The FirePod Rocks

Like Dylan once sang, "the times, they are a-changin' "

That gadget on the left is a FirePod (well, actually, the company that makes it now calls it an FP-10, but I like the sound of FirePod much better). You can plug up to 8 microphones or guitars into it, and then plug it into a laptop computer. Voila! Instant recording rig. We used it the other night to record an Eyewitness Blues Band rehearsal, and while we still have a few kinks to work out, the whole experience was pretty amazing.

This is not a mixer. What it does is let you capture up to 8 channels of audio, which you can mix in real time (or re-mix later) on your computer. Doug got this rig a day before we broke it out of the box and used it. Read the manual? Hah!

Despite our lack of familiarity, the only real hiccup was the fact that several of our bandmates were, uh, a little louder during the actual performance than they had been when we set the levels. Since we had no one to ride levels while we played, this resulted in some distorted tracks. But in general, considering how little effort it took to set up (and considering the acoustics of our cramped rehearsal space), we were all pretty thrilled with what we got.

At the very least, we now have a terrific instant-feedback tool. Play a song, play it back right away and hear what worked and what didn't. When we have time, we can re-mix and try to come up with an improved sound. But for now, take a listen to an un-remixed version of our song "15 Mill".

Yes, we will be keeping our day jobs.