[Dixielandjazz] Playing Along With Recordings

[Jim Kashishian]

Marty, if you're just honking along with a recording, there's not going to
be much of a problem of staying with the beat while listening over speakers
(as long as you have the sound up high enough), but if you're recording
yourself, then you will need earphones.  Put one ear phone on top of your
head, only wearing one on your ear, so you can hear yourself.

I wouldn't sweat the recording bit too much, though.  Just have fun blowing,
and don't worry about the outcome.  The practice for the chops is the plus.

During session work we always used earphones (the brass & reeds) with only
one earphone so you could hear your fellow blowers.  Yeah, I know, you could
get a return signal in your phones, but all we wanted was the drums, bass &
a bit of melody, plus the click track in the cans.  

Even 25 ms of delay can put you off in a recording (that's what we used to
use for "doubling a voice as it ended up just being a little off the
original voice" *), particularly if the tempo is fast, and you'll get that
by easily in a room.

* the trusty Eventide Harmonizer was used for that:  added delay, and
slightly change the pitch on the false "second voice" to the get the nice
spread of a big voice.  I still have a couple of Harmonizers around!

Jim