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[no dialogue].
(Mark Rubel). Hello everybody.
(audience response). Hello.
(Mark). My name is Mark...
(audience). Hi Mark.
(Mark). How's it going?
Are you having fun so far?
(audience). Yeah.
(Mark). Yeah, good.
Okay, so my name is Mark.
I am a musician.
I have been playing in rock and roll bands for longer than
anybody in this room has been alive which is great.
They pay us money to travel around and act
like idiots which is wonderful.
I've had a recording studio in Champaign, Illinois for
30 years and I made about a thousand records
and worked with all kinds of people.
I teach at this university and other places where I teach music
technology, music, the history of rock and roll which is great,
and a lot of other stuff.
So, listen, I could give you a lecture with a lot of really
long words and equations or we could make a record.
(audience). Make a record.
(Mark). Okay, who wants to make
a really long lecture with equations?
Okay, who wants to make a record?
Are you sure?
(audience). Record.
(Mark). Okay, record.
Alright, well, we don't have a lot of time so what
are some components of music?
What is the first thing we should do?
(male speaker). We should start...
(Mark). Like what instrument,
name an instrument.
(male speaker). Drums.
(Mark). Drums.
Okay, name a drum.
(male speaker). Timpani.
(Mark). Snare drum.
Okay, but we're going to do bass drum first
because that's the rule.
Alright, so this my friends as you can hear is a microphone.
Anybody bring a bass drum with them?
You got one?
(male speaker). I have my chest.
(Mark). I'll tell you what we'll do,
I am going to go into this recording program and
we are going to go onto track one which says bass drum.
But since we don't have a bass drum, what I want you to
do is when I point at you, stamp your feet.
Let's practice, ready, one, two.
[feet stomping].
Okay, hold it, hold it.
Now I want you to just stamp your feet once.
One, two, go.
[feet stomp].
Okay, that's pretty good.
But we kind of need more low end, so if you don't mind,
when I point at you, stamp your feet and go boom.
Ready?
Standby.
Take one.
One, two.
(audience). Boom.
(Mark). Let's do it again.
One, two.
(audience). Boom.
(Mark). That was a good one.
Well, I need a second.
First, we need to do is make sure it is on tape.
I think it is.
That is boom one, that's boom two.
Which one do you like better?
(audience). Boom two.
(Mark). Me too, I thought
we were more together.
So I am going to isolate that by hitting Command U.
And that sounds like this.
(audience recording). Boom.
(Mark). Okay, so let's take this.
We are going to zoom in.
We are going to go right to the attack of boom.
If I can get my finger in the right place, is right there.
So, we put this on beat one.
And we are going to hold down Option and make a copy.
And beat three.
(audience recording). Boom, boom.
(Mark). Now, I am going to bring
it up on the mixer because I don't think
it is bassy enough.
Do you agree?
Alright, let's see.
So, if we want to change the tone, anybody know
what we need to use?
(male speaker). A compressor.
(Mark). No, that's a good,
smart though.
Here.
What do we use to change the tone?
Hmm, think fast.
Anybody?
Yell it out.
What do we use to change?
(male speaker). Microphone.
(Mark). No.
(male speaker). Tuner.
(Mark). Close, we'll do that later.
Okay, it is an equalizer.
You were close.
Okay, so we are going to go here.
This is an equalizer.
It is going to show what boom looks like.
Watch this display.
(audience recording). Boom, boom.
(Mark). See it's all in the
mid-range up here.
(audience recording). Boom, boom.
(Mark). What we want is more of this.
More bass.
Bass is a lower frequency, that means it vibrates more slowly.
So we are just going to bring up all of the low end like this.
Now, it sounds about the same.
But, we think it's better, right.
Okay, what's next?
Snare drum, right?
Okay, so what does a snare drum sound like?
Let's have everybody clap their hands when I point at you once.
Okay, we'll get to the applause part at the end.
Okay, so anyway there will be one clap and
I want you to say splat.
Okay, do we need to rehearse, no.
Ready.
(audience recording). Boom, boom.
(Mark). One, two.
(audience). Splat!
(Mark). One more time, one, two.
(audience recording). Splat!
(Mark). The second was better, right?
Okay, let's see, there's our second splat.
It sounds like this.
Well, that sounds like boom.
We'll turn the boom off.
Yeah, I'm not too crazy about that.
Okay, we're going to do another one, you ready?
Another splat.
Standby.
One, two.
(audience). Splat!
(Mark). One more time, one, two.
(audience). Splat!
(Mark). Alright, that was
a better splat.
There is our second splat.
It sounds like this.
(audience recording). Splat!
(Mark). Do you like it,
are you having fun?
(audience). Yeah, rock on.
(Mark). Alright so, here is
the beginning of splat.
(male speaker). We are going to
sound like splat.
(Mark). Well, we can do that,
but we'll do that with something else.
(male speaker). Do it, boom, splat.
(Mark). Do you really want
to sound like that?
Are you sure?
(male speaker). Yeah.
(Mark). Okay, hold on a
second here.
Okay, so we are going to put this.
Alright, so the snare drum, hello, the snare
drum goes on two and four, which is here.
(male speaker). Most of the beat for
drums are on two and four.
(Mark). Yep, so we are going
to put the snare drum on two and four.
We are going to put the bass drum on one and three.
Let's turn the bass drum on and we've got...
(audience recording). Boom...splat...boom...splat.
(Mark). It's too slow right?
Okay, hang on.
I am going to fix that.
We'll just go boom, splat, boom, splat.
Okay.
And that should be four right there.
(audience recording). Boom, splat, boom, splat.
(Mark). It's a little out of time.
[no dialogue].
Alright, so there is that.
Here is that.
And there is that.
(audience recording). Boom, splat, boom, splat.
(Mark). That's fun, right?
Okay, now we need, quiet a second please.
Okay, we need one more thing which is called a high hat.
If you play drums, you have these two little
cymbals that is usually here.
That's what it does.
So we are just going to do this.
We are going to go [short sizzle].
Like you are a spray can.
[short sizzle].
Alright, but just once, short like this.
[short sizzle].
Shorter, alright, you ready?
And just once.
Standby, one, two.
[short sizzle].
One, two.
[short sizzle].
That's fun.
And we need to do it again.
Ready, that was a practice run.
Here we go.
One, two.
[short sizzle].
One, two.
[short sizzle].
Nice.
Good job.
You guys are all hired.
Okay, you are all rockstars.
Okay, hold on now.
I am going to do something which is I am going to make it.
(male speaker). When do I get my check?
(Mark). Well, we always ask
that in the music business.
Nobody ever knows.