Cat Stevens is Back, With a New Name and a New CD

B. Thomas Cooper - Editor

Sound and Recording - blogment -
National News wire - The Infinite Echo

The Artist formerly known as Cat Stevens is back, sort of. He’s changed his name and a few of his views, but his message of peace remains the same.

Cat Stevens, age 60, now lives in London, where he goes by the name Yusef Islam, a change he made after converting to the Islamic faith. The former Mr. Stevens sold over 60 million records before taking what he refers to as “a fantastic 28 year respite” from the rigors of constant touring and recording.

During his show-biz down time, TAFKACS (the artist formerly known as Cat Stevens) soon found himself at the center of controversy, causing an uproar with comments he made about author, Salmon Rushdie concerning the Koran. Words like ‘fatwa’ were tossed about.

Islam, born Steven Demetre Georgiou, changed his ways after the Rushdie incident, and in 2004, found himself the recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize laureates’ Man of Peace award. Islam had come full circle.

Enter Yusef. In 2006, TAFKACS released a new compilation of songs, titled An Other Cup. Little about the sound has changed, as the two are of course, the same man, perhaps, one braver, the other wiser.

Yusef is currently working on a follow up to An Other Cup, although a name for the new CD, distributed by Universal Music, has yet to be announced. Oh, and that hair of his is mostly intact, as is his message of peace. Let’s see if this time anyone is listening.

B. Thomas Cooper - Editor

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A Wonder of Science - Working With Samples and Loops

B. Thomas Cooper - Editor

Sound and Recording - blogment -
National News wire - The Infinite Echo

A Wonder of Science, indeed. Here is an interesting anecdote on the subject of home studio recording. A few years back, when I was first learning to utilize the various audio software products available, I was experimenting with creating loops from commonly available samples, and soon found myself caught up in the moment.



I had begun by looping a simple guitar riff, added a bass line and some percussion samples, and before I could catch my breath, I had dialed in a dynamic microphone, and was recording thick layers of vocal overdubs. At the time, I was still under the impression I was only testing the new software, but soon hooks and melodies began to develop. The song was writing itself. I was on a roll. Such is the peril of the creative process.

I quickly lost count of the endless cups of coffee I was consuming, at an ever more rapid rate, I might add. As the evening progressed, I soon found myself returning to the original samples, creating what would become the verse and pre-chorus sections of the song. Again the lyrics and melody came quickly, and with little of the usual self loathing or trepidation.

Before the session could draw to a close, I realized I had written an entire song, starting at the end of the song, and finishing with the bridge section. The irony was in the working title, which wound up being the actual title, and the theme of the song as well, The song, A Wonder of Science, is about advancements in technology, and how they effect our culture.

You know, I still listen to the song with a bit of amazement myself, having written countless songs, but certainly none in the manner in which I composed Wonder of Science. In all, I believe I recorded somewhere in the neighborhood of forty-six vocal overdubs for A Wonder of Science. It was quite an experience.

In fact, I later recorded a video for 'Wonder of Science, which is, of course, available on YouTube, MySpace, Spike, etc. Staying true to the original theme of the song, I also handled all of the camera work and video editing chores for the project. If you should feel so inclined, please take a few minutes and go check it out some time. It was a unique project, with an interesting outcome. The project successfully demonstrates what even a beginner can do with some of the new, reasonably priced digital software. Yes, I know; I don't really qualify as a beginner, but you get my point. A Wonder of Science, indeed!

B. Thomas Cooper - Editor

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Soundproofing Your Studio

B. Thomas Cooper - Editor

Sound and Recording - blogment -
National News wire - The Infinite Echo

A close friend of mine, record producer and studio designer Tony Bongiovi has an unusual way of approaching the theory of soundproofing. It is a mindset that has served him well during his four decade-plus career in the music industry, and it helps explain why he gets paid the big bucks to arrive at such obvious conclusions.

Mr. Bongiovi is primarily remembered for his work with artists like Ozzy Osbourne, the Scorpions, Jimi Hendrix and others, but in the music industry, he is also known for designing world class recording facilities. His crowning achievement being the incomparable Power Station Studios in New York City, where Tony had a hand in the recording of over four hundred Gold and platinum albums.



But just what does Tony know about soundproofing that the rest of us don’t? Nothing, really. It’s all common sense, admittedly, a rare commodity when addressing sound pressure issues and learning to control transient response.

Sound travels much like a rubber ball in a handball court, or perhaps like that little cube in the old ‘pong’ video game. Sound does not stop when it reaches an object. It keeps bouncing around. When sound encounters an object, some of the sound is absorbed by the object, some bounces off the object, and some travels through the object and is transferred to other objects. The sonic properties of each and every object within the studio will ultimately effect the sonic properties of the original sound.

Volume can be a major issue in even large studios. High levels of sound pressure will adversely effect the recording process. Your guitar may sound great on eleven, but the room doesn’t like it, and even expensive microphones can’t effectively reproduce the sound emanating from your speaker cabinet.

So what then does any of this have to do with Tony Bongiovi or soundproofing a recording facility? I was just about to get to that.

As Tony would say, first, ask yourself the following question. Am I soundproofing to inhibit unwanted sound bleeding into other rooms (like say perhaps the neighbors office next door) or am I primarily concerned with gaining control of the sound being produced within the studio? Obviously, these are two very different questions requiring very different solutions.

As I stated earlier in this article, every physical object in the studio will effect the sounds being produced. Padding the interior of the room walls with high tech soundproofing material is a great start, but it won’t cure all of your problems. Microphone placement plays a major roll in the process. The closer the microphone is placed to the sound source, the greater the sound pressure, producing a punchier, sound, and reducing potential transient interference. Placing the microphone further from the sound source increases ambience and producers a warmer, smoother response, but becomes more susceptible to sonic clutter.

When considering soundproofing for your studio, try to visualize the sound waves traveling in your room. Learn to recognize the cause and effect relationship between the sound source and the recording environment. Be patient and absorb all you can about sound and recording. Most importantly, enjoy the creative process.

B. Thomas Cooper - Editor

Sound and Recording - Sound Foundation - National Newswire - The Infinite Echo - Impeachment Now! - Skate the Razor -
Skate the Razor Blog - blogment