Dean Peer's New Website

Dean Peer just sent me an email to inform me that his new website is up and running. You can check it out at www.deanpeerbass.com.

Dean's been actively performing over the last few months with his drummer Bret Mann. The new website has details on upcoming shows, and you can directly order some of Dean's amazing recordings. He's currently working on a new project, and I've heard some of the tracks he's laid down...they're very different than his past work. You can get updates on this project through the website as well!

Dean Peer's New Turntable

Once or twice in the last year, I've referred to the new Paris turntable from Oracle Audio as "looking like a Pro-Ject, but sounding like an Oracle." I certainly didn't intend it as a knock against Oracle--or even Pro-Ject, for that matter, since I've heard one or two of their designs that I really liked. It's just that Oracle has always been known for their stunning, open-architecture turntable designs such as the Delphi and the Alexandria. Audio reviewers often make comments such as "it's a stunning example of industrial sculpture" or "it sounds as good as it looks!"

The new Paris, however, looks a bit ordinary next to the other Oracle products. It has a fairly conventional plinth with a lacquered finish that does come in bold colors such as red and white and yellow--which reminds me of budget turntables from Pro-Ject, Music Hall and even Rega. From a distance, the only sign that the Paris is something special is its neatly sloped corner on the bottom right of the plinth. Get up close, however, and you'll notice the quality of the fit and finish, especially when you actually start playing music on the Paris and can feel all those textures as you cue the arm.

The second part of my comment, where I say that the Paris sounds like an Oracle, is definitely a compliment. When I first heard the Oracle at the AXPONA Show in Atlanta last year, I took back my comments about the looks once I heard the amazing sound. In a mostly Oracle-populated system, the Paris sounded like a very expensive turntable. I remember the deep bass being very impressive for what is basically a low-mass turntable design, and when I learned of the price of the entire Oracle Paris system ($3150 for the 'table, $950 for the arm, $1150 for the cartridge, $5000 complete when bought as one), it started looking like a true bargain.

So when I had a chance to get my hands on a Paris for further evaluation, I jumped at the chance. Colleen and I recently got a call from our friend Dean Peer, who recently received a black Oracle Paris for his home system. He wanted me tostop by and double-check the initial set-up of the 'table. I packed up my protractors, allen wrenches and stylus gauge and we headed out for an evening at Chez Peer.

After fine-tuning the Paris--it was fairly easy and straight-forward to align the cartridge and set the tracking force--we sat back and listened. It's truly interesting to listen to a home audio system with someone like Dean who spends a lot of time in recording studios seated in front of a huge mixing board. He instantly heard sonic changes after I made my adjustments, and thank goodness they were for the better. Dean works with a lot of digital software and a ruthlessly revealing pair of studio monitors, so it's rewarding to have him sit back and hear just how wonderful vinyl can sound. While he can be incredibly demanding when it comes to production quality, he totally gets the warm, humane sound of analog playback.

Colleen and I are planning to return in a couple of weeks with one of our Unison Research amps so that he can hear what we're up to in the world of audio. I'll follow-up once we get the Unison into the mix and I'm able to fine-tune the set-up even further by ear. I also borrowed a Sound Application powerline conditioner from Dean so I could evaluate it...this is probably the most expensive power conditioner I've used but after two days I'm hearing some very noticeable improvements that are taking my system to the next level as well.

Another visit with Dean Peer...

For the holidays, Colleen and I visited bass virtuoso Dean Peer at his home north of Austin. This was the first time I've seen Dean's home, which houses the studio in which he recorded last year's stunning album, Airborne. While the studio is tucked away in a corner of his house, it's still quite a sophisticated facility with sand-filled walls, a floating floor (also filled with sand) and plenty of room treatment. Dean uses a combination of a classic mixing board and digital software to achieve his innovative sounds on the bass guitar; he laments that the former will soon be obsolete, but he is determined to mix at least one more project on it.

A few weeks ago, I heard through the grapevine that Dean was working on some new material, and that a new album is probably in the works. Considering that Dean has recorded two albums in about twenty years, this is good news. Dean sat down with me and played a couple of the new songs, and they were quite different from what we've heard on Airborne and Ucross. What I heard was dark, moody and slightly sinister, but with a strong emotional undercurrent. For everyone who was surprised by the difference between his first two albums, you'll be even more surprised by the third.

At one point, Dean handed me a LP copy of the Dixie Dregs' Night of the Living Dregs from 1979 and asked me if I was familiar with it. He told me to take it home and listen to it and tell him what I thought. It turns out that Dean is planning to work with Dixie Dreg's bassist, Andy West, on the new project. It's been a few years since Andy played with the Dregs (he's a big-time software expert now), but it will be interesting to pair Dean's elaborate bass harmonics with Andy's more solid and fundamental sound.

Here are a few more pics from the visit. This is one of Dean's basses, the one featured on the cover of Airborne. You'll notice the "dp" on the fret; that's for Dean Peer, since this was made especially for him.

Notice the knob? Yep, that's a Cardas nautilus shell knob. Dean's association with Cardas Audio goes way back--they currently sponsor his shows, and he uses their cables throughout his gear.

These Meyer Sound studio monitors were interesting to listen to. As Dean said, "They're not much fun to listen to because they're so FLAT, but they're incredibly accurate." As I listened to him playing his bass through the mixing board and the Meyers, I was struck by the pinpoint imaging. It was strange to see Dean play a few feet to my right, and then have the sound from the strings placed so firmly between the speakers to my left. I certainly didn't think they were unpleasant to listen to, but they were very far from warm and romantic.

Here's the more modern side to Dean's recording studio...

...coupled with the more traditional side. As you can tell, Dean has kids.

And a healthy sense of humor.

And now my dog Lucy is famous, too. She was extremely curious yet well-behaved around so much expensive gear. Then again, she's used to it at home.

I'll keep you informed about the new album. I'm really looking forward to it!

Dean Peer and Bret Mann at RMAF

I did get to see my friend Dean Peer perform at the Rocky Mountain Audio Fest. It's the first time I've seen him perform with drummer Bret Mann, the same guy who plays with Dean on his latest album Airborne, so it was a real treat. The only downside was that the lobby sign introducing the show said "Dean Pear, Harpist" instead of "Dean Peer, Bassist."

The duo played in the huge atrium at the Denver Tech Center Marriott, where RMAF is held every year, and we joked that this monstrous five-story space was probably the biggest "room" Dean has played. (Dean once told me he prefers smaller, more intimate venues). It was amusing to hear his trademark bass runs bounce off the roof of the Marriott some fifty feet over our heads.

Dean and Bret plan to perform in Dallas and Austin next month, and I'm trying to get them to play here in Kyle as well. I'll blog more about this in the near future.

The Quotable Quill in Kyle, Texas...and AXPONA? You bet!

It's kind of a crazy connection, but my friend Christie Smith, owner of The Quotable Quill right here in Kyle, Texas, is responsible for all of that cool signage at AXPONA in Atlanta! Christie did a great job of getting the signs done quickly and at a great price. She's also the one who did our website at Blue Computer Solutions, which you can see at www.bluecomputerstexas.com.

If you need graphic design, web design or writing services (especially if I'm too busy to handle the latter!), check out Christie's services at www.quotablequill.com.

Dean Peer seminar at AXPONA

I've met bass guitarist Dean Peer on several occasions, and yet I've never seen him play his bass live. "I'm really not that interesting to watch," he told me in San Diego a few months ago. "All of those crazy sounds you hear from my bass? They're all done through microscopic movements of my fingertips, so you don't really see much."

Well, I just watched Dean's AXPONA seminar where he discusses his complex recording techniques, his equipment configurations and even his background as a music teacher. And yes, he plays his bass. And no, he's very interesting to watch.

Dean is the first to admit that he's a shy person (isn't that stereotypical for bass players?), but his relatively quiet demeanor actually adds to the enjoyment of his presentation. In other words, he isn't an arrogant, in-your-face rock star who wants to talk about why he's as great of a musician as he is. Dean's response to questions about his unbelievable prowess with the bass guitar are thoughtful, modest and self-effacing. He's isn't reluctant to give credit to engineers and mixers, and to the complicated recording technology he sometimes employs to achieve those amazing sounds.

And then Dean plays. It's almost unnerving to watch the music explode from such minute movements of his fingers. Dean's performance is effortless but hardly uninteresting. The audience on hand, including me, was mesmerized by his performance.

Dean's repeating his seminar later today at AXPONA. If you're here and you're reading this, get on over and treat yourself to Dean's seminar.

AXPONA Draws Near!

The Audio Expo North America Show, also known as AXPONA, is happening this weekend in Atlanta, Georgia. (The official dates are April 14 through 17.) I'll be there, reporting on what's turning out to be my first audio show since CES in January. I met with both Dean Peer and Colleen Cardas in Austin this morning just before they headed out. Colleen is helping to organize the event, and Dean will be holding a seminar.

I'll be blogging from the event, and hopefully I'll have a scoop or two. If you want to find out more, check out the AXPONA website at www.axpona.com. See you there!

SXSW 2011--random pics

Yes, I did go to SXSW this year, but I was hopelessly disorganized compared to last year. I had only one band, the Materials, on my radar. I was looking forward to seeing old friends such as Jon Ragel of Boy Eats Drum Machine (he didn't go) and DJ DUS (he went, but I couldn't track him down). I even missed seeing Jason Gross and Robin Cook of Perfect Sound Forever; we were scheduled to meet up Saturday evening but I couldn't get a cell phone signal and didn't get any of my messages until 11am Sunday morning.

I had a lot going on with Blue Computer Solutions over the last week, and I just didn't have the time to plan anything. But I did have fun hanging out on 6th Street and SoCo. I did manage to meet up with Colleen Cardas as well as Dean Peer and his wife Deborah for drinks at the Hotel San Jose. I also visited Brian Di Frank at Whetstone Audio...he was sponsoring a gathering of bands that performed in the park behind his store.

I've made a promise to myself that next year I will plan ahead, and I will go to the main event and have much more to talk about. Here are some random pics from yesterday...enjoy!

Dean Peer - Airborne

There's an old bass guitarists' saying that the first three rows of every Primus concert were filled with bass guitar players trying to figure out how Les Claypool managed to play the way he did. Well, I think there must have been at least one time where Les himself was sitting front row at a Dean Peer concert. Dean manages to wring more sounds out of his bass than just about any bass player on the planet, and his new album, Airborne, just about cements his status as the most gifted and innovative guy ever to pluck (or in his case, tap) four thick strings.

I first discovered Dean's music back when I used to read Stereophile. That audio magazine really championed his talent, and I wound up buying his LP Ucross based on their absolutely glowing review. Over the years, Ucross became one of my reference records for testing and evaluating stereo equipment. Since Dean himself is an audiophile, he always takes extra care to ensure his recordings sound fantastic. On Airborne, the sounds of his bass, coupled with some downright huge drumming from Bret Mann, creates some of the most astonishing and expansive soundscapes I've heard in a long time.

While it's hard to categorize Dean's music, I guess I would have to place it in jazz fusion. On the opening track, however, Dean and Bret lay down a momentum that actually rocks in more ways than one. Dean's unique style, which makes it almost impossible to believe that there's only one instrument playing, comes from a double-tap technique that allows him to travel into octaves that are alien to most bass players. Yet Dean eschews tricks and effects and focuses on how much sound he can extract from his instrument. If you're a fellow bassist, you'll be inspired and amazed. If you're not a bassist, you'll still think you're listening to a trio or a quartet instead of a duo.

Again, if you're into sonic pyrotechnics, Airborne will not disappoint. It's the perfect album for discerning what my new Cardas cables and my new Trenner & Friedl ART monitors are capable of achieving. I'm really fortunate that my system can now do justice to this fascinating album.

Incidentally, I received Airborne in a totally new (to me) format--the USB sound card. It's the exact size of a credit card. Just to show how technically challeneged I can be, I started looking around the sides of my laptop for an orifice that would accommodate the card. My brother Mat, the computer genius, pulled out the small insert on the right side of the card to reveal that it's just a garden-variety USB jack. D'oh!

You can get Airborne at your favorite record store, from the Cardas Audio website at http://www.cardas.com/content.php?area=music&content_id=9&pagestring=USB+Audio+Cards or you can visit Dean's website at http://deanpeer.com/music.htm.