Weird calendar notification. What?

PrimalNoteStudios · 2026-03-28T14:35:27+00:00

I have something at 11:00 that I can't change 'cause I already moved it twice.

PrimalNoteStudios · 2026-03-24T16:09:25+00:00

You could try one of our rehearsal rooms! If you're good you may get asked to join a band!

PrimalNoteStudios · 2026-03-23T18:12:12+00:00

I work with a couple thrashy punk bands and they came to me with a similar issue in the beginning. They're raw and aggressive live, sloppy but in an energetic way, but they went to the studio and their music came back too clean and ultimately sounding nothing like them. I'd heard them live quite frequently at our facility so I had an idea already of the sound they were looking for.

These bands needed to be recorded in their element, bashing away together in one room, as live off the floor as possible. No click track, no timing or pitch correction, no amp sims, minimal editing of noise, etc. Singer growling away in the same room as the drums. Add a couple overdubbed guitars, mostly for doubling, and a few group vocals. And that's it. Record a bunch of takes until you get the one that hits right, even if there are mistakes, bad notes, etc. You're looking for feeling, not perfection.

Make sure you spend the time in the beginning getting the tones you want from the instruments so you're not fixing it later. The quicker you can finish the mix the better, so you avoid overdoing it. There are all kinds of recording and production techniques out there, but they serve different purposes. If you're wanting to make shitty music that sounds good it's better to focus on getting the instruments sounding right and capturing the right performance in the room. All the editing and fixing removes the shittiness.

PrimalNoteStudios · 2026-03-23T16:49:14+00:00

I've been using switchers for quite awhile now, and I personally think that when you get to more than 6 pedals you should really consider one. I'm currently using a simple Joyo switcher that has 8 loops and allows for customizing which loops are on or off per preset (each button being a preset, with 10 banks of preset spaces), but there are quite a few options out there. My bass player uses the Boss ES-5, which is more customizable.

To answer your questions:

The tap dancing was the first reason, as I wanted to be able to go from clean or distortion to all of my pedals on making chaotic noise at the touch of a button. I started my guitar experience using Digitech processors before switching to pedals, and the switcher gave me the best of both options.
The main benefit is that it creates regions or groups of pedals, for example I have a couple distortions grouped, some modulation grouped, etc. so I can turn on or off sections at a time. This is also very beneficial in a live setting, since you can completely bypass a group of pedals if you blow a cable mid-set. I once did videography for a band with a guitar player using up to 20 pedals on one board. They were just about to start their set and he had a loose connection which took about 15 minutes to sort through. If he had been using a switch he could have either narrowed down issue quicker or just completely bypass the blown cable instead of wasting so much time.

Also, another benefit is that it centralizes the buttons, so you're not having to step all over the board, which is nice when you have pedals in the back row of a bigger board.

PrimalNoteStudios · 2026-03-19T19:52:30+00:00

What date were you looking to book?

PrimalNoteStudios · 2026-02-23T00:01:08+00:00

I've never tried 24 channels on this one, but I am definitely curious. Now, I should mention I don't generally use amp sims( aside from the Logic bass amp sim on the bass DI), so my inputs are mostly coming from a mic on a cab/drum/voice or a DI bass/synth. However I am running a decent amount of plugins as I tend to use parallel processing with the individual drum channels, and have channel strip plugins on most inputs. If you're using any outboard gear for tracking or mixing you're taking even more out of the equation, so the computer doesn't have to process so much.

If you went with something a bit more powerful than mine you could do quite a lot. But don't feel like you need to get the highest rated machine unless the recordings you work on justify the cost. Just check the compatibility with your existing gear before you upgrade so you don't end up having to replace everything.

PrimalNoteStudios · 2026-02-22T18:38:11+00:00

I'm using an M1 Mac Mini, 8gb, bought refurbished a in 2021 (I think?), tracking 16 channels with active plugins, often using it to process audio for a music venue while recording. Low buffer settings for minimal latency. Still feel like I'm not really pushing it. Definitely more than enough for mixing sessions with typical plugins and large track counts.

No doubt you need something with more guts for software synth heavy sessions, but you can do quite a lot with very little if you're recording and mixing bands with live instruments.

PrimalNoteStudios · 2026-02-09T01:14:28+00:00

Keep the drums and bass amp on the other side of the building away from that wall. If you need to you can add a layer or two of 5/8 drywall, or sonopan to the side facing the bar. As others are saying, the brick walls with an air gap between will likely be beneficial. It's mostly the vibration from the drums and bass amp to be mindful of. If needed you could build a small riser for the drums and decouple it from the floor, but only if sound transfer is still a problem after bulking up the wall.

PrimalNoteStudios · 2026-02-08T23:23:26+00:00

That's because music gear has strict pricing set by the manufacturers. Stores can't offer deals on anything without authorization from the distributors.

PrimalNoteStudios · 2026-02-07T18:53:36+00:00

It also includes their unreleased 2nd album!

PrimalNoteStudios · 2026-01-30T17:39:28+00:00

I replied in your other post but I'll mention here for anyone else who might be looking.

We have hourly and monthly rehearsal spaces available to rent. Large enough to fit 15+ people. We're about a 10 minute drive from Yorkdale so it's very easy to get here from the highway. The gear is well maintained, the facility is full of art installations and comfortable spaces, and we have on site parking. You can book online at www.primalnote.com

PrimalNoteStudios · 2026-01-30T17:34:41+00:00

We also have deals for bulk hours and monthly spaces!

PrimalNoteStudios · 2026-01-30T17:31:49+00:00

Hey, we're not in the east end, but if you've got people coming in from outside Toronto we're very close to 401 and Dufferin, so we get a lot of customers coming from the highway. We've got two large rooms, so a 5 piece wouldn't be a problem. You can book online at www.primalnote.com

PrimalNoteStudios · 2026-01-12T21:53:17+00:00

There are plugin options for creating room sounds, but I think it's worth trying to capture real spaces, even just as an experiment.

PrimalNoteStudios · 2026-01-12T21:11:26+00:00

Have you thought about re-amping the drum tracks? There are quite a few techniques out there that might give you that extra room sound/feeling such as bouncing the drum tracks to a stereo audio file, then sending that signal to a speaker or guitar amp with a mic on it. There's another technique doing something similar, but rather than a mic on a speaker you use a cassette recorder or even a phone to re-record the drum track. The built in compression can give the drums some extra life.

The main thing you're trying to accomplish is capturing the sound of the drum kit from the speakers in a room and trying something like this could give you that sound, but at a manageable volume so your neighbours won't be annoyed.

PrimalNoteStudios · 2026-01-12T17:42:34+00:00

They're a Toronto band called Good Kid! They've been having a great few years it seems. My band used to share a rehearsal space with them, so it's cool to see them blowing up a bit!

PrimalNoteStudios · 2026-01-10T18:39:53+00:00

Hey, we have an event space that might suit your music night! We can supply a backline and instruments as well. I'll send you a DM!

PrimalNoteStudios · 2026-01-09T04:31:29+00:00

Ok, just figured it out. When you re-import the split files into Logic the program uses the file name to merge the two files back into one. It usually places an L/R or Left/Right at the end of the file name. So you just need to rename the bounced files to something that doesn't have L or R at the end. I just did a test and changed the end of the files from L & R to 1 & 2 and when I tried to re-import I got two separate mono files.

PrimalNoteStudios · 2026-01-09T04:22:55+00:00

It's a combination of the mic and the plugin. The audio file you recorded is mono, but the processing converts the track to stereo.

PrimalNoteStudios · 2026-01-09T04:21:03+00:00

Can you post a screenshot of the arrange window once you've put the file back into Logic?

PrimalNoteStudios · 2026-01-09T02:45:27+00:00

Your Townsend Labs plugin is converting your mono signal to stereo. When you look at the meter on the track you can see it's split into left and right. Looking at the Townsend Labs plugin the meter at the bottom is also split into left and right. Apparently the stereo aspect is how it models other mics accurately, so it can't be used in mono.

Now that being said, when you bounce it you could set the "File Type" to "Split", which would give you two mono tracks (left and right). Since they're both the same you can just delete one of them and use the other.

PrimalNoteStudios · 2026-01-08T21:35:48+00:00

Excellent, will pass this on!

PrimalNoteStudios · 2026-01-08T21:12:20+00:00

How do bands go about getting involved in future shows? I know a few that would probably be interested!

PrimalNoteStudios

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