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Category Archives: recording

New demos for a new album(!)

Monday, June 1, 2009

Sometime before autumn arrives I will begin to record my first full-length, multi-tracked, studio album since 2001′s Relief.

Wow. I knew that was true, but it’s pretty monumental to see it in print.

In 2001 I had 117 songs to choose from and two weeks of studio time to record and mix in Drexel’s tiny, single-room, analog recording studio. (They’ve vastly improved their resources since then.)

In 2009 I have 241 songs to choose from and an unlimited amount of studio time to record and mix in my own tiny, single-room, digital recording studio. (I’ve also vastly improved my resources since then.)

Of my 241 songs, 30 of them are in fierce competition for 13ish spots on the album. There’s also the other 211 songs, many of which are long overdue a fresh recording even though I’m not considering them for the album (and, maybe I would consider them if I had a fresh recording to listen to).

So, I’m planning to record live, single-take demos for each of my 30 top picks for the album, accompanying each one with a B-side from the other 211 songs. I’m sure I’ll toss a few covers in as well.

If I record a demo every day this month I’ll be ready to record my album by July! And, although that sounds implausible to me (and you) at the moment, CK reminds me that on three separate occasions I recorded 24 songs in less than a single week, and once I actually recorded 30 songs in a single month.

No matter how long it takes, it’ll be a chance for me (and you) to hear 60 of my songs in crisp, multi-tracked audio – and that should be enough new stuff to hold us over through however interminably long it takes me to record an actual album in my present state of dotage.

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Sunday, February 18, 2001

As sick as i may or may not be, there will be a new Trio tonight. If you have any requests, get them in now so i can rehearse.

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Saturday, December 30, 2000

So… this week there’ll be a Trio… i’m just not sure of what magnitude. I missed it two weeks ago because i was busy packing and cleaning, and i missed it last week because i was at home. But, aside from not being around to record it, i’ve sorta hit an impass with the songs themselves. You see, i’ve played every song that wanted to be played without interspersing enough filler, so now i feel as though i either need to write new songs, play filler, or repeat some old ones. And i really don’t want to do any of that. Out of my 100+ compositions, i think it’s fair to say that i wrote a decent 33%, and from that third of the songs there’s only a few left. That’s not to say that all of my other songs are crap, but they just aren’t as solid or well thought out as the others, partially because i never had enough time to develop them. So… there will be a concert this week… it’s just the content that’s up in the air.

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Saturday, December 16, 2000

Final completed: 3 of 4

Preparedness: 4/10

Difficulty: 2/10

Thank God for small favours. And also for big ones. My recording final was easier than remembering my own phone number, and i did remarkably well on the hands-on segment in the studio. Though my professor was aghast by the remarkably backwards way in which i shorten the signal chain while recording, i proved that i can work the console very well through my explanation of the backwards procedure to him. Happy to get this one over with; hopefully i get a big fat B since this is a 4-credit course (an A, though nice, probably isn’t a possibility).

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Monday, December 4, 2000

I happen to be locked in the Drexel Recording Studio waiting for a fellow classmate to show up so i can get to work. Yes, i’m locked in a recording studio yet the most productive thing i can find to do is blog. I know, it is ironic.

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Saturday, November 25, 2000

I just valiantly trucked through a take of trio that just wasn’t all there. i’m hot, and the mess is making me claustrophobic, and my high string broke, and my finger hurts, and i am not in a music making mood. The tracks were going to be “Nothing to Say,” “Like Mine,” and “Give” – all of which qualify as being rather difficult for me to play, so apparently now is not the best time. It’s probably because my body expects some alcohol by this point in a week, even if it’s a ButterShot. I should keep a bottle of those around just for that purpose … wow, which would make me a Behind the Music episode ready to happen. I suppose all those rock and roll stars established their unhealthy patterns pretty young and they just blossomed in the limelight. Ack, what a horrible meandering post this is. Talk to you later.

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Saturday, November 11, 2000

Recorded an entirely kick-ass version of “Relief” down in the studio with sweetly mic-ed vocals and guitar in stereo. Oh yeah! However, i haven’t yet been told how to get from ADAT to compact disc or digital audio, so this amazing song will stay tucked away on my tape until i am told how to do things correctly. However, i got this down on my first take, which bodes well for the future of my next demo disc. Oh yeah!

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Saturday, November 11, 2000

Well, i was just almost implicated in a minor felony after the fact, but that’s what i get for not leaving the apartment until past midnite. As a rule of thumb, you should never leave after or get back before midnite. Totally. Anyhow, i’m supposed to be in the studio in under 12 hours (not that i’m expected to perform with any semblance of quality) to work on my project, so i should probably go to bed. And try to remember not to brush my teeth tomorrow unless it’s in the shower or in the kitchen. Oh boy, shaping up to be a great weekend…

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Friday, November 10, 2000

lalala. So, i should be practicing my new songs more; I brought my electric guitar to the apartment. I am still undecided on whether i’m going to include any older songs like Bridge or Afterglow on my next disc … i think i’ll just record some old ones for posterity, and if they work, they work. The trouble with tracking an album in advance is that you might not record some of the songs to your liking. But it’s a guideline. That guideline is a progression right now, a progression of emotion from “Never Say Goodbye” to “Goodbye,” which is obviously a progression in itself. But, in “Goodbye” i even say “don’t you ever say goodbye” … so i reversed my purpose; in the first song i tell the subject that i won’t say goodbye, but in the last song i ask them if they ever could. That’s been a concept that’s stayed with me for a few months now – other than that and the fact that “Under My Skin,” will be dead center, i’m not sure how it will turn out.

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Monday, November 6, 2000

Tracks for the upcoming disc, [maybes are in brackets]:

Never Say Goodbye,
[Make Sense], [Typical],
Icy Cold,
Under My Skin, [Lament You], Punk, Lost, Crashing, Relief, Nothing To Say, [Make It Last], [Pickup Song], [Burn], [Almost] or [1Way], Goodbye.

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Monday, November 6, 2000

Ok, so, this is a bit premature (and don’t British people say that word cooler!), but i have a tentative tracklist for the disc i’ll be recording in the spring. Nearly all of the tracks can be previewed via the trio archive, and the few that are missing might be found in AMkitchen’s audio archive. Despite previous statements to the contrary, no older songs will be featured (though “Crashing” and “Under My Skin” are making repeat appearances, as intended.). As soon as i make sure all the lyrics are up on AMkitchen, i’ll post links…

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Sunday, October 29, 2000

In a tremendous turn of events, i seem to have just recorded a Trio in a single take. Listening to it now to make sure that it doesn’t mysteriously cut out in the middle or anything… … it’s actually muddled in a bit too much treble, so i’m going to take one more shot at it to see if i can do it any better. That doesn’t change the fact that i made it through in one take, though… you can take that away from me!

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Sunday, October 29, 2000

Grawr! In a nasty nasty turn of events, my RealAudio software just expired and i need to get new versions. This blows, because i can’t work on Trio without RealAudio. What’s that? I should be writing my paper? Nonsense! Papers are written in the AM!

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Saturday, October 21, 2000

Blargh; i’ve got to upload over 20megs of RealAudio to my site to get AMkitchen up and running, not to mention some MP3′s from my demo. On a 56k modem, this will take quite a while. In the meantime, i’m supposed to be in the recording studio right now working on a project, but i’ve got the keys for the entire weekend, so i’m not too worried about that. I can always lock myself in the studio for the night :P

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Sunday, October 15, 2000

I just recorded a fucking balls out rockin’ Trio all in one take. It got a little screwy on the first song, but i stuck in there, and now i’m finished. Listening to it to make sure i didn’t clip the microphone too bad, but it should be up before 6:30 if all goes well.

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Sunday, October 15, 2000

No more cheddar ramen, ever. I’ve been doing some pretty shitty sounding trios, and it’s starting to bother me. It makes me seem like some self-important un-talented fuck who is pretentious enough to think that people care to listen to him sing out of key. But i’m not, really. It’s just that without a dorm full of friends to play a few songs for every week i am rapidly leaving my guitar on the sidelines, and this allows me to do a little performance. Furthermore, i can’t play the same song all the time, because it would get boring, so it’s incentive for me to keep working on new songs that i would typically ditch in favour of another repetition of “Crashing.” And, finally, keep in mind that i’m just recording through the teeny mic in my computer, and that i’m doing a live take with no stops or pickups. You might point out that doing a concert is at least that hard, but for me playing in front of people is the most comforting thing in the world. Being alone in this room with the computer… now that’s intimidating.

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