What a wonderful day….if you feel this little 'One Minute ' can help a music friend, then just give it to him...have him subscribe...it's easy!  Just forward it - or copy it.

If you have a site or an Ezine, feel free to copy and publish this stuff, just give me a 'credit' and a link to www.makehits.com

An MGB Roadster sitting outside my door which has taken 7 years to restore to pristine condition [I’ve always been a mug for vintage/specialist/classic cars…should see my 1929 Bentley!]. We were to drive it over to Angmering [South England] for a birthday celebration lunch, but the ‘break-down’ documentation details did not arrive on time. And anyone out there who knows about renovating vintage/classic cars will know the first 500 miles are the most failure prone times.

So I had to drive the BMW…Ahhhhhhhh!

We still had a beautiful lunch….a carefully chosen Claret with kidneys and rice [gorgeous]…then some excellent Champagne from my host’s own favourite vineyard in Champagne - with salmon, stuffed with spinach, plus those tiny peas and specially roasted croquet potatoes…the chocolate pudding [with Amoretto] was to die for.

Sounds like a restaurant menu?

Nope…my friends know how to live…style is what life is all about....

We discussed whether to take the Orient Express or the Arlburg Express to Venice in September….then, John suggested a complete train trip to Venice, Florence and Rome…now that would be something.  Anna just smiled!

Then I sat and thought….all this must sound outrageous to guys struggling with their music to make a few bob. Then I thought: "just do it the right way, learn the tricks, the methods - and it is just like becoming a successful surgeon, a successful architect, solicitor…it HAS TO WORK!"

"He who would leap high must take a long run"

danish proverb

I have realised that a lifetime of ‘doing it right’ has brought me to a life of extreme luxury. Now - that is not meant to impress, or to boast…it is meant to say to you: "it’s all there to be achieved". In other words, "it’s easy". Just learn your craft, study the books, read the methods, go to the seminars, listen to the charts, dissect the music, the toons, analyse the success of chart records and then...

JUST DO IT.

It all seems easy to me…..’cos

That’s what I did.

There is no magic, there is no luck, there is no ‘knowing the right people’.  The other way is to just sit around moaning that the whole deal is crooked and fixed...believe me, it is not...and it is definitely not a matter of luck or chance.

How many books have you read in the past three weeks that will ensure you make more money from your music in the next three months?

Honest answer?

An appraisal:

I have a Novation A Station module which I am looking at, this moment, and want to appraise it for all the ‘One Minute' guys…

Best appraisal?

GET ONE! Immediately!

I never praise or promote equipment - but this time I have to….it is just stunning…no matter which of the 400 patches you turn on…it is unbelievable…call Sanjib or Karn at Guitar, Amp and Keyboard Centre at UK 012373.671971…totally amazing. Make sure you mention my name for the best service and best price [special price for 'Serious Writers Guild' members..but just this time, you can join in].

I have been enquiring and talking to so many guys about ‘filter sweeping’ in today music and guess what? They all knew Zip! I had to do the ground work myself, and find out….Sanjib [Indian Rope Man] helped me a lot….and this is the definitive module for all that incredible filter sweeping that has eluded you. [by the way, I don’t get a kick back!]

Back to business:

Had an interesting Email from a Member re. the old chestnut ‘noise in the studio equipment’:

"Just for reference, I've found the biggest identifiable cause of noise and hum in my set-up comes from the 9v power supplies and their cables. If I can separate out any of the input devices, like the Joe Meek or guitar preamps, and place them all 3 feet apart, miles from the consoles, with their horrible little power supplies plugged in even further away, and no mike cables anywhere near them - minimum noise. But if a mike cable, even an expensive shielded balanced one, falls across the actual body of one of the those ten-quid transformers, you can hear the hum immediately. If I was doing this professionally, I would only use rack-mount gear and I would use a single source, cleaned mains power supply unit with top quality distributed 9v on shielded leads for any pedals or mini boxes attached.

David"

ADVICE?

I have said it a dozen times in my books and courses. Adopt the Wembley Stadium method. Trail all the power leads from one direction and all the audio leads from the opposite. That way, they don’t cross and you, in theory, should pick up no noise. [Try to have all voltage transformers together - and cover them with two layers of kitchen foil…it works!]

I am of the generation, like most top producers, that I just freak out if I see a power lead anywhere near an audio lead, whether in a live situation or in a studio one. It, sort of, separates the men from the boys.

If you employ an engineer, be it in a studio or at a live gig, and you see piles of leads dumped on the side of the stage or in the corner of a studio then BEWARE! The top guys will always be neat and tidy, everything coiled in a ‘pretty’ manner. No audio lead will ever be near a power lead and everything will be laid out for ease of ‘stripping down’ or ‘striking’ as we say in the pro world.

This is particularly important in the professional studio world, where we are looking for, not minimal noise, but NO NOISE.

I want my mixes to be totally silent, before I ever apply noise suppression or noise limiting. In other words, all my noise suppression units [and I have tasty stuff] will be defeated, right up until the moment that I start to mix. And then they only gets put in the chain when I am about to put the mix-down unit [DAT or CDR] into record mode.

I start the mix-down, and immediately, on the first note, switch the noise suppressor to ‘defeat’. Then, at the final note, I actually turn the input knob of the DAT or CDR down as the music finishes . For more detailed information you need to get my ‘How To Make A Million From your Music‘ by letting me have your snail mail address for an info pack.

Noise is the biggest exposer of amateur demo efforts!

Professional recording people go to great lengths for total silence. Check out any chart CD.

"I am amazed at radio DJ's today. I am firmly convinced that AM on my radio stands for Absolute Moron. I will not begin to tell you what FM stands for."
- Jasper Carrott, English comedian

Regards

DEC

"I bought some batteries, but they weren't included."

Steve Wright

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One Moment with Stuart Goldsmith:

"Why not take some time right now, before the New Year feeling wears off, to evaluate your finances, and see if there are any leaks?"

 www.medina.co.uk

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Q: What do you call a guitar player that only knows two chords?
A: A music critic.

Whoops! Sorry!

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TIP OF THE WEEK : Never think in terms of how big or how small an instrument, or module, or keyboard sounds, it’s about how things work as the package; it’s never about ‘the drum sound’ or the ‘guitar sound’. It’s about making everything work.

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I am so confident in the quality of the materials I offer, that if you are not happy at anytime in your WHOLE LIFE with the product then just mail me and ask for a complete, no-quibble, courteous refund! I mean it! Your payment will be returned promptly and courteously and you will OWE NOTHING. In fact, as a complimentary gift from me, I'll even let you keep all the releases that will make your business EXPLODE WITH SUCCESS - totally free of charge.

This is not only a guarantee - it's a personal promise. There's no catch, and there's no risk - I personally take ALL the risk.