Rebound/ MultiTracking

Gotta love multi-tracking.
In the old days, a musician or band would huddle around a microphone to record a live take, all in one go. This meant that you had to have the arrangement and all the parts decided beforehand, distances from the mic set to make the volume consistant, and if anyone screwed up you had to start all over again. Les Paul developed the multi-tracking system, where you could record something, and then play along with it to record another instrument on the same tape. For those not in-the-know, think of a cassette: four tracks. Side one - left, Side one - right, Side two - left, and Side two - right. If you could play them all at once, you'd hear Side One properly and Side Two backwards.
Dear Departed Les worked out a way where you could record all four tracks on the tape, and that would be your song. You could put the drums on one, the guitars on another, the vocals on a third, etc... Then, you could manipulate each track separately, adjusting volume for example.

In the 50s and early 60s, musicians used 4 tracks at most. The Beatles' Sgt.Pepper album was recorded on two 4-track machines wired together. It's an amazing example of ingenuity, recording such an intricate, grandiose album on something so limited.
In the 70s, engineers developed 24- and 48-track systems, giving the musicians many more options.

Now, with computers, we really do have unlimited track options. The only block we have is the RAM in our PCs. With this freedom, pop musicians often record instruments and ideas that never, ever make it onto the version you hear on the radio. I've seen video clips showing U2's producers (Daniel Lanois & Brian Eno) showcasing weird guitar and organ tracks that never made it to The Joshua Tree. I find that stuff fascinating.

And that's where my inspiration has come from this time. I was working on Porno, which is basically a heavy-drum/piano track. There area also a dozen guitar tracks going, some synthesized saxophone, etc etc etc, that were good but didn't fit the mix. So I was pleasantly surprised when I accidentally solo'd an acoustic guitar bashing through the verse.
I muted the piano and drums. I turned up the bongos and shakers. I manipulated what I'd recorded, and turned it into something else.

So now I have ELEVEN songs for the album. Along with Porno, the piano/drum version, I also now have Porno Guitar. This adrenaline rush also helped me finish Pop Song and Stormy Weather.
A couple of tweaks, and Shadow is all I've got left. I'm almost done, and back on track!

Are all artists this flaky?

Second Thoughts

Don't Fall For Me has been tracked, mixed, and is waiting to be mastered for final album completion.
No Fun has been tracked, mixed, and is waiting to be mastered for final album completion.
One Night Stand has been tracked, mixed, and is waiting to be mastered for final album completion.
Love Song has been tracked, mixed, and is waiting to be mastered for final album completion.
Let You Go has been tracked, mixed, and is waiting to be mastered for final album completion.
Naive has been tracked, mixed, and is waiting to be mastered for final album completion.
Pop Song has been tracked, and is almost done being mixed.
Porno has been tracked, and is almost done being mixed.
Shadow has been tracked.
Stormy Weather has been tracked.

I've been in this position for the last 3 weeks or so, for two reasons. Reason #1 is that I got engaged to my lovely girlfriend, and the excitement of her moving in combined with starting to plan the wedding has taken up all our time.
Reason #2 is that i'm starting to second-guess the songs. I like them, but I feel that I can do better. At what point do you show your cards? I do love these songs, but I feel that they're not quite 100%. Do I hold off and rework, possibly ad infinitum? Or do I just take the leap and release as they are?

Crack

Three years ago, I bought an amazing Takamine acoustic guitar on Ebay. Got an amazing deal too, about $600 off the MRSP, as it was a 'factory second'. That implies that there was some sort of imperfection, anything from a blemish in the woodgrain finish to the headstock falling off and being glued back on.
A couple of years ago, a friend was playing it and noticed a hairline crack in the finish. It was so small that I'd never noticed it before. That was probably what qualified it as a 'second'. No biggie, it still looked and sounded perfect.

Last night Toronto had one of the worst storms I can remember. I watched the black clouds race across the entire horizon in about 3 minutes, my patio furniture was smashing against the railings, and I saw half the city lose power.
I had been watching the TV and stopped strumming the Takamine to set it on the couch beside me. As the storm raced in, the air pressure must have changed. I heard a loud CRACK coming from the far side of the couch. I saw the hairline crack suddenly quadruple in size.

Tomorrow I'm bringing it to Capsule Music for a repair estimate. I may have left it too late, but even if I have to pay a few hundred dollars it'll still be cheaper than if I'd paid full price. But if anyone can fix it, it'll be Capsule...

Rebound

Wow, sorry for the neglect on this blog in the last couple of weeks. My OTHER job has been taking all my time and energy...

A couple of weeks ago, I got my hands on a bootleg video of The X-Pensive Winos' 1993 concert in Boston. This was Keith Richard's (far superior) sideline for when the Rolling Stones weren't busy. I saw the Toronto stop of this tour at Massey Hall and it holds the title of Best Concert Ever, even after 16 years and hundreds of competitors.
So you can understand that I was pretty excited to watch the professional-but-never-released recording of a similar experience. I sat down, turned it up, and hit play. Overawed, stunned, gob-smacked, none of those words explain how I felt. I actually got a little teary at the showmanship, technique and style exposed. Those older than me think of Keef as the junkie side-kick to Mick Jagger, and those younger than me know him as Johnny Depp's inspiration for Cap'n Jack Sparrow. Somehow in the noise, what gets overlooked is his ability to play the perfect note at the perfect time. The essence of taste. The video reminded me of why I got his portrait tattooed on my forearm eight years ago. Reminded me of why I became obsessed with The Stones in the mid-eighties. Hell, it reminded me precisely why I wanted to learn the guitar and bought a Telecaster! I wouldn't be doing this today if I hadn't discovered Keith Richards.

The downside was that this video shamed me, gave me an inferiority complex. I couldn't grasp 1/10 of his talent. Realizing this took the wind from my sails, and I quickly lost direction and interest with finishing Overture.
Luckily, it was shortlived. I met a guy at work with amazing musical taste. A former musician himself, he's a fan of Joy Division (actually had a ticket to see them before Ian Curtis's suicide), Buddy Holly, Iggy Pop, rocksteady, reggae, Detroit Motown, etc etc etc... Admitting to being a songsmith myself, I somehow forgot to mention my influences but emailed him a link to Reflecting The Broken Mirror (the disc playing on this site).
He was impressed, enjoying what I wrote, but commented that he couldn't define it. Without being told who I listen to, he couldn't identify the musicians that inspire me. Showing the intelligence not to bandy about random names, he admitted that it wasn't an obvious copy of something good. This compliment restarted the stutter that was holding back Overture. Like it or not, I seem to have squeezed Bowie, Richards, Iggy, Ferry, Roxy, Motown, The Pistols, Japan, Placebo, The Sisters, and everyone else, into my very own recipe of Matt Swift.

So now I'm back. I have mixed Don't Fall For Me, Let You Go (why can't i), No Fun, Love Song, One Night Stand, and Naive. And I should have the last four done by the end of the long weekend...

* for the record, the best compliment I ever received was being called "Bryan Ferry on crack." I don't think it was meant positively, but since Let's Stick Together is my Ferry Fave, and was created in a frenzy of cocaine, I'll take it well.
The worst was the guy who said "Swift must have every Tom Petty album ever released." Not that I dislike Tom, but I haven't listened to him since my Full Moon Fever cassette got eaten by the car stereo...