The Steel Guitar Forum

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Very Nice. Great tone, intonation and technique. Again proves a 6 string is more than adequate if you know how to play it, and you do!

Doug, you inspired me to get out my lap steel and little microcube amp today. A nice change of pace from my E9 studies. I Love the tone your gettin with that Stringmaster.

Most excellent, Doug!

How about some TAB, as a premature christmas gift?

Hey Doug, I like that sound!
Reminicent of the Lawrence Welk days.
You are making good use of that Fender.

Roy

Hey Doug:

In what state is the non-pedal tab book? We await somewhat impatiently.....if it is just 1/2 as good as the 60 song pedal steel book, it will be great.

Thanks,

Ben

Thanks for all the kind comments! I appreciate it.

Ben, thanks for asking about my C6 song book/CD: 25 songs. I'm still working on it! It's taking longer than I thought it would. I was hoping to have it ready for December, but it looks like it will be January. I'll post an announcement here on the Forum when it's ready.

I'll buy it!

Great job Doug..... thanks.... your backing tracks really sound good.... Can you pass on some info on how you prepare your backing tracks??? Maybe in the Bib section. Lee

Keep on teasin' and pleasin'.
Count me in for one.
I just really appreciate getting to hear this kind of music. Keep'em coming.
Thank you again.

Doug,
I think that I have a copy of that same sheet music in my collection someplace.

Thanks for all the positive replies, guys!

Lee, the backing is BIAB, mostly bass and drums (brushes). I usually mix the other BIAB instruments (piano, guitar) way back because they don't sound as "real" as the bass and drums IMO. On this song I recorded two rhythm guitar tracks on Stratocaster, but I ended up mixing those way back too. I like to feature the steel guitar. Rhythm instruments mixed too loud obscure the steel guitar, in my opinion.
This track has some stops, pauses, ritard ending, etc. That's fun to do on BIAB. After the track is imported to a recording program it can be edited if necessary, lengthen or shorten pauses in the track, etc.

Man, that sounds good! Did you record the steel direct?

Doug, that was great. You got the perfect, medium swinging tempo and everything lays in there sweet & easy. Thanks for the trip!

John D. Carter wrote:Again proves a 6 string is more than adequate if you know how to play it, and you do!

Hear, hear. Nice, tasteful, effortless-sounding. I also like how you don't turn down the treble, Doug. There's just enough sparkle to let the pickup show off its character.

Thanks again for the positive comments!

About my recording setup: I record direct, no amp, no volume pedal (on this song). I do use a volume pedal to record slower songs, and always when playing live.

Some of the clarity in the steel guitar is because of the guitar itself: '56 Fender Stringmaster, and some might be due to the Sarno Black Box (tube filter) I use for recording.

Here’s my chain:

Steel guitar ---> Black Box ---> Holy Grail Plus reverb ---> into the computer

That's really decent, Doug.
Do you play Blue Christmas? Buddy Emmons has a good "cut" on his Christmas CD.

That's really decent, Doug.
Do you play Blue Christmas?

Thanks Rick, Yes, "Blue Christmas" will be in my lap steel song book... ..now it's back to work!

Bump-- for the season before it gets lost.

Thanks for the bump, John!

I think I am going to have to break down and buy a BIAB or Band In A Box to get some back up. I have tried recording through my video camera but it sounds like I am playing into a tin can.

I have been asked about two dozen times to record Maria Elena but I need something like Doug's set up to get any sort of quality.

You are doing great Doug and I hope you don't mind me stealing your material for my easy listening time in the vehicle.

It sure would be beautiful to have my babe back to share this music with.

All that backing is from BIAB??? Pretty impressive....

How long does it typically take you to put together the backing track Doug?

(I may have to invest in BIAB after I learn to play!)

Another beautiful recording Doug!

Fabulous playing, Doug.

I hope you don't get tired of compliments. I really respect your musicianship and artistry.

Thank you, Andrew. I appreciate your kind words.

Dianne, yes it's mostly BIAB, except I added some rhythm guitar. People complain a lot about BIAB and it's cheesy sounds, but the bass and drum sounds are pretty good. I mix the other instruments way back so they are barely heard, if heard at all (piano, guitar, strings). Recently I started adding rhythm guitar (chords) to my tracks using a Stratocaster, and that gives the track a more "real" sound IMO. With BIAB you can put together a backing track in about 5 minutes, but this one took longer because of the ritard on the end and the stops at the end of the choruses. I make a WAV file of the BIAB track and import it to Audacity, then add rhythm guitar and steel. The entire recording, steel, mixing, etc. takes several hours... more than I care to admit!

Les, thanks again for your positive comments. Yes, you should check out band-in-a-box. It's a great practice tool, and it's okay for recording if you choose the right "style", the right instrument voices, and pay close attention to the mixing.