VAN HALEN Demos Leaked in Perfect Quality

[ZahZoo]

I think Ed was pretty much inexperienced in the professional recording techniques in 77/78 early on. Especially layering multiple guitar tracks. They were predominately a live working band up until then.

For those demos majority of the multitracking was just micing the amp on one track and adding a room mic on another track. Then blending the mixdown to achieve a nice stereo effect dropping all the tracks to a 2-track master.

I believe Eddie was a musical genius to a degree but wasn't all that smart overall when it comes to general knowledge...

[Terry]

I sincerely wish more producers, audio engineers and especially the folks that mix and master music today would all get tattooed on the back of both hands... Let the songs breathe!!

Just listening to these recordings... whoever mixed them did a fantastic job! You can hear clear stereo separation. Distinct instrumentation on left and right channels with just the right amount of key pieces centered in the mix. Even today's state of the art digital mixing boards all come with a little knob, physical or virtual, labeled "Pan"... that can be quite powerful! I even use it actively in live performance mixes today.

Keith Richards once said when he creates music... his canvas starts with silence. Think about it. Like painting if you splash all the colors, all over the canvas... you get mud.

Of interest to me is recalling all the interviews Ed gave where he claimed that when the band was recording the first album he really didn't know anything about laying down backing guitar tracks and soloing over them. How he supposedly asked Ted if it'd be alright if he just played live because he wasn't knowledgeable about how to lay down backing tracks and solo over them.

Yet with the demos there're plenty of tunes with multiple guitar tracks, and I'm assuming the demos - the Zero/Simmons ones - were done a year in advance of the band recording their first WB album.

Kinda along the lines of how Ed used to claim his main influence was Eric Clapton, when Ed used to bullshit in interviews to make it appear like he was this wunderkind wizz kid who came out of nowhere type-thing.

[Terry]

This is a PERFECT post.

Exactly.

Wolfgang, unlike the rest of us, never had to have a summer job. He never had to work for anything in his life (except learning a bunch of songs when his parents allowed him to stop going to school regularly and get a tutor so he could be on the road with his dad, uncle & Dave).

The fat son of a bitch has gotten everything handed to him. Look at him: the dude looks like he never even gets up to get his plate of food. He has sat around, been spoiled, lived in a big house...

I have a home studio in my basement. It's nice. It has colored lights and equipment...

...but I went through life's works & tribulations in order to get my house and build my studio.

This spoiled shit was born with a large building with a full studio outside his house. Everything he has in his life was given to him.

He tours, playing stadiums opening for Metallica, because of his last name.

There is NOTHING interesting about his music. The only reason it's gotten released...the only reason bands put him on the bill...the only reason he plays tribute concerts with huge (over-rated) bands like Foo Fighters...

...is because of his last name.

And every penny that has paid for his house and all the food he's eaten and all the stuff he has...

...was paid for by the hard-earned dollars of Van Halen fans.

And when he talks about said fans, he does so with disdain...disgust...

"Don't hold your breath..."

Fuck him! Seriously...I felt bad for him for the first month after his dad died. Then I noticed him starting to attack fans on his Twitter account and whining that all people want to talk about was Van Halen...not MAMMOTH.

If the guy didn't want to have his career associated with Van Halen, then why the hell did he pick a band name that literally was his dad's bands original name?? Seriously??

(Unless Mammoth is supposed to be a description of Wolfie himself. A whole village could live off of Wolfie meat for a decade!)

Wolfgang is a nepo kid.

Those have always been around, in all industries.

He may well believe he's where he is today because of his talent vs. his lineage. Would certainly explain his attitude re: some of the comments he's made. Honestly, I can't even bring myself to dislike him, mostly because I doubt he knows anything else even if he seemingly should know better.

I can't even be sure exactly who would have to sign off on an official release of all that CVH 'vault' stuff...is it Alex? Wolfgang? Warner Brothers? Was it that Ed never really wanted any of that stuff released but began to acquiesce, then passed away and Alex and Wolfgang think they're honoring what Ed would have wanted all along? Who the fuck really knows? I mean, if the stuff didn't get a release because Wolfgang has unilateral control, then yeah, as a CVH fan I'd say Wolfgang can go fuck himself with respect to that decision. Beyond that, I can't really be bothered with whatever he tweets...gave the Mammoth album a listen and going forward I can't be bothered with his musical output, either. Not my cup of tea.

[ZahZoo]

No, you don't hear amps singing much unless its blues/jazz oriented music these days...

Loved that reference on feeling the sound... I was training a youngster (20 yr old) to back me up on my live sound audio engineering job and was explaining how I know when I've got the kick-drum and bass dialed in correctly. Had him stand in the center of the production booth, which is aligned center stage about 40 feet back on a 1-foot riser.... and close his eyes. Then asked what he felt in his feet and upper abdomen/diaphragm area. He said it felt like his feet were buzzing and he was getting gut punched from the kick drum. Told him that's when you know you're there...

I still have a pedal board in my rig but most the time don't use effects much unless it's a specific song or style... like my Uni-Vibe for Hendrix style, occasional Phaser or Chorus. I'll use my Boss Blues Driver for punch, but it's set pretty low. The only thing I use most the time is a digital delay set about 85% dry into my clean channel. I run a Fender Blues Deluxe clean and shimmery and have a modded Marshall AVT-50 that I set just barely distorting. Used an A/B switcher and combined get a really warm harmonic tone... the delay in the clean channel is about 15 ms which creates a nice stereo effect. Also play a Jimmie Vaughan Tex-Mex Strat or a custom Strat I built a few years ago. If I want to play pretty stuff, I've got an ESP TN-6N hybrid acoustic/classical electric with nylon strings and run it thru the same rig...

[Nitro Express]

I use a FUCHS Train 45 into a FUCHS 2x12 loaded with Warehouse Veteran 30’s. I use a Fryette Power station to keep the volume manageable. I use a SG, Jimmie Vaughan Strat and a Les Paul Standard. I use no pedals at all. I get lots of compliments on my sound and one kid cracked me up when he was amazed he could feel it like that was something new to him.

But you don’t hear singing amps anymore. It’s chug a chug a chug.

[Mushroom]

I was talking to Orianthi and she was a TC Electronics endorser and she used to use a lot of effects and she said it ruined her sound. She uses very little effects now. We both agreed the less you have in the signal chain the more of your playing will come through.

I participated in a jam with a bunch of new friends several weeks ago. My setup was my Fender telecaster and a Peavey delta blues 2x10, some overdrive and reverb. One guy was playing a Gibson ES-335 through effects pedals and boutique amp, his signal was so processed you couldn’t even tell he was playing a Gibson ES-335. A couple guys told me my tone was awesome (in spite of my hack playing skills), yet I didn’t have the desire explain why.

[Nitro Express]

Yup. I always make sure I have good shoes. Its been a process over some years to come down to the type of shoe that was good for me and long distance running. Running has been a life changer to say the least. Certainly keeps me away from booze. lol

I did most my boozing in college and high school. When you are approaching 60 you can’t abuse yourself like you were 18.

[Nitro Express]

A couple - experienced hikers and campers - were recently attacked by a Grizzly in Banff, Alberta.

Unfortunately both of them and even their dog didn't make it.

More people venturing into bear country and the bear populations are rising. If I left bird seed in a bird feeder outside my house I can guarantee it would attract a black or grizzly bear. We have to have special garbage cans to keep the bears out of them.

[Nitro Express]

Every time Valerie posts a Instagram video she looks like she’s ready to paint the walls with her own feces.

[DLR7884]

Release this shit for Christ's sake!!!

That new set of Sammy shit should have been shelved for stuff like this.

Release it all! Album by album and tour by tour!

DLR7884
Oh, and fuck Wolf and his bat shit crazy mother!

[Jérôme Frenchise]

running faster than a bear.jpg

[Vinnie Velvet]

My dentist got charged by a bear hiking. He had bear spray but he said it was scary as fuck. We don’t have many muggings but the bears, moose, cougars and bison will fuck you up. Seems like there are more attacks but more people running around.

A couple - experienced hikers and campers - were recently attacked by a Grizzly in Banff, Alberta.

Unfortunately both of them and even their dog didn't make it.

[Vinnie Velvet]

That’s great! With running make sure you have good shoes and best to buy them from a store that specializes for runners. It will keep injuries from the constant pounding from happening.

I like the benefits of swimming but doing laps gets boring. In the winter I do a lot of X-Country skiing. I got chased by a bull moose last year. Had to go through some trees his rack wouldn’t fit and man was I glad those trees were there.

Yup. I always make sure I have good shoes. Its been a process over some years to come down to the type of shoe that was good for me and long distance running. Running has been a life changer to say the least. Certainly keeps me away from booze. lol

[Nitro Express]

My dentist got charged by a bear hiking. He had bear spray but he said it was scary as fuck. We don’t have many muggings but the bears, moose, cougars and bison will fuck you up. Seems like there are more attacks but more people running around.

[Nitro Express]

That’s great! With running make sure you have good shoes and best to buy them from a store that specializes for runners. It will keep injuries from the constant pounding from happening.

I like the benefits of swimming but doing laps gets boring. In the winter I do a lot of X-Country skiing. I got chased by a bull moose last year. Had to go through some trees his rack wouldn’t fit and man was I glad those trees were there.