In August I was able to do some brief recording at Oxbow Studios in Massachusetts. Normally we try and record twice, but due to schedules and time constraints, we could only record bass and drums one night. As usual it was 95% improvised, or spontaneous composition (a term/concept I borrowed from the German group Can), by my drummer Greg DeGuglielmo and myself.
 
I recorded a few tracks with my Telembic - here's my favorite:
 
ostronato (alpha-omega mix)
 
It's the P-Bass Activators through an Alembic F-2B preamp, a dbx 162 compressor, then into ProTools. Until this song I had been playing with my fingers, but switched to a heavy pick. I had the filter pretty open, and as soon as we started playing, I realized that it sounded kind of too trebly with the pick. I remember turning down the filter as I was playing, and thinking that I had ruined the track! But I kept playing. In hindsight, I think it sounds great! The different filter settings totally change the mood. To illustrate, here is the isolated bass track for the middle section (which is the first that I mixed):
 
ostronato bass
 
Here it is with everything else on top:
 
ostronato extract
 
Obviously Greg's drumming has a lot to do with the different moods, but I think the variety of tones that the Activators make possible had a huge impact too.
 
I guess I should point out too that the Rhodes electric piano is also going through the same signal chain, with a Budda Phat Bass distortion as well. Most of the keyboard parts were improvised and overdubbed afterwards - the section in the extract took several overdubs to get right, so not as spontaneous as the rest.
 
Thanks for listening!

Great tune!

Harry,  
 
If you're ever out this way again, shoot me an e-mail. I'm a straight shot down I-395 from Oxbow.

Is that the Oxbow in Wayland, MA? My ex-wife is from Wayland. Nice town. Some of its people, well, one of them, not so much!
 
JP

It used to be in Wayland but moved to Marlborough - new & improved!

Harry; my memory is failing.  I do seem to recall you mentioning that you were moving, but I can't recall any details.  And here I was thinking this must be a really special studio to make it worth traveling all the way from California.  Boy am I behind!

Nope, your memory is fine Dave - I still live and work in California, Oxbow Studios moved to Marlborough, Mass. But it is definitely a special place for me - I grew up in Massachusetts so it's like going home, but I also get to play and record my own music with the best drummer I have played with (Greg DeGuglielmo if you don't want to click the link).

Ah, ok; I just get confused from time to time.

No problem - I would love to move back to Massachusetts, but then I remember shoveling snow...
 
I thought I would sneak in a picture:


 
 
I'm not holding an Alembic-related bass (and not sure what I'm looking at - probably listening to a playback), but the F-2B is prominently displayed on the left! This thread could just as easily be titled, in praise of the F-2B because I love recording with it! In fact, I own two - one @ Oxbow and one @ home.  
 
Here's another track, no Telembic this time, but both the distorted Ric and distorted Rhodes are going through the F-2B:
 
willowmass

I have alembic activators in one of my strats. They have an amazing sound.
 
 
Jazzyvee

Here's a kind of silly piece - it's called Guess Who?!!! as in guess who's on drums? Obviously not my usual drummer - it's me! I can only play a couple of beats and not all that well, but it was fun to play along with myself later with my Telembic.
 
Somewhat on topic here's me on the drums at one of the NoCal Alembic Gatherings:

I like all your songs...

Thanks Mario! I'm hoping to upload some Alembicized-Fender finger funk soon!

Here's the funk I promised: allyn
 
And a slow groove as well: slunk
 
And here's a picture I forgot I took recently - not the best picture I've taken, but needed to get a pic into this thread!