2014 MK RECORDING DIARY

[kaleo74]

I have the filling that it will be THE album... don't know why, maybe a STP 2 album, Bruce Molsky, Rooth, Sax trumpet, "more experimentations" good ingredients for a "gorgeous" album.

[dustyvalentino]

Yes, I'm confined now that this album is going to be 100% celtic songs with zero guitar or vocals from our man.  Just "fiddle-dee-dee" celtic music.  Maybe the first Knopfler record I won't buy.

But then the blues songs on the last record were boring, so we can't have it both ways...

[straitsway75]

Hi folks,
just an info: have you problems into Guy site if you got a smartphone? because when I go into with it I see only the artwork of site and is impossible read anything.

Thanks
sTRAITSWAY75

[ds1984]

Yes, I'm confined now that this album is going to be 100% celtic songs with zero guitar or vocals from our man.  Just "fiddle-dee-dee" celtic music.  Maybe the first Knopfler record I won't buy.

You Can't Judge a Book by the Cover.

 

[LoveExpresso]

Ha ha, when seeing Mr. Molsky I immediately imagined a 5 minute longer version of Marbletown with another fiddle duel... and boom, there was the picture of dmg in my head, looking 

LE

[dmg]

Maybe the first Knopfler record I won't buy.

dmg, do you take a bet on this?

Hmm...no! 

[dmg]

Ha ha, when seeing Mr. Molsky I immediately imagined a 5 minute longer version of Marbletown with another fiddle duel... and boom, there was the picture of dmg in my head, looking 

LE

 

Think I would have to make that my pee break then! 

[JF]

I would say comping means choosing the best results from different and many recordings - takes - and taking the best ones. For example Mark can sing his vocal part several times and the final choice then is built, combined, - or comped - from these recordings... (I remember some discussion some years ago that you could clearly hear on the the track "The Ragpicker's Dream" where the different vocal parts were ... I listened a dozen times but was not able to make out where the differences were..  ) So different guitar parts, different drum parts and so on, listening to them in a row the whole day (which is what they did obviously on the famous Ragpicker diary picture on the London roof in the sun, you remember) - taking final decisions, discussing...

mixing then is purely a question of mixing the final tracks together, volume, fades, dynamics and stuff.

Any better explanations welcome! 

LE

yes that's it
coming is "compiling" different takes to make the final one. Of course you can't hear the edits, otherwise it would mean they had been in a bad way !

David Gilmour uses this technique for almost all his guitar solos : what you hear in the final mix is a "compilation" of different takes.
He records several takes, and then on the mixing desk, he switches from one to another, choosing the best part of each take

[dustyvalentino]

That video of the Thomas Dolby session demonstrated comping pretty well.

[CarrionSpy]

Hello!

Do you know if this album will be the first without Chuck Ainlay after so many years?  I cannot find him in the diary and if you look to the old recording sessions he is always present on the band sessions.

[foma]

@ CarrionSpy
It can't be. I think there is more chances for a solo album with MK and a guitar only rather than MK working without Chuck. He's The Boss!

[Guitarman1972]

Do you know if this album will be the first without Chuck Ainlay after so many years?

Chuck might not be at the helmet doing the recording and co-producing at the moment, but I think at a certain point Mark will call in Chuck to do the final mix. After that it probably goes to Bob Ludwig again for the mastering. Though I wish this time the mastering engineer is conservative with the compression. The amount of compression these days on Mark's albums are horrible. I reallly wish one day the real dynamics come back. Sonically the early Dire Straits albums are such joy to listen too. Listening to overcompressed albums can be very tiring.

[foma]

Actually Guy said right in the diary that it was him in the control room for this particular recording session.

[wayaman]

I recall a video of a presentation of something at British Grove, and Chuck was there, at the same time that Mk was working on his songs.

[dannr1]

I think MK has become more and more predictable.. It worked well with Ruth on a couple of songs previously, lets bring her in again, seemingly the same with Nigel, was the same with Mike Mc a few years back..Chances are we will then get much of the same sound we have been used to over the last couple of years and nothing that stands out as very new and exciting (regardless of Molsky which fits well into MKs current line-up and sound).