ZARZA We are Zarza, the prestigious firm behind major projects in information technology.
Episode Synopsis "The Polyphonic Patter Pod"
Transcription: Narrator: Hi there folks, this week on the polyphonic patter pod we're going to be talking to Fraser Walker a sound engineering student from Edinburgh and then briefly with Aaron Matthews who runs a home studio in Glasgow. Carrick: Hi Fraser, thanks for joining us this week. I'm going to start with the hard-hitting questions, Do you smoke? Fraser: Eh. Yeah. Yeah. But I'm pretty sure everybody in the industry does. Carrick: -breathe- Not necessarily everyone, but 90% of people Fraser: I don't think I've ever been to an event or a gig or an anything that where like you're recording in the studio or something like that and there hasn't been a fag break or my fag break or yknow or- Carrick: Or going, going out 'n' where is the bass player? Where is- Fraser: Where is the drummer? -snigger- Carrick: -snigger- y'know, out having a fag Fraser: Yeah Carrick: Y'know Fraser: It's not the best. Carrick: So, how do you feel about that? Fraser: Well, uh, smoking always seems to have coincided with musicians. It's very strange, it's a weird relationship. 'cause if, if you don't partake in tha- if you're not involved then you lose out on a lot of the social aspects. Carrick: Yeah. Fraser: Especially if you're, y'know, at a gig or something like that and you go out even if you're a viewer or you're running the desk you go out, you have some chat with the bands, yknow. Uh you put a few plugs in, see if you can get anywhere with connections 'n' usually they're out having a cigarette if you're going to see them after the gig. Carrick: It's certainly a, a, a large aspect of it I would, I would say it's the majority of conversations. I mean you can't have a conversation in a venue, y'know Fraser: No, exactly Carrick: Can't have a conversation while the bands are on so Fraser: And you can't have a cigarette in the venue Carrick: Exactly! Fraser: But yeah there is there is an aspect of professionalism to it which is kind of perplexing because uh. Uhm. uh. Nevermind. Carrick: I think the thing to remember is, there's a time and a place. Y'know? Fraser: -sniggers- Carrick: Y'know if you want to have a fag, have a fag after the soundcheck Fraser: Exactly Carrick: Or before your soundcheck don't go, “when's soundcheck? Half 7? Oh it's it's 28 minutes past now, we've got plenty of time for a fag” Fraser: -Laughs- Then they're meant to be on stage or meant to be recording and guh. Yup there's definitely a time and a place. Carrick: It certainly separates the amateurs from the professionals to a certain extent. What is, what is your biggest pet hate with bands who think they're on parr with the professionals in the industry. Fraser: Uh, I like, when you're going out and you're seeing stuff in the scene or even in the studio aswell. There's always one, but tuning pedals. And tuning pegs, y'know clip on tuners that would just clip on to the top of your headstock on your guitar, absolutely essential. Instead of just op hey op hey just gimme a minute while I turn all my machine heads and get in tune by ear and then they're not in tune and just when you're not in tune on a recording it's absolutely awful. Carrick: Yeah. It's always the worst thing between uh songs, it can't be helped in some cases but I mean I hate, hate hearing bands tune inbetween songs, it it its unbelievably unprofessional particularly when they haven't planned anything out, the vocalist's not talking to the crowd, no-ones talking to the crowd, the drummer's just smacking on some stuff y'know Fraser: The drummer's just -doo do dodo do doo- Carrick: The guitarist and the bassist are both trying to tune at the same time both putting each other off and then you're 10 minutes into the set and no-ones played a song. Fraser: Exactly Carrick: Well it would appear that that's all we have time for today, but thank you very much for coming in to talk to me and I shall talk to you again soon. Narrator: And now we're going to move on to a short talk with Aaron Matthews. Carrick: Hi Aaron thanks for making the time to come and talk to us today.I know you're pressed for time so we're just going to fire through some quick questions with you today. So first off, what's your biggest pet hate in the studio? Aaron: It's got to be when bands can't actually play their own songs. They come into the studio very confident uhm and then it comes to playing tight to a click and they just lose it or they can't harmonise parts together and aw, it's a shambles. Carrick: I can see how that would be frustrating, particularly when you're recording Aaron: Oh aye you dinnae ken the half o' it. Carrick: Okay, so, second question. What is the strangest experience you've had in the studio with a band? Aaron: Well actually there was a time that eh a band came into record and the drummer had broke his leg 2 days before hand and so could not play the part but they had already prebooked and prepaid so the singer came in and played his parts with his feet and then we rerecorded the drummer playing with his hands, so the cymbals and the snares and whatnot, strange. Carrick: That is actually rather strange, but atleast you've got a good story out of it! Aaron: Aye, aye I suppose Carrick: And lastly, What artist or band, dead or alive, would be your dream to record Aaron: Ach it's gotta be Led Zeppelin hasn't it Carrick: haha- of course. Narrator: Okay so that's all the time we got here at the Polyphonic Patter Pod this week, hope you've all enjoyed and we'll see you next week.
In God we trust