The MPF Project / Mike Foerster

Blog

  • Spring 4-track Challenge: Drum Tracks completed!

    I finished recording the drum tracks!  Here’s how I did it!  Hope all is going well for your 4-track recording!  Love to hear it!

    –> Mike

  • It’s been Four Years since “Full Circle…” was release.

    The first release that I had ever done happened May 6th, 2014.  That’s now 4 years ago.  This CD has had a huge impact on my life and changed it dramatically.  It also gave the world a chance to hear my personal guitar hero, Don Dorey Jr.  His passing in 2011 was hard for me as many of you know.  I was happy that I had something from his legacy to share.  In this week’s video, we are passing on “Rocksmith Monday” to showcase the recording that started it all.

    If you are interested in buying the songs, please check out our CDBaby site or you can listen to it on any popular streaming site.

    — Mike

  • Spring 4-Track Challenge: Getting my 4-Track ready to record

    Since I started recording on my 4-Track back in 1993, I’ve always followed a strict way to record to keep the sound as fresh and clear as possible.

    1. I demagnetize the heads. My father bought a demagnetizer in the mid-80s and since he stopped using it at this point, I started using it whenever I record or do a major mix down of a song.
    2. Clean the heads. I always clean the heads before recording or doing a mix down.

    After I’ve done these two steps, I show you how I recorded the scratch track from the digital porta-studio to the 4-track.

  • A deeper understanding of using effects on various systems.

    I’ve been reading a lot of questions about using effects on different systems and decided I wanted to help out where I could.  I made the following video showing how to set up effects on various devices from amplifiers and mixers to using them while recording.

    — Mike

  • Spring 4 Track Challenge, working on the drums (vlog)

    This week I was working on the drums for my song.  I’m not the greatest drummer, I have been taking lessons for 2 years, but I really haven’t applied them to anything except what I’ve been working on so my scope is limited at the moment.  Trying to work on getting that better!

    –> Mike

  • Spring 4-track Challenge: Working on my scratch track Vlog

    As you know, I’m part of a 4-track recording challenge, write a song and record it with your 4-track.  I’m currently working on the scratch track and I wanted to shared my progress with you all:

    –> Mike

  • Rocksmith Monday: Which pickup works the best?

    This week’s video is a break from the 4-track recording vlogs.  Since it is the first Monday of the month, I wanted to see what type of pickup gave the best accuracy in Rocksmith.  Here’s what I used:

    • Single coil Custom Made Telecaster copy
    • Humbucker in a 1980’s Japanese made Stratocaster
    • Single coil with humbucking qualities (active pickup) in a heavily modified 2000’s model Stratocaster.

    I was amazed at the results, hope you enjoy the video:

    –> Mike

  • I wrote a YouTube intro!

    I wrote a YouTube intro for a friend’s channel…

    Here’s how I did it:

    Here’s his site:

    Larry The Butcher

     

  • Recording from a 4 track to a Digital Portastudio and Spring 4 track Challenge

    We have two things on the bill for this week’s post!

    First off, I show you how to move your recording from a 4-track to your digital Portastudio.  It isn’t hard to do, but if you want to keep a digital copy of your work, it is a good idea to do this.

    Secondly, starting March 21st, we will be joining forces with 424 Recording for a Spring 4-track challenge!  This will take place from March 21st until June 21st.  I hope to have a song completed and ready for distribution on June 21st!  Hope you will join us!

    –> Mike

  • What I do when starting a new song on my Tascam PortaStudio

    Today’s video is what I do when I start a new song to make sure everything is ready to go when I start recording.

    –> Mike Foerster