Freeborn Sound

I can’t say it enough:

I WILL NOT TAKE RESPONSIBILITY FOR ARCHIVING YOUR FILES!

Look, I’m really sorry. In the old days, studios had a closet where old tapes were stored. Typically, You’d buy blank tape (expensive!), make a record on it, mix it, and go. The finished tapes would be stuck on a shelf until you either forgot about it or came back a few months later for a sans-voice mix or a percussion mix, whereupon you’d pay an engineer to go find the tape and spool it up again for a remix. After a few years, the tape would have glued itself together, rendering its salvageability questionable at best.

These days, it’s DIFFERENT! Most likely, you’ve recorded in Pro Tools, the data are stored on hard disk, and when you go, the studio will reuse that hard disk because a hard disk’s quality (arguably) isn’t diminished over multiple record passes. What this means, is that if a studio were charged with archiving your files, it would wind up transferring your files to its pile of quickly deteriorating backup disks full of audio data whose significance may be great or small, and whose safety is simply not guaranteed. You’ll probably be busy with a thousand other things, as will I, and when you return months or years later, your data may or may not still be intact and usable. THIS NIGHTMARE SCENARIO IS SOOOOO EASILY AVOIDED!!!!!

Your work is probably important to you. It’s important to me, too, but bear in mind that while you make perhaps one or two CDs this year, I will make literally hundreds. I’d be delighted to have the luxury of worrying about the safety of your material, but I don’t. Before you come to record, buy yourself a hard disk. It can be USB, FireWire, SATA, or ATA; the format doesn’t matter. But let it be the disk for THIS project. C’Mon! A roll of 2 inch tape costs a couple of hundred! A hard disk costs maybe 50! Just buy it! Buy two! Are you crazy? I didn’t think so.

DON’T store your ripped movies on it. DON’T take it with you to Tenerifa. This is your project. EVERY DAY, remind me, in case I forget, that we need to make a BACKUP. NOW! In fact, I won’t be annoyed if you tell me to make a backup when we take a lunch break. Not at all. And when we’re all done, take that disk with you, and store it safely. That way, you KNOW that your data are safe. In fact, I’d recommend making an additional copy (or two), just to be sure. Then, in the years to follow, CHECK THAT DISK at regular intervals, just to be sure that it’s still OK. Should you have concerns, just make another copy. It’s so easy.

That’s the world we live in.

Peace out.

Dear Mott- uh, Mutt (and his legendary the Hoople, probably)…

Well. 2012.

So much to report, so long since my last confession, that I’ve forgotten the worst of my sins by now. Let’s attempt a quick rundown of 2011:

Katja Werker‘s album, “Neuland” is out and absolutely stunning, recorded last winter here at FSS. Sunshine‘s “Karmageddon” is also available through Universal (CZ). They’ve done vocals, guitar and bass here for their last couple of albums, and I couldn’t be more pleased. I first recorded an EP for them way back in 1994 or so, and they’re great old friends as well as deeply inspiring performers. (Shout out right here to Dušan!!!) Mary Ocher‘s “War Songs” is on Haute Areal, I’m also very proud to have recorded it. Mary plays around Berlin quite a lot. GO SEE HER! Modern Earl‘s “Inlaws and Outlaws” can be found at their shows as well as all the usual outlets. There’s a couple of great videos from the album on Yooootooob, including this one, which shows lots of shots made here in the studio during the album sessions. K.C. McKanzie‘s latest album is not yet out, but before going back to develop it some more, they recorded tons of material here; keep your eyes peeled for it. Andreas Marschall‘s feature film “Masks,” for which I did the sound design, has been winning prizes at festivals around the world; it will have a general release in the Fall but in the meantime check its Facebook page. Piarango‘s album is out, and available also on Ramen Music (what an idea!), and also do check this video by Sky Histoire- I think from recording to pressed vinyl, the project transpired in record time- just a couple of weeks, during which time I also served as camera dolly- driver  on the ALL BICYCLE video shoot which took place one freezing dawn on the Templehof Airfield here in Berlin. PLUS, Formalin, Tim McMillan and Erik & Me have done works here for release in the near future, as well as many, many, many others that came through in 2011. Ah, I almost forgot: occasionally, FSS is repurposed as a rehearsal room; in 2011 I’ve had the privilege to welcome Gentleman, Patrice, Cassandra Steen, and Jahkustix, among others for tour preparations, and am very pleased to call them all my friends. ‘Nuff Respekt!!!

AND: The newest member of our team, meet FSS’ new project coordinator, PAMINA:

Dear Tom,

Hey, do you happen to have seen Lu Edmonds lately? If you see him, would you tell him to get in touch? I don’t think I’ve got his number any more, and I was thinking about him today, ‘cuz I happened to look into a shop in Kreuzberg where they’ve got a Sasz for sale that’s, I think,  just like the one he had along on the Babar Luck tour a couple of years ago. Hey, anyone seen Babar lately?

This Sasz- if I were rich I’d buy it right now- a gorgeous instrument- and either keep it for myself or send it to Lu as a second axe; you never can have too many. If I remember correctly Lu got his for something ridiculous like 50 DM, and those days are gone. Still, this one seems like a decent deal, and there’s nothing in the world like a nice electric sasz. Back when I was recording Babar Luck, there were a couple of songs that just cried out for it; I think they didn’t make it onto the album for lack of a Lu at the time. 

Actually it’s a bit odd that this studio is in a Turkish neighborhood and I very much enjoy good relations with many of my Turkish neighbors, but although there are many excellent sasz players around, I STILL haven’t recorded any. What’s wrong with me? I’ll have to see about that.

Always a pleasure writing to you,

Phil