24 hours have accrued since I pieced together a prologue for the Redline Project final album. Read yesterday's post for my prediction as to how I thought I would feel about the composition once a day passed.
A grand announcement and substantial surprise: the two minute piece has grown on me and I like it more now than I did yesterday.
Not to say that I didn't add, subtract, tweak, adjust, filter, modify, extract, transpose, and plop a dollop of whipped cream. The track seemed (and after all of my work tonight still is) a farthing or two from perfection. Nevertheless, I bounced out an MP3 file for a listen in iTunes, and so far I am nodding satisfactorily at the sonic product.
On a darker note, I sat with the guitar and notebook tonight in hopes of capturing some new direction for an opening track (the one following the prologue, and the one that I feel is still missing from the current lineup). No dice. I have zero sense of what to write about; if it is catchy and upbeat, it will not fit with the deeper messages characterizing the rest of the album, and if it is thick and deep, it will not work well as a first song. What will I do?
Eat a midnight snack and sleep on it... that is exactly what I will do.
Showing posts with label Final Song. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Final Song. Show all posts
Tuesday, June 8, 2010
Wednesday, May 12, 2010
Listening Day Two
Fall Down has tickled my eardrums over and again tonight as I continue my quest to wrench the kinks out of the Redline Project final tracks. Tonight marks the second day of a nine day process, with each one dedicated to one of the tracks of the final project.
Tonight's song is about a friend who chose to cheat on her spouse. Somehow the heaviness of life wore weak spots into the fibers or this person's morality until the strands frayed and shredded. Though the infidelity happened a handful of years ago, the events and circumstances still haunt me.
These lyrics discuss truth and the process of learning, relearning, and ultimately accepting and rejecting different ideas. Like most of my songs are, the topic is a heavy one that begs us to take a closer look at our patterns of thought.
A taste:
Minutes confirm what months deny
As years coax a different truth from passers by
Ashes to ashes, dust to dust
We all fall down
Song Report Number Two: Fall Down
Again, many of the adjustments I made were to the vocal track, fine tuning EQ settings, condensing, and de-essing. I chose a small, soft room as the reverb setting for many tracks, which gives the track more of a live-recorded feel. I warped a harmony track almost beyond recognition with piles of echo and phase to give a swirling effect. Slight edits to analog percussion tracks also tightened the groove. The cherry on top was a condenser/limiter and a msster EQ that seemed to liven up the mix.
Tonight's song is about a friend who chose to cheat on her spouse. Somehow the heaviness of life wore weak spots into the fibers or this person's morality until the strands frayed and shredded. Though the infidelity happened a handful of years ago, the events and circumstances still haunt me.
These lyrics discuss truth and the process of learning, relearning, and ultimately accepting and rejecting different ideas. Like most of my songs are, the topic is a heavy one that begs us to take a closer look at our patterns of thought.
A taste:
Minutes confirm what months deny
As years coax a different truth from passers by
Ashes to ashes, dust to dust
We all fall down
Song Report Number Two: Fall Down
Again, many of the adjustments I made were to the vocal track, fine tuning EQ settings, condensing, and de-essing. I chose a small, soft room as the reverb setting for many tracks, which gives the track more of a live-recorded feel. I warped a harmony track almost beyond recognition with piles of echo and phase to give a swirling effect. Slight edits to analog percussion tracks also tightened the groove. The cherry on top was a condenser/limiter and a msster EQ that seemed to liven up the mix.
Sunday, April 25, 2010
Waxing Romantic
The Redline Project is not intended to be a venue for gushing oozy love. Mostly, I have kept the blog free from the details of my personal life, except where I deemed those specifics to be related to the project in important ways. Tonight is one of those instances that a taste of the personal is in order.
I am crazy in love with my wife. In a world filled with hissy, demanding spouses that wield their whims upon their partners, my better half is remarkably selfless and downright stellar. A poignant example: she not only puts up with the daily bouquet of hours I dedicate to the Redline Project music and blog, she champions the cause by offering a listening ear, encouraging feedback, and endless support. Margaret, you are a remarkable human being and a marvelous wife. The seams of my heart barely hold together as love continues to flood its chambers.
Why the gush after all this time? I experienced euphoria tonight as Margaret graced one of my recordings with her magnificent cello talent. Between the two of us, she is in every way the true talent, the real musician. Simply stated, this project would not exist if it were not for the gracious gifts of time and patience this woman offers me. These praises are barely adequate and long overdue.
I am humbled by Margaret's musicality and gratified by her presence on "Sing Silently," a song that will serve as the last track of the album. You are going to fall in love with her musical offering; I can't wait for you to hear it.
I am crazy in love with my wife. In a world filled with hissy, demanding spouses that wield their whims upon their partners, my better half is remarkably selfless and downright stellar. A poignant example: she not only puts up with the daily bouquet of hours I dedicate to the Redline Project music and blog, she champions the cause by offering a listening ear, encouraging feedback, and endless support. Margaret, you are a remarkable human being and a marvelous wife. The seams of my heart barely hold together as love continues to flood its chambers.
Why the gush after all this time? I experienced euphoria tonight as Margaret graced one of my recordings with her magnificent cello talent. Between the two of us, she is in every way the true talent, the real musician. Simply stated, this project would not exist if it were not for the gracious gifts of time and patience this woman offers me. These praises are barely adequate and long overdue.
I am humbled by Margaret's musicality and gratified by her presence on "Sing Silently," a song that will serve as the last track of the album. You are going to fall in love with her musical offering; I can't wait for you to hear it.
Wednesday, April 21, 2010
Touch of Synergy
As a graphic artist, I knew I was starting to get my professional legs under me when I intuitively sensed how to combine design programs and the effects, filters, and commands therein to create the image haunting my mind's eye. This is an ongoing process that continually morphs as each yearly software update is released. While I have not arrived, and though I never will, I remember the day when I started to connect the dots and use a synergy of commands to create something greater than the sum of its components. What a good feeling.
I have been reworking a recording for the past four hours or so; redoing so much in fact that the only remnant of the original is the vocals. Those get rerecorded tomorrow.
Though I still barely understand Logic and its endless array of capabilities, I am beginning to whizz around the different windows, tweaking a mixer setting, adding a plug-in, modifying a piano roll, tuning a track EQ. With each day that passes, Logic feels a little friendlier, like a new set of bicycle cleats after half a dozen rides. I still fumble, I still furrow my brow, I still go running for YouTube to figure out the conundrum of the moment. But as I plod along, it is delightful to know I have left a collection of footprints on the path behind.
Good progress on final track number eight tonight, though its nowhere near finished.
I have been reworking a recording for the past four hours or so; redoing so much in fact that the only remnant of the original is the vocals. Those get rerecorded tomorrow.
Though I still barely understand Logic and its endless array of capabilities, I am beginning to whizz around the different windows, tweaking a mixer setting, adding a plug-in, modifying a piano roll, tuning a track EQ. With each day that passes, Logic feels a little friendlier, like a new set of bicycle cleats after half a dozen rides. I still fumble, I still furrow my brow, I still go running for YouTube to figure out the conundrum of the moment. But as I plod along, it is delightful to know I have left a collection of footprints on the path behind.
Good progress on final track number eight tonight, though its nowhere near finished.
Saturday, April 17, 2010
Numero Siete
Between yesterday and today, another somewhat final track emerged from the churn. The portfolio of Redline Project compositions is steadily thickening.
If you are not into techno-speak, these next paragraphs are not for you. Consider yourself warned.
As I press on towards the project's goals, some essential tips in Logic software have emerged. For example, the stacking order of effects makes all the difference in the final sound of an individual track. If vocals have a condenser, a delay, a unison, and a phaser, it is helpful to place the condenser first and the unison next, followed by the delay and phaser.
In the case of outside units such as Melodyne (about which I can not sing enough praise), I find the plug-in only works in the first slot, with every processed effect following behind it. Otherwise, the sound renders unpredictably, often with distorted tone.
On an uber-specific note that will help virtually nobody, I have discovered a quirk of Melodyne that has allowed me to achieve greater clarity of tone. When a vocal is inputted into the powerful software, certain consonant sounds, especially those made with the letter 's', sound fuzzy and buzzy when they are corrected or moved to new pitch levels.
The remedy? Anytime the troubled letter occurs, I simply divide the blob (Melodyne's term for a note on a pitch center) into sections, leaving the 's' sound wherever it may fall naturally and adjusting the rest of the blob remnants as needed. This is a tedious process that yields a superior audio quality.
I have just bored myself. It is astonishing to gander soberly at the extent of my own nerdiness. Has anyone even made it to this paragraph?
With that, I am stopping for now. I promise tomorrow's topic of discussion will cease to be snoozeworthy.
If you are not into techno-speak, these next paragraphs are not for you. Consider yourself warned.
As I press on towards the project's goals, some essential tips in Logic software have emerged. For example, the stacking order of effects makes all the difference in the final sound of an individual track. If vocals have a condenser, a delay, a unison, and a phaser, it is helpful to place the condenser first and the unison next, followed by the delay and phaser.
In the case of outside units such as Melodyne (about which I can not sing enough praise), I find the plug-in only works in the first slot, with every processed effect following behind it. Otherwise, the sound renders unpredictably, often with distorted tone.
On an uber-specific note that will help virtually nobody, I have discovered a quirk of Melodyne that has allowed me to achieve greater clarity of tone. When a vocal is inputted into the powerful software, certain consonant sounds, especially those made with the letter 's', sound fuzzy and buzzy when they are corrected or moved to new pitch levels.
The remedy? Anytime the troubled letter occurs, I simply divide the blob (Melodyne's term for a note on a pitch center) into sections, leaving the 's' sound wherever it may fall naturally and adjusting the rest of the blob remnants as needed. This is a tedious process that yields a superior audio quality.
I have just bored myself. It is astonishing to gander soberly at the extent of my own nerdiness. Has anyone even made it to this paragraph?
With that, I am stopping for now. I promise tomorrow's topic of discussion will cease to be snoozeworthy.
Sunday, April 11, 2010
Shadows Reappear
Tonight I am chiseling away at a third attempt of the song "Sing Silently." As I record the final chorus, I am once again struck with a fierce flood of tears. Sitting on the fifth track of the project is my stuttering, trembling voice, complete with sniffles and gasps.
The story behind the song is the reason for the weeping. As mentioned in previous Redline Project posts, the lyrics are about my friend Jennifer. A middle school student, she experienced a deep trauma when someone broke into her family's house, stealing possessions and carrying out acts of violence. She still struggles to fall asleep, and especially while her mother is still out working the third shift.
I am faced with a fundamental musical question as a result. Does the crying stay or go? In some ways, the presence of this honest emotion reveals the weight of the story better than any of the lyrics ever could. In other ways, it detracts from the simplicity and pleasantness of the composition, which I am guessing will be a listeners' favorite from the final album.
The story behind the song is the reason for the weeping. As mentioned in previous Redline Project posts, the lyrics are about my friend Jennifer. A middle school student, she experienced a deep trauma when someone broke into her family's house, stealing possessions and carrying out acts of violence. She still struggles to fall asleep, and especially while her mother is still out working the third shift.
I am faced with a fundamental musical question as a result. Does the crying stay or go? In some ways, the presence of this honest emotion reveals the weight of the story better than any of the lyrics ever could. In other ways, it detracts from the simplicity and pleasantness of the composition, which I am guessing will be a listeners' favorite from the final album.
Saturday, April 10, 2010
Off the Grid
Tonight I completely reworked a recording originally posted at the end of January. The title is "Sing Silently," a song about a little girl I know who has trouble sleeping after a violent break-in occurred in her home.
In the name of science, I attempted to record without any click track or time grid in place. I was hoping the lack of rigid time structure would lend an organic aesthetic to the music (a bare composition of voice with a few acoustic guitar tracks).
Fail.
Aligning tracks and editing out the no-nos without the help of organized time stamps is all but impossible for a noob like me. With practice, patience, and time, I could get the hang of recording without the click, but time is a commodity unknown to the Redline Project.
Tomorrow I will attempt a redo of the redo, this time with the familiar metronome clicking sense into my soul as I lay in the tracks.
On the sunny side, I tweaked the setup of my recording rig today, eliminating some unwanted microphone noise from the mix. Though this does not compare with completing a song for the final project, a cleaner audio signal is nevertheless an important accomplishment.
In the name of science, I attempted to record without any click track or time grid in place. I was hoping the lack of rigid time structure would lend an organic aesthetic to the music (a bare composition of voice with a few acoustic guitar tracks).
Fail.
Aligning tracks and editing out the no-nos without the help of organized time stamps is all but impossible for a noob like me. With practice, patience, and time, I could get the hang of recording without the click, but time is a commodity unknown to the Redline Project.
Tomorrow I will attempt a redo of the redo, this time with the familiar metronome clicking sense into my soul as I lay in the tracks.
On the sunny side, I tweaked the setup of my recording rig today, eliminating some unwanted microphone noise from the mix. Though this does not compare with completing a song for the final project, a cleaner audio signal is nevertheless an important accomplishment.
Friday, April 9, 2010
A Nip and a Tuck
Regular readers may remember a scratch recording posted here in January. Its a tune called, "Slips Away," and it is the first full-length song form I completed for the Redline Project.
I hunkered down in Studio Redline for hours yesterday, carefully considering the ups and downs of the rough cut. I rerecorded all the vocals, added some electric guitar, polished several midi tracks, and added an all-new bridge to the mix. A little elbow grease later, a decent piece of music emanated from the monitors. If not all the way polished, "Slips Away" is now varnished with a thick coat of semi-gloss.
Though half-witted recordists would undoubtedly scrunch their noses at the music's imperfections, I am pretty well pleased with my work on the song. I let it loop through my sound system for a portion of the afternoon, mostly looking for imperfections but also enjoying the first fruits of my loving labor.
Motivated by this milestone, I proceeded to open each of the 29 files I have produced since January, jotting comments in my sketch book with every listen. When I dove into this project, I was sure that all scratch recordings would need to be completely scrapped. This is proving to be false, which is a pleasant development.
Most of my tracks need significant work, many will require complete start-overs, and some will never, ever, ever be opened again. None are even remotely ready for launch. I can cope with files that require pounds of turtle wax; I definitely favor dealing with existing music over taking it from the top.
My goal is to have another final recording in my back pocket by the conclusion of the weekend. Accomplishing this task will leave only eight pieces in need of a shoeshine, bringing the goals of the Redline Project ever closer to accomplishment.
I hunkered down in Studio Redline for hours yesterday, carefully considering the ups and downs of the rough cut. I rerecorded all the vocals, added some electric guitar, polished several midi tracks, and added an all-new bridge to the mix. A little elbow grease later, a decent piece of music emanated from the monitors. If not all the way polished, "Slips Away" is now varnished with a thick coat of semi-gloss.
Though half-witted recordists would undoubtedly scrunch their noses at the music's imperfections, I am pretty well pleased with my work on the song. I let it loop through my sound system for a portion of the afternoon, mostly looking for imperfections but also enjoying the first fruits of my loving labor.
Motivated by this milestone, I proceeded to open each of the 29 files I have produced since January, jotting comments in my sketch book with every listen. When I dove into this project, I was sure that all scratch recordings would need to be completely scrapped. This is proving to be false, which is a pleasant development.
Most of my tracks need significant work, many will require complete start-overs, and some will never, ever, ever be opened again. None are even remotely ready for launch. I can cope with files that require pounds of turtle wax; I definitely favor dealing with existing music over taking it from the top.
My goal is to have another final recording in my back pocket by the conclusion of the weekend. Accomplishing this task will leave only eight pieces in need of a shoeshine, bringing the goals of the Redline Project ever closer to accomplishment.
Thursday, April 8, 2010
Sifting Through
To the moment, I have composed ten pieces of music for the Redline Project - fairly prolific considering that I launched this effort at the beginning of January and progress is relegated to nights and weekends. Total playing time for these tracks (once finished) will probably land around 45 to 50 minutes, which is on the short side of a respectable full-length album.
My wife, who is famous around our house for practical wisdom, suggested I run with these rough recordings, sculpting them into final cuts that will land on the finished product. This seems a good tactic to me. Should this batch wrap up with days left over, I can always add new music at that time.
I like this approach because it turns the heat down two notches. According to my project schedule, I should complete all rough tracks by May 15. This puts the Redline Project a month and change ahead of the next deadline. Whoopie-woo!
Opening these rough tracks over the past two days has been a little like Christmas. Each scratch recording that I unearth coaxes a set of emotions. One piece needs a tweak or a touch to be presentable - like unwrapping a shiny red guitar. Another cut must be scrapped entirely in favor of a complete redo - evokes the sentiment of peeling back paper to find a six pack of striped tube socks.
So far I am making mental notes only. Tomorrow I will dive into thoroughly tearing each track apart and penning the critiques into my journal. From there, the Redline Project moves into the new and exciting phase of producing final music - tracks that I sincerely hope will make their way into the iPods of 10,000 listeners.
I feel a welcome glimmer of hope tonight that has been absent for weeks. Time for a celebratory bowl of Lucky Charms.
My wife, who is famous around our house for practical wisdom, suggested I run with these rough recordings, sculpting them into final cuts that will land on the finished product. This seems a good tactic to me. Should this batch wrap up with days left over, I can always add new music at that time.
I like this approach because it turns the heat down two notches. According to my project schedule, I should complete all rough tracks by May 15. This puts the Redline Project a month and change ahead of the next deadline. Whoopie-woo!
Opening these rough tracks over the past two days has been a little like Christmas. Each scratch recording that I unearth coaxes a set of emotions. One piece needs a tweak or a touch to be presentable - like unwrapping a shiny red guitar. Another cut must be scrapped entirely in favor of a complete redo - evokes the sentiment of peeling back paper to find a six pack of striped tube socks.
So far I am making mental notes only. Tomorrow I will dive into thoroughly tearing each track apart and penning the critiques into my journal. From there, the Redline Project moves into the new and exciting phase of producing final music - tracks that I sincerely hope will make their way into the iPods of 10,000 listeners.
I feel a welcome glimmer of hope tonight that has been absent for weeks. Time for a celebratory bowl of Lucky Charms.
Tuesday, April 6, 2010
Circling Back
In many ways, tonight's work on the Redline Project launches a new phase of the process. Instead of working on new musical ideas, I reopened one of the first songs I wrote for the album and got busy analyzing the delightful and wretched elements of its scratch recording.
There were many tracks, especially those performed in MIDI, that are keepable with a bit of tweaking. It is encouraging not to have to scrap everything in the initial recording, which in turn gives me great hope about the editing of other works in progress.
This success holds hands with discouragement though; this song alone could soak up two solid weeks worth of recording and editing time, and those hours will be difficult to find. I am certain this album will be produced and released by the deadline, but on nights like this I wonder how it is all going to come together.
There were many tracks, especially those performed in MIDI, that are keepable with a bit of tweaking. It is encouraging not to have to scrap everything in the initial recording, which in turn gives me great hope about the editing of other works in progress.
This success holds hands with discouragement though; this song alone could soak up two solid weeks worth of recording and editing time, and those hours will be difficult to find. I am certain this album will be produced and released by the deadline, but on nights like this I wonder how it is all going to come together.
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