Episode 23: The Germ Demos

  I have to say I was really excited to put this episode
together. It gave me a chance to try out a lot of things at once.
First and foremost I got to sit down with the Germ from Caleb Cook
at Hazel Effects and put it through the paces. I really like the
sound our this pedal and how it changes from guitar to guitar. It
enhances qualities already inherent to the guitar driving it. Next,
I experimented with the wattage control on my Vox AD30 VT. One of
the big selling points for me on that amp was the variable wattage
(from 30 watts down to 1 watt) because I wanted to be able to
record the sound I wanted at lower volume levels. So far, I am
REALLY loving that feature. The last variable was using the iRig
mic to record the amp straight into the Bossjock app for easier
play back when recording the actual show.   It was the last
variable that made me aphrensive and delayed me from the actual
task. When I started recording digitally and recording live
guitars, I could never get a sound I was happy with. I read every
article and tried every trick the pros used, but still just
lifeless sound. I finally made myself sit down and try to record
and I used a technique I picked up from the Project Studio Network
podcast. The technique is from a book called "Mixing with your
mind" and it's a different way of looking at recording. The
technique fir mic'ing the amp revolves around where to place the
mic. What the Author says to do is place your hand between the mic
and the amp and move your hand around while some one is playing the
guitar. When the hairs on the back of your hand stand up, that is
where you should place the mic. Sounds simple right? The first
three samples were mixed with that technique and the others were
not, so you can judge for yourself how it sounds. I am much happier
with the first three samples. For the first three audio samples my
signal chain consisted of my Fender Pawnshop '51 into the Germ and
then into the Vox AD30 VT. On the Vox I used the boutique clean amp
setting to take all the drive out. I wanted just the Germ pushing
fuzz. The '51 has coil splitting built in, so I demo it with the
bridge humbucker and the split out single coil. For the second set
of audio samples I use the same chain, except I swap out the guitar
to my Epiphone Korina G-400. The more I play that guitar the more I
like it and want to re-wire it. I am jut not entirely happy with
the pick ups. For the other sound samples, I have no Idea what all
was used because I forgot to write it down (insert smiley face
here, ha ha ha). I know my TS9 and my Demeter Tremulator made it
into the mix, but I am not really sure which guitars we used. Last
thing is if you have bee following my social media, you probably
know that I am a fan of the Movie Sound City. If you have not seen
it yet, check it out. That movie really inspired me to push things
with my recording and I recorded a real guitar Amp in stead of
using a plug-in. I might never go back. I am finally getting the
sounds I have always wanted. Until next time... make some noise!