Just spent the early afternoon engrossed, reading the Mix studio notes on a whole bunch of my favorite albums - "Songs from the Big Chair", "Rebel Yell", "Purple Rain", "7 & the Ragged Tiger". I love reading about the producers and engineers who worked on these albums, the processes and the gear they used and their memories of the interactions with the artists during the recording. It is grade 'A' geektown but it inspires me & gives me ideas. I know I only have a little computer setup here in the dining room but it is 'my studio'..my laboratory...I am grateful to have some manner to record my own ideas and fiddle around endlessly with tones, eq's, leveling and oh, yeah - some chords, melodies and arrangements.
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more like ..."thorn of Paradise"...wow - I really like that title ....hmmmm? anyways. The one track I decided to bring forward to try to polish up before all the others (in order to get a sense for myself and for anyone listening as to what I'm capable of producing) is a real doozy - as in pain. It has been, even in the initial demo stages so many years ago - I should have considered it's precarious nature before deciding on making this the 'maiden voyage' track. So, hum ~ once again, I had a 'back to the drawing board' moment: The drums, ugh. They sounded ok, adequette, but the newer songs I have been doing, they all sound better than this was turning out - it was really urking me. I just needed something 'else' from them on this track - something more 'Andy Wallace' and 'Rhett Davies' ...ya know, but together. I switched out drum kits completely, and doing so meant samples that aren't necessarily velocity congruent - so back to the drum map to edit for about the 10th time in 2 years. I remixed them completely. I dropped the faders, removed all fx and started over. Was it worth it? I think it is better. It is more of what I want to hear. I am annoyed that it is such a process - especially since some other songs are gliding along so much smoother. I know there are certain songs out there that plague artists. They are compelled to finish them despite all roadblocks and failings. These songs we read or hear about are never the 'epic's. This one follows suit. suppose to be a tidy, little pop song recalling a little Jeff Buckley, Roxy, maybe James (the Band) maybe even a little Matt Pond P.A. for anyone who knows who they are. Anyways, a new mix is up.
I am still eating some humble pie in the mastering department; still trying to figure out if I simply lack the skills to convincingly slam the track to give it the perceived gain while retaining the tracks audio and dynamic integrity in respect to all the new big label releases ...or if I am doing just fine and that those loud, big label releases are actually ...maybe suffering (??) - maybe those big $$ songs and production are even better than we are hearing due to the compromise of 'LOUD'. The answer is probably somewhere in between (I hope, in search of a modicum of solace). I have approched this 'voodoo' called mastering from many different angles, different processes, different, High end tools only to come to the current answer that the 'louder' I slam the track, the less I like it. I will keep at it, user error and lack of knowledge are still my leading suspects
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I've spent the last 2 days recording an acoustic guitar part for a song called "Tropic of Cancer". Initially composed sitting next to my father a few years ago while visiting. Subsequently, I never had a proper acoustic gtr of my own to record that part. I've recorded a version with an electric guitar and diligently sequenced another 'guitar' part using software synth/sampler patch that was emulating an acoustic guitar but, as you probably imagine, nothing sounds like an acoustic guitar except an actual acoustic guitar (duh). I asked my step mother if I could use my fathers acoustic to finally record it; the very same guitar I wrote the song on. I have miles of takes to edit and comp, but as soon as I have something to post, I will.
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Sadkin / Blog
Mix Magazines Classic album studio notes = loss of time
Just spent the early afternoon engrossed, reading the Mix studio notes on a whole bunch of my favorite albums - "Songs from the Big Chair", "Rebel Yell", "Purple Rain", "7 & the Ragged Tiger". I love reading about the producers and engineers who worked on these albums, the processes and the gear they used and their memories of the interactions with the artists during the recording. It is grade 'A' geektown but it inspires me & gives me ideas. I know I only have a little computer setup here in the dining room but it is 'my studio'..my laboratory...I am grateful to have some manner to record my own ideas and fiddle around endlessly with tones, eq's, leveling and oh, yeah - some chords, melodies and arrangements.
Reply
Thorns of Paradise
more like ..."thorn of Paradise"...wow - I really like that title ....hmmmm? anyways. The one track I decided to bring forward to try to polish up before all the others (in order to get a sense for myself and for anyone listening as to what I'm capable of producing) is a real doozy - as in pain. It has been, even in the initial demo stages so many years ago - I should have considered it's precarious nature before deciding on making this the 'maiden voyage' track. So, hum ~ once again, I had a 'back to the drawing board' moment: The drums, ugh. They sounded ok, adequette, but the newer songs I have been doing, they all sound better than this was turning out - it was really urking me. I just needed something 'else' from them on this track - something more 'Andy Wallace' and 'Rhett Davies' ...ya know, but together. I switched out drum kits completely, and doing so meant samples that aren't necessarily velocity congruent - so back to the drum map to edit for about the 10th time in 2 years. I remixed them completely. I dropped the faders, removed all fx and started over. Was it worth it? I think it is better. It is more of what I want to hear. I am annoyed that it is such a process - especially since some other songs are gliding along so much smoother. I know there are certain songs out there that plague artists. They are compelled to finish them despite all roadblocks and failings. These songs we read or hear about are never the 'epic's. This one follows suit. suppose to be a tidy, little pop song recalling a little Jeff Buckley, Roxy, maybe James (the Band) maybe even a little Matt Pond P.A. for anyone who knows who they are. Anyways, a new mix is up.
I am still eating some humble pie in the mastering department; still trying to figure out if I simply lack the skills to convincingly slam the track to give it the perceived gain while retaining the tracks audio and dynamic integrity in respect to all the new big label releases ...or if I am doing just fine and that those loud, big label releases are actually ...maybe suffering (??) - maybe those big $$ songs and production are even better than we are hearing due to the compromise of 'LOUD'. The answer is probably somewhere in between (I hope, in search of a modicum of solace). I have approched this 'voodoo' called mastering from many different angles, different processes, different, High end tools only to come to the current answer that the 'louder' I slam the track, the less I like it. I will keep at it, user error and lack of knowledge are still my leading suspects
Reply
an acoustic guitar and a golden retriever.
I've spent the last 2 days recording an acoustic guitar part for a song called "Tropic of Cancer". Initially composed sitting next to my father a few years ago while visiting. Subsequently, I never had a proper acoustic gtr of my own to record that part. I've recorded a version with an electric guitar and diligently sequenced another 'guitar' part using software synth/sampler patch that was emulating an acoustic guitar but, as you probably imagine, nothing sounds like an acoustic guitar except an actual acoustic guitar (duh). I asked my step mother if I could use my fathers acoustic to finally record it; the very same guitar I wrote the song on. I have miles of takes to edit and comp, but as soon as I have something to post, I will.
Reply