I have been pressing through track number nine for the past three hours, which is probably the 12th time I have wrestled with this particular file. I have nine complete, if rough, tracks stacked in a neat playlist in iTunes. On several occasions, I mentioned the goal of producing ten tracks, and while I am one short of achieving that objective, number nine is more or less three separate compositions in one.
Could it be that I have all the music I need for the Redline Project? Halleluia, Amen. Pass the potatoes.
This is where the smile turns upside down into a frown. There are miles to go before these rough cuts can be bounced down to a final recording. Here's the shopping list:
1) I need to listen, listen listen, all the while taking notes of problem spots, awkward moments, aural issues.
2) Once all music has been polished with fine grit sandpaper, it will be time to learn how to mix the tracks to obtain at least a semi-professional sound. I am nearly positive I will need assistance with this, and I have no idea who may come to my rescue.
3) Should I make it through the past two items, it will be time for the final audio process, called mastering. How exactly am I supposed to execute a decent mastering of my audio when I don't yet have a good handle on what the term means?
4) Copyrighting the music is not a difficult process, but it takes a bit of running around and a few bucks. Thankfully there is one step in the process that is not completely daunting.
Oh yes, and when I am finally through with these gargantuan tasks, I have to figure out how to distribute this music to 10,000 people. Sometimes I wonder who spiked my New Years beverage when I decided to take on this project, and with what illegal substance. Whatever was swirling around in my champagne glass, I want some more.
Showing posts with label Project Schedule. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Project Schedule. Show all posts
Monday, May 10, 2010
Thursday, May 6, 2010
Dark Fun
Tonight I am chiseling away at the meat of Thursday, a song I refer to in May 4th's post. After meandering through a couple of light verses, the composition takes what I hope will be a surprising turn into a dark, percussive alley with hollow metallic sounds and earthy, hypnotic drum patterns. Needless to say, it has been a fun night.
In the spirit of Found Sound, I swished a fork around a (dirty) cereal bowl and banged my metal bulletin board with mallets. Both rhythms were captured in one take and will indeed make their way onto the final recording.
The clock to the left tells me 176 days remain until the Redline Project album launch. You may have gathered by now that I am moving ahead with all the speed and gusto I can muster so I might wrap up much sooner. In around two months, I will travel with my wife to South Korea to receive our son and bring him home. How lovely it would be to share all of this final music before that day comes. I am not nearly confident enough to subtract from that clock's sum just yet. Stay tuned.
In the spirit of Found Sound, I swished a fork around a (dirty) cereal bowl and banged my metal bulletin board with mallets. Both rhythms were captured in one take and will indeed make their way onto the final recording.
The clock to the left tells me 176 days remain until the Redline Project album launch. You may have gathered by now that I am moving ahead with all the speed and gusto I can muster so I might wrap up much sooner. In around two months, I will travel with my wife to South Korea to receive our son and bring him home. How lovely it would be to share all of this final music before that day comes. I am not nearly confident enough to subtract from that clock's sum just yet. Stay tuned.
Monday, April 19, 2010
Redline Project Turns 100
This entry marks the Redline Project's 100th post. To celebrate, my computer decided to launch a firecracker that almost blew the initiative to smithereens.
Yesterday, my computer failed to start up. We are not talking about some sort of antique juke box here; I am working on a 27" intel iMac that came out of the box three months ago.
Apparently the operating system crashed, which is not the end of the world. I did not know that until Apple walked me through a reinstall this morning. Up to that point, I wondered if the hard drive had failed, which would have sealed four months worth of Redline Project files into the tomb of history.
With my heart in my throat, I gingerly launched the machine after the software finished installing. A click on the documents folder revealed a familiar, lengthy listing of all my digital goodies. Whew! Out of the woods. Needless to say, I am backing up these precious bits and bytes today.
In honor of reaching the milestone of 100 blog posts, I put together a list of 100 lessons I have learned since the project launched in January.
The Redline 100
1) Regardless of how much I promote this project and its blog, my wife will always be my most avid reader.
2) Regardless of how much I promote this project and its blog, my mother will always be my second-most avid reader.
3) Regardless of how much I promote this project and its blog, my grandmother will always be my third-most avid reader.
4) A seemingly quiet house is filled to the brim with squeaks, cracks, and various other borborygmi at any given moment of the day.
5) Birds chirp at ungodly hours of the day, and during the godly ones too.
6) A brand new computer, even an Apple, is still a computer and will therefore have a propensity to crash.
7) File backups are worth the time and effort, no matter how much of a pain they are to perform.
8) Logic Express is a superior product to Garageband, and worth the investment of money.
9) Logic Pro is a superior product to Logic Express, and worth the investment of money.
10) The digital age allows musicians to remotely collaborate, even if there is an ocean between them.
11) Never underestimate the power of external links to your blog.
12) Melodyne makes bad singers sound not so bad.
13) Many famous artists have used some sort of vocal adjustment and editing; almost no one sounds as good live as they do on a professional recording.
14) Songwriting takes great effort and often requires several drafts and tweaks.
15) Delay effects can make even the simplest rhythms sound cool.
16) It is easy to over-process and over-effect music projects when so many tools are a click away.
17) Songs should tell an incomplete story - one that allows listeners to fill in the blanks and relate the tale to their own lives.
18) Music sounds incomparably different when heard through headphones, studio monitors, vehicle sound systems, and consumer stereos.
19) No matter what an artist produces, some people are going to like it, and some are not.
20) Recording music is much easier when the wife is out drinking coffee with a friend.
21) There is nothing more valuable in all the world than a supportive wife.
22) Television soaks up more time than anyone wishes to admit.
23) Television is something I thought I would miss until I replaced it with this music project. Now I watch 95% less, and have no desire for my old habit.
24) Don't cheap out on audio cables. The cheapies produce too much static and hum to get a clean sound.
25) It is possible to sell something when acquiring another.
26) Sometimes owning less in the name of simplicity is good for the soul. I had to rid my closet of several bicycles and parts to fund this project. Do I miss these itmes? A little. The process inspired me to prioritize, which in turn yielded motivation to work hard at this project.
27) Ebay is a wonderful venue for turning unwanted items into cash.
28) Ebay customer service sucks eggs and their new feedback policy puts sellers at a severe disadvantage. Buyer AND seller beware.
29) If someone with the username Jmdesigns2 tries to purchase something from you on eBay, run far, far away.
30) Acoustic guitar sounds more natural and full when miked. Direct sound from a cable sounds almost too full or too direct.
31) Ten o'clock at night is a far more productive time for me than three o'clock in the afternoon will ever be.
32) External plug-ins for Logic can freeze the program once in a while. Save often.
33) Save often.
34) Recording a song, leaving it for awhile, and returning to it at a later date provides some sober perspective into its merits and problems.
35) Recording parts separately (like guitar and voice) almost always provides better editing capability, though it comes at the expense of a more organic sound.
36) Software features, such as Flex Time, do not always work as flawlessly as the marketing claims made about them.
37) A midi keyboard does not need a lot of features to be a useful tool.
38) Midi strings sound terrible.
39) Midi brass sounds terrible.
40) Midi woodwinds sound terrible.
41) A general rule of thumb: electronic instruments sound best when produced by the computer, acoustic instruments sound best when produced by acoustic instruments.
42) Midi instruments, when used thoughtfully and appropriately, can save amazing amounts of time.
43) Facebook and Twitter are wonderful resources for connecting people to a project.
44) People much rather listen to a scratch recording than read a blog entry.
45) With a few exceptions, the blog entries of the Redline Project are a diary for me more than they are columns or essays for others.
46) Musically speaking, I am first a percussionist. Recording voice, guitar, piano, etc. takes great effort, but laying down drum or percussion tracks comes easily to me.
47) There are at least three or four ways to express something. If I am struggling with a sentence construction, it is often best to delete what I have and start over.
48) Noise Reduction plug-ins in Logic do not work.
49) It doesn't matter if the product is software, computer peripherals, dishwashers, or tube socks, customer service is a dying (or perhaps dead) commodity.
50) Pursuing a passion such as music can render all of life's other endeavors bland and flat.
51) The best way to get organically listed in Google search results is to write plenty of content.
52) Collaboration is almost always better than solo work.
53) Solo work is almost always easier and more predictable than collaboration.
54) The new Mac unibody computers look cool.
55) A quiet computer makes all the difference in budget home recording situations.
56) Don't eat too much salt before laying down a vocal track.
57) Don't eat too much cabbage if you intend to get any sort of work accomplished.
58) Recording fast passages at half-tempo is infinitely easier than trying to put down gaggles of notes at speed.
59) Acting on an idea inspires others to act on their ideas.
60) Passion-inspired projects are worth the time and effort they consume.
61) To do a big project justice, sacrifices must be made.
62) In my humble opinion, 'I' and 'you' are not nearly as compelling of song topics as 'he' or she.'
63) Americans claiming to be unbelievably busy often waste a tremendous amount of time.
64) Knowing a baby is coming to join our family in a couple of months has greatly increased my productivity and sense of urgency.
65) When much work needs to be accomplished, it is more fun to blog.
66) Work is not limited to those tasks that provide a paycheck. Some of life's most important accomplishments have nothing to do with vocation.
67) Running a wire from a metal knob on a mixer around a pinky finger or wrist can ground a system and reduce unwanted noise.
68) Running a wire from a metal knob on a mixer around a pinky finger or wrist inspires people to say things like, "Why don't you just take the mixer into the shower with you next time you bathe?"
69) When dealing with a year-long project, it is important to step away for a day here and there.
70) Changing scenery or locale encourages creativity in songwriting.
71) The outdoors is more inspiring than the indoors.
72) Recording on Monday night is hard work.
73) Recording on Saturday is relaxing.
74) Bad recorded music is better than music that sleeps inside the soul.
75) Stretching or walking around ever hour or so gets a little bit of blood flowing and often yields better results in the studio.
76) A decent recording can be accomplished with $1000 worth of software and hardware.
77) Adding a new piece of equipment to a recording rig always adds a learning curve. Rarely, if ever, is hardware or software simply plug and play.
78) When I want to record, there is always blogging to do. When I want to blog, I feel like I am neglecting the recording.
79) Four hours of recording time seems no longer than 45 minutes.
80) Never overlook the beauty of borrowed equipment. Several friends had piles of great gear stacked up in their closets. I could have bought my own microphones, monitors, cables, etc., but why would I?
81) If you want to amaze your friends with Logic's capabilities, call up the EVOC vocoder synth.
82) Wikipedia is an immense resource, if a touch unreliable.
83) Most people who start year-long projects don't make it to March.
84) Digital music is for the ears what graphic design is for the eyes.
85) Logic's ringshifter plug-in offers an array of wave distortion options with only a few clicks of effort.
86) I really should be working right now.
87) Good friends want me to succeed.
88) Great friends help me to succeed.
89) Using loops that ship with Logic seems like cheating to me; I have chosen to steer clear.
90) For every midi instrument I like that came with Logic, there are 30 I would never use.
91) Latency is an measure of the amount of time between the occurrence of a sound and the moment it emerges from the speakers (after snaking from microphone to mixer, to computer, back to mixer, and out to the monitors).
92) Good friends tell me how nice my music sounds.
93) Great friends tell me what could be even better about my music.
94) Jan, William, Ken, and Holly are great friends.
95) To all those who have figured out how to make a living in the music field, and even more so to those who are still trying to figure it out, much respect.
96) Starting over on a song almost always yields better results.
97) Starting over is often time-prohibitive.
98) I gravitate towards sounds with a warmer, softer edge. Harsh, cutting sounds are almost never my choice.
99) The best reverbs are the ones that are felt and not heard.
100) Though nothing has ever consumed more of my spare time or energy, the Redline Project is by far the most life-giving project I have ever experienced.
Happy 100th, dear Redline Project. Hope the next hundred make all your dreams come true.
Yesterday, my computer failed to start up. We are not talking about some sort of antique juke box here; I am working on a 27" intel iMac that came out of the box three months ago.
Apparently the operating system crashed, which is not the end of the world. I did not know that until Apple walked me through a reinstall this morning. Up to that point, I wondered if the hard drive had failed, which would have sealed four months worth of Redline Project files into the tomb of history.
With my heart in my throat, I gingerly launched the machine after the software finished installing. A click on the documents folder revealed a familiar, lengthy listing of all my digital goodies. Whew! Out of the woods. Needless to say, I am backing up these precious bits and bytes today.
In honor of reaching the milestone of 100 blog posts, I put together a list of 100 lessons I have learned since the project launched in January.
The Redline 100
1) Regardless of how much I promote this project and its blog, my wife will always be my most avid reader.
2) Regardless of how much I promote this project and its blog, my mother will always be my second-most avid reader.
3) Regardless of how much I promote this project and its blog, my grandmother will always be my third-most avid reader.
4) A seemingly quiet house is filled to the brim with squeaks, cracks, and various other borborygmi at any given moment of the day.
5) Birds chirp at ungodly hours of the day, and during the godly ones too.
6) A brand new computer, even an Apple, is still a computer and will therefore have a propensity to crash.
7) File backups are worth the time and effort, no matter how much of a pain they are to perform.
8) Logic Express is a superior product to Garageband, and worth the investment of money.
9) Logic Pro is a superior product to Logic Express, and worth the investment of money.
10) The digital age allows musicians to remotely collaborate, even if there is an ocean between them.
11) Never underestimate the power of external links to your blog.
12) Melodyne makes bad singers sound not so bad.
13) Many famous artists have used some sort of vocal adjustment and editing; almost no one sounds as good live as they do on a professional recording.
14) Songwriting takes great effort and often requires several drafts and tweaks.
15) Delay effects can make even the simplest rhythms sound cool.
16) It is easy to over-process and over-effect music projects when so many tools are a click away.
17) Songs should tell an incomplete story - one that allows listeners to fill in the blanks and relate the tale to their own lives.
18) Music sounds incomparably different when heard through headphones, studio monitors, vehicle sound systems, and consumer stereos.
19) No matter what an artist produces, some people are going to like it, and some are not.
20) Recording music is much easier when the wife is out drinking coffee with a friend.
21) There is nothing more valuable in all the world than a supportive wife.
22) Television soaks up more time than anyone wishes to admit.
23) Television is something I thought I would miss until I replaced it with this music project. Now I watch 95% less, and have no desire for my old habit.
24) Don't cheap out on audio cables. The cheapies produce too much static and hum to get a clean sound.
25) It is possible to sell something when acquiring another.
26) Sometimes owning less in the name of simplicity is good for the soul. I had to rid my closet of several bicycles and parts to fund this project. Do I miss these itmes? A little. The process inspired me to prioritize, which in turn yielded motivation to work hard at this project.
27) Ebay is a wonderful venue for turning unwanted items into cash.
28) Ebay customer service sucks eggs and their new feedback policy puts sellers at a severe disadvantage. Buyer AND seller beware.
29) If someone with the username Jmdesigns2 tries to purchase something from you on eBay, run far, far away.
30) Acoustic guitar sounds more natural and full when miked. Direct sound from a cable sounds almost too full or too direct.
31) Ten o'clock at night is a far more productive time for me than three o'clock in the afternoon will ever be.
32) External plug-ins for Logic can freeze the program once in a while. Save often.
33) Save often.
34) Recording a song, leaving it for awhile, and returning to it at a later date provides some sober perspective into its merits and problems.
35) Recording parts separately (like guitar and voice) almost always provides better editing capability, though it comes at the expense of a more organic sound.
36) Software features, such as Flex Time, do not always work as flawlessly as the marketing claims made about them.
37) A midi keyboard does not need a lot of features to be a useful tool.
38) Midi strings sound terrible.
39) Midi brass sounds terrible.
40) Midi woodwinds sound terrible.
41) A general rule of thumb: electronic instruments sound best when produced by the computer, acoustic instruments sound best when produced by acoustic instruments.
42) Midi instruments, when used thoughtfully and appropriately, can save amazing amounts of time.
43) Facebook and Twitter are wonderful resources for connecting people to a project.
44) People much rather listen to a scratch recording than read a blog entry.
45) With a few exceptions, the blog entries of the Redline Project are a diary for me more than they are columns or essays for others.
46) Musically speaking, I am first a percussionist. Recording voice, guitar, piano, etc. takes great effort, but laying down drum or percussion tracks comes easily to me.
47) There are at least three or four ways to express something. If I am struggling with a sentence construction, it is often best to delete what I have and start over.
48) Noise Reduction plug-ins in Logic do not work.
49) It doesn't matter if the product is software, computer peripherals, dishwashers, or tube socks, customer service is a dying (or perhaps dead) commodity.
50) Pursuing a passion such as music can render all of life's other endeavors bland and flat.
51) The best way to get organically listed in Google search results is to write plenty of content.
52) Collaboration is almost always better than solo work.
53) Solo work is almost always easier and more predictable than collaboration.
54) The new Mac unibody computers look cool.
55) A quiet computer makes all the difference in budget home recording situations.
56) Don't eat too much salt before laying down a vocal track.
57) Don't eat too much cabbage if you intend to get any sort of work accomplished.
58) Recording fast passages at half-tempo is infinitely easier than trying to put down gaggles of notes at speed.
59) Acting on an idea inspires others to act on their ideas.
60) Passion-inspired projects are worth the time and effort they consume.
61) To do a big project justice, sacrifices must be made.
62) In my humble opinion, 'I' and 'you' are not nearly as compelling of song topics as 'he' or she.'
63) Americans claiming to be unbelievably busy often waste a tremendous amount of time.
64) Knowing a baby is coming to join our family in a couple of months has greatly increased my productivity and sense of urgency.
65) When much work needs to be accomplished, it is more fun to blog.
66) Work is not limited to those tasks that provide a paycheck. Some of life's most important accomplishments have nothing to do with vocation.
67) Running a wire from a metal knob on a mixer around a pinky finger or wrist can ground a system and reduce unwanted noise.
68) Running a wire from a metal knob on a mixer around a pinky finger or wrist inspires people to say things like, "Why don't you just take the mixer into the shower with you next time you bathe?"
69) When dealing with a year-long project, it is important to step away for a day here and there.
70) Changing scenery or locale encourages creativity in songwriting.
71) The outdoors is more inspiring than the indoors.
72) Recording on Monday night is hard work.
73) Recording on Saturday is relaxing.
74) Bad recorded music is better than music that sleeps inside the soul.
75) Stretching or walking around ever hour or so gets a little bit of blood flowing and often yields better results in the studio.
76) A decent recording can be accomplished with $1000 worth of software and hardware.
77) Adding a new piece of equipment to a recording rig always adds a learning curve. Rarely, if ever, is hardware or software simply plug and play.
78) When I want to record, there is always blogging to do. When I want to blog, I feel like I am neglecting the recording.
79) Four hours of recording time seems no longer than 45 minutes.
80) Never overlook the beauty of borrowed equipment. Several friends had piles of great gear stacked up in their closets. I could have bought my own microphones, monitors, cables, etc., but why would I?
81) If you want to amaze your friends with Logic's capabilities, call up the EVOC vocoder synth.
82) Wikipedia is an immense resource, if a touch unreliable.
83) Most people who start year-long projects don't make it to March.
84) Digital music is for the ears what graphic design is for the eyes.
85) Logic's ringshifter plug-in offers an array of wave distortion options with only a few clicks of effort.
86) I really should be working right now.
87) Good friends want me to succeed.
88) Great friends help me to succeed.
89) Using loops that ship with Logic seems like cheating to me; I have chosen to steer clear.
90) For every midi instrument I like that came with Logic, there are 30 I would never use.
91) Latency is an measure of the amount of time between the occurrence of a sound and the moment it emerges from the speakers (after snaking from microphone to mixer, to computer, back to mixer, and out to the monitors).
92) Good friends tell me how nice my music sounds.
93) Great friends tell me what could be even better about my music.
94) Jan, William, Ken, and Holly are great friends.
95) To all those who have figured out how to make a living in the music field, and even more so to those who are still trying to figure it out, much respect.
96) Starting over on a song almost always yields better results.
97) Starting over is often time-prohibitive.
98) I gravitate towards sounds with a warmer, softer edge. Harsh, cutting sounds are almost never my choice.
99) The best reverbs are the ones that are felt and not heard.
100) Though nothing has ever consumed more of my spare time or energy, the Redline Project is by far the most life-giving project I have ever experienced.
Happy 100th, dear Redline Project. Hope the next hundred make all your dreams come true.
Thursday, April 15, 2010
Piles O' Tracks
I dabbed a little sparkle onto another track tonight, bringing the total of nearly complete recordings to six. With a goal of ten completed tracks, the Redline Project has broken into a full gallup. (Insert a rousing refrain of the William Tell Overture here.)
This means I am beating my projected schedule with a mallet or other damaging implement, which is positive as it allows more time dedicated to the lofty goal of scrounging up 10,000 listeners. The revised plan is to finish these ten tracks, cycle back through each once more for review, and then consider the possibility of adding another song or two to the mix with whatever time remains.
I am on pace to finish in a third of a year what I anticipated would consume three quarters. (Roll that William Tell one more time.) Refraining from exclamation marks is a challenge, as my excitement level has shot through the roof. With so much of life dangling thick weights around my neck lately, an encouraging day is a welcome shift.
On a technical note, odeo.com appears to be down for the moment, which means all scratch tracks posted here are currently unplayable. If the outage persists, I will need to find another solution, but hopefully the issue will resolve in a day's time.
This means I am beating my projected schedule with a mallet or other damaging implement, which is positive as it allows more time dedicated to the lofty goal of scrounging up 10,000 listeners. The revised plan is to finish these ten tracks, cycle back through each once more for review, and then consider the possibility of adding another song or two to the mix with whatever time remains.
I am on pace to finish in a third of a year what I anticipated would consume three quarters. (Roll that William Tell one more time.) Refraining from exclamation marks is a challenge, as my excitement level has shot through the roof. With so much of life dangling thick weights around my neck lately, an encouraging day is a welcome shift.
On a technical note, odeo.com appears to be down for the moment, which means all scratch tracks posted here are currently unplayable. If the outage persists, I will need to find another solution, but hopefully the issue will resolve in a day's time.
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.
Thursday, April 1, 2010
Redline Project Complete
Today is a prodigious day. The Redline Project final album is ready to be released.
April fools.
I plan on posting verbose paragraphs and recording three songs over the holiday weekend.
April fools again. There; got that out of my system.
Actually, the wife and I are headed out for some unplanned road tripping adventures around the southeast. We will be camping along the way with little or no internet access. You are welcome as always to visit the Redline Project blog, but you will not find any new material here until Monday, April 5.
Hey... everyone needs a vaction from the diligent work of blogging, right? Sincere thanks goes to the handful of readers who may actually be a touch disappointed by this. While the Redline Project fan club may be thin in numbers, its members are fortified with brilliance and creativity. Much appreciation to each of you.
For those into Good Friday and Easter, I hope you revel in the glory of life overcoming death. For those not observing the holiday, I wish you a restful, rejuvenating handful of days. See you on the other side of the weekend.
April fools.
I plan on posting verbose paragraphs and recording three songs over the holiday weekend.
April fools again. There; got that out of my system.
Actually, the wife and I are headed out for some unplanned road tripping adventures around the southeast. We will be camping along the way with little or no internet access. You are welcome as always to visit the Redline Project blog, but you will not find any new material here until Monday, April 5.
Hey... everyone needs a vaction from the diligent work of blogging, right? Sincere thanks goes to the handful of readers who may actually be a touch disappointed by this. While the Redline Project fan club may be thin in numbers, its members are fortified with brilliance and creativity. Much appreciation to each of you.
For those into Good Friday and Easter, I hope you revel in the glory of life overcoming death. For those not observing the holiday, I wish you a restful, rejuvenating handful of days. See you on the other side of the weekend.
Wednesday, March 31, 2010
1st Quarter Update
An unexpected side effect of plugging away at the Redline Project is having a pointed awareness of just how speedily a set of months can slip away. Tonight is March 31st, relegating the first three months of 2010 to the past and leaving only nine in the future.
Does this shock anyone else? We just sipped champagne and exploded poppers roughly 14 days ago. How can March 2010 be hours from vanishing?
As my custom has become at the close of each month, I am taking the opportunity to scrutinize the successes and failures of the Redline Project. Where has there been progress? Where has the momentum slacked a bit? What needs to happen to keep this initiative moving forward? Are we on track for an album release on October 31?
Let's commence with the plusses. In three months, I have acquired more than enough gear to adequately record, edit, and publish an album. Many of the acquisitions (including an electric guitar, microphones, and studio monitors) are borrowed instead of purchased, which is the only way I have managed to stay within a budget of $1,000.
Speaking of budget, I am thrilled to announce that while I have spent far less than $1,000 on the Redline Project ($877 to be exact), I have sold $900 worth of bikes and related gear to offset the cost. This has required a sizable and complicated effort. If anyone has ever tried auctioning items under Ebay's asinine new user feedback policies, you know that sellers have no recourse to deal with feisty, manipulative, or deadbeat buyers.
As I write this blog post, I received an email from one such buyer who is demanding more money back from me than he ever payed for an item sold 'as is.' Lovely. Ebay is wonderful, and Ebay sucks eggs. If someone with the username jmdesigns2 tries to buy an item from you, run far and run fast.
Frustrations considered, piecing together a basic recording studio for zero dollars is a grand success, and one that pleases my wife as well.
This month, I wrote what I consider to be my best songs so far. The tally so far is nine, including vocal and instrumental numbers. Several pieces are five minutes in length, and some are longer. Mind you, these are not final recorded versions; the tracks are currently scratch recordings meant to capture the basic form and textures of each composition.
With a baby boy coming to join our family around the first of July, I have decided that the Redline Project's final product will feature 10 original pieces of music. Originally I was aiming for 12, but I needed to adjust in order to keep the project moving forward as I prepare for fatherhood.
After the scratch recording roadmaps are all pieced together, the next step is to scrap and re-record just about everything. Three or four months worth of knowledge is virtually nothing when compared to giants of the recording industry with decades of experience lining their pockets. Om short, I am a noob. That said, I know considerably more than I did 83 posts ago, and I am hoping this base of knowledge will lend a relatively clean and polished sound to the final cuts.
Is the Redline Project on schedule? The answer, according to the original array of deadlines, is a resounding yes. I am supposed to complete all the rough cuts by May 15, which is still a month and a half out. If I Complete one more composition and two more recordings by then, I can draw a red line (pun intended) through this mile marker.
Nevertheless, I feel hopelessly behind. After the scratch tracks are complete, I must get to work recording palatable music that is at least somewhat iPod-worthy. Then comes the mixing process, with the mastering procedures hot on the tail. If these daunting tasks somehow are accomplished by October 31, I then must climb the mountain of distribution. At a glance, this final step is made easier by offering the music free of charge to anyone and everyone, but that in turn complicates the matter as it begs questions of copyright issues and distribution venues.
[Insert panicked nail biting here]
Scores of miles fade into the rearview mirror as hundreds more appear on the horizon. As this project turns into something of a second full-time job, the television tempts me with endless chasm mind-numbing nothingness. But I will press on. I will create. I will get heard.
Does this shock anyone else? We just sipped champagne and exploded poppers roughly 14 days ago. How can March 2010 be hours from vanishing?
As my custom has become at the close of each month, I am taking the opportunity to scrutinize the successes and failures of the Redline Project. Where has there been progress? Where has the momentum slacked a bit? What needs to happen to keep this initiative moving forward? Are we on track for an album release on October 31?
Let's commence with the plusses. In three months, I have acquired more than enough gear to adequately record, edit, and publish an album. Many of the acquisitions (including an electric guitar, microphones, and studio monitors) are borrowed instead of purchased, which is the only way I have managed to stay within a budget of $1,000.
Speaking of budget, I am thrilled to announce that while I have spent far less than $1,000 on the Redline Project ($877 to be exact), I have sold $900 worth of bikes and related gear to offset the cost. This has required a sizable and complicated effort. If anyone has ever tried auctioning items under Ebay's asinine new user feedback policies, you know that sellers have no recourse to deal with feisty, manipulative, or deadbeat buyers.
As I write this blog post, I received an email from one such buyer who is demanding more money back from me than he ever payed for an item sold 'as is.' Lovely. Ebay is wonderful, and Ebay sucks eggs. If someone with the username jmdesigns2 tries to buy an item from you, run far and run fast.
Frustrations considered, piecing together a basic recording studio for zero dollars is a grand success, and one that pleases my wife as well.
This month, I wrote what I consider to be my best songs so far. The tally so far is nine, including vocal and instrumental numbers. Several pieces are five minutes in length, and some are longer. Mind you, these are not final recorded versions; the tracks are currently scratch recordings meant to capture the basic form and textures of each composition.
With a baby boy coming to join our family around the first of July, I have decided that the Redline Project's final product will feature 10 original pieces of music. Originally I was aiming for 12, but I needed to adjust in order to keep the project moving forward as I prepare for fatherhood.
After the scratch recording roadmaps are all pieced together, the next step is to scrap and re-record just about everything. Three or four months worth of knowledge is virtually nothing when compared to giants of the recording industry with decades of experience lining their pockets. Om short, I am a noob. That said, I know considerably more than I did 83 posts ago, and I am hoping this base of knowledge will lend a relatively clean and polished sound to the final cuts.
Is the Redline Project on schedule? The answer, according to the original array of deadlines, is a resounding yes. I am supposed to complete all the rough cuts by May 15, which is still a month and a half out. If I Complete one more composition and two more recordings by then, I can draw a red line (pun intended) through this mile marker.
Nevertheless, I feel hopelessly behind. After the scratch tracks are complete, I must get to work recording palatable music that is at least somewhat iPod-worthy. Then comes the mixing process, with the mastering procedures hot on the tail. If these daunting tasks somehow are accomplished by October 31, I then must climb the mountain of distribution. At a glance, this final step is made easier by offering the music free of charge to anyone and everyone, but that in turn complicates the matter as it begs questions of copyright issues and distribution venues.
[Insert panicked nail biting here]
Scores of miles fade into the rearview mirror as hundreds more appear on the horizon. As this project turns into something of a second full-time job, the television tempts me with endless chasm mind-numbing nothingness. But I will press on. I will create. I will get heard.
Monday, March 15, 2010
A Magnificent Dilemma
Though the Redline Project blog is not a venue for my personal life, I can not help but exclaim the marvels of what started as an ordinary day.
My wife and I have been working and waiting for two and a half years to receive word from South Korea that they had a child for our family. We were expecting to hear news to this effect months ago, but week after week slid by in silence.
What commenced as an average Monday morphed into a prodigious milestone with a simple phone call. In a matter of three or four months, my wife and I will travel to Seoul to become a family of three. Cheers!
For the record, we are welcoming a marvelous boy of six months with an open face, midnight eyes, and a smile that sends laughter bouncing around the room. I have only laid eyes on a handful of photographs and already I am madly in love.
Of course, this poses a rack of hurdles for the Redline Project. As an active father of none, I am free to scamper after the muse until all hours. What is to become of this humble venture as I step up to the calling of fatherhood?
Good question. I don't know.
Perhaps the whole thing will come tumbling down leaving only plumes of failure in its wake. Maybe the goals perched atop this page will join the ranks of all that remains unaccomplished in my life. The Redline Project finds itself at a definitive fulcrum. From here, I either ramp up the effort or throw in the towel.
With a handful of months standing in the gap between the day my son finally comes home and today, I choose to put my feet to the fire. The goal of making a releasable album of music pulses liquid life through my veins, and giving up would be nothing short of tragic. I shall continue, and the music shall be heard.
My wife and I have been working and waiting for two and a half years to receive word from South Korea that they had a child for our family. We were expecting to hear news to this effect months ago, but week after week slid by in silence.
What commenced as an average Monday morphed into a prodigious milestone with a simple phone call. In a matter of three or four months, my wife and I will travel to Seoul to become a family of three. Cheers!
For the record, we are welcoming a marvelous boy of six months with an open face, midnight eyes, and a smile that sends laughter bouncing around the room. I have only laid eyes on a handful of photographs and already I am madly in love.
Of course, this poses a rack of hurdles for the Redline Project. As an active father of none, I am free to scamper after the muse until all hours. What is to become of this humble venture as I step up to the calling of fatherhood?
Good question. I don't know.
Perhaps the whole thing will come tumbling down leaving only plumes of failure in its wake. Maybe the goals perched atop this page will join the ranks of all that remains unaccomplished in my life. The Redline Project finds itself at a definitive fulcrum. From here, I either ramp up the effort or throw in the towel.
With a handful of months standing in the gap between the day my son finally comes home and today, I choose to put my feet to the fire. The goal of making a releasable album of music pulses liquid life through my veins, and giving up would be nothing short of tragic. I shall continue, and the music shall be heard.
Monday, March 1, 2010
Sixth
A stunning bit of truth for me, and probably everyone reading, is that a sixth of 2010 has snuck past. How did that happen?
In many ways, the Redline Project is on track, and perhaps I am even a touch ahead of schedule. The second post on this blog reveals that my goal for February's end was to acquire all gear necessary to complete this effort. Check - mostly.
I have purchased many pieces and borrowed even more, finding myself surrounded with an arsenal of competent, beginner gear. Just today, an upgrade from Logic Express to Logic Studio arrived, which means I will be recording and editing audio on a top notch suite of programs. As a coworker of mine used to interject, "Great giggly wigglies." I also have acquired a mixer that doubles as a firewire audio interface, a midi keyboard, and a direct box for inputting (mostly) clean guitar signals. Sennheiser headphones, a condenser mic, and a gorgeous Guild electric guitar are the most used pieces of borrowed gear.
Still on the wish list is the Melodyne vocal editor and a good pair of studio monitors. The latter I can potentially do without, but my pathetic vocal attempts are begging the powerful Melodyne to touch and to heal. To date then, I have spent $540, just over half my project budget. I have sold around $450 worth of possessions, which leaves me owing $90 to my bank account. Not bad.
The purchase of the software and monitors together will run around $350, and right now that is all I anticipate spending on this project. Looks like I will accomplish at least one of the three goals posted in this blog's header.
Those reading along have undoubtedly noticed a slow-down in the posting of scratch recordings, and with good reason. I have been feverishly plugging away at several audio sketches of songs I hope will end up on the final Redline Project recording. 'Audio sketch' is a term I am using to refer to a fully structured song with imperfect recorded parts. Once I have an understanding of how a song or composition will be arranged, I plan to replace the rough tracks with polished counterparts.
I have five such compositions that are baked to varying degrees. I need to write seven or eight more in the course of the next three and a half months to keep pace with the next deadline. By the end of May, all songs should be written and all audio sketches complete; doable only if I put my feet to the fire and press on.
A reader suggested I locate a widget displaying the number of days left in the project, number of dollars spent, and other related statistics. This is a fantastic idea, and I will search for one tomorrow. In the meantime, I hope this brief synopsis suffices.
In many ways, the Redline Project is on track, and perhaps I am even a touch ahead of schedule. The second post on this blog reveals that my goal for February's end was to acquire all gear necessary to complete this effort. Check - mostly.
I have purchased many pieces and borrowed even more, finding myself surrounded with an arsenal of competent, beginner gear. Just today, an upgrade from Logic Express to Logic Studio arrived, which means I will be recording and editing audio on a top notch suite of programs. As a coworker of mine used to interject, "Great giggly wigglies." I also have acquired a mixer that doubles as a firewire audio interface, a midi keyboard, and a direct box for inputting (mostly) clean guitar signals. Sennheiser headphones, a condenser mic, and a gorgeous Guild electric guitar are the most used pieces of borrowed gear.
Still on the wish list is the Melodyne vocal editor and a good pair of studio monitors. The latter I can potentially do without, but my pathetic vocal attempts are begging the powerful Melodyne to touch and to heal. To date then, I have spent $540, just over half my project budget. I have sold around $450 worth of possessions, which leaves me owing $90 to my bank account. Not bad.
The purchase of the software and monitors together will run around $350, and right now that is all I anticipate spending on this project. Looks like I will accomplish at least one of the three goals posted in this blog's header.
Those reading along have undoubtedly noticed a slow-down in the posting of scratch recordings, and with good reason. I have been feverishly plugging away at several audio sketches of songs I hope will end up on the final Redline Project recording. 'Audio sketch' is a term I am using to refer to a fully structured song with imperfect recorded parts. Once I have an understanding of how a song or composition will be arranged, I plan to replace the rough tracks with polished counterparts.
I have five such compositions that are baked to varying degrees. I need to write seven or eight more in the course of the next three and a half months to keep pace with the next deadline. By the end of May, all songs should be written and all audio sketches complete; doable only if I put my feet to the fire and press on.
A reader suggested I locate a widget displaying the number of days left in the project, number of dollars spent, and other related statistics. This is a fantastic idea, and I will search for one tomorrow. In the meantime, I hope this brief synopsis suffices.
Tuesday, January 26, 2010
A Look Back, A Look Ahead
Only 25 days into the mess, and already life without music has become unthinkable. Difficult to believe that a mere 26 days ago (and continuing backwards five years from there), I hardly ever touched a musical instrument. A few have questioned how the time for this project exists, and to that query I offer an amazing and unexpected answer:
I have flicked on the tube exactly once (for a half-hour) since the Redline Project commenced, and I no longer cruise around Facebook or Youtube unless there is some intended purpose. That's it. Nothing else has changed.
I still ride my bike. I still help run the Communicycle co-op. I still play Scrabble and Settlers of Catan with my wife. I still sleep late on Saturday. I still hang with friends midweek for all kinds of shenanigans. I still help with music at church on Sundays. And yes, I still work the old day job. Get the picture?
Two minor epiphanies: First, it is astounding how much time I have wasted doing absolutely nothing over the course of the last several years. Second, it has taken me far too long to recognize the truth of epiphany number one.
It has been downright nifty to figure out that there is plenty of room in my daily life for a new ordeal, and a time-munching one at that. This may become one of my favorite unexpected outcomes of the Redline Project, and I sincerely hope it encourages everyone reading along to consider subtracting a measure of fluff and adding something of significance to the daily grind.
A glance at the project schedule (in an earlier post for those wanting to have a look for themselves) exposes the truth that I can be an overachiever when I set my mind to it. By the 31st of January, my goal was to acquire all funds for the Redline Project, with the follow-up February goal of acquiring all equipment necessary to complete this project.
If you have visited before, you know that Studio Redline has at least enough gear on the shelves to produce the ten scratch recordings peppered throughout these two dozen posts. To be exact, the funds came in (and went back out) for a 12 track mixer, a 49 key midi controller, two condenser microphones, two microphone stands, a pop filter, an electric guitar, and a tangle of XLR and quarter-inch cables. True that many components are stickered with the names of friends who lent them to the project's cause, and for these acquisitions I am forever grateful.
So here I am, surrounded by an arsenal of recording equipment. Professionals may turn up their noses, scoffing that Radio Shack peddles finer offerings, but I am enamored with these electronic components of bliss. And I believe in time they will prove themselves to be the little recording engine that could.
A nice surprise popped into view when I checked the analytics for this site last night. It looks like Google has found this humble project and been so kind as to send not one, not two, but six visitors to its pages. Go ahead, laugh, all ye blogosphere experts. I think that is exciting news.
In the course of three weeks a small but steady stream of folks has materialized. We are over 200 strong on Facebook (The Redline Project) and even have a few people sniffing the bones thrown out on Twitter (@RedlineProject). Google also heralds visitors worming their way to this website from five countries outside of the United States (Germany, Moldova, Australia, Hong Kong, and Canada for the curious).
Regarding a look forward, what do all these bits of excitement mean?
Absolutely nothing.
I am still a nomad meandering around the genres, window-shopping the possibilities of music and musical expression. I have no voice. I do not understand recording theory in the least, and I have no control over the finer points of my extremely powerful and complex software workstation. The electric guitar buzzes and pops, and the acoustic guitar produces a lead quilt of magnetic noise. And the ambient noises from my 1970s split-level infect every attempt to lay down an analog waveform.
Almost a month of thought, effort, purchasing, contemplating, exploring... is in the back pocket, and 11 short ones remain. My level of investment took the plunge some time ago, and I have no confidence in my ability to deliver on the goals set forth on the header of this page. This is a fearful expedition, one that may be without specific destination.
I am left with a question. It nips at the heels of my daily routine and robs sleep from the darkest part of the night: Can I do it?
I have flicked on the tube exactly once (for a half-hour) since the Redline Project commenced, and I no longer cruise around Facebook or Youtube unless there is some intended purpose. That's it. Nothing else has changed.
I still ride my bike. I still help run the Communicycle co-op. I still play Scrabble and Settlers of Catan with my wife. I still sleep late on Saturday. I still hang with friends midweek for all kinds of shenanigans. I still help with music at church on Sundays. And yes, I still work the old day job. Get the picture?
Two minor epiphanies: First, it is astounding how much time I have wasted doing absolutely nothing over the course of the last several years. Second, it has taken me far too long to recognize the truth of epiphany number one.
It has been downright nifty to figure out that there is plenty of room in my daily life for a new ordeal, and a time-munching one at that. This may become one of my favorite unexpected outcomes of the Redline Project, and I sincerely hope it encourages everyone reading along to consider subtracting a measure of fluff and adding something of significance to the daily grind.
A glance at the project schedule (in an earlier post for those wanting to have a look for themselves) exposes the truth that I can be an overachiever when I set my mind to it. By the 31st of January, my goal was to acquire all funds for the Redline Project, with the follow-up February goal of acquiring all equipment necessary to complete this project.
If you have visited before, you know that Studio Redline has at least enough gear on the shelves to produce the ten scratch recordings peppered throughout these two dozen posts. To be exact, the funds came in (and went back out) for a 12 track mixer, a 49 key midi controller, two condenser microphones, two microphone stands, a pop filter, an electric guitar, and a tangle of XLR and quarter-inch cables. True that many components are stickered with the names of friends who lent them to the project's cause, and for these acquisitions I am forever grateful.
So here I am, surrounded by an arsenal of recording equipment. Professionals may turn up their noses, scoffing that Radio Shack peddles finer offerings, but I am enamored with these electronic components of bliss. And I believe in time they will prove themselves to be the little recording engine that could.
A nice surprise popped into view when I checked the analytics for this site last night. It looks like Google has found this humble project and been so kind as to send not one, not two, but six visitors to its pages. Go ahead, laugh, all ye blogosphere experts. I think that is exciting news.
In the course of three weeks a small but steady stream of folks has materialized. We are over 200 strong on Facebook (The Redline Project) and even have a few people sniffing the bones thrown out on Twitter (@RedlineProject). Google also heralds visitors worming their way to this website from five countries outside of the United States (Germany, Moldova, Australia, Hong Kong, and Canada for the curious).
Regarding a look forward, what do all these bits of excitement mean?
Absolutely nothing.
I am still a nomad meandering around the genres, window-shopping the possibilities of music and musical expression. I have no voice. I do not understand recording theory in the least, and I have no control over the finer points of my extremely powerful and complex software workstation. The electric guitar buzzes and pops, and the acoustic guitar produces a lead quilt of magnetic noise. And the ambient noises from my 1970s split-level infect every attempt to lay down an analog waveform.
Almost a month of thought, effort, purchasing, contemplating, exploring... is in the back pocket, and 11 short ones remain. My level of investment took the plunge some time ago, and I have no confidence in my ability to deliver on the goals set forth on the header of this page. This is a fearful expedition, one that may be without specific destination.
I am left with a question. It nips at the heels of my daily routine and robs sleep from the darkest part of the night: Can I do it?
Monday, January 18, 2010
Swimming Laps
A look back at the Redline Project schedule (one of the early posts if you want to have a look) reveals some good news. I set a goal to reach by the end of this month: acquire all of the funds needed to purchase an adequate arsenal of equipment. If you have been following along, you know that Studio Redline (also known as my basement) not only has been outfitted with a decent ensemble of basic gear, but has served as the recording venue for five different aural experiments, all of which are posted below.
I am momentarily thrilled by the success of this, until the nagging realities nibble on my ankles once again: I do not have any sort of concept for a final product, I have no grasp of how to write lyrics, I am embarrassed by my singing voice, and in the quest to reach 10,000 people with my music, I am up to 15 blog followers, many of whom are required by law to love me.
The short of it: I was supposed to swim two laps this month and have managed to paddle through four, but the destination of the Redline Project taunts me from across the ocean and seems, as it truly is, to be fathoms away.
So I am calling out to you, dear readers, to have a voice in what is to follow. When you hear something you like, say so. If something is not resonating with you, or a concept isn't cohesive, shout it out. If this project is to be more than ye olde proverbial tree falling in a wood, then I need some listeners. I want to know what your preferences are because, after all, the efforts of this project are aimed in your direction.
A shout goes out to my grandma who recently celebrated 90 years and continues to gain steam. She emails, she Skypes, she Facebooks, and she faithfully follows along as a subscriber to this blog. Oh to be a fly perched on the windowsill when she downloaded yesterday's thumping trance track. I'll bet a hearty sum she did the robot.
I am momentarily thrilled by the success of this, until the nagging realities nibble on my ankles once again: I do not have any sort of concept for a final product, I have no grasp of how to write lyrics, I am embarrassed by my singing voice, and in the quest to reach 10,000 people with my music, I am up to 15 blog followers, many of whom are required by law to love me.
The short of it: I was supposed to swim two laps this month and have managed to paddle through four, but the destination of the Redline Project taunts me from across the ocean and seems, as it truly is, to be fathoms away.
So I am calling out to you, dear readers, to have a voice in what is to follow. When you hear something you like, say so. If something is not resonating with you, or a concept isn't cohesive, shout it out. If this project is to be more than ye olde proverbial tree falling in a wood, then I need some listeners. I want to know what your preferences are because, after all, the efforts of this project are aimed in your direction.
A shout goes out to my grandma who recently celebrated 90 years and continues to gain steam. She emails, she Skypes, she Facebooks, and she faithfully follows along as a subscriber to this blog. Oh to be a fly perched on the windowsill when she downloaded yesterday's thumping trance track. I'll bet a hearty sum she did the robot.
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