Patience

So, I've been thinking about how this summer has gone so far--and it's kind of bumming me out. Don't get me wrong, it's been a wonderful summer, but I haven't gotten nearly as much recording done as I'd hoped. BUT, looking on the bright side, the slower-than-expected pace of this project is definitely worth it. The quality of the recordings and the knowledge I've gained from working with new and better equipment has given me more than enough to stay motivated. Additionally, the summer isn't over yet! I can still get a lot more done before I start school again in September. If things work out the way I'd like them to, I'll have plenty of material recorded to keep me busy editing during the school year. I just need to stay patient and keep making progress.

More in a few days!

Studio Results - We Sink Into Our Stomachs

Well, I went to the studio today and recorded the vocals for We Sink Into Our Stomachs. All together with guitar tracks, there are 19 tracks for this one. I still haven't added violin, percussion, or possibly banjo yet. And then I still need to record all the odd noises that create the environment for the end of the song. So, it's got a ways to go, but this is where it's at for right now.

Studio Results - Cry Out to Kin

As planned, I went to the studio today. The goal was to finish up the first stage of recording for Cry Out to Kin and then start in on We Sink Into Our Stomachs. I can happily say that I accomplished said goal. So, here's the first-stage result of Cry Out to Kin. Keep in mind it hasn't been mixed yet--it's too quiet, muddy, and unbalanced, but with a little imagination you can see where it's headed. (In fact, if you compare this recording with the one on the Music page, you'll see what I mean.) It's going to be worlds better than my humble home recordings. Anyway, before I start the mixing process, the only thing left to do is record the violin, and I'm hoping to have that done before the end of August. So, let me know what you think. Thanks!

Quick Update

Went to the studio today. Worked on Cry Out to Kin and made some really good progress. Got all the vocal tracks laid down. It doesn't sound like it, but there are a lot of vocal tracks in that song:

Main Vocals
Main Vocal Harmonies
Background Vocals 1 (doubled for effect)
Background Vocals 2 (doubled for effect)
Oohs and aahs
Oohs and aahs harmonies

All together, that's 8 vocal tracks. Granted, some of them are the same thing twice for effect, but it all takes time--so I'm counting them. Anyway, it was a good day in the studio. Tomorrow I'm going back and hopefully I can start in on another song. I'll post an mp3 of what I accomplish, if possible. For some reason making mp3s is a struggle for the studio computer. So, we'll see.

Getting Into It

Well, I've been into the studio a few times this week and I've made some slow but good progress. I'm learning that--for myself, anyway--it's quite psychologically challenging. Playing through a simple guitar track is suddenly a mission to get to the end of the song without any noticeable flaws in the performance. Which means playing in time with a metronome and knowing where you are in the song without the guidance of lyrics--all while maintaining the emotive dynamics you'd play to accompany those lyrics.  Not quite the mental workout I'm used to while playing a song.

Let me tell you about yesterday's session: I spent 3 hours in the studio and reaped only a single guitar track for the latest version of Cry Out to Kin. I am proud of it, though (I think it may be the closest thing to "perfect" that I've done thus far) and working at one thing for that long taught me quite a bit about how I function while recording. If I've got the right mindset, things go a lot smoother. They'd probably go even smoother if it weren't so hot outside. Even though the studio is air-conditioned, unless I want clanky buzzing fan noises in the background of every track I record, I have to turn the cooling system off. So, it gets muggy in there; my hands get sticky and playing the guitar becomes ten times harder. At one point I had to tape my bracelet over the string pins of my guitar because my palm was making clammy clicking noises every time it touched them.

Anyway, even though it's been difficult it's also been really exciting. I feel like things are gaining momentum and it's really nice to be going through my material again and freshening it up. Eventually I'll post some of what I've recorded, but I'm going to wait until I've got something more developed to share. Right now, most of it is just better quality versions of what I've already posted on the Music page. But there are exciting things to come. I've added piano to The Rest and I'm pretty stoked about how it's sounding so far. 

More updates soon!