Like George W. Bush in Iraq, I jumped the gun a little calling the job done. Two months ago, I triumphantly posted that Lies & Speculation was complete. I had tracked all the instruments, and was ready to start mixing.
When I was setting up for the mix, I didn't like the vocal tracks. The benefit of a home-based recording studio is that I can be flexible with my workload. So I quickly changed hats from Mix-Master to Iconic Lead Singer. After setting up the microphones, adjusting everything in the room, I pulled on the headphones and hit RECORD.
This is when I discovered that the cat had chewed through the cable. At this point, I decided to back off for a few weeks. I would spend another $400 replacing the destroyed headphones, and at the same time spend more time rehearsing the songs.
For two weekends in February, I re-recorded the vocal tracks to all ten songs. (I also went to Antigua for a week, but that's a different story. )
Then, this weekend, I restarted the mix. And this time, it's GREAT!
I just did a quick runthrough, setting up a basic structure so I can listen to the tracks on my MP3 player. And with each song that comes on, I think "oooh, this is my favourite!" And then the next one starts and I think "ooooh, that's a sexy slide-guitar line - this is my favourite!" and so forth… Maybe it's like children? You can have a few, and love them all equally. When one shines, you're proud. Then the next one shines and your heart melts.
Recording complete.
Next up: Mix
Monday, February 28, 2011
Thursday, January 27, 2011
Cool Again
A couple of weeks ago, I helped out a friend and had a great time doing it.
An extremely talented pianist, he now wants to learn how to play the guitar. He knew enough to spend a reasonable amount of money for a quality instrument, but didn't know what attributes he wanted. So, he asked me to accompany him. Whatever instrument I liked best in his price range, he would buy it. Great for me, I get all the pleasure of shopping but without the cost!
I knew the best options off the bat, so when the salesgirl approached I noted requirements for a built-in preamp and dreadnaught-style body. I played quite a few guitars, and we narrowed the options down to two really nice Tanglewood guitars. I'd never heard of them before, but they're pretty awesome. My next acoustic might just be the same one we bought for my friend.
Checking the resonance and intonation, I was playing chords that involved droning open strings along with frets up at the high end of the neck. For some reason, I started playing "I Wanna Be Your Dog" by Iggy & The Stooges. An old punk classic.
Suddenly our salesgirl, replete with pompadour and shitty rockabilly tats, got excited. This old fart with grey in his moustache and a Blackberry on his hip… was hip! She gave me "props" for "rocking some acoustic Iggy."
For the brief moment that I held some long-lost cred, I encouraged her to buy "Please Kill Me," by Legs McNeil - a compilation of fantastic interviews with 1970s punk legends.
That "cool" feeling kept me going for a few days.
An extremely talented pianist, he now wants to learn how to play the guitar. He knew enough to spend a reasonable amount of money for a quality instrument, but didn't know what attributes he wanted. So, he asked me to accompany him. Whatever instrument I liked best in his price range, he would buy it. Great for me, I get all the pleasure of shopping but without the cost!
I knew the best options off the bat, so when the salesgirl approached I noted requirements for a built-in preamp and dreadnaught-style body. I played quite a few guitars, and we narrowed the options down to two really nice Tanglewood guitars. I'd never heard of them before, but they're pretty awesome. My next acoustic might just be the same one we bought for my friend.
Checking the resonance and intonation, I was playing chords that involved droning open strings along with frets up at the high end of the neck. For some reason, I started playing "I Wanna Be Your Dog" by Iggy & The Stooges. An old punk classic.
Suddenly our salesgirl, replete with pompadour and shitty rockabilly tats, got excited. This old fart with grey in his moustache and a Blackberry on his hip… was hip! She gave me "props" for "rocking some acoustic Iggy."
For the brief moment that I held some long-lost cred, I encouraged her to buy "Please Kill Me," by Legs McNeil - a compilation of fantastic interviews with 1970s punk legends.
That "cool" feeling kept me going for a few days.
Saturday, January 15, 2011
Temptation
Last month, I triumphantly reported that tracking had been finished for Lies &Speculation. In a whirlwind of joyous noise, I raced through the 10 songs. Then I took a few weeks off to recover from the stresses of wage-earning, school, Christmas, etc , etc, etc.
Last week I returned to the mixing desk and started digging through the tracks. And they were crap! I was really disappointed with the vocals. On takes where the inflection was right, I was usually singing a little sharp. And where the pitch was right I didn’t like the way I was annunciating.
This is where it got weird. To experiment and play (that’s the beauty of artistic pursuits), I brought an auto-tuner into the track. I clicked ‘on’, chose the key of Emajor, and clicked Play. My jaw dropped. Coming from the speakers was exactly what I’d been trying to accomplish! Pitched properly, with just the right amount of attitude, the singing was perfect. In 3 simple mouse-clicks I had rectified what would have been weeks of re-work.
For about 10 seconds, my jaw agape and eyes glazed, I reveled in the finished product. The album that would define the last few years of my life. Suddenly, like coming out of a bad dream, my eyes went wide. “No,” I screamed as my hands slapped the desk. As fast as I could, I deleted the auto-tuner.
You see, the auto-tuner is the biggest detractor to modern music. Anyone who can’t sing can easily run their voice through one of these and sound like a star. Think Paris Hilton, Keisha, Britney Spears… That’s all you need. No musical skills, just a nice rack and cute bum. Or in Hilton’s case, money.
Even talented stars are now auto-tuning everything beyond perfection. I’ve been told that Justin Beiber can actually sing, but everything I’ve ever heard of him is computerized out of reality. There’s no skill or substance needed anymore, just the packaging. And I just saw how easy and cost-efficient it can be. I’ve been taking singing lessons with a great teacher for 8 months now, and spent days trying to accomplish what I could have covered in 2 hours with auto-tune help.
I pride myself on being primarily a musician. I really do. Not a singer, not a guitarist, not a songwriter, or producer. A musician. I’ve been playing the guitar for over 20 years and am able to play the things I want to hear without much effort. Most other instruments I can warble a basic melody from, if you give me a few minutes to figure it out. And I’m happy that I can actually express myself in this way.
And because of that, I’m uninstalling the auto-tuner, reverting back into pre-production mode, and going to practice, practice, practice. And when you hear me sing these songs, it will really be me. I don’t need perfection, just humanty. That’s what life is all about.
Last week I returned to the mixing desk and started digging through the tracks. And they were crap! I was really disappointed with the vocals. On takes where the inflection was right, I was usually singing a little sharp. And where the pitch was right I didn’t like the way I was annunciating.
This is where it got weird. To experiment and play (that’s the beauty of artistic pursuits), I brought an auto-tuner into the track. I clicked ‘on’, chose the key of Emajor, and clicked Play. My jaw dropped. Coming from the speakers was exactly what I’d been trying to accomplish! Pitched properly, with just the right amount of attitude, the singing was perfect. In 3 simple mouse-clicks I had rectified what would have been weeks of re-work.
For about 10 seconds, my jaw agape and eyes glazed, I reveled in the finished product. The album that would define the last few years of my life. Suddenly, like coming out of a bad dream, my eyes went wide. “No,” I screamed as my hands slapped the desk. As fast as I could, I deleted the auto-tuner.
You see, the auto-tuner is the biggest detractor to modern music. Anyone who can’t sing can easily run their voice through one of these and sound like a star. Think Paris Hilton, Keisha, Britney Spears… That’s all you need. No musical skills, just a nice rack and cute bum. Or in Hilton’s case, money.
Even talented stars are now auto-tuning everything beyond perfection. I’ve been told that Justin Beiber can actually sing, but everything I’ve ever heard of him is computerized out of reality. There’s no skill or substance needed anymore, just the packaging. And I just saw how easy and cost-efficient it can be. I’ve been taking singing lessons with a great teacher for 8 months now, and spent days trying to accomplish what I could have covered in 2 hours with auto-tune help.
I pride myself on being primarily a musician. I really do. Not a singer, not a guitarist, not a songwriter, or producer. A musician. I’ve been playing the guitar for over 20 years and am able to play the things I want to hear without much effort. Most other instruments I can warble a basic melody from, if you give me a few minutes to figure it out. And I’m happy that I can actually express myself in this way.
And because of that, I’m uninstalling the auto-tuner, reverting back into pre-production mode, and going to practice, practice, practice. And when you hear me sing these songs, it will really be me. I don’t need perfection, just humanty. That’s what life is all about.
Friday, December 24, 2010
Happy Christmas
I'll be spending the holiday weekend holed up with The Wife for our first Christmas as a married couple. Sleeping in, big greasy breakfasts (hopefully), gifts, etc...
I'm hoping to get a day in the studio again this coming week, to do a few edits and re-takes. Just clean up the recordings a little before starting to mix.
So Happy Christmas/ Kwanza/ Hanukkah, whatever you celebrate. And if you don't celebrate, then enjoy the time off, overtime pay, and/or Boxing Day sales.
I'm hoping to get a day in the studio again this coming week, to do a few edits and re-takes. Just clean up the recordings a little before starting to mix.
So Happy Christmas/ Kwanza/ Hanukkah, whatever you celebrate. And if you don't celebrate, then enjoy the time off, overtime pay, and/or Boxing Day sales.
Monday, December 20, 2010
Tracking - DONE
I woke up on Sunday morning still hungover from Friday night's Christmas party. The plan was to lay on the couch, watch bad TV, and recouperate.
That didn't last long. By 10am, I had my guitar in hand and was writing another song. This one's about the time I caught my girlfriend cheating on me at the bar, she held onto my coattails as I walked off down the street, and I ended up having to pry her arms off my taxi and throw her backwards into a pile of garbage bins. All as a patio-full of people watched.
I'm sure it'll be a hell of a song…
The inspiration stuck around, and I quickly connected the vocal mic, set up the PC, and got to some serious tracking. The end result: Lies & Speculation is completely tracked. All recording is complete.
This doesn't mean it's ready to pollute the airwaves yet, but it's a hell of a milestone. Next will be mixing. I could end up with an organ-and-maracas version of Welcome To The Nighttime…. I doubt it, but anything's possible. And that's actually how I recorded the vocals - there was so much going on musically, that I couldn't pitch my voice to the right places. So I muted the drums, bass, and guitars. All that was left was a sparse organ and maracas to keep time. It sounded pretty awesome, but I don't think it'll stay that way - too boring. But that's a great example of how songs can change mid-mix.
In fact, if you listen to Porno and Porno Guitar in the player on the right, those were actually the same recording! I just changed the volume on the instruments!
So for now, it's recorded. And I'm off for a week of non-music celebrating my first Christmas with the Lovely Wife. Have a great holiday season!
That didn't last long. By 10am, I had my guitar in hand and was writing another song. This one's about the time I caught my girlfriend cheating on me at the bar, she held onto my coattails as I walked off down the street, and I ended up having to pry her arms off my taxi and throw her backwards into a pile of garbage bins. All as a patio-full of people watched.
I'm sure it'll be a hell of a song…
The inspiration stuck around, and I quickly connected the vocal mic, set up the PC, and got to some serious tracking. The end result: Lies & Speculation is completely tracked. All recording is complete.
This doesn't mean it's ready to pollute the airwaves yet, but it's a hell of a milestone. Next will be mixing. I could end up with an organ-and-maracas version of Welcome To The Nighttime…. I doubt it, but anything's possible. And that's actually how I recorded the vocals - there was so much going on musically, that I couldn't pitch my voice to the right places. So I muted the drums, bass, and guitars. All that was left was a sparse organ and maracas to keep time. It sounded pretty awesome, but I don't think it'll stay that way - too boring. But that's a great example of how songs can change mid-mix.
In fact, if you listen to Porno and Porno Guitar in the player on the right, those were actually the same recording! I just changed the volume on the instruments!
So for now, it's recorded. And I'm off for a week of non-music celebrating my first Christmas with the Lovely Wife. Have a great holiday season!
Friday, December 10, 2010
Breakthrough
I've been having trouble in the studio lately.
All the music has been recorded. Drums, bass, guitars, percussion, keys, synths, all DONE. I just have the vocal tracks left to lay down. And this is where it's getting tough. Because of all the day-job BS and night-school, the rare couple of hours I have for music has left me too exhausted to accomplish anything.
In all fairness, given the training I've received this year I'm holding myself to a higher bar as far as singing goes. My 3-note warble has grown into a 2.5-octave range of solid notes. And like everything else I do, I try to do the best I can.
Unfortunately, over the last few weeks, I haven't been able to sing properly. When I've tried, my voice just sounds tired, not quite… there.
I've also decided to upgrade my Digital Audio Workstation (DAW). That's the studio setup, from the mics and mixers to the soundcard and PC. I was hesitant to upgrade my software in the middle of a project, but figured I had nothing to lose. With no deadlines, I can do what I want. And the benefits to the "new&fancy" could pay off. And they have, in unmentionable computer-geek ways.
This came into play last night. The migration to new software meant a lot of housekeeping, cleaning up and organizing projects and songs. Lots of hours spent staring blankly at the computer doing very unmusical "secretary jobs."
In the midst of a reorganization, I suddenly needed the music. I opened the Sonar file to "All That Mattered," plugged my vocal microphone into the stand, twiddled a few knobs, and burst into "I ran away, I left you to stay with the problems that I left behind…"
Over the next five hours, I laid down the vocal tracks to All That Mattered, Swagger & Twirl, The Dream, Love Isn't Enough, and What to Say. That's half the album done! Verses, choruses, middle-8ths, and background oop-she-doops, ALL DONE!
Keep in mind that Home, Wow, Don't Pity Me, Burn, and Welcome to the Nighttime are all still waiting in the wings...
All the music has been recorded. Drums, bass, guitars, percussion, keys, synths, all DONE. I just have the vocal tracks left to lay down. And this is where it's getting tough. Because of all the day-job BS and night-school, the rare couple of hours I have for music has left me too exhausted to accomplish anything.
In all fairness, given the training I've received this year I'm holding myself to a higher bar as far as singing goes. My 3-note warble has grown into a 2.5-octave range of solid notes. And like everything else I do, I try to do the best I can.
Unfortunately, over the last few weeks, I haven't been able to sing properly. When I've tried, my voice just sounds tired, not quite… there.
I've also decided to upgrade my Digital Audio Workstation (DAW). That's the studio setup, from the mics and mixers to the soundcard and PC. I was hesitant to upgrade my software in the middle of a project, but figured I had nothing to lose. With no deadlines, I can do what I want. And the benefits to the "new&fancy" could pay off. And they have, in unmentionable computer-geek ways.
This came into play last night. The migration to new software meant a lot of housekeeping, cleaning up and organizing projects and songs. Lots of hours spent staring blankly at the computer doing very unmusical "secretary jobs."
In the midst of a reorganization, I suddenly needed the music. I opened the Sonar file to "All That Mattered," plugged my vocal microphone into the stand, twiddled a few knobs, and burst into "I ran away, I left you to stay with the problems that I left behind…"
Over the next five hours, I laid down the vocal tracks to All That Mattered, Swagger & Twirl, The Dream, Love Isn't Enough, and What to Say. That's half the album done! Verses, choruses, middle-8ths, and background oop-she-doops, ALL DONE!
Keep in mind that Home, Wow, Don't Pity Me, Burn, and Welcome to the Nighttime are all still waiting in the wings...
Wednesday, November 17, 2010
Telecaster Love
Last weekend I recorded all the guitar tracks for Lies & Speculation. It was my favourite part of the recording so far, but that’s not surprising. Aside from the fact that I’ve been a guitarist for over 2 decades now, 9 of the 10 songs were written on the guitar. For me, because of my familiarity with the songs and the instrument, recording the guitar was easy and fun.
The acoustic guitar parts were all done with my Takamine. It has a great full, somber sound. Even though I have 7 or 8 electric guitars, I only used two: My 1974 Fender Telecaster Custom, and my 1991 Fender Telecaster Standard.
I’ve had a love affair with Telecasters since first hearing the Rolling Stones. Keith Richards’ primary sound relies mainly on the Tele. Because of that, once it looked like I was going to keep up my music lessons, my parents bought me one for Christmas (1991).
Other than the obvious importance of the Tele’s SONIC QUALITIES, I love the way they look. Especially as they age. The maple neck on Fender guitars age really nicely. I love that as you play them, the finish wears off and the wood starts to erode. It looks really cool, shapes how you play the instrument, and gives each guitar unique qualities – almost a personality.
On Saturday morning, preparing for the 2-day endurance run (10 songs, averaging 3-8 guitar tracks per song), I changed the strings on both guitars. I had to stop and admire the ’91 Tele’s neck – it’s starting to erode:
My ’74 has a lot of head start. Not only is it 17 years older, but has spent most of it’s life in a working, touring band.
Hopefully the ’91 Tele will catch up. I really do love these guitars – after stringing each one I played it for a half hour or so, reveling in the feel and sound.
The acoustic guitar parts were all done with my Takamine. It has a great full, somber sound. Even though I have 7 or 8 electric guitars, I only used two: My 1974 Fender Telecaster Custom, and my 1991 Fender Telecaster Standard.
I’ve had a love affair with Telecasters since first hearing the Rolling Stones. Keith Richards’ primary sound relies mainly on the Tele. Because of that, once it looked like I was going to keep up my music lessons, my parents bought me one for Christmas (1991).
Other than the obvious importance of the Tele’s SONIC QUALITIES, I love the way they look. Especially as they age. The maple neck on Fender guitars age really nicely. I love that as you play them, the finish wears off and the wood starts to erode. It looks really cool, shapes how you play the instrument, and gives each guitar unique qualities – almost a personality.
On Saturday morning, preparing for the 2-day endurance run (10 songs, averaging 3-8 guitar tracks per song), I changed the strings on both guitars. I had to stop and admire the ’91 Tele’s neck – it’s starting to erode:
My ’74 has a lot of head start. Not only is it 17 years older, but has spent most of it’s life in a working, touring band.
Hopefully the ’91 Tele will catch up. I really do love these guitars – after stringing each one I played it for a half hour or so, reveling in the feel and sound.
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