Rob Schnapf - Page 3

rob S · 7th December 2006

Quote:

Originally Posted by MikeK

rob-

like others in the thread, i'm a huge admirer of XO. i think it contains some of the best recordings of acoustic guitar that i've heard. tomorrow tomorrow in particular always stands out to me. it's hard for me to decipher how many guitar tracks there are. elliott was clearly a sicko guitarist....do you remember the setups for that song? did you use the technique you described earlier with two performances panned l/r? also, do you know if elliott used an alternative tuning on that one? song is almost 10 years old and it still baffles me.

i don't remember it being an alternate tuning.
i had set up my 12st as a high strung with the exception of leaving the unison B and E strings on it thus making it a weird 8 string.
so thats how you get that real close voiced finger picking thing going on.
the low strings are actually the octave strings.
thats about all i can remember.
if memory serves me right, it wasn't a live vocal.
that one was pretty amazing though.
once elliott got on the high strung the song came rushing out of him.
we blasted it down pretty quickly and built up all those harmonies.
it was a cool ride.

juneaudio · 9th December 2006

bump

i just cant get enough of rob

paterno · 9th December 2006

Quote:

Originally Posted by juneaudio

bump

i just cant get enough of rob

Just don't try to stump him with 'one hit wonders' of the '70's....

JP

rob S · 9th December 2006

Quote:

Originally Posted by juneaudio

bump

i just cant get enough of rob

i'm all yours baby.
who's your daddy.

rob S · 9th December 2006

Quote:

Originally Posted by paterno

Just don't try to stump him with 'one hit wonders' of the '70's....

JP

is that a threat?

studjo · 9th December 2006

not yet but perhaps we should have one?

Jo

rob S · 9th December 2006

i know what you're thinking.
the first answer is Pilot.
so there.

thenoiseflower · 9th December 2006

rob S · 10th December 2006

Quote:

Originally Posted by juneaudio

bump

i just cant get enough of rob

time to update you profile.
UTAH man.

MJGreene Audio · 11th December 2006

Quote:

Originally Posted by rob S

time to update you profile.
UTAH man.

He can't quite come to grips with UTAH yet. He is still living in LA LA Land!!!

paterno · 11th December 2006

Quote:

Originally Posted by rob S

i know what you're thinking.
the first answer is Pilot.
so there.

too easy!! There's no way I'd insult you with that one...

JP

I was thinking more along the lines of -- who did 'Vehicle'...

rob S · 11th December 2006

wasn't that the guy who was also in survivor?
what was his name?
arrrghh

Quote:

Originally Posted by paterno

too easy!! There's no way I'd insult you with that one...

JP

I was thinking more along the lines of -- who did 'Vehicle'...

pgk · 11th December 2006

I was thinking more along the lines of -- who did 'Vehicle'...

hmmm, The Ides Of March?

Jules · 11th December 2006

Elliot seemed like a one man "Simon & Garfunkle" to me (and I mean that in a warm complimentary way)

Were his songs always incomplete untill his harmonies were put on them?

Do you think he WROTE them with harmonies in mind?

Tell us about the harmonies Uncle Rob!

rob S · 11th December 2006

gather round children and i'll tell you a little story.......
i don't think the songs were written as vehicles for
doing harmonies if thats what you're asking.
the words were first and foremost.
and the songs could/did exist perfectly well as
acoustic gtr vocal.
the narrative was strong.
some songs were well sketched out in advance harmony wise.
others he'd send out the probe.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jules

Elliot seemed like a one man "Simon & Garfunkle" to me (and I mean that in a warm complimentary way)

Were his songs always incomplete untill his harmonies were put on them?

Do you think he WROTE them with harmonies in mind?

Tell us about the harmonies Uncle Rob!

jacob eli · 12th December 2006

Hi Rob,

I'm a big fan of your work. My brother is good friends with Kevin Devine and I have gotten to know him a bit too. I'm just curious to know anything about the equipment used for the recording of his latest record.

Did he track everything live?

What did you use for drum mics? pres?

Any info would be really great.

Thanks a lot

Jake

rob S · 12th December 2006

kevin was tracked at sunset sound studio three which has an API dimedeo console.
it has the sunset custom micpre's.
it was basically live. kept the bass and drums.
overdubbed everything else.
overdubs and mix were at sunsetsound factory B.
hotrdded customized API.

Quote:

Originally Posted by jacob eli

Hi Rob,

I'm a big fan of your work. My brother is good friends with Kevin Devine and I have gotten to know him a bit too. I'm just curious to know anything about the equipment used for the recording of his latest record.

Did he track everything live?

What did you use for drum mics? pres?

Any info would be really great.

Thanks a lot

Jake

jebjerome · 14th December 2006

Hey Rob-

Thanks for your contribution here. You've done some great work. Just curious- are you still using the OSA pres for overheads? Do you use them for much else?

I find the L3 a little dark and big in the lows, good for bass, baritone guitar among lots of other stuff.

guttapercha · 14th December 2006

Man, I've been frequenting the board for DAW setup help lately, and certainly never expected to see something even remotely as cool as this. I also can be counted in the throng of XO/Fig8 fans - big time.

Something that I have been very curious about is whether or not there was pitch correction on any of ES's albums. His pitch was so much better on studio albums than live, that I simply had to ask. My gut feeling is that he did not, and that his better pitch was probably a function of his relative sobriety. Sometimes though, it was just so 'on' - in a JT or S&G kind of way, that I almost can't believe my ears.

All the best,

JD

Jules · 14th December 2006

Quote:

Originally Posted by rob S

gather round children and i'll tell you a little story.......
i don't think the songs were written as vehicles for
doing harmonies if thats what you're asking.
the words were first and foremost.
and the songs could/did exist perfectly well as
acoustic gtr vocal.
the narrative was strong.
some songs were well sketched out in advance harmony wise.
others he'd send out the probe.

Cool.. thanks...

"send out the probe"

Das funny..

rob S · 15th December 2006

Quote:

Originally Posted by jebjerome

Hey Rob-

Thanks for your contribution here. You've done some great work. Just curious- are you still using the OSA pres for overheads? Do you use them for much else?

I find the L3 a little dark and big in the lows, good for bass, baritone guitar among lots of other stuff.

use 'em on kick and snare alot(always).
never used them on o/h's.

rob S · 15th December 2006

no pitch correction what so ever.
just old school punching and comping.

Quote:

Originally Posted by guttapercha

Man, I've been frequenting the board for DAW setup help lately, and certainly never expected to see something even remotely as cool as this. I also can be counted in the throng of XO/Fig8 fans - big time.

Something that I have been very curious about is whether or not there was pitch correction on any of ES's albums. His pitch was so much better on studio albums than live, that I simply had to ask. My gut feeling is that he did not, and that his better pitch was probably a function of his relative sobriety. Sometimes though, it was just so 'on' - in a JT or S&G kind of way, that I almost can't believe my ears.

All the best,

JD

rob S · 18th January 2007

what ever happened to john woram?

max cooper · 18th January 2007

Quote:

Originally Posted by rob S

no pitch correction what so ever.
just old school punching and comping.

This makes me happy, although I kinda woulda guessed.

Any chance you wanna talk about "Winning Days"?

I really like the sound of that record.

Could you comment on how fleshed out the arrangements were before recording?

rob S · 19th January 2007

you have a specific thing you want to know maybe i could remember.
instrumentation wise it wasn't that fleshed out.
the basic dong forms were fleshed out in preproduction, the rest took place in the studio.
i really like the song winning days.
it was almost on the first record but we couldn't agree on the arrangement.
i was holding out for what turned into its current form while craig had some other idea.
he was very attached to the demo arrangement but it seemed to sell the song short.
originally it went from the acoustic intro verse straight to a guitar solo.

Any chance you wanna talk about "Winning Days"?

I really like the sound of that record.

Could you comment on how fleshed out the arrangements were before recording?

starcrash13 · 19th January 2007

Quote:

the basic dong forms were fleshed out in preproduction

As they should be. It's never to soon to get your dongs fleshed out.

Your typo made me laugh uncontrollably like a fourth grader.

kieran kelly · 19th January 2007

Quote:

Originally Posted by starcrash13

As they should be. It's never to soon to get your dongs fleshed out.

Your typo made me laugh uncontrollably like a fourth grader.

YOu should not make fun Rob could Be a potential client at your studio

http://gearslutz.com/board/images/smilies/wiggle2.gif

Seriously ... Rob thanks so much for posting ... Love your style

starcrash13 · 19th January 2007

Quote:

YOu should not make fun Rob could Be a potential client at your studio

Uhhh...why is he producing films now?

Come on, you have to admit that it was a funny typo. I meant no offense to Rob personally. I love those Elliot Smith albums and, judging from some of his posts in this thread, he has a good sense of humor.

rob S · 19th January 2007

aren't you supposed to have fleshed out dongs?
i was off by one letter.
details details

Quote:

Originally Posted by starcrash13

Uhhh...why is he producing films now?

Come on, you have to admit that it was a funny typo. I meant no offense to Rob personally. I love those Elliot Smith albums and, judging from some of his posts in this thread, he has a good sense of humor.

max cooper · 19th January 2007

Sometimes when I hear a record that's as well conceived as Winning Days, I wonder how close the finished songs are to what was originally written.

As I think everyone knows, some songwriters come in with chords and words on a napkin and some come in with pretty complete home demos.

You know, just trying to get an idea of the band's working process.

"Rainfall" is such a great arrangement, especially in the way the drums come and go during the first half. (really nice tom sounds btw.

)

Also, wondering how much layering you do as far as guitars go. Lately I've been tending to let one guitar cover a line whereas I would have layered more in the past.

I like the openness in the middle of the mix, too. Overall, the record has a good amount of breathing room. I think anyone making modern rock records could use a listen to this.

Hey, it sounds loud enough and is a pleasure to listen to. Guess they don't have to be mutually exclusive.

9th December 2006	#68
thenoiseflower Lives for gear Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: Boston Posts: 1,424	haha

11th December 2006	#74
Jules Gearslutz.com admin Join Date: Apr 2002 Location: A Yank in London, UK Posts: 17,356 1 Review written	Elliot seemed like a one man "Simon & Garfunkle" to me (and I mean that in a warm complimentary way) Were his songs always incomplete untill his harmonies were put on them? Do you think he WROTE them with harmonies in mind? Tell us about the harmonies Uncle Rob! Attached Thumbnails __________________ Jules Add your reviews to the new reviews area! Gearslutz on Facebook Follow my GS picks on Twitter

14th December 2006	#79
guttapercha Gear Head Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Eastern WA Posts: 37	I'm so glad that I stumbled on this thread! Man, I've been frequenting the board for DAW setup help lately, and certainly never expected to see something even remotely as cool as this. I also can be counted in the throng of XO/Fig8 fans - big time. Something that I have been very curious about is whether or not there was pitch correction on any of ES's albums. His pitch was so much better on studio albums than live, that I simply had to ask. My gut feeling is that he did not, and that his better pitch was probably a function of his relative sobriety. Sometimes though, it was just so 'on' - in a JT or S&G kind of way, that I almost can't believe my ears. All the best, JD

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9th December 2006	#62
juneaudio Gear maniac Join Date: Mar 2003 Posts: 208	bump i just cant get enough of rob

9th December 2006	#66
studjo Lives for gear Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: Switzerland Posts: 2,399	not yet but perhaps we should have one? Jo

9th December 2006	#67
rob S Lives for gear Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: silverlake Posts: 1,181	i know what you're thinking. the first answer is Pilot. so there.

11th December 2006	#73
pgk Gear nut Join Date: Jul 2004 Posts: 112	I was thinking more along the lines of -- who did 'Vehicle'... hmmm, The Ides Of March?

12th December 2006	#76
jacob eli Gear nut Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: New Haven, CT Posts: 114	Hi Rob, I'm a big fan of your work. My brother is good friends with Kevin Devine and I have gotten to know him a bit too. I'm just curious to know anything about the equipment used for the recording of his latest record. Did he track everything live? What did you use for drum mics? pres? Any info would be really great. Thanks a lot Jake

14th December 2006	#78
jebjerome Gear addict Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: Easy Bay, California Posts: 473	Hey Rob- Thanks for your contribution here. You've done some great work. Just curious- are you still using the OSA pres for overheads? Do you use them for much else? I find the L3 a little dark and big in the lows, good for bass, baritone guitar among lots of other stuff.

18th January 2007	#83
rob S Lives for gear Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: silverlake Posts: 1,181	what ever happened to john woram?

19th January 2007	#85
rob S Lives for gear Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: silverlake Posts: 1,181	you have a specific thing you want to know maybe i could remember. instrumentation wise it wasn't that fleshed out. the basic dong forms were fleshed out in preproduction, the rest took place in the studio. i really like the song winning days. it was almost on the first record but we couldn't agree on the arrangement. i was holding out for what turned into its current form while craig had some other idea. he was very attached to the demo arrangement but it seemed to sell the song short. originally it went from the acoustic intro verse straight to a guitar solo. Any chance you wanna talk about "Winning Days"? I really like the sound of that record. Could you comment on how fleshed out the arrangements were before recording?

19th January 2007	#90
max cooper Lives for gear Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: tx Posts: 8,802 Thread Starter	Sometimes when I hear a record that's as well conceived as Winning Days, I wonder how close the finished songs are to what was originally written. As I think everyone knows, some songwriters come in with chords and words on a napkin and some come in with pretty complete home demos. You know, just trying to get an idea of the band's working process. "Rainfall" is such a great arrangement, especially in the way the drums come and go during the first half. (really nice tom sounds btw. ) Also, wondering how much layering you do as far as guitars go. Lately I've been tending to let one guitar cover a line whereas I would have layered more in the past. I like the openness in the middle of the mix, too. Overall, the record has a good amount of breathing room. I think anyone making modern rock records could use a listen to this. Hey, it sounds loud enough and is a pleasure to listen to. Guess they don't have to be mutually exclusive.