Boring/Technical FAQs

Q. I’m having trouble with the website/downloading songs/your RSS feed… can you help?

A. Sure! Just email me.

Q. What is RSS and why should I use it?

A. RSS is way to get regular updates from a site or service that regularly changes its content. It basically works by having a little document on my site, which is like a contents page in a book. Every time I add stuff, the contents page gets updated. Every time you start your browser or reader, it looks at the contents page and tells you if there’s anything that wasn’t there last time.

Q. How do I subscribe to your website’s RSS feed?

A. There’s an excellent if somewhat patronising video explaining it here. Clicking the “subscribe to feed” button usually does it…

The podcast has something similar, but you subscribe to that using something like iTunes, and iTunes handles all the tricky stuff.

Q. What guitar/amp do you use?

A. Live, I typically use a Fender Telecaster, and instead of using an amp I use a Zoom G2.1u effects unit as an amp sim, going straight into a DI box. Because I was tired of humping an amp. Around.

Q. What recording equipment do you use?

A. All kinds of stuff.

Q. What equipment should I get if I want to record myself?

A. Welll… minimal setup for me would be:

- Early 2007 Apple iMac running Garageband (or Logic Express)

- Focusrite Saffire LE firewire audio interface

- Rode NT1A large-diaphragm condenser microphone; this is a punchy-sounding mic and great for robust vocals

- Audio-technica 3035 large-diaphragm condenser microphone; this is a bit more delicate-sounding I reckon

- some headphones

Which would give me two simultaneous inputs for voice and guitar, say. There are lots and lots of options for a musician wanting to get a basic recording setup, particularly on the interface and the mic side. Try digital village, for example.

Q. What do you use to record the Answer Me This! podcast?

A. The above, plus

- SE1A small diaphragm condenser microphone

[nt1a on Olly, at3035 on Helen, SE1A on me]

- an EDIROL UA-5 audio interface as a mic preamp. There are better ways to do this - I just happened to have one of those lying around.

Helen edits the podcast in Logic Express or Garageband.

Q. What other recording equipment do you use?

A. Mainly

- An m-audio iControl control surface, very useful for mixing

- An SE Electronics SE Z5600a valve LDC. This is brilliant for vocals and bass, but a bit pricey.

- I have a matched pair of SE1As which I can use for stereo recording

- A lexicon mpx100 rack/outboard effects unit for putting reverb onto my vocal monitoring

- Stereo separates for listening to mixes and that. I should have proper monitors I suppose.

Also

- A shure SM57 which I hate

- A Behringer outboard compressor which I have literally never used

Q. Do you have loads of guitars and stuff?

A. Uh…

- A 2005 Fender Mexico Telecaster

- A 1980s Antoria Jazzstar electric acoustic

- A 2007 Gibson Les Paul Vintage Mahogany Studio

- A classical guitar I can’t remember the name of

- An Encore Precision bass guitar with the frets ripped out

But also

- A 1980s Aria bass guitar (with frets not ripped out)

- A 2006 Gretsch Electromatic Baritone guitar strung as a superbass (bass-E, bass-A, guitar-D, guitar-G, guitar-B, guitar-E)

- A 1990s Squier Stratocaster

- A parlor guitar from a local junkshop

Amp-wise, I use a Peavey Classic 30 valve amp for everything. I have a few effects like an EHX big muff pi and a holy grail, but they don’t get used much.

You don’t need all this stuff. I just like guitars. For drums, I have an electronic kit, and I have borrowed a friend’s electric piano for midi keyboard stuff

Q. Who designed this website?

A. Wordpress, Tarski, and me.