michaeldeanpope

[michaeldeanpope]

Ah, April 30th, my Tumblr app sends me a notification THAT THE POPE IS BACK answering questions!!! The Return Of The Pope!!!!!

ONLY FOR A MOMENT YOU GUYS.  WORKING ON A MUCH BETTER WAY TO DO THIS WHOLE Q&A THING!!!!!!

[michaeldeanpope]

Word up. Over the past couple of months Jeffrey Kunde's been sending loads of 'buy my book/patches/videos/hair/used underwear' etc etc. I'm cool with worship folk making a living but surely he's making enough on royalties and touring fees? It feels really commercial and not cool, all this '50% discount buy now and you can be as awesome as me '. Stu G would never do anything like that. Can you have a word with him?

If you don’t do this for a living it’s easy to think that guys like Jeffrey and myself make a bunch of money.  (the amount of gear have/ don’t have is no reflection on our income) Unless we write on a song, there are really no royalties for guys like us.  Even if we do get some royalties, they are usually pretty small.  Touring etc. also pays MUCH less than people think it does.  Jeffrey is a really good person and works hard to provide for his wife and kids.  For that reason, the only word I’d say to Jeffrey is to keep doing what he’s doing. 

Making music is honestly one the hardest jobs to have because the payout is SO inconsistent. So people in our positions have to hustle to make ends meet.  We aren’t money-hungry jerks ripping people off.  We are normal people trying to provide for our families.  There are many people who want this kind of content from us and we put it out there because it’s of mutual benefit.  It also costs us money to make this content and put it out.  I don’t believe it’s unreasonable for us to charge for content that people are asking for in order to feed our families and pay our bills.  It’s unfortunate that people don’t understand that. It’s unfortunate that people have a problem, especially with anyone in the church, selling a product to feed our families.  No one is forced to buy anything they don’t want.

Lastly, this isn’t some angry, ungrateful response.  I make a living playing music.  So does Jeffrey.  We are both lucky.  Very lucky.  But it doesn’t mean everything is easy and we make a bunch of cash.  It’s often quite the opposite.  Its still hard work and there is a price we pay every day to do this.  

[michaeldeanpope]

Head that sounds like the ac30s you play (besides matchless)

AC30 heads

[michaeldeanpope]

Nash guitars?

Yes?

[michaeldeanpope]

What are those brimmed hats called that you guys wear on stage at times?

Brimmed hats....? Mine is Stetson... IDK what any of the other guys wear.

[michaeldeanpope]

Who recorded guitar on Cory Asbury’s version of Reckless Love?

Not me. :)

[michaeldeanpope]

Have you played the Danelectro reissue baritones? What do you think of them?

I like them!

[michaeldeanpope]

Is a 2002 act30 6/tb still within the good years?

Yep! Any 6TB made in the UK is worth a shot in my book.

[michaeldeanpope]

Hi have you any advice on how to jump yourself out In front of the mix for a lead line? Thanks

More volume or mids.

[michaeldeanpope]

which strings are you currently using? still .11?

D’Addario NYXL .11 - .49

[michaeldeanpope]

How does profiling an Axe FX model on a Kemper sound to you?

Not fun.

[michaeldeanpope]

How come there are like 5 or 6 guitar tracks in the song King of My Heart? Were all of them overdubbed? Sounds like some of them are live as well.

The producer went nuts. I didn't do much on that record. I "played" the songs live but have no clue what happened after that. 😊

[michaeldeanpope]

How do you use mic pre's or 500 series gear? Do you assign your DAW to send signal through it? Do you plug into it? Wanting to get into it but i'm struggling to find resources in the gear.

You use and interface

[michaeldeanpope]

What are your thoughts on the Line6 Helix?

Need been a fan of modeling stuff but I haven't played a helix yet so I can't say.

[michaeldeanpope]

bro! do you listen to the belonging co or highpoint worship? it is my favorite worship albums right now. God bless you!

Never heard of high point but I know some of the guys who worked on the belonging record. Honestly, I really don't enjoy listening to worship music, but I'm excited to check out the belonging stuff because the guys I've met from there are such great dudes.

[michaeldeanpope]

I'm wanting to get into some basic recording, mostly doing guitar work and maybe some bass. What are some good plugins to get me started?

Don't waste your money on plugins. Start with a good interface, get a decent mic (57 or 545), and get a good mic pre. The only other thing is a great performance. Leave the computer crap to the mix guys.

[michaeldeanpope]

using an archer now?? how is it?

Nope. They got the wrong board