Texas Central Productions

04/16/2020

I just had a thought about recording in the modern age,I am so old school,that I use my studio set up to be ,basically ,a digital tape player/recorder,as I'm not that great at the tech stuff. and muddle through using mainly my ears for levels n tones.If it clips as it often does, hahah then I will take action but if it sounds good then I leave well alone.I often distort live drums by adding room distortion to achieve that live sound as opposed to large room reverbs,which can sound too swimmy at the back end .I like a lot of sibilance,mid highs on vocals,and a warm mid low on the vocal double tracked vocals.
My productions are finished when ive exhausted avenues of eq and compression of which I use very little,and apart from a few rock gtr sounds ....everythings clean with a touch of chorus to give it spread over all in stereo.Its a fascinating job,one I have longed to get involved in after spending so many years watching others f**k up my drum sounds i wanted to get,but always,cowed down to a more experienced voice,even if it had just come straight from media school..But it keeps your ears open thats for sure..This post is just a chat to anyone listening or watching here,and its geat to hear from you if u want to leave a comment ok?
On my first record i practiced at it.on my second I got very close,and after along while i got to my third which sounds fine too but I feel along way to go still.Were all different and Ive been looking for My sound and maybe one day will get there ...Theres always some one better and I have to keep reminding myself here m not equipped with the hi end racks of tech stuff and mountains of latest sound sources.but hey it works right ????
all the best to you all.xx upward n onward........

04/15/2020

I Should Have Known Better (remastered)

Re-recorded at TCStudio this past week, please have a listen and leave comments on YouTube and subscribe. Thanks!

Featuring Charles Crews, Rachel Tishara Stacy, Julie Bonk, Charlie Stephens , Jeff Jacobs, and Pete Thompson Musician, Producer, Teacher .

Shout out to Steve Satterwhite for all his work and help on Open Window on which this tune originally appeared.

Originally released on Pete Thompson's "Open Window" in 2012. Remastered today with new vocals and drums with an overall upgrade of the soundscape. Piano: Ju...

04/04/2020

Been tardy in my posts here for a while ,so sorry bout that,cause with the current situation not much happening here at the Little studio on the prairie..Weathers been fab ,one day hot the other cold then raining a lot which is great to bring down the pollen count at least eh?I've been writing and touching up some new mixes and revisiting older tracks to see if I can make some good adjustments to them,which is proving to be a challenge in some cases,and I think they were better in the first place and should have left em alone,Such is the beast.!!!
I wish everyone out there thats been n visited us over the years to safely stay indoors dont take chances and to get to the other side of this awful virus,without too much inconvenience...cheers everyone !!!

03/25/2020

I've been working on a song I had written 6 yrs ago and thought it was finished,came back to it after all this time and after 4 or 5 rewrites its still eluding me.the back track is really very good and i dont wanna scrap it,cause i enjoy the whole mood of the song.just cant get going on the words I have so many but it all seems so ,direction less ive been told....Oh well back into the mancave ..hope your all well .###x

03/17/2020

The Corona Jig

Heres a jig for ya all to enjoy..Studios not going to be busy what with the virus n all.So get down n do the corona jig ok?????please share it round ya friends .thanks

Born in the depths of Celtic origins before time was recorded Uplifting in times of worry and fear Intended for intense evenings of dance and merriment Enjoy...

03/14/2020

It's been a while since I posted last.Nothing going on here,except songwriting/recording new stuff after a barren period .now thankfully gone .......Drum lessons going well again ..So all you budding songwriters wanna come have some magic on your songs..stop by for a visit......all the best

03/09/2020

Will have a slow week this week.so time to clean ship and fix a few things and a good wipe down.. Moving in some new nearfield speakers that have been in the box for along while and laying the house monitors into a new positionas opposed to standing upright and being too high for me now when I sit at desk doing stuff...I noticed dust in places it shouldn't be....A no no....ok thats it for now.speak soon folks.

02/26/2020

I got the approval on the new Rachel Stacy song from her after we had a mix meeting...Finishing Mark Wilsons record in a fortnight ....we're onto the cover now...Awaiting news from Arkansas on what tweeks they want done to their record..Then we've had Wade Johnson in today recording a project.I have friends over from the UK tomorrow... Then finishing my running order for my new record too....Phew!!

02/26/2020

Wade Johnson in de house today with suave gtr player Rodney Bollinger working up a demo and had some fun too and war stories also

02/22/2020

I've just got word the last record we did here for Los Roscos has been given the mighty thumbs up from the band after playing it for a week to friends n such and only need the slightest of tweeks to complete it ready for release in the summer ..That makes me very happy indeed..!!..

02/16/2020

It has been a very busy week here with Los Rosco's doing their album.6 tracks last session and 4 these past two days.Its been a cruncher of a session for me especially as Im doing drums as well as producing n such ...But we got it all done and they're packed off happily today with ruff mixes and all...So I am obviously happy too...Need to recover some brain cells now ,then back in the saddle so to speak.Since the windows 10 change over some tech crap happening for some reason so we chasing the problems now. which is a pain ,......!! But back to work here on Mark wilsons record soon .and Rachel back in on weds to do backing vocals on her new record too.
Matt Ploziak doing brass on weds too ..OK I'm off to do a drum lesson for 2 hrs then who knows? come see us soon ok?

02/07/2020

Mark Wilson in the house tomorrow..remixes and then tech stuff.....ruff mixed Rachel Stacys track for backing vocals in 2 weeks time re cut bass n drums also..Have a great weekend folks..............

01/16/2020

A very productive day with Mark Wilson.Just when were finishing up,were going over the very early tracks and they are just not of the others standard so we're re-recording vocals on 2 of them and couple of gtrs here n there ..All good just not the right approach at the end of the day...So maybe a couple more sessions till were finished But a good day none the less...

01/14/2020

Well today turned out to be quite a busy one ,I Changed over snares from a small stand to a wider model.,Wrote a song with chorus's /bridges.gtrs bass n drums on it too then spent the evening doing vocals/harmonies and arranged the beast into some thing quite lovely and feeling very jazzed about the new song...Ive got 22 songs sitting on the side lines now....way too many of course for an album, but I could be an album ahead now..which is nice too.My new ones more than ready but I keep writing and it makes me uncertain now of certain tracks that should be included maybe into the current one...Anyways I have Wade Johnston coming in on Wednesday....Mark Wilson on friday.and Rachel Stacy in on the 21st for vocals,on a song written by Robin George which we worked up a few yrs agao and is finally getting some attention at long last..Ok thanks for stopping by here and all the best !!

01/08/2020

Ok. New years post comin up! The boyz from Arkansas,will be here 1st week of February,and I am in the process of cleaning their tracks as we speak,and reviewing input with a good focus see what comes out the other end.Mark Wilsons been in tweeking things on his tracks also.Brand new headfone cables arrived this week s we can throw away the old ,intermittent problems causing embarresment there some times.New mic cables also,and a brand new mic as a xmas present from the Rook.lovely surprise too!!!!Hes got a new toy to play thru also.So were in good shape .....and my new songs are in top ten at reverb nation too so thanks for listening out there .My new record is finished !!!

12/31/2019

PT RUN WITH THE SHADOWS by Pete Thompson

New song off the latest soon to be released album number 3...Hope its liked ...

12/27/2019

The few days away from the studio room,allowed me some time to go back over my new record I am happy so say finally.I dug out an irish jig/rock track.I wrote fr my first album and really liked what i heard .So I finished it and its kick ass now!!! Glad I went looking....It's Gaelic...stompin,.. Sea shantyish and real fun to listen too ..JIG A JIG...!!!!

12/20/2019

Been in editing keyboard s today and ruff mixes for some approval on
Monday when MW is back in doing vocals n mixes with me ..I then have to record a drum track for my new song in the course of being produced here, then we will shut down for the Xmas period..ts been a good finish fr this year which started off quite badly last January,and had us thinking we were going under,But we bundled on and it came good for us once more and with so many studios going bust these past years.I guess with so many bedroom studios now it was bound to happen.Remember .mine is but a tad bigger here and my own private rooms, I let out t decent songwriters,if they're recommended to me .So we're very lucky to still be here and we appreciate it greatly.....Upward n Onward...xx

12/18/2019

Some times ya just cant sleep.!! Tonight ,I've edited live drums played bass track repair,did 2 electric gtr tracks and closed shop at 11pm.....That's a wow evening in my book.all on my own time .Just needed to get it done for a client to be sure that the next sessions are only mix sessions.OK just a few vocals to do but its mix time very soon ......Love my job very much ...

12/16/2019

I've just left the studio after mixing 2 tracks off the Mark Wilson Sophomore record with a mixed bag of styles I must say...Today's tracks ,I arranged the string section and added pizzicato violins,flutes and cellos along with the voices and hence the happy feeling when I mixed it all worked out fine and a surprise also as the sounds were nice also..We're gettin there !! Xmas soon .. tree went up today ...studio will be closed for business from the 23rd Dec to 27th Dec..
Mark Lawrence was in for a few hours,re twiddling a couple of mixes also this week.Now there's a bunch of songs that's different and eclectic ..

12/13/2019

Mixing again today.Mark Wilson project near to completion after 6 months of sessions here at TCP..Looking forward to the mixes coming good now !! Been a good end to the year so far,and expecting the Arkansas Boys to be back around the 8th of January I'm told ..Bring it!!!!

12/11/2019

A personal message to all that have used my studio services these past years.A huge thank you to you all for stepping in to my humble rooms,and being creative and also allowing me to mentor many of you in the art of music making,as many of you are first timers and its been great !We started Texas Central for my own recording and inspirational meanderings way back in 2009 when My band of pirates n cohorts.GROOVE SHAMEN,was in it's infancy,rehearsing and recording here in the live room for many months.Sadly never got to play anywhere, mainly through lethargy from club owners n agents.deaths and other gremlins,but we did record some great tracks and they live on ...So to spin forward to 2019 and find ourselves still recording bands ,solo artistes and all n sundry.with passion,more knowledge than in 2007 thankfully and getting better results than ever,,We look forward to whomever wishes to come n record here,with the same level of friendliness and commitment in the future..Too many to thank here ,but its been a trip,and its been because of you all I'm still here doing it.We thank you all so very much ,Have a great Holiday season and Happy Xmas to you all

12/11/2019

This is a comment from a musician that works here some times .Thanks Matt.indeed,
Pete is awesome! One of the most knowledgeable and talented producer / engineer I have ever met. He does absolutely incredible work. And a great musician as well.

12/09/2019

It was great to receive a message from clients today saying what great sessions we provided them with ,and how it was a huge learning curve for them,working with myself and super tech at the helm,and how quickly and polished it all was musically..They liked the drum tracks I gave them to so that's a bonus here as well..They will be back soon !!

12/08/2019

Session finished today around 6 ..Files all cleaned up and packed into hard drives thanks to a diligent tech tidy person and lovely all round wife..Client very happy also ,and coming back for more in January which pleases us very much . Rolling on again .Thank you dear BUDDY WHITTINGTON for playing some great guitar,once again and for the Arkansas Boyz for takin the trip and showing us some love Now to finish Mr Wilsons record.

11/26/2019

Two more songs today with Miss Angie at the helm,after a few long days in the room,I needed to walk away from todays session to clear my head..Mark Wilson in today laying foundation tracks for me to play over later ......Another couple of really nice tunes from him....He's a very cool songwriter and enjoying the process with him again ....

11/25/2019

Funny business this recording lark.If you dont keep listening to other artistes and studios they use...you can get left behind in ya own little world.Take drum sounds for instance! I'm always changing snares sounds, tuning for different songs,change Eq's etc etc and still you cant achieve some thing you might have heard on the radio that day n thought damn how do they do that? Then you realise you have a home studio with limitations. size of room,inexpensive mics and limited scope.So the job becomes a bit harder cause your fighting the big boys all the time .But....We don't do so bad here.....We have decent monitors/playback and our tea is world class ..so there you have it ..you cant have it all ,and what we offer is all that we have and Its got to be said."With small budgets we can do wonders here"...Were always open to discuss what budgets you might have and can work around? and I've said it before come n have a coffee ok?

11/18/2019

Had a good day reviewing 14 songs and cleaning up tracks in readiness for the final batch of over dubs on Mark Wilson's first record,and being pleasantly surprised ,and pleased ,as to some of the musical meanderings of my incredibly jumbled brain waves,and song sets I've been presented with.So all is well and the client very happy....Vocals tomorrow !! Keys weds...then mixing...yay!

11/16/2019

A great session today with Mark Wilson vocals and Rodney Pyeatt on guitar duties getting 6 songs completed A roaster indeed,but when ya gt the calibre of myself n Pyeatt on the game its cooking !!! Nearing completion of the batch of 14 songs and soon mixing time after a short break ...Well done fellas.

11/14/2019

Screaming for Candy Art [Explicit]

I had a nice few moments last night when I looked back and listened to a Nick Tittle album I had recorded with him 5 or 6 years ago now ,and was pleasantly surprised with the sounds and the vibe of the record and was very pleased to hear it working as a whole once again.It was a very intimate record due to the performances of Nick, and it bought back some very cool memories of the recording process together.Here was a young man steppin out side his box,creating and experiencing his first time in the studio,with a seasoned pro,and delivering ,well to me, some spine chilling moments,and performances.This wasnt just straight ahead heads down rockin,this was cerebral song crafting at its best and worldly also..
"Screaming for candy art "is the record Go give it a listen...
https://www.amazon.com/Screaming-Candy-Explicit-Tittle-Valleys/dp/B00BCJEAW2

Thanks Nick it was real nice to go back there again .

Screaming for Candy Art [Explicit]

11/14/2019

Long productive day ,all vocals and got a lot finished also..Boom!!!

11/11/2019

Might be getting colder outside,but in the "room with boom"its hotting up here.Things are going on !! The irons are in the fire!!!!! Have a great Veterans day,remember those have been lost,and those that came home,!!Always..................

11/01/2019

Mark Wilson in the room with boom today.. last two songs on his new record.

10/28/2019

Our tech support here at TCP,young Ms Angie,spent ages getting the downloads to work and recieve the Presonus software/Hardware,and all the other upgrades ,and I have recorded since ,and it works great.. Rod Davies has been in putting some touches on Mark Wilsons CD etc etc ,and were moving towards the end game some time soon ..Remember if u want some class recordings in a small friendly studio,and good vibes come see us here Ok?.