think we have it worked out. One less thing to worry about for the record, choir.

Kelly Kintner

The Horses Mouth

The Kintners

Djembe Funk

Is it me? Or is this the sickness?

A while back, I was diagnosed with Bipolar Disorder. For those of you who have had a diagnosis and have been living with it for a while, I wonder if you get caught up in trying to change the diagnosis like me, instead of accommodating for it, like I should. I can explain:

My life is largely centered around improving. In music, I try to make better songs than I did yesterday. My diet is improving all the time. I am not regular with exercise, but I am open to it. That is an improvement, believe it or not. I want to help improve things for Keri too. She is my closest friend ever. I just want her to have it nice. I try to improve my brain by avoiding social media. I don’t have a cell phone. All this stuff makes my life better. But I can’t say trying to improve emotionally does much. 

The manias, the behavior, the regret

I have wild dysphoric mania and can be a real bear. I also have typical euphoric mania and can be super lovey-dovey. I am sure I am hell for some folks. I have tried improving there. I have been going to doctors for over ten years. I have taken meds that help immensely, but not “all the way.” I have gone to outpatient and inpatient treatment. I still read about CBT and DBT on the regular, and my behavior has improved dramatically. But the feelings, I wouldn’t say so. It’s likely because I have bipolar disorder, just a guess.

A cycle I get caught up in a lot is if I am talking, or the bipolar is talking. If I am excited on an emotional level, it’s probably the bipolar. It’s nearly always traceable to something I wasn’t excited about. That excitement is likely a reaction to something else. It was triggered. I feel good about the decisions I make when my pulse is below 80. If it’s in the 120’s, maybe it isn’t a time for making decisions? But it is hard. I am charged at that point. Good luck telling me anything, telling myself that. And always check your pulse when making decisions. Revelations abound if you haven’t tried this. I have “zones.” No shit. I do.

Hey, Kelly, take it easy on yourself today.

What I need to do is give myself a break. I think I am working towards that. I realize I am just going to be different, perhaps immature, excitable, and the goal isn’t to beat myself up for it. My goal should be to live with it. Accept it. I can sense relief in that direction. But I am early on in that journey.

I have had behavioral episodes that were tough to come back from. It is tough to think about them still. That doesn’t happen anymore. Maybe I can function as it is, if I just go easy on myself. I have 10 years’ worth of treatment under my belt, a ton of creature comforts to show for it. That isn’t bad for a bipolar on meds who gets a little silly occasionally. 

Even when there doesn’t seem to be improvement, perhaps there is.

I hope anyone who struggles with anything finds improvement. I also hope, if the case merits it, they find acceptance. Coping. I will always likely be an emotionally charged individual. I can wear people out. But it is a thousand times better than it’s ever been. Improvement seems to be the way of things. 

Kelly Kintner

The Horses Mouth Magazine

The Kintners

Djembe Funk

Just a story about a story.

It’s been over two years since I logged into my last social media. It was BlueSky, and I ran across a batch of mean folks. I wasn’t talking to them. I didn’t have them in mind when I said what I said about a personal memory. They inserted themselves underneath my post to berate me and call me a fat white guy. I was like, “I am just telling a story that actually happened. What if there was an opinion in here?”

Do you need to hate so many people?

I find a lot of irony in folks feeling like they need social media to stay connected, yet they use social media to write off huge swathes of the population. Many folks feel like they need social media. I have felt that way before in my life. But nothing could be further from the truth. I promise.

Let’s mention brainwashing.

They wouldn’t call it brainwashing if you knew it was happening. Brainwashing doesn’t mean ‘I willingly take on a different mindset.’ So if you’re on social media, you don’t know what you don’t know. You may not know that sometimes folks really into their social media stuff can come off ridiculous and concerning. You may not know that your world is divided up into grid lines of good and bad, right and wrong, what’s cool and what isn’t. You may not realize you have whole populations on this planet that you would like to see dead. All the MAGAs, all the Muslims, all the Jews, all the Mexicans, all the liberals, all the Android users, the pesky Playstation fans. You may not realize your lack of control of your worldview. You may not realize the words on the screen appear because the screen knows your preferences. You may not realize it has cost you money and friends you can touch. You don’t “need” this shit.

What if I was a big corporation and I wanted to implant a commercial in your brain? I wanted you thinking about me 24/7. Without a moment to yourself? What if I wanted you on my software for hours on end so I could gather data about your environment and your preferences? What if I wanted people to become addicted to whatever I was making? I don’t think that would make me a good guy. Yet…

Maybe if you “need” social media, you simply “need” a hand.

I honestly think if you feel like you need social media, what you really need is help. You need the kind of help that isn’t on social media. You need the kind of help that hugs, that joins you for a meal, that talks to you about a movie you saw together, that likes your kind of music, that says things that are unexpected. A real-life connection, not online sycophancy. 

I have a lot of memories of being on social media and feeling wired. People would buzz around my brain. It would keep me awake, rolling words in my brain much like a slot machine in Vegas, and they were just words I saw on my feeds. They were words I wouldn’t have seen if not for algorithms and folks selling things. Me seeing them had nothing to do with who was writing them. It had to do with the computer thinking I wanted to see them. This changed the way I saw the world, eventually. I thought it was here for me. The truth is I’m here for it. So I put it down. Social media. Glad for it. Better too.

I am worried.

I talk about social media with people still using it. I’m concerned. They think we all need it. It connects us. It gives us presence. I’ve even been told I’m doing it wrong, and I’m the one who should get a social media. But I’ve been down that road. It’s not happening again.

I was not in control. Multiply that times billions. No thanks.

Kelly Kintner

The Horses Mouth

The Kintners

Djembe Funk

That time already?

We are hard at work on another issue plus bonus content. We have a jam going with familiar faces. We have an interview I am very excited about. We have Halloween. We have artwork. It will be a good time.

The magazine for me chronicles the time we are in. I may want that someday. It is also a lot of fun to do. I get to talk to folks. I get to make songs. All great stuff. I am very proud of it. I still like picking up the first issue and holding it. It feels good.

Magazine-making is also a journey!

I am discovering my reasons as I go along. If it feels good, I just do it. I may not know why at first. But the wholesome feeling is what I am after. I do not find it in software. I don’t find it in metrics. I find it in connecting with people. I think the magazine is a little about that.

A word about Sharmi Surianarain

Sharmi Surianarain contacted us for the long interview. She is an awesome voice in the Jazz realm. She strikes me as fearless from her songs. I asked her about that. I can’t wait to see what she says. I have been having a blast prepping for this. Thanks, Sharmi. Please check out her album, The Witness.

I absolutely love the record, by the way. But I don’t want to give the interview away. I do hope you get a chance to listen to it. I hope it’s before the interview is published. Sharmi sounds like someone you want to talk to before you even get to hear them speak. The more folks that listen to the album, the more will want to read the interview. I am confident about that.

The call

If you want to write, or be interviewed, reach out. We’d love to try to make that happen. There’s signups on the linktree and you can always email, thekintnersmusic@gmail.com. Maybe you have an idea for the treasure chest? Maybe you want to play on the houseband jam? Maybe you have an idea for a column or recurring article? Let’s talk!

Currently, we want stories about Halloween or that involve Halloween. Keri and I don’t dig the holidays much. But, we got nothing against Halloween. Maybe you are in a different part of the world that has a different October ritual. That’d be fun too. Maybe a Halloween gig stands out as a performer. Maybe you have a scary story you tell at campfires you don’t mind typing out. Maybe you toured a candy factory and want to talk about it. I’m easy. Deadline is October 1 for next issue. It’s a quarterly mag, about every three months. Treasure chest of bonus goodies on the Linktree along with signups, comments, anything you need.

The Horse’s Mouth isn’t a giant outfit. It is me, Keri, some friends, some musicians. I love magazines, still. Thanks for everyone who is helping this one along with their thinking and typing. In my case, with no social media, the magazine feels special. Print feels special. If I am reading the same thing you are, it’s rare these days. Our words are most likely catered to our preferences if they’re from a screen. But with our magazine, we speak unfiltered. No algorithm. Just postage. lol. I don’t edit a writer’s intentions. I don’t water-down their message. Even if I disagree, I find their view valuable and appreciate them sharing it. I love mailing you writers’ true intentions. Very tough to score for a writing gig nowadays. Do what I can.

Again, check out Sharmi’s album Witness. You’ll be happy you did.

Kelly Kintner Editor, Producer

The Horses Mouth

The Kintners

Djembe Funk

It wasn’t always like this..

I wasn’t always loaded with gear. That’s a very recent deal. In my 20’s, I was homeless. I was nearly there again in my early 40’s. In my late 40’s, the gods have seen fit to grant me with earthly pleasures, but it is still new. I still eat cheap. I still don’t go out much. And I still freak out at the cost of most gear.

I don’t mind being this way. I often work with folks in various places on various pay scales. I like staying within their range too, if I come across sound they like. I ultimately want them to be able to do it. If I keep it on the cheap, the likelihood they’ll be able to make the sound they want is greater.

About DAW’s

I have been around the world in DAW’s. I started back in 2002 with Cool Edit Pro 2.0. I am trying to get away from computers, personally. However, I find I don’t have everything I want from them squared away in the analog realm. So my Tascam Model 24 is hooked up to the Reaper DAW. Most recently, I used Logic Pro forever. I can no longer get along with it. Kudos to those who can. Since they updated to version 12, I have had nothing but issues. I get grumpy while mixing, well, grumpier. I do not enjoy Logic Pro anymore. So, I tried Reaper. Reaper is the first money-saving tip. You can try it out as long as you like, honor-system. Then buy it for 60 dollars. What you get free and clear for 60 bucks here is a very good deal these days. No subscription. A full DAW loaded with great features. Until they change it too, Reaper is the best deal out there I have found. Even other free DAW’s aren’t free like Reaper is. Try it free, long as you want, pay 60 bucks when you’re hooked. Never pay another thing. Unheard of.

Mics, done.

As far as gear itself, if you are like me, you like the word, “clone.” I got SM57 clones I was telling a friend about this morning. I got a few. They are called the GLS-ES57 and they have a sound in my tiny mixing room here I prefer over the real deal. They are 25 dollars on Amazon. Even on tiny budgets, they are doable. But even if I was loaded, I’d still have a basket full for tracking. They are very handy, sound great, and easy to use. I made a song with Keri about them. All tracks are made with the GLS-ES57. I didn’t do a lot of processing because I hate it. But it also lets you hear a more raw signal than most songs. The signal is great, even on the pots and pans! I said to hell with drum mics, bought a bunch of these. Sounds fabulous.

MIDI

100 bucks can get you an ultimate Midi controller. I have the MPK Mini MK3. I am not much of a keys player. But I have to have something to trigger sounds I find that I like. I play a lot of finger drums on this thing, The pads are glorious for it. The pressure sensitivity is adjustable so you can get it where it sounds just right and natural with fluctuations in volume that give it the right touch. Many DAWs come with loads of sounds you don’t even have to search for. This triggers them and it is easy. I have used it in three DAWs. Easy.

The old stuff

I know it is a cliché, but keep older gear in mind. I have gear that dates back to the 70’s. Some of that stuff sounds better than some of the stuff made today. I have an acoustic guitar made by Pearl Drums from the early 70’s in Japan. It is worth more than a million dollars to me. 70’s acoustics from Japan often have treasures still in them waiting to be discovered. They usually don’t cost very much, usually way less than my Pearl. They have character already. I have had more than a couple. Old Alvarez, Suzuki, Yamaki, Takamine, etc. You find one of them for a good deal, try it! It might be just that, a good deal!

Old basses? I got a Peavey from the 1990’s. I think it is only 500-600 dollars on Reverb sometimes. Folks, this is a professional bass. The bridge is insane with sustain. The electronics maximize on the build potential, taking the sound to the next level. It is a pure monster of a bass. I have basses in various price ranges with different characters. I’ve only had this one a short while. It is the first one I am grabbing for most things. Marvelous low end here, and it goes on forever until you stop it or play another note.

I have an old Casio Keyboard. I keep it hooked up and ready to go. These are Goodwill items. Many times, I have seen keyboards like this for 20 dollars. It has a metronome, which I find handy. It has great sounding drums for certain types of music. The low keys have tremendous “thud.” Plus, having it so handy while writing is a cool tool, I have found. Sometimes I go there to find something, or to create whole new problems. Very cheap. Very worth it.

Don’t sleep on digital recorders

I think a digital recorder is a great way to record on the cheap. I have a Zoom R16 I have had for years. A friend let me pay it out, about 3 hundred if I remember right. If you do not want to do computers, or you want to record on batteries, or remotely (which I’ll still use it for), I don’t see how you go wrong here. It is not a computer. It records to memory card more like a camera. It is keeping a record, which is really what making a record is. I had a lot of fun on this thing. I still like having it. No DAW, no online, but 8 inputs, easy to use, and it sounds fabulous.

Being poor is not in your head. But being rushed is.

About being poor and time. When I was hurting for money, skipping meals to save a buck, I didn’t feel as though I had any time. I don’t know why that is, but it isn’t true. It is a mindset that works against the poor. It takes time to get nice things if the system is working. Many occasions, I sold things at a loss because I couldn’t spare the time to sell them properly. They say it takes money to make money. When it comes to appraisals, complicated deals, selling art, inheritances sometimes, even, “they” are on point. Don’t let “them” rush you. They know they can get a better deal if you feel you are in a hurry.

Some instruments are worth a lot of time.

The same applies to nice instruments. I have one I paid a lot (for me) for. It wasn’t easy. It took a lot of time. It was a good value as I plan to never get rid of it. If I didn’t feel I had time, I could have never gotten it. Being poor doesn’t only mean being robbed of things in your home. Poor keeps you from getting things inside your home to begin with. It is a mindset. It hinges on time. Give yourself time to think. You are worth it. If it takes time, get that son-of-a-bitch. Coming from a former homeless mental patient now with an Oregon Breedlove made from ancient Spruce that I play every single day.

Unfortunately, I haven’t found easy tricks. But I have found some tricks. I don’t think I enjoy it if it’s “too” easy. lol.

I hope you are able to save money wherever possible and still get to enjoy music. I hate that this stuff costs so much. But between Reaper, 25 dollar mics, quality affordable instruments, and good decisions, I am rooting for you. If you need help, I am here. Jus’ holler. Email: thekintnersmusic@gmail.com

Kelly Kintner

The Kintners, Djembe Funk