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-   -   Enjoying the Spire Studio (https://www.acousticguitarforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=502715)

jjbigfly 03-08-2019 08:38 AM

Hope this could be useful.....love the Spire, but always getting that “boomy” effect from the room acoustics. Half way up the stairway on the left seems to be best for keeping it under control 🤪. But we move it all over the room looking for a solution. Note that we are playing thru a PA. I had read an article about room acoustics and using sound deadening panels, covering the windows and so on.
Well, while shaking my head at the possibility of ever being able to understand what sound engineers are talking about I must have caused two brain cells to collide and make a spark.
A 2’ square of bubble wrap and a couple pieces of tape later....we fashioned a little igloo and placed the spire inside with the mic right at the entrance. The room pretty much went away. Have not tried different locations or materials, but it’s coming.
If any of this works for you please send me a Taylor 814 (prefer a shiny new one if you don’t mind) in exchange for the technology licensing.
Please let me know if you try this and if it worked for you.

Captain Jim 03-19-2019 05:15 PM

I got together with a friend this last weekend; he and I played a duo during the 70s. He is an outstanding keyboard player. I set up my Spire Studio just to have a memory of our get-together. He was impressed with it and ordered his own!

Even though we will be about 1,300 miles apart when I get back home, we may still be able to work on some music projects together by sending these Spire Studio files back and forth - I'm looking forward to it!

JakeStone 03-20-2019 07:12 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jjbigfly (Post 6000624)
Have not tried different locations or materials, but it’s coming.

Please let me know if you try this and if it worked for you.

Moving blankets work well and are under $10 each .. Then look for some "Tarp Clips" that attach to the blanket and then use 3M plastic hooks, So it is super easy to take them down... I use these to cover my windows in my room.

Tarp clips
https://www.harborfreight.com/multip...SABEgJmbPD_BwE

Captain Jim 03-20-2019 03:22 PM

I mentioned earlier that I had recorded a few songs when my keyboard playing friend and I got together this past weekend. We didn't set up mics, so I wasn't expecting much... I just plopped the Spire Studio on the table and we played. Today, I had some time, and recorded another (nylon) guitar track and a vocal track. In our motorhome. Certainly not the best situation for recording, but my wife was out running errands, so there was some "quiet time." Well, except for the occasional motorhome or diesel pickup driving by, or the air conditioner turning on. It is warm today in the Valley of the Sun - I did turn the a/c off long enough to use the onboard condenser mic for a track. Whew!



The recording wasn't originally planned, I just wanted a reminder of getting together.

Captain Jim 03-24-2019 09:08 PM

I got together again with my keyboard playing friend... and his new Spire Studio. I gave him a few tips on using it, but, truly, it is so intuitive that it is fun to use. We are looking forward to sending files/tracks back and forth... we'll be leaving the area in a week, and our home is 1,300 miles away. The Spire will allow us to work together on projects. I am pumped. :)

I had hoped to get a vocal track down on one song we recorded yesterday, but ran out of time... and quiet. Maybe in the next couple days; seems there is a lot to get in with the short time we have left here.

Captain Jim 03-27-2019 09:57 PM

One last time together today with my keyboard playing buddy. We recorded a few tracks on the Spire Studio, with a plan to take that home with me, add a bass and percussion track, and then send it back to my friend so he can add another enhanced keyboard track with a synth he has ordered.

With that done, we all sat down for lunch, then Mark and I just happily made music. My wife asked if we'd learn the song Shallow (Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper); we downloaded lyrics and did a first raw run-through on it...



If the embedded file doesn't work: https://youtu.be/v_icCgD2rH0

So, not on the Spire (but we'll probably get to that down the road), this was just shot with my wife's iPhone. Not great lighting or audio, but she appreciates having the memory.

Our time here is getting short, but I'm looking forward to getting home and having a space for recording.

Captain Jim 03-29-2019 04:26 PM

We were able to put down a scratch track with the piano when Mark and I got together on Wednesday. This is the first opportunity I've had to do anything with it...



The motorhome is a noisy place to try to add any other tracks. When we get home (in 10 days or so), I'll have Mark send me another piano track (with no vocal bleeding onto it), and get something a bit more polished. In the meantime, this is my first try at playing harmonica. :D Heck, we might even update the photo.

Captain Jim 04-11-2019 12:15 PM

We are getting settled in at home once again; plenty going on, so I haven't had time to do any recording. My music partner (keyboards) just got a new synthesizer/keyboard and is excited about collaborating on some Spire Studio recordings.

To get things going today, I sent him a Spire song that I had already recorded... 7 tracks on that song, so I am a bit of a "track hog," leaving him one to record on his Spire. Mostly, I wanted to get a feel for how to get the files to him and how much space it takes. As we get into this further, I'm sure we will talk about how to divide up the tracks, based on what any given song needs.

Since he and I live about 1,300 miles apart, this looks to be a good way to keep duo projects going.

Captain Jim 04-11-2019 05:26 PM

Another Spire Studio recording. I did 5 tracks (guitar, 2 vocal, bass, drums) of the song Shallow (at my wife's request), and will wait to see what Mark does with that when he adds keyboard and synth...


Gordon Currie 04-11-2019 05:40 PM

I recently purchased a Spire.

Things I like:
-high quality preamps
-easy to just press record and go
-easy to overdub tracks quickly

Things I'm not wild about:
-you need a modern iPhone or iPad to do anything very useful
-exporting tracks to a desktop DAW is far more painful than it needs to be
-why didn't they include a USB port?
-software is clunky for 2019
-the level check feature does not seem to work well going direct

I see it as one big step up from a Zoom-type recorder in that you can do a modest amount of overdubs. For many of us, this feature is worth it.

I purchased it so I could capture ideas, and even multiple tracks, for moving into a DAW. For that it looks like it's a keeper.

Captain Jim 04-13-2019 05:39 PM

Our first shot at recording and swapping "long distance." I had a completed mix on this that I sent to my friend Mark so he could add a piano track. He did his part and sent it back to me; remixed, and here it is...



Next up will be starting from scratch on a project, with each of us adding tracks.

Captain Jim 04-17-2019 10:33 AM

Our first "from scratch" long distance recording with the Spire Studio - I sent guitar, bass, drum, and vocals to Mark; he added a piano track and synthesizer (strings) track and sent it back to me. A quick re-mix and...


Captain Jim 05-02-2019 11:33 AM

I had hip surgery done 5 days ago - that certainly limits what music I can be making, but I got tracks back from my friend and music partner for some tracks I started before the surgery. A cover of the Billy Joel song, "It's Still Rock 'n Roll to Me"...



Not quite as comfortable as mixing in my guitar room, but this is what it is...

https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-rL8fyiXuJ.../JimMixing.jpg

Captain Jim 05-14-2019 07:26 PM

The PT and recovery from the hip surgery has taken most of my time the past 2 1/2 weeks. My friend and music partner wanted to try some horn tracks with a new synthesizer he bought, and I suggested an old favorite of mine, Tower of Power's Down to the Nightclub.

I put down guitar, bass, drum, and vocal tracks, then sent the Spire Studio files to Mark. He added electric piano, synthesizer keyboard, and horns.

Here's our latest...


RonDaur 05-14-2019 09:06 PM

I've had a spire for about 6 months and love the simplicity and speed of use. I've also enjoyed reading thru the comments on this thread. Wondering if anyone has used a high end condenser recording mic with the Spire for vocals/ acoustic guitar? If so, is there a big difference in the recorded audio quality over using the internal mic and/or a decent mic like the Shure SM57? I realize it is subjective to the listener but I thought someone may have some insight. Thanks in advance.


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