19 Aug Terry Manning receives his SoloDallas Storm and loves it. Read about it here
Photo Credit: Josh Reynolds, The Boston Globe.
First off, some of you – you younger ones or even you, among the older ones not necessarily into the industry of music – who is Terry Manning? Well, to me personally, he means a lot of things which I will try and explain to you, briefly. But to the many who don’t have much time to spend reading and investigating on things, he is a monster of music. He’s done it all; performing and producing. He’s a number of things (musician, composer, photographer, family man, pilot and much more, evidently). He was the man behind several bands back then (‘back then’, a period in time I seem to like to go to, often) whether producing or engineering; bands such as Joe Cocker, Wattstax, Alex Chilton, Big Star, James Taylor, Leon Russell, Led Zeppelin, ZZ Top, Jason & The Scorchers, Rhino Bucket, George Thorogood and The Destroyers, Joe Walsh, Johnny Winter, The Rainmakers, The Fabulous Thunderbirds, Molly Hatchet, The Angels, Johnny Diesel and The Injectors, Lenny Kravitz, Jimmy Buffett, Shakira, Crash Test Dummies, Shania Twain, Bryan Adams, Widespread Panic, and many others.
Please check him up on wikipedia: Terry Manning
I hope I have been clear: now go back up and re-read those names. We are talking about legendary discography, period. Nothing else to be added. That is that.
Now, how did I possibly cross his life and he, mine? It all happened a few years ago. It was a time of research (for me); as someone among you reading this now knows, I was researching that amazing sound of ‘Back in Black’. So I started reading around and one of the places I went to for reading was his great PRW, Pro Recording Workshop (http://prorecordingworkshop.lefora.com) – founded and managed by him. The PRW is a place (online) for professionals of the music industry but it’s basically available for all to read – and even comment, in the typical format of an online forum. It was there that I found posted much of the information I was looking for and that I combined with other sources to come to the ‘discovery’ of the Schaffer-Vega Diversity System.
Much of the work there, was his; he was basically moderating among several users, providing answers to certain questions – some of them he had to go and get them in person from one of the key elements of that album – Tony Platt, who is one of his many acquaintances if not, plainly, friends. There was one specific thread about Back in Black and naturally I was drawn to it immediately.
So I let him know of my efforts replicating those guitar sounds and later on, of my discoveries, by writing personally about it on the PRW. Simple private messages that meant the world to me.
With my surprise, he always replied; super kindly, super simply. Simplicity, one of the great characteristics of intelligence and good taste (remember, simple, ain’t easy).
He encouraged me at the time to persevere in my search (and research) and we all know what happened.
So, while he wasn’t at all aware and probably even less, interested in it, it all started happening there for me.
I had thought about him often over the years since starting all this – seems like a hundred years have passed now but really, it all started back in 2011-2012 – and so, months ago, I decided to get back in touch with him, again.
I wanted him to know what had happened to me. And I wanted to gift him with one such gizmos that we make.
The new SoloDallas Storm
The great gentleman that he is, he accepted my gift idea – one of our first production Storms – and he has tried it, liked it and kept it. Here’s what he wrote me, kindly, days ago:
“I really like what the Storm does. It’s not something extreme, more of a somewhat subtle “companding” structural type of sound/feeling, an “elasticity” added to the sound. It reminds me of years ago when I used to record a band from Texas called Point Blank. They had dueling lead guitarists, and in the studio we used their Schaffer wireless units to record. It always reminded me of using an 1176-type compressor on each guitar.
With the Storm you get this same thing, and also there is a lot of extra gain there if you want it…but never with too much added “grit.” It is that same AC/DC type of sound.
Thanks again, that’s a short bit for now. Talk soon!”
Photo credit: Simon Mott
Photo credit: William Eggleston
As you can imagine, it doesn’t get much better than this for someone like me.
PS: there is another sentimental aspect to this, which is somewhat related: Mr. Manning owned and ran one of the greatest recording studios of all times: Compass Point Studios, at the Bahamas. This won’t mean much to many of you, but it means the world to me. This is the studio where AC/DC ‘Back in Black’ was recorded, in 1980. That album changed my life.
If you wish to learn more about Terry Manning (and you should) please click terrymanning.com
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