I've had this piece of paper for 4 years

and every time I go to toss it out I give it a quick little read and I realize I have to keep it. But where to put it so I can find it again? Impossible.

But, I have too many like that. So I'm going to give this a try: just put them here, and then toss them out. I'll have a little room on my horizontal spaces. Worth a try.

Like this one. I'm not a musician but both my sons are. I keep forgetting to tell them about this particular scrap of paper. I do have iPods. I record my workshops and retreats on them. So I have all the equipment mentioned here. So I'm going to type this up and throw the damn thing out:

LAY DOWN TRACKS ON YOUR iPOD
Using the barely noticeable lin-in jack [I actually never noticed it until I read this] on Belkin's TuneTalk accessory, singer-songwriter Jimmy Camp recorded his entire 'Captain America' album on his iPod. You can use your pocket player as a recording studio, too. Just remember: Camp's technique mixes straight to stereo, meaning no overdubs or samples. So you'll need to play guitar or keyboards while you sing (or invite someone over who does). Here's what to do:

1. USE THREE MICROPHONES: one for the main instrument, one for your voice, and another to pick up ambient room sound. Connect them to a simple mixer and route its output to the TuneTalk's stereo input.

2. DO LOTS OF TAKES: You're not paying for a studio or engineering help--the trade-off is tons of trial and error.

3. TRY DIFFERENT ROOMS: Record all over the house (including the bathroom) and experiment with adding or removing rugs from a room's hardwood floor.

4. GET IT OUT THERE. Camp recorded all 10 songs and submitted them to iTunes within three days. He insists you could really do it in one.


There. Now that's useful! Wish I knew which magazine I cut it out of.

Goodbye scrap of paper.