Ben, I really love the banjo parts in your songs so i was wondering: what kind of banjo do you use? 4 /5 / 6 String? Tuning? Open / Closed Back? Thanks, Matt.
I actually have 3 banjos. I can't think of any of the models, but I can check when I'm in the shed next. But for details ... One I bought used from a Guitar Center, and it's the nicest once I have. 5 String, open back. I haven't recorded with it yet, but I will. I wanna write some songs specifically for it too. The second is from a garage sale, closed back, 5-string, and it's the one on all the recordings. I got it in 2006 or so. It has an eagle branded into the back of it. The most recent one I found in the garbage on the side of the road by chance, and it's closed and 4-string and might be my favorite now. They're all tuned standard. I'm not a great banjo player by any stretch, but I like just picking stuff out on them.
cool, thanks for the information! what do you use for strings? like at the end of "the strangest things" - do you record real strings or are those coming from software or synth or mellotron or something? They sound really cool, not so classical-clean, I like that.
Matt, if you are interested you can see this interview http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eLSnGpeEZcs Ben talk a little about his banjo.
No problem. And I usually use some string samples I have in Reason, but I run them through guitar amps. Which is why they sound a bit dirtier. I tend to record nearly all my synths that way too.
ah, ok cool, that's a very good idea.. they reminded me a bit of the stuff you would get out of a mellotron, but I think thats about the same sound as running them through a guitar amp, just adding dirt, as you said.. right then, thanks for sharing with us
Yeah, I just think of it as texture. When I leave the sounds in the computer, they lack a lot of the texture I like. So running through different types of speakers helps with that a lot. And in general it's a great way to make free synths and plug ins sound a lot more interesting.
