Earlier this month we got a phone call from my father-in-law that wheat harvest had arrived.  It came earlier this year than normal in the Texas panhandle due to the extreme dryness and hot weather they’ve had so much of this spring.  The ground is gaping for the rains.  It’s too bad we can’t share some of the Missouri River overflow with them.

We spent about a day getting the combine ready and the following day I cut a little over a truck load.  I guess it’s kind of like riding a bike, you never forget how once you’ve done it.  The remainder of the time was spent driving loaded wheat to town.  One thing I do tend to forget is how loud some things are on the farm.  I did manage to record a number of cool sound effects to add to the agricultural collection.  I’m always reminded of so many aspects of farm life that affect who I am today, glad I can help out at times, and grateful also for the opportunity to work everyday where I am.

Well it seems this month has nearly gotten away from us and it was another busy one, so I’m going to recap some of the major events.

The first Saturday of the month found a number of folks in Red Oak, IA at the Wilson Performing Arts Center.  We were all there to participate and enjoy a live recording of Omaha’s SouthPaw Bluegrass Band. We arrived early afternoon and were welcomed to the beautiful and modern facility.

Following sound check/rehearsal we were treated to a great Mexican meal up Hwy. 34 just a short piece and then came back for “Uncle” Billy Dunbar’s call to the evening’s recording and show.  (Billy received an award last fall from Bob Everhart at the LeMars, IA Festival for his years of promoting Old-Time Music).  Tesco Productions was there to help setup for the show and push the record button.  The recording was direct to hard disc on the Alesis HD24XR.

The evening also found Hal Cottrell and his wife, Tricia at the house mixing console, and my friend Allyn (who helps out every once in a while) was there to assist (and keep me awake on the way home!)

Just a note concerning the Wilson Performing Arts Center. If you’re looking for a very nice venue to host a small to medium-sized event, consider this location.  It holds about 250 in theater-style seating, has a nice large stage, ample parking and is located only about an hour from Omaha.  The host was great to work with and the location has that small-town feel.

The following week found sisters Jessica and Heather back in the studio.  They’re all “growed-up” from when they were here several years ago recording when their mother brought them in.  They are now writing their own music and sing beautifully (as they always did) to the accompaniment of Jessica on acoustic guitar.  It’s always a great joy to see young artists continue to sharpen their God-given talents and pursue other avenues of expressing them.

Glory Road has finished the mixdown of the their 6th recording at Tesco Productions entitled Chapter VI.  All the listen-throughs are also completed and so we’re in the final stages of mastering it.  Look for that CD to be out soon which well reflects their continued growth – both in their individual singing skills as well as a broadening choice of songs which expands the group musically.  Job well done!  (On a technical note – the Pro Tools LE system I mentioned last month is now running and we’ll be using one of its plug-ins as part of their mastering process.)

Joe Laughlin has been back in the studio quite a lot this month for mixing his 15-song recording.  We’ve runoff nearly all the songs now, have identified some additions to make, and once those are done we should be able to make the final mixes.  I was excited to hear this project come together which has been three years in the making.  It will be well worth the wait and intentional effort being applied.

On the 23rd I was honored to accompany the Nebraska Zither Club as the rhythm guitar player.  We presented a program at the Heritage Ridge assisted living facility in Bellevue, NE.  The time seemed to be enjoyed a lot by those who attended, and I know I for one was blessed to be a part of it.  It doesn’t take a lot to bring a smile to someone’s face and it was great to see so many.

And oh yeah, I did manage to sneak in a weekend fishing trip in Iowa where my friend and I had a great time.

In the ever on-going process of looking for ways to enhance our client’s products and your listening pleasure, Tesco Productions has recently added to its Pro Tools offerings.

The existing Pro Tools M-Audio system was upgraded with the addition of the Eleven LE plug-in. This plug-in contains a number of guitar, amp and microphone models which can be used to enhance or replace an existing guitar track. Initial tests of it are very impressive. So, if you’re concerned about the quality of your instrument or amp, we can probably find a sound that will suit you real well.  Eleven is a great complement to the WaveMachine Labs Drumagog drum replacement plug-in which is also on our M-Powered PC Pro Tools system.

Additionally, a third Pro Tools system will soon be added with Pro Tools LE. This setup was purchased to provide even more options for a variety of plug-ins. Initially this includes Sony’s Oxford Plug-in Inflator. This plug-in was acquired particularly for our acoustic clients – which is a large base of the music we record. I’ll be able to hopefully provide feedback soon on how it works as I haven’t yet had time to get the LE system assembled. Along with Inflator we now also have the Soundtoys UltraFX bundle which includes FilterFreak, PhaseMistress, Crystallizer and Tremolator. I’m looking forward to hearing them as well. They probably won’t find big use for our acoustic clients, but we’ll put them to use somewhere I’m sure.

So keep your eyes and ears posted here for examples of these upgrades – or better yet come by and take a listen in the studio.