Mangrove Mountain Mission Control - 'Big AL' Harkness at the Console for Mission SC3-EP 'Spacejunk'.
This is a long post, quite Suitable For Workplace viewing and with lots of pics. Took me flipping ages to post.
NOTE: if some of the vids dont work, check again when youtube finally finishes processing them....
MISSION REPORT:
A confluence of Random Events.
Alan complained that he hadn't seen Keith in ages. Keith had been tending to the aladdins cave of old gear he'd collected over the years, the type of stuff our friend DDJ snipes from Ebay -DDJ calls it 'Spacejunk'. DDJ would like Keiths shed. Keiths just rebuilt an 8 track 1/2 inch machine. He agreed that it was too long since he'd seen Alan.
Keith and Alan taught both Dion and myself, back in the Analogue days, just before the digital media age. We started our course on Analogue and emerged into a digital market. Keith and Alan taught us the Language of communication, as well as the technical. I think Dion paid more attention than I did. (but I got an A in Sound!)
Phil at Vintage Record bemoaned the fact that the Living End hadn't released their album on Vinyl. I thought that there was little point in going to vinyl unless you originated from analogue gear. I wondered whether they did.
We recorded our first album straight digital and we're in the middle of SC2, also DDD (as opposed to AAD or AA..um..A?)
Songs like 'sweet misery' that we play live are never quite the same twice. How to capture Chaos?
Mission SC3-EP was born: A live session, recorded onto old weird analogue gear, engineered by some old friends who hadnt see each other in far too long.
Pre Flight Checklist - Locate suitable venue for recording.
Google Streetview, Googling, some phone calls, helpful folks at Wyong Council.
'Progress Hall' folks told us to nick off. Long haired goddam hippies. And that was over the phone!
Identify the Mangrove Mountain Launch site.
Margaret, I know you dont read the web, but thank you.
'We're not heavy metal' I say. 'Wouldnt care if you were, love.' She replies. She raises chickens. I havent asked, but I am fairly sure she's won prizes for her chickens. She arranges the launch site and we set a date. 31-1-09
Pre Flight Checklist - B. Gather Equipment
What spaceunks lurks in your shed? What hold overs do you have from the 20th Century? What was amazingly advanced in 1970 and now props up the fridge?
We assembled a collection of gear including old shotgun mikes, Nagra (mono), 8 track /2 inch, all of Dion's mikes and stands, whatever we could lay our hands on.
John at Ace Audio supplied us with a massive 32.8 Mackie Desk. Yikes that sucker was big. (pics further below). Thanks John.
Had to go in search of analogue tape:
Deep under the digital city lurks Tape Stock. Thanks to Christian and Peta at Silvertrak for sorting us out!
1/4 Inch tape for the Nagra. Keith still had 4500" of 1/2 inch from god knows where.
Rendezvous Central Mangrove
With the weather perfect for the launch day (no rain - Hall has a tin roof. Yikes) and not moltenly hot as it has been of late, we headed for Mangrove Mountain and began setup.
Departing Sydney for the launch site.
Mrose and Paul getting their stuff together. Note that Mrose wears that damn hat all the time.
Blast Shield at Front Door to Launch Site
Assembling the Launch Site
Mark replacing the snare skin
Keith, Alan and Dion look at the assortement of goodies we've gathered.
Stage one was assembling the desk etc into a mixing environment, positioning the instruments and mikes and making sure everything was connected to everything else.
Now I could describe all this, but heck, I took pics and vids.
Meanwhile the boys assemble their gear: Boys? Boys? Where's Mark?
Dont ask.
Mrose got all the space he needs.
Meanwhile, back at Mission Control:
A flurry of movement!
Left to right, the SC3-EP1 Mission Control Team - Alan, Dion and Keith. I love these guys.
Meanwhile, the Flight Crew was hard at work getting set up.
Paul preparing in flight meals for the crew.
Groover and Rosie Jamming
MANGROVE CONTROL, WE HAVE A PROBLEM
Output loom from Desk doesnt have XLR male outputs. ARGH. I go on a mercy dash to Gosford to pickup cable.
Thanks to back roads, a GPS nav unit and The unbelievably helpful folks at Entertainment Installations in West Gosford http://www.entertainmentinstallations.com.au
we resumed course.
NAVIGATION MALFUNCTION!
Mal's navigation was slightly off and we needed to guide him in via Sattelite (ok, mobile phone). he arrived in time to get settled in for the initial briefing, over a sausage.
Doesnt he look happy?
Pete from Energy Australia was in the area, making sure the power was on. Hi Pete.
With the launch window rapidly approaching, we went into the control room for final systems checks.
You see how fast Dion moves? He is the first human to travel Faster than Light. or my shutter speed. Or something. I dunno.
Final Flight Preparations
Final equipment checks
Flight Crew Board Mission SC3-EP1
Positions lads, positions
Countdown Commences - T- 5 secs
4
3
2
1
And we have Liftoff of Mission SC3-EP1 from the Mangrove Mountain Launch Facility.
Ok, so then we stopped and did sound checks again. LOL!
Mission Plan
So onto the material.
Todays mission was to get a bunch of analogue versions of various songs.
Dirty work, Come back baby, Swamp Monster, Sweet Misery, Merchandise, a vocal version of Glenrowan and the tag from Shock me Baby.
We started with some warm ups and recorded them to the Nagra, before getting ready to roll the big sucker (below)
MANGROVE CONTROL, WE HAVE A CHIPMUNK
After the first run through,we stopped to check mike positions and check playback. Thats when I discovered my next career providing voices for Chipmunk Blues records.
Next stop, Smurftown.
Taking A Spacewalk
In order to get better vocal separation, Mission Control decided to move me into the Kitchen Module. Here's Dion and Keith considering the options.
After the first run through,we stopped to check mike positions and check playback. Thats when I discovered my next career providing voices for Chipmunk Blues records.
Next stop, Smurftown.
Taking A Spacewalk
In order to get better vocal separation, Mission Control decided to move me into the Kitchen Module. Here's Dion and Keith considering the options.
View from the Kitchen Module. Hey guys. Guys? GUYS!
When that didnt work, Mission Control opted to have me go EVA and do a spacewalk. I'm outside the flipping building on the street.
I'm not kidding. Here's Paul and a passerby (Hi Slippery!) who stopped to hang out.
So thats where I spent the rest of the afternoon.
Its lonely out in space. Note the mikes - 1 X shotgun, 1 dyanmic and a condenser. WOOT!
Orbital Burns
After various takes, we stopped to change reels.
The Flight Crew Conferred
Mal Resisting Gravity
Final Burn
As the sun reached its perigee, we concluded with a final firing of Swamp monster as we prepared to descend.
MISSION STATUS - ORBIT ACHIEVED
After an exciting and tense launch process, we concluded the first stage of the mission in peace and harmony, leaving only the duties of securing the days proceedings in the vaults of the Mission Archives. Oh, and sweeping up and doing the dishes etc. Rock star stuff.
When asked how he managed the technical development of the Mission, Mission Director 'big AL' harkness explained his hi tech strategy
Next Stage is the proposed docking with the Lonely Few's DDJ in orbit around Lilyfield. Stay tuned for the next phase of Spacejunk!
MJEB
TRANSMISSION ENDS