How Hit Albums Are Made (Part One)

I'm on a steep learning curve. Very steep. Positively north-face-of-the-Eiger-ish.


A year and a bit ago I started trying to play guitar properly. I'd messed around before and knew some of the basic open chord shapes, but making my fingers leap into position was another prospect altogether. Nonetheless, I've stuck at it and can now hold my own in a pub sing-a-long session, strumming along to Whiskey In The Jar and the like. It's fun.


I've just about reached the point of trying to persuade my fingers into barre chord shapes, give me another few months and I'll have that to a moderate standard, too.


So - the next stage.....


My old mucker Anal is a musician of both fine quality and long standing with tons and tons of  seemingly surplus equipment within his music room. A little of which he's kindly handed to yours truly on, and I quote, "permanent loan".

It's a Korg D4 four track (expandable via bounce-down to 32 tracks, so the makers claim) digital recorder.


Millbrooker Towers is currently lacking a music room, so the bedroom is standing in as my own personal Abbey Road for the foreseeable.


The recorder has a plethora of things to press and fiddle with...

...and I'm struggling to get it to do much at all today on my first attempts at multi-track recording on my ownsome.


Never mind, I shall persevere and a worldwide number one smash is predicted to emanate from the Millbrooker Towers' Attic Studio in due course. Readers are advised not to hold their breath waiting for this momentous occurrence.


Very pleasingly the Korg D4 is fitted with a knob knob. Yes, a knob marked "knob". This has amused me no end during the hours of failed recording attempts.

I'm not quite sure what happens when you press the knob knob, but I'm determined to find out. Watch this space.