More Summer Inspiration from CHiTT

CHiTT's Summer Inspiration

MyAmerica

Benefit CD to raise money for film by and about immigrant youth

“My America” CD release: July 4, 2009

CHiTT Productions has produced a benefit CD for Papers― a forthcoming full-length documentary by and about undocumented youth.

The CD, titled “My America,” is an independent music compilation. It features the work of emcees, spoken word artists, DJs and musicians from communities across the U.S., including the Bay Area, Denver, Albuquerque, Minneapolis, and Harlem.

This diverse collection of poetry and music addresses race, gender, and social class issues, challenging dominant notions of immigration, democracy and citizenship. All proceeds will go the making and distribution of Papers, which will begin screening in U.S. cities in September, 2009.

Papers is a story about undocumented youth and the challenges they face as they turn 18 without legal status. Currently, there are about two million undocumented children who were born outside the U.S. but raised in this country.

Graham Street Productions is producing the film in partnership with Film Action Oregon. They are working in collaboration with youth who want to tell their stories and community organizations around the country who are working to change immigration policy on behalf of these young people. Youth are actively involved in all aspects of the production.

For more information about Papers, visit www.papersthemovie.com.

Supporters can purchase the CD and make tax deductible donations on the website. Individuals, schools, and organizations interested in co-hosting a screening of the film can also contact Graham Street Productions via the website.

Download MP3 album here:

http://www.mediafire.com/download.php?24cttgihdey

Download compressed files, unzip, and upload music files to media player
Download includes high-res jpg images of front and back cover + press release

***SUPPORT THE FILM***
Make a tax-deductible donation for the mp3 download or order a hard copy via pay pal here:

http://www.papersthemovie.com/donations/index.html

Hard copies can be ordered at http://www.papersthemovie.com/myamerica.html

Chitt releases benefit CD for Documentary

CHiTT Productions has finalized the "My America, Papers Documentary Benefit CD", and is rolling full speed with the release of the album. Molina Soleil has put together an amazing lineup of artists that tell the story of freedom, strength, activism, and political poetry like few artists can. Featured are E.G. Baily, Molina Soleil, and Mannequin Rituals, along with DJ Icewater and other amazing artists. The album will support the independant documantary "Papers" a tale of undocumented youth in America, Produced by Graham Street Productions.

Check back for mpre info on a FREE download of the album, plus info on how to support the film and purchase the limited edition album.

Redbush on KOCA Radio

Ok, so this has been posted before, but with a link to the premix preview that wasn't meant to be made public, so we're re-posting with a proper link this time.

Redbush, aka Mr. V, hailing from little ol' Laramie WY, rolled into low-power FM KOCA radio and delivered a solid performance that ranks as one of the best that no one ever heard. Luckily, all was captured to digital for posterity, and released to the public for free here:



Redbush live on KOCA radio
MP3 192 kbps

Redbush/Mr. V recently played their "last" show in Laramie, but the rumor mill has it that they might be back for a few more shows before the name dies for good. Let's hope so.

In other news, CHiTT recently worked with Rx Bandits on a live show in Laramie WY (link available upon request only at this time), and interfaced with a video crew to record one of the last Spangler/ Mr. V shows at the ramshackle "Hickey House" under the viaduct. When that project gets completed, we'll update with links...

Papers Documentary

Check out the trailer for the upcoming documentary Papers by Graham Street Productions, a "story about undocumented youth and the choices they must make as they become adults without legal status" -- featuring music by Mannequin Rituals and Molina Soleil, produced by CHiTT Productions.





CHiTT is currently finalizing a CD compilation to promote the film, featuring work by Molina Soliel and Aju, Tru Ruts, and other selected artists. Check back for more details.

RUMSFELD recording EP--Fumes

Rumsfeld has entered the dungeon to write and record its EP Fumes.

The EP will feature 4 tracks of new material anticipated to live up to doomy nature its namesake implies. 3 of the 4 tracks have already begun the recording process.

After the recording is finished Rumsfeld plans on playing shows around the area. More on this as info is available.

CHiTT moves to the bunker

>>>>Incoming transmission<<<<<<<<.[.[.[.[.[.[.[.[.[.[~~~~~=+~":{CHiTT} Winter is almost at its end and the seasons are moving into position.

With the changing of the guard comes new projects and ideas.

CHiTT Productions will relocate to an undisclosed, centralized location. We are in the process of setting up our new headquarters in an underground bunker (yes this is very exciting). Inside this bunker will be our guerrilla studio along with sleeping quarters for all the members, a kitchen with a microwave and a fridge filled with BEER. It's important to know that each member does have black pants, shirts, boots and $300 in personal burial money.

CHiTT will also have its mobile command unit ready to roll and it will be touring across Wyoming this summer recording audio, capturing video, taking photos, painting pictures, and documenting the wasteland. This is important to all underground bands in Wyoming who would like CHiTT to come setup a guerrilla recording and make an EP. It's amazing what we can do for $200 and a case of beer.

PROJECTS IN THE WORKS:

Name: Cubicle

- The Cubicle EP will be out later this summer!

The first track has been recorded and will feature instrumental music from "the void of the office." It might have a few surprise guests appear as well. Look forward to more progress on this gem of corporate refuse.






Name: Mannequin Rituals

- Mannequin Rituals music to be featured on "Papers", an independent documentary coming out from Graham Street Productions. Check out the trailer here: http://www.papersthemovie.com/w.papersthemovie.com/

Also, look for new Mannequin Rituals to come out soon.

Name: Basement Dwellers



- Basement will be recording a new EP titled "Gott ist Tot" coming out later this summer. Their self-titled EP is out and will be available for FREE download. Check back here for details. They are an industrial, instrumental, basement blend of soothing trance like grunge (I guess). Their first EP is a must have for fans of the underground music scene.






Name: Redbush LIVE at KOCA

- Don't forget to check out Redbush LIVE at KOCA
this recording is sweet and the band wailed, playing some monstrous tracks. SO, show some support and check them out and show them support.






That's all for now... Oh wait, check back for the big news about RUMSFELD

New Guerrilla Recordings - CHiTT 2008-2009 Sampler

It's been a while-- we've been too busy living life to write about it-- but CHiTT has stayed busy recording new projects with local artists. Here's a few tidbits of what we worked on in the recent months:

Redbush Live on KOCA Radio, Novemeber 16 2008--

Rolled in to an impromptu recording session at Laramie's low-powered FM community radio station. Set up shop within an hour and ran a separate mix for the live broadcast. Radioland listeners (all 5 of them) weren't all that impressed due to our line-level output massively clipping their ancient, barely functioning microphone preamps. If I'd had a spare DI, we might have avoided the problem. The multitrack recording turned out great though, provided in its entirety here for free. We additionally used an AT2021 microphone as an area mic, which added a roomy, Steve Albini sound to the drums. Here's a preview:

Chase the Moment, Live at the UW Gardens, November 22 2009.
A quick an easy live setup, using borrowed microphones (Sennheiser e609, AKG C-1000, Shure Beta 52, etc). The venue is like mixing sound in a bathtub-- the floors are tiled and the space is overly lively. The recording refelcts a similar quality:

The Upbeat Project, Live at the UW Ballroom, February 11 2009.

A similar multitracking situation-- we already ran a full sound reinforcement system for the band, so we just patched direct outs from each channel on their Allen & Heath board into our gear. The massive drum kit was only mic'd with a kick (Beta 52- thin!), snare (Sennheiser e604 - yikes!) and two matched Rode NT-5 mics (nice!)-- overall, too few mics for a drum kit, but good enough for guerrillas.

Ghosts of Predators Past, Live at Lovejoys, February 20, 2009.

Live bar setup, with CHiTT's normal line of gear.

Other Projects: Sat in with a home session with the Patti Fiasco in January 2009. Overdubs and additional tracks planned for the near future. Check back for more details.

Stay tuned for more. In the meantime keep busy making art-- after the crash, we won't have as much time for such things.

DNC -- Democracy In Action

The DNC in '68

The death of free speech at the DNC

Surprise, surprise-- the "party of change" is afraid of the potential of "free speech." Protesters at the Democratic National Convention in Denver late August will be relegated to "free speech zones," because security supersedes freedom in this Orwellian, post 9/11 world. Those not happy with keeping their voices confined to zones where their speech is contained and neutralized will find a newly built home at "Gitmo on Platte," complete with stun guns and barb wire fences:

Adrian H. Molina - Up Before the Sunrise Free Preview

It's finally here-- after long wait, CHiTT Productions has teamed up with Adrian H. Molina and Mannequin Rituals to release Up Before the Sunrise. It took a lot of effort to put this album out and we're pleased with the final product.

We're offering up for free download a half-album preview in 128 kbps MP3 format. Please check the "Album Order Info" document for details on how to obtain a hard copy, or check out http://www.digstation.com/adrianhmolina to purchase the full album in digital format.

This album was recorded and released without a budget, so if you dig the tunes, please be sure to send your support to Adrian and buy an album.

Adrian H. Molina with Mannequin Rituals - Up Before the Sunrise (2008)
Half Album Preview - 128 kbps

What is Capitalism?

Cut for time, from the Internet Archive.

Live acoustic recording -- Carrie at the Friendly Store

CHiTT has been hard at work getting ready to release several upcoming projects, but in the meantime, we're posting an impromptu live recording from a sleepy bar in Centennial WY. Carrie is a powerful vocalist and songwriter whom we hope to work with in the future on a full studio album. Her song "Comin' Round" is just one example of her arresting abilities to translate emotion through song:

Recorded on-location with a goal toward simplicity, we set up with stereo AT2021s in the neck and bridge position, a SM57 just above the sound hole (primarily for live sound reinforcement purposes) and a SM58 on vocals, all multi-tracked to hard disk.

After reviewing the audio I determined that while the AT2021s sounded great on the rest of the songs, Carrie's playing style during this song didn't really agree with the mic placement. The SM57 was originally set up just as a mic for boosting the acoustic through the PA, but in this mix it became the primary mic, adding a low end presence and a more forgiving interpretation of the string-slap sound than the AT2021s. The AT2021s ended up in a wider stereo spread buried under the SM57 track, and I routed those condenser mics to a woodsy, long reverb, which was routed back to the mix in generous amounts. There's a fair amount of bleed from the bar crowd that gathered to chat, but it doesn't really detract from the recording, instead lending to a sense of authenticity.

New song from Chase the Moment

It's been a while since any updates, but rest assured that CHiTT Productions is staying quite busy. In an effort to stay up to date, we're posting the latest recording from Chase the Moment, comprised of former members from A Switchblade Affair.

The following song "Relic" was recorded on location in the band's basement in Cheyenne Wyoming. CTM setup drums in their main practice space and ran their amps into the surrounding rooms for maximum isolation. The music was recorded live with no overdubs, and vocals recorded later that month. Check out their page for info on their upcoming tour, and click the play bar below for the song.

And some photos from the recording session:

How to Fix a Broken Dynamic Microphone

Buying microphones used is a great way to add gear to your inventory without putting a big dent in your budget. Most of the time, used gear will show cosmetic damage on the housing but will still retain much of its sonic clarity. As long as the microphone capsule and diaphragm aren't damaged, the microphone will still perform as expected. In the end, it's not how the microphone looks, but rather how it sounds that matters.

An even better way to save money buying used gear is to search for deals on "broken" or non-functioning gear. Sometimes you can discern from the product description what might have gone wrong with the microphone, but other times you just have to take a leap of faith and hope that the damage is something that can be fixed. This assumes you have a basic working knowledge of how to use a soldering iron-- if not check on the web for some tutorials about soldering, and practice first on a non-critical piece of gear to hone your skills before moving on to a mic.

This how-to specifically applies to a Shure SM58 or SM57 which I have found to be one of the more difficult dynamic microphones to fix because of the delicate construction of the mic. The same repair concepts apply to pretty much any dynamic mic, and may be actually easier to implement with other models and brands, depending on the housing, wiring and microphone capsule. (Condenser microphones are infinitely more difficult to repair. Since a condenser mic element is especially fragile and more susceptible to vibrations and shocks, any damage might be beyond repair; purchase broken condensers with caution.)

First off, with a non-functioning microphone you have to determine the most likely area of malfunction. Carefully unscrew all the pieces and inspect them for wires that are not connected or loose. Most frequently, the cause of a non-working microphone happens when a wire disconnects and breaks the signal flow-- in this case a quick re-soldering job will get you up and running in no time. If the wires are still connected toward the front of the microphone, find a small flathead screwdriver and unscrew the XLR connection from the base of the mic and remove with pliers.

The photo left shows the most typical problem with mics. One of the connecting wires to the XLR has been disconnected, which can be easily reattached with a touch from a hot soldering tip. If more than one wire is disconnected and you're not sure which wire goes where, try to find some documentation from the manufacturer to give you more information on the original wiring setup. (Note: the XLR ends on the SM58 at left don't match Shure's wiring diagram. Shure microphones have gone through several wiring permutations over the years, and this particular mic is over 20 years old, so for whatever reason has 4 wires instead of 2 or 3.) If it is in fact a wire that's come loose, you're lucky; this is the easiest fix and makes you feel like a bandit from all the money you saved on a "broken" mic.

The more tricky fix comes into play if there's no visible signs of disconnected wires at the XLR end or in the middle of the mic. If not, there's probably been some kind of damage to the wiring of the microphone capsule-- the type of damage will determine if you can fix the mic or not. You'll have to carefully disassemble the microphone capsule end from the wires on the base of the 58, first by de-soldering the base wires from the metal terminals at the end of the capsule and unscrewing the center nut and any ground wire (if present). Then you'll have to slide the entire capsule element out of the microphone housing, making sure not to cause any further damage to the capsule from the force of the disassembly. Removing the capsule from the housing will take some nudging and wiggling to get it out, and once removed you might not be able to get it back into the housing as snug as it was before.
When de-soldering and taking apart the capsule element, it would probably be best to take pictures of how the mic was assembled for reference, and clearly mark exactly how the wires connect to the capsule and the diaphragm. When reassembling the microphone, you want to make sure the correct wires are connected back to their origins, otherwise you will reverse the polarity of the mic, and it won't function the way it should (although you'll still get a signal).

Once taken apart, you'll be able to see where the damage has occurred to the microphone capsule. The most frustrating part of a 58 or 57's construction is the delicate wire that leads from the coil under the diaphragm, between strips of yellow tape, down the magnet of the capsule, and finally connects to metal terminals secured on a wafer on the center post of the capsule. Dynamic Shure microphones are extremely durable, but if anything is really going to "break" on these mics, it's going to happen in the few exposed centimeters where the delicate red wire connects to the metal terminals. Fixing this requires near-surgical precision and a steady hand.

If indeed the little red wire has become detached from the metal terminal, you'll have a hard time soldering it back on. The red coloring is actually a type of plastic shielding, so solder won't readily adhere to the wire without some prep work. First, carefully peel back the top layer of the yellow tape with an Xacto knife, being careful not to rip the red wire in the process. With some electrical tape, secure the top layer of yellow tape out of the way, and separate the red wire from the bottom piece of yellow tape. With a lighter, move the flame close to the wire, making sure to never touch the wire directly, and only exposing the wire to heat for a very brief instant. This will burn the shielding off of the wire and leave the wire exposed, but if the flame is too close, the wire will burn, and then it's probably game over.

Now the tiny wire is probably too brittle to reattach to the original terminals, so the next step is to manufacture an alternative method that will leave the tiny wire securely in place while allowing you to make a connection with the colored wires from the base of the microphone. You'll need some copper desoldering braid, some soldering flux and the rest of your soldering tools.

With the desoldering braid, cut a piece the length of the capsule magnet and poke a hole with a pushpin through the braid. Thread the tiny wire through the piece of braid and tape the braid on top of the yellow tape to hold it temporarily in place. Put a little bit of soldering flux over the hole where the tiny wire is threaded-- this will help ensure a good bond between the braid, the wire and the solder.

Next, solder over the hole, filling it in and letting the solder run down a portion of the braid. Don't use too much solder, but make sure that you've used enough solder to make a solid connection with the tiny wire. It's OK if not all portions of the wire adhere to the braid-- as long as you've made a connection somewhere along the braid, it's probably sufficient to pass signal from one element to the other.

Once the wire and the braid are soldered, lay the top piece of yellow tape back over the braid and secure the whole thing in place with a couple of wraps of electrical tape. At the bottom of the mic capsule, solder a spare piece of wire to the braid-- this new wire will jump the gap between the mic capsule and the base of the microphone. Once again, be sure to note which side of the microphone corresponds to which color of wire, otherwise you run the risk of reversing your polarity.

Inserting the capsule back into the housing is a difficult squeeze since there are several new layers of tape, but with enough care, the capsule should eventually fit into place. Twist the extension wires with the original wires from the base and solder the connections, then shield off the wire with a strip of tape. Screw the top portion of the mic back into the base and test the connection-- if done correctly, you should have a functioning microphone once again.

*Edit*  Check out Shure's documentation for the SM57 here and the SM58 here.  Here's a quick wiring diagram provided in the SM57 manual:

Adrian H. Molina & CHiTT Productions release "Beyond Sundown"

CHiTT Productions is proud to announce the preliminary release of Adrian H. Molina's newest track "Beyond Sundown." Adrian's first CHiTT produced E.P. release Representin' 4 Life was a more traditional hip hop album, but this newest release signals a fresh artistic direction. Featuring music by Mannequin Rituals and vocal appearances from Helen Chanthongthip and the vastly talented Day Acoli, "Beyond Sundown" is a politically charged dystopian middle finger to Big Brother. Check out his MySpace page for a free download, or click the play bar below for a streaming preview.



Update: New Video for Beyond Sundown Released

Free Guerrilla Recording: Three bands at the Buckhorn

From the vault CHiTT Productions presents a live recording from the Buckhorn Bar: the Ghosts of Predators Past, the Neo-nostalgics, and Driftwood. Recorded on location December 14, 2007 at the Buckhorn Bar in Laramie, Wyoming.




Free download:
CHiTT Productions Presents the Buckhorn Bar
December 14, 2007
Ghosts of Predators Past, Neo-nostalgics & Driftwood
192 kbps 65 Megs




All parties involved in the recordings retain their original rights to their creations. You are free to download and distribute this album for non-commercial purposes only.

Sample songs from the full album:
Ghosts of Predators Past:

Neo-Nostalgics

Driftwood

Gear used in the recording of this show: Shure SM58 (vocals), Sennheiser e609 (guitars), Shure Beta 52 (kick and bass), Shure SM57 (snare), Sennheiser e604 (toms), AT2020 (overheads). Multitracked to hard disk.

If you would like to contribute some spare change to CHiTT Productions, click on the PayPal button in the side bar. Every little bit helps.

Where have all the cowboys gone?

Get your gun, and meet us at the hillside...