-as of [4 SEPTEMBER 2024]–
.
.
(my preferred digital audio interface is ‘cubase’)
(started recording with a basic version of ‘cubase’ in ‘fall 2005’)
(from guitar center springfield)
(in ‘pro audio’ department)
(it was recommended to me as a cheap + reliable DAW for home recording)
(requires a ‘toggle URL’ to be inserted into computer)
(in order for it to function)
(i believe i may’ve lost mine and they send me another)
(in fall 2008 i upgraded to new version of cubase)
(may’ve been for free via the website)
.
(but then some old cubase files were rendered ‘inaccessible’)
.
*SEPTEMBER 2005*
(started recording with ‘cubase’)
.
*OCTOBER 2010*
(i’ve been working in “cubase essential 5” (version 5.1.1 / build 120) since ‘october 2010’)
.
*12 JANUARY 2014*
still haven’t finished “tinder”…what the fuck?
(it’s not even a strong song)
.
*11 APRIL 2015*
recording “the second nature” symphony
.
*12 APRIL 2015*
recording acoustic guitar + basslines for “the second nature” symphony this weekend…
(a tedious job)
(fueled by energy drinks and the occasional cigarette)
may as well get this boring job done before i reload on grass…
(and then start recording electric rhythm guitar parts before i hit NYC again)
.
*SUMMER 2015*
.
imac finally fails
(no more cubase for the moment)
.
*28 JULY 2015*
(recording rough takes for “family matters”)
.
*10 JANUARY 2017*
(start buying recording time at affordable NYC studios)
(and get arv involved)
.
“sonic sculptures”
(2 lead vocal tracks)
(one clean / one reverb)
(*use melodyne plugin to correct pitch anomalies as needed*)
+
(2 harmony/counterpoint vocal tracks)
+
(6 choral harmony tracks)
(2 left pan / 2 right pan / 1 left-middle pan / 1 right-middle pan)
(all reverbed)
+
(2 acoustic guitar tracks)
(2 power chord tracks)
(2 lead guitar tracks)
(2 slide guitar tracks)
+
(2 special FX tracks)
(MIDI)
(which are arranged in harmony)
(“synthprologue” + “halionone”)
+
2 basic bass tracks
+
2 programmed percussion tracks
(“ez drummer”)
(“drum loops libraries”)
(with a whole note bass drum kick (A#1) + whole note cymbal crash (G#1) prefaced by a drum fill to accentuate each transition)
(with gradual tempo changes + multiple time signature changes)
(each drum beat must build in intensity before leveling off and beginning again)
=
HOPE (in 24 tracks / 12 x 2)
.
.
.
i first learned the art of “proper” recording as a harvard freshman @ “quad sound studios”
(in the basement of pforzheimer house)…
my group “the goodfellas” recorded a 3-song demo with harvard senior “joseph bell”…it sounded like shit…i blame my drunken unreliable drummer “jack muse”…joseph bell thought he was a terrible drummer (because he couldn’t play to a click track)…joseph bell was obsessed with playing along to a click track…
during my sophomore year, i was (fortunately) placed in a dorm room two floors down from the studio…so i spent the year “training” to become a certified sound engineer (so i could record my own songs and make $$$ recording other people’s songs)…joseph bell “certified” me (after two attempts)…all i had to do was record a passable version of one of his shitty solo acoustic ramblings…
i never ended up recording any other musician…i just recorded a few shitty solo acoustic tracks of “trespassing” and “jacquelina divine” after hours…during my last year @ harvard i was appointed the “comp director” (meaning i was responsible for training new engineers)…it was really run by harvard graduates who wanted to exploit the studio for their own projects…
here’s what i learned during my time @ quad sound studios
(“quad” being the nickname for the “quadrangle”…which was the cluster of dorms outside of the harvard yard area)
turn on the main switch first in the top right corner of the patch bay to turn on mixing board
then turn on the apple computer…
then turn on the speakers from the power strip underneath the desk…
mic the drums:
to mic drums with two mics, use the stereo condenser mics with clips that say road…firmly push them into the clips…
when you put them on the mic stand, extend them as high as you can vertically with as little of the boom arm extended as possible…
get two cables of the same length and plug them into the mics, then plug them into the board…
1-8 corresponds to “Jam Room 1-8” in the first row, second section of the patch bay…
if you mic them in an “A B” fashion, then measure from snare drum to make sure that they’re the same distance away…
if you mic them in an “X Y” fashion, center them over the bass drum and make sure that they do not touch…you want them at a 90 degree angle, facing opposite sides of the drumset…
use “potato mic” for bass drum…
“Snare SM-57” for snare drum…
condenser for cymbals (overheads)
57s or 421s for tom-toms
include overheads (because they pick up cymbals)
put a “Low Cut” (button on the mixing board) on overheads…this will cut off sound at 75 hz, for every octave below 75 hz, the sound will drop 18 decibels, at 80 hz an octave above it will be 160 and an octave below will be 40…
“fazing” –>
when two waves cancel each other out
there is a “faze insert” in protools
(an XY setup will reduce fazing)
recording guitars:
cut the low end on the microphone
use a condenser (or two of them in XY fashion) to mic an acoustic guitar
point it on the bottom left hand corner of the body
balance the mic stand so that one boom arm is entirely extended out and the other arm extends in…
there are 4 mic inputs in the isolation booth
patch the iso booth input to the grace preamplifier input…
then preamp output to compressor 1 input…
then compressor 1 output to protools input (goes directly to protools)…
(use compressor for vocals and bass)
the power button allows the signal to go through, the IN button activates the compressor, and the gain adjusts the threshold (the frequency at which the compressor kicks in)…
adjust the gain so that you do not have sounds in the clip range (+20)…
monitor the gain adjustment (the scale on the right) to see how the compressor is acting on the signal.
ratio affects how much the compressor will affect the frequency
(start with 5, work in range of 3 to 5)
(a ratio of 4 means that for every 4 decibels over the threshold, rhe compressor will boost the sound 1 decibel)
“attack” affects how fast the compressor kicks in and “release” affects how fast the compressor goes off.
in protools, the input is the volume before the compressor and the output is the volume after the compressor…
when recording an amplifier, always pay attention to how many speaker cones there are…
some guitar amps have 1, some guitar amps have 4
mic an SM57 mic onto the center of one speaker-cone
(the more centered it is the more “trebly” the sound will be)
(the farther you move the mic away from center, the more “bassy” the sound will be)
you can also use a room mic for a guitar amp to achieve a more “ambient” sound
(use the 1414 in the box)
always adjust the overall volume as early as possible, preferably through preamps and mixing boards as opposed to compressors.
if you are going through the mixing board, adjust trim at the top first
(then adjust headphones through the Mix B volume, Mix B overall volume, or Phones Levels)
in protools a “higher” attack means a “faster” attack.
on the patch bay, a “higher” attack means a “slower” (more time-consuming) attack
the preamp has two outs…the first out goes through compressor directly to pro tools in…the second out must go to board tape return (which will be sent to Mix B)…the phones will then take Mix B…in protools, choose A1 input and A3 (Mono) output…
recording vocals:
there are two mics for vocals: the tube mic (in the bag) and the other mic (in the box)
attach the tube mic to the clip by unscrewing the top of it, putting it through the ring, and then screwing it back on…always put a circular “pop” screen in front of these mics…you need a power box to operate these mics…plug in the power box to an electrical outlet, the channel, and the mic…always plug in the power outlet LAST…
if you are using 1 mic, run it through the patch bay preamp (because it is much quieter)
two controls on this preamp:
gain (like the trim on the mixing board)
trim (a fine tune volume control)
HPF is a low-cut button
if you are using a condenser mic, turn on the 48V button for “phantom power”
make sure that the light is green and not red
always use the preamp for one track
board to submaster 1-2, pan left
patch Submaster 1 to Pro Tools Out 2
if the person wants to hear reverb on their headphone mix, Aux Send the track
patch Aux Send 1 to Reverb In and Reverb Out Left to Aux Return Left 1 and Reverb Out Right to Aux Return Right 1
then on the mixing board, send aux returns to phones 1.
if you want to direct line an instrument, plug it into one of the four direct line inputs on the patch bay. The pad switch will make the sound quieter, and the Ground switch can eliminate interference from other electrical devices in the room. The direct line input also functions as an output. Patch the Direct line input into the preamp. You can also use a Direct Input box, plugging the output into the control room snake. Plug your instrument into the box input and then use the other input as an output, plugging the input into an amp, and miking the amp. Therefore, you can create two bass tracks, a “punchy” direct in track and a “warmer” miked track.
gain: volume
Power: gain x bandwidth (difference in frequencies)
mixing board:
Starting at 9 is the jam room, the top hole is automatically connected to the hole below it. To change this, get a cable and plug it into a top hole and then another bottom hole.
On the mixing board, for each channel there is a mic, line, and tape input. Mic/Line input is at the top, there is a button to switch between. Tape input is underneath the trim control, there is a button to turn it on.
To hear the mic, turn the mic/line switch on mic. Set the Trim Volume to 12oclock. Then turn up the channel faders in unison. Then send the channels to the L R mix. The L/R mix is the volume control on the bottom right of the mixing board. Make sure that the MUTE button is off.
monitor section:
Send L R to monitors by going to the Monitor section on the right of the mixing board and choosing LR mix as the source. Turn up the Control Room volume to hear the signal from the speakers in the control room. To do a good soundcheck, you should put each track on SOLO and then adjust the Trim Volume until the average sound is at 0 at the right of the mixing board.
To send the signal back to the jam room for headphones, send the two tracks to Mix B by pushing down the Mix B button Source button (smaller bottom one, the bigger button on top applies the lower EQ controls only to Mix B), and controlling that volume with the knob above those buttons. Then go to the “Phones” section to the right of the mixing board and select “Mix B” as the source for the phones. Plug a pair of headphones into the patch bay plug labeled “Mackie Headphones 1”. You can also control the volume using either the Mix B volume or the Phones volume. Get a level you like, and then patch “Mackie Headphones 1” into “Jam Room Phones 1” or “Booth Phones 1” on the patch bay. Then plug a pair of headphones into the jam room board 1 or booth phones board 1. Control room mic is channel 1, you can keep it muted with faders down (also keep line 2 on board muted with fader down). To have the person in the Jam Room hear it, send it to Mix B. You can just plug the mic into the control room jack and then patch that jack into a board tape return and send that to Mix B. Send the Tape Inputs to the L/R mix and monitor this in the control room.
You can also send tracks to Aux Sends 1-6. There are volume controls for Aux Sends at the top of the mixing board. You can use either Mix B or the channel as the Source for that Aux Send. Pushing down “Shift” turns Aux Send 3-4 into 5-6. There are also aux returns, so you can run the patch bay’s reverb unit through the signal before returning it to the Aux Return on the mixing board. Aux Sends and Direct Outs (using the patch bay) can give you different headphone combinations. There are also portable headphones amps that you can use to create more headphones.
pro tools:
Save under Audio only. Make sure you’re working in 24 bit, 44.1 kH. File: New track. 2 mics for the same track is a stereo track, 1 mic is a mono track. Select “Jumbo” for Window Size. Pro Tools input are the 1-8 channels on the right. In order to transfer the mic sound through this, you must send your two tracks (9 and 10 on the mixing board) to 2 of the tracks on the right. To create a stereo track, pan one track to the left and one track to the right. If you send it to 1-2, then you can control the gain through a separate preamp on the patch bay. If you send it to 3-4, make sure that the “Monitor” button is OFF on that preamp. The 1-8 outputs on Pro Tools correspond to tracks 9-16 on the mixing board. Therefore, select Tape Input on tracks 9-16 since you are listening to recorded material through these tracks. ADAT on the Patch Bay gives you an additional 8 tracks for Pro Tools (Pro Tools can only record 16 tracks). You can patch other tracks on the mixing board to ADAT 1-8 and ADAT will be an option for Pro Tools input (however, the Board to ADAT is not default normal, so you must patch even if one input is directly over the other input). Then you should send the ADAT signal to tracks 9-16 on the mixing board. 1-8 on ADAT enables the tracks. If you are using an ADAT signal, make sure you go to SETUP: HARDWARE, and select an optical signal. Internal is the ADAT signal and Digital is the Pro Tools signal. ADAT can be used for inputs or outputs.
If you are recording drums, check the slam on the snare drum for the loudest possible volume. If you are recording any other instrument, tell the musician to play as loud as possible to check levels (but remember, that a musician always plays louder when he is recording). Enable RECORD on Pro Tools to check levels. You DO NOT want the levels to be in Red (above the green light), but you want it to be as close to it as possible. The top always turns red when the signal crosses the frequency. You can turn this off by clicking on it. Adjust the faders on Pro Tools 1-8 for levels.
6 Tools on the Pro Tools board (the 6 boxes on the toolbar at the top). The first is Zoom In/Zoom Out. The second is Trim. The third is selector. The fourth is grabber. The fifth is auditioner. The sixth is the pencil. You can use the trim, selector, and grabber in conjunction with one another. Zoom out with option-click on zoom.
DO NOT use the gain on the Pro Tools board. You can either monitor through Pro Tools or through the board. Do not send the mic tracks to the L-R mix; send the 9-16 tracks to the L-R mix to hear it through the speakers. You can turn up the volume of tracks on playback either using the volume controls in Pro Tools, or changing the Mix B volumes on tracks 9-16. To change the volume coming through the monitors, option-click on volume on Pro-Tools to set it to 0. To record: go to WINDOW…Show Transport, hit record, then play. To overlay another track, simply create a new track. The input is the same, but the output will be two new tracks on 9-16 on the mixing board. Balance these tracks by turning one or the other down through Pro Tools. For playback on headphones, take out the control room mic by unsending it to Mix B. The levels that you hear through the speakers are controlled with the faders on 9-16.
If the person is unhappy with the overdubbed track, then you can make another track without losing the original one. Make sure that you mute the previous track. Next to the name of the track, select New Playlist. Or you can create a new track by double clicking on the original track to highlight it before creating a new track. Switch between tracks by holding down the Apple key and clicking on Track 2 or just going to the menu next to the name of the track. A shortcut for “Play” is the space bar. A shortcut for “Record” is hold Apple and hit space bar.
On the Play Menu, you can change options for Pre-Roll: from “Bars/Beats” to “Minutes/Seconds”.
There is a flag over each track where the track will start to record, the pre roll determines how long the track will play before it starts the recording.
Don’t need post-roll
.
PUNCH A TRACK:
Zoom in on the track to see where you want to record over,
then use pre-roll to record over it.
(“Quick Punch” just starts the punch as soon as you hit record)
Use the trimmer to even out the sounds, and eliminate clicks where the new punch comes in by inserting crossfades.
When you are recording, stop the recording once the person in the booth talks. You hit Apple-Z to delete the recorded track you made.
Hit “Enter” on the numeric keypad to save a Memory Location. Go to Windows: Show Memory Location to bookmark sections of a track.
In the Insert column, you have options to improve the sound. Go to multichannel plugin to get list of plug-ins. Equalizers can boost or gain certain frequencies. The best equalizers are Renaissance Q2, Q4, and Q6 (depending on how many dot options there are). These dot options boost or gain certain frequencies, determine how wide this ranges are (Q up makes a narrower range), how much you boost them (gain), and where you boost them (frequency). You can turn off any of these dots by turning off the lights at the bottom of the equalizer menu. You can also low cut on these equalizers to take out unwanted noise (shape: Hi-Pass). You can boost higher frequencies (shape: Hi-shelve). The whole point of mixing is to isolate the frequencies of different instruments, so an individual track can sound bad alone but great when played with other instruments. Mixing is based on the principle of giving each instrument some room to have their specific frequencies (for example, you don’t want the high end of a bass impeding on the midrange of a guitar).
Another equalizer has knobs where you can pick where you cut low frequencies and high frequencies. To see the difference, select “Bypass” and listen to it. Make a loop by going to WINDOWS: LOOP PLAYBACK and highlighting a section of the track. The Play button will then have an arrow on it. You can also use the analog EQ controls on the mixing board.
Another way to clean up the track is using the Compressor. A compressor flattens peaks and raises valleys. You are able to choose how fast it does this. An advantage of using compressors in Pro Tools is that you can always turn them on or off, as opposed to running the signal through a compressor, in which case you are stuck with that sound. You can also put reverb on a track. The more wet it is, the more it echoes. The more dry it is, the less it echoes. Early is the initial wave, and reverb is the wave that bounces off the walls. Test the extremes of each sound to see what you want. In many cases, you will make a separate “reverb” track for snare and vocals, and sometimes the whole drum tracks. The Input of the Reverb track will be a “bus”, and change aux sends for the tracks you want reverb on (under the “Insert” column). On Aux Sends, send output to the bus for the reverb track. Use the TrueVerb insert on your Reverb track. The p-button on the Aux Send is pre-fader. In most cases, you want this button turned off because you want post-fader (unless you are doing aux send to headphones mixes, in which case you could change the overall levels without changing the headphone mix). Pan the Aux Send like the track is panned in most cases. The M button mutes the send. On the separate “reverb” track, turn off the “direct” signal (using the button to the left). Therefore, you won’t hear the track without reverb twice. The highest level for early and reverb is 0 (because of the decibel system). For “Load”, you want to use “Large Concert”
A good drum recording will have 6 tracks: 2 overheads, bass, snare, hi-hat, toms. To mix the overheads, use at least a Renaissance Q4 equalizer. Hi-Pass and cut out low-end at around 100 Hz and Hi-Shelf and boost with gain of 5 starting at 9,000 Hz. The overheads will primarily capture cymbals, but you also want snare and minimal bass drum. To mix the track, solo it and hit space bar to play. You can also check other curves, such as the volume curve for a track. For overheads, pan them at 50 each to make a more central sound
While mixing, send all tracks to Output Analog 1-2.
To punch a track, go to PUNCH in the top toolbar under Windows? Then start the track before where you want the punch, and use trim to line up the punch. Cross-fade when the punch comes in and when the punch goes out.
In many cases, you will run out of CPU power. The insert that takes up the most CPU power is the Reverb plugin. In your inserts, always put EQ before dynamics.
You can also mix on the board. On ProTools, go to Windows: Show Mix. Then name each track. Select a separate output for each track: Analog 1-8 (which is 9-16 on the Board). Select Tape Input on these tracks. Put masking tape on the bottom of the mixing board to label each track. For kick drum track, run the pro tools output through the Noise Gate In, then Noise Gate Out to Board Tape Return 9…OR make a key for the Noise Gate. To do this, simply send Board 9 to Submaster Out 1-2. Send Submaster 1 to Noise Gate In and then send Noise Gate Out to Board Tape Return 8. Send Submaster 2 to Board Tape Return 7. Send Board Tape Return 7 to 3-4, and pan left so it only goes to 3. Patch Submaster 3 to Gate Key In, then push in Key Button on Gate.
You should also send your snare drum track directly through a noise gate. Send Pro Tools Out 2 to Gate In 2, and then Gate Out 2 to Board Tape Return 10.
The Ashly 4-channel Noise Gate has a Gate In/Out Button to activate the Noise Gate. The threshold volume: any volume below that decibel level is faded out
Attack: How long it takes for noise gate to activate
Hold: How long the gate is opened for
Fade: How long it takes to fade out the sounds
Floor: How low it takes the faded out sounds to
A good kick drum noise gate setting is Threshold on -6, Attack on 0.03, Hold on the lowest setting, Fade on 0.03, Floor on 1.5
When you are mixing on the board using a Noise Gate Key, set the EQ for the keyed track (Track 7 in our case for the kick drum). Use the Before/After EQ button to see what changes you are making.
EQ Knobs:
High Mid Volume
High Mid Frequency (determines what range of high mid frequencies will be boosted)
High Mid Bandwidth (determines the sharpness or flatness of the high mid frequency range you are boosting)
Low Mid Volume
Low Mid Frequency
High
Low
Low cut cuts off everything under 75 hz (use this on overheads, piano, guitar)
Standard EQ Settings:
Kick drum (2.5, 4, 0, 7.5, 1, 0, 8.5) (The aim of this keyed track is to take out some high ends, such as other drums, for the noise gate)
Snare drum (6.5, 2.5, 5, 7, 4, 6, 6)
Overhead left and Overhead right (4, 6, 2, 5, 5, 6, 7)
If you want to put your drum track through a compressor, send tracks 8 (the non-keyed kick drum track), 10 (snare), 11 (overhead left), 12 (overhead right) to 7-8. Put the kick drum track in the center, the snare drum track to Pan 4, overhead left track to Pan 2.5, and overhead right track to Pan 7.5. Take off the L/R mix. Then run 7-8 through Ashly Compressor L/R to Board 5 and 6 Tape Return. Pan 5 all the way to the left and 6 all the way to the right.
Compressor settings: Gain of 9, Ratio of 20, Attack of 0.5, Release of 0.2, Output of 0
Bass (4, 6, 5, 5, 5, 6, 5), send to L/R mix and pan center
It is sometimes a good idea to reamp the bass track. Send the Pro Tools bass track to Jam Room Tie Line 1. Then plug the jam room line into a reamp box, and then the reamp box to a mic on an Ampey VL-503 amplifier in the jam room line 1. To mic an amp, use a Sinehauser 421 mic (with the special clip). You can switch its sound by playing with the ring around the handle (from S to V). Mic it slightly to the right and center. Then you take that miked amp and run it back into the Board Tape Returns. You can also use a Pro Tools Bomb Factory compressor for a bass track.
Piano (7, 7, 5, 5, 5, 6, 5) send to L/R mix and pan 2.5
Guitar (7, 5, 5, 7, 7, 7, 5) send to L/R mix and pan 6
Vocals (5, 5, 5, 6.5, 4, 5, 5) send to L/R mix and pan center
Run Vocals through the DBX compressor from Pro Tools 8 to DBX in, DBX out to Board 16. Settings: Threshold of -10, Ratio of 5, Output of 8
Also put reverb on vocals by sending the vocal track to Aux Send 1, and then putting Aux Send 1 through the reverb unit on the patch bay.
You can measure EQ levels with the PAZ frequency in Pro Tools. It gives you a graph of Frequency vs. Gain. The yellow line is real time, and the red line is peaks. You can change the time response.
If you mix on the board, you must re-record the two tracks as two stereo tracks. Input will be Analog 1-2, output will be Analog 3-4.
When you have a mix that you like, select the stereo tracks (Analog 3-4) that you want to bounce to disk. FILE: BOUNCE TO DISK. Options: SD II, Stereo Interleaved, 16, 44100, Convert During Bounce. Then open Roxio Toast Titanium program on the desktop and drag the new audio file into there (remember to select “Audio”). Then you can burn the track onto a CD.
turn off the speakers first
then turn off the computer
then turn off the main switch
RECORDING TIPS:
record songs during live gigs and pre-production rehearsals
have all the musical and vocal parts worked out prior to session
if using a computer/sequencer, prepare all sequenced material prior to session
if using a click track, make sure drummer is comfortable playing to it
(practice to a click track at very slow tempo)
rehearse more songs than you plan to record
(for a 4-song EP, plan on 6 songs)
take care of body before/during sessions
(nutrition/sleep/ears)
be early and find out cancellation policy of studio
make studio comfortable + relaxed place
share vision with engineer (and hear material that he has previously recorded)
plan on how you will leave room for all parts
(simplify mix and eliminate need for bouncing tracks)
use new strings, cords, drum sticks, heads
(bring spares!)
find out the hours of the local music store
don’t use new gear or equipment you haven’t used before
emotion + feeling over technical tradition in creating a song
don’t stop / start over when you mess up a part
(just check to see if engineer can punch in a correction)
don’t try to fill out all the tracks on the tape if something doesn’t fit
keep in mind the focus of the music
(don’t waste time on things that don’t highlight the focal point)
get the sound you want WHILE recording
(don’t assume that you can fix things in the mix)
don’t double track everything
(double tracking a lead vocal can hide the subtleties that make a song personal and likable)
(although double tracking works well for choruses)
know when to quit for the day (tiredness will show)
keep guests out of studio!
make backup copies after recording sessions
tune up often
singers should bring water without ice and hot tea with lemon/honey
keep track listing and accurate time log from the studio
listen to music at moderate levels in car/boom box, mixing at loud levels fatigues the ears and distorts “true” sound
take a day off and come back to listen
(conserve earpower!)
when reviewing mixes, make sure that you comfortably hear all the instruments. tweak the mix on a small pair of speakers at extremely low volume. base your final decision on speakers, not headphones. at low volumes, you should be still be able to pick up every instrument.
know when to quit
listen to compact discs you’re used to hearing on your home stereo in the studio to get an idea of the studio’s system sounds
determine a group spokesperson to communicate with the engineer
after selecting an engineer, let him do the first mix
think about the song as a whole (not individual instruments) in the mix
if mixing somewhere other than original recording studio, make sure you use same speakers for playback
decide which format you want the finished mixes to be on
(.wav is the truest audio representation)
*count on/ budget in unforeseen delays*
*ALWAYS MAKE A SAFETY MASTER*
i enter the recording studio, a small upstairs bedroom at the end of the hallway in the suburban town of Watchung, NJ. I knock on the door (the gap between floor and door covered on both sides by towels, seemingly to protect sound from leaking into the room) for what seems like an hour. Finally, Gatti unlocks the door and apologizes for his negligence. “I’m so sorry, I was just listening to a mix of a song I recorded today. Take a seat on the bed; I’m going to play two versions of a song to you and I want you to evaluate the merits of each version.” He clicks on a playlist entitled “Ancient History” to a song called “This Time”, a straightforward tune in the rock/pop idiom. The chord progression relies on the well-worn i-iV-i-V pattern, outlined with blaring guitar power chords and basic bass guitar and drum backing. The lead guitar lines seemed ostentatious, as if the lead guitarist was trying to prove to the listener how fast he could play rather than contribute parts that could potentially elevate the simple rocker. Though the song sounded as though it was mixed by a professional engineer, the vocals seemed amateurish and bland (the harmony vocals sounded slightly out-of-key). The vocalist sang about a new love: “I just can’t wait, I have to sing her praise…” in a style reminiscent of the pop-punk of bands such as the Suicide Machines and Blink-182 (though the basic thematic framework had its roots in the Beatles’ “Another Girl”, another pop song where the vocalist gushes about a new love to a former partner). The song steadily advances to a prechorus (built around a descending chromatic pattern) into the chorus (where the song switches from Fmajor to the relative Dminor key, climaxing in a chordal rise from Am to Bb to C). “What was your opinion of that song?” Gatti inquired. I explained to him that the sound was analogous to Weezer (an alternative rock band of the 90s), due to components such as the distorted tone of the guitars. I also explained my belief that the song structure seemed like it had the potential to become a “pop radio fireball”, but certain elements were missing from the mix that limited its potential as a pop hit. He smiled and searched through his Windows Media Center library for a playlist entitled “The Future”, clicking on Track 1 “This Time”. The transformation was truly shocking. The audio quality of the track was similar to the initial version, but the dynamics of the song were greatly intensified. Opening with a shouted “1…2…3…4!”, the song drives along at a much greater speed (around 180bpm, Gatti explains). The four speakers and subwoofer spread along Gatti’s desk pump out a much more engaging sound as the driving triple-tracked power chords are panned left, right, and center. Immediately, Gatti establishes a hook (in this case, a scat major-diatonic scale vocal melody “ooo”) that is irresistible to the ear. He then doubles the hook with a guitar part that sounds truly otherworldly (Gatti explains that he used an +1 octave pedal to reach notes that extended past the guitar’s fretboard capabilities). The lyrical/melodic structure is kept relatively intact, but the vocal delivery is radically different as a double-tracked Gatti sings with an assuredness that was lacking in the previous version. He is backed by drums that sound as though they were performed by a professional studio musician. The bassline holds down the root notes in the verse and prechorus, but then becomes more interesting in the chorus as it arpeggiates the chords. A second guitar also plays arpeggiated figures in the verse and clipped backbeat accentuations in the chorus (with affinities to ska music). The harmonies (precisely on-key this time) are richer and more complicated, and there is even a “call-and-response” section in the first verse where the second vocal track sings the same lyrics with different melodic lines. I am truly swepted away by the general exuberance that the track conveys (capped off by 3-part vocal backing choruses ringing out in the choruses and the squealing guitar doubling the chorus melody). The difference in the vocal range of the lead singer in both versions of “This Time” is truly astounding. While Gatti performed Version 1 in a strictly baritone range, he leaps to soaring full-voiced high tenor notes in Version 2 when he sings the second verse in a higher octave (capping off at a Bb5 in full voice, while the falsetto backing chorus lines peaked out at around F5). The guitar solos, while even faster in this version (due to the accelerated tempo of the song) are sharper and more focused (though just as distorted). The fadeout solo in particular is blindingly fast (Gatti explains that the flurries of notes represent the rabid excitement of the vocalist). I note that Gatti has a Word document open on his computer that outlines the basic structure of “This Time”, credited to “Gatti/Cetrulo?”. I inquire about the “Cetrulo?” credit…
“I was leading a rock band in my freshman year at Harvard called “The Goodfellas”: basic 4-piece rock band (2 guitars, bass, drums). I handled lead vocals and lead guitars. Since we didn’t have a lot of time to rehearse, I used to rehearse in 1-on-1 sessions with individual members of the band. One day, my bassist Nick Cetrulo started playing the basic pattern FFFF-BbBbBbBb-FFFF-CCCC and I returned to my dorm room that evening with that bassline thumping through my head. By the end of the night, I had composed a song entitled “This Time”. Therefore, I was ambivalent about whether or not to give him credit for inspiring the basic harmonic structure (I stress “basic”) of the composition.”
This leads to a discussion of the copyright process for songwriters…
“Copyrighting musical compositions is a tricky business. The chord progression that forms the basis for “This Time” has been used in thousands of other songs, and no one can “claim” the copyright for a basic I-iV-V chord progression, can they? The best I can do is record my song on a CD and then send it to the U.S. Copyright Office, where they put the CD in their vaults. However, this only comes in handy if someone tries to plagiarize the song, in which case I would have to file a lawsuit (and litigation expenses could quickly bankrupt any struggling artist).”
I then inquire about the unique squealing guitar line in Version 2 of “This Time”:
“That line was inspired by the keyboard/synthesizer sound in Paul McCartney and Wing’s ‘Jet’ (off 1973’s Band on the Run). I came up with that guitar/vocal line last week, as a matter of fact. I actually recorded Version 1 with the Goodfellas during the spring of my freshman year in college at Quad Sound Studios (the major Harvard recording facility located in the basement of one of the dormitories). We paid a Harvard senior and QSS recording engineer around $35/hr ($10 to the studio, $25 to the engineer) to record that damn track! (along with 2 other Gatti compositions performed by the Goodfellas). Therefore, at the end of the day, it cost us $800 to record a 3-song demo that 3 years later, I declare sounds like shit! I was unsatisfied with the performances of my drummer and bassist, and I had not realized my guitar and especially my vocal capabilities when that song was recorded.
I inquire about the recording process for Version 2:
“I took matters into my own hands and assumed complete control! A couple of months ago (September 2005), I realized that I had a backlog of compositions yet other than a Word database, no way to keep a record of all these songs. Therefore, I ventured out to my local Guitar Center and purchased a basic version of the recording software “Cubase” along with a basic M-Audio preamp and two simple condenser microphones. I had just received a new desktop for my birthday in August, so I soon got to work. I realized that by working from the comfort of my own bedroom, I could extract much better performances from myself than when I booked studio time and did not have complete control of the sound of the tracks. Soon I discovered drum loops (which is why the drumming on Version 2 of “This Time” sounds like it was performed by a professional studio drummer). I could buy these CD libraries containing thousands of drum loops and then program a drum track based on these files (which is often a more arduous procedure than recording a live drummer, but when you are saddled with amateur drummers as I often have been, the programmed drum track always sounds more precise and crisp). I then borrowed a bass guitar from my friend and didn’t return the damn thing for 3 months! By that time, I had recorded basslines for 30 of my compositions.
I asked what his personal experience with home recording implied for the future of music:
“When I worked at Guitar Center, the December sales pitch was ‘Let’s put a recording studio in every home’. The truly ambitious artist will soon discover that he/she can be much more prolific and generate more quality material by transferring the recording process from an outside studio to his/her home. I believe that the role of the rock drummer is becoming more obsolete as musicians who record from home depend more and more on electronic drum programming. At the moment, guitar and bass tracks (as well as vocal lines) can be programmed, but not to the degree that they can generate the range of sounds that a live track can. However, I foresee this happening in the near future as programming technology advances. At that point, most (if not all) music will be created electronically (ie synthesized tracks). I do not see this as a negative trend, and I look forward to experimenting more with electronic music in order to explore and discover ways to emotionally move a listener utilizing these types of technology.
just as I believe that the improved version of “This Time” served as evidence for the movement towards home studio recording over paying engineers to record songs, I think you may be able to check in with me 3 years from now and find that I created another version of “This Time” utilizing parts synthesized in a computer program (and it will probably sound even better!)
FEBRUARY 2014:
back to recording “mirror mirror”
gotta take some benadryl later before recording vocals
now i’ve got to organize “mirror mirror”
unfortunately i didn’t bring my bass
(or my frank sinatra chord book)
ready to start working again
should i keep working on “reflections”?
so i got a working version of “reflections”
(still not satisfied)
and work on the back catalogue
still need to clean up / record vocals for “reflections”
i’m overloading “reflections” with too many tracks (the program can’t handle it)
this will serve as an outline for later
can’t i just make music 24/7?
nobody wants to let me do this!
i have to INSIST on it!
my headphones are picking up radio signals
12 x 12 albums
(get chord progressions off my “dopeland” blog)
gotta get back to music making
i should really be recording right now
and start recording some damn music…
now i’ve lost my incentive to get back to recording…
so i’m back to singing + recording
recorded more music in the morning
“the wagon” / “reflections” / “no other baby”
recording “nosy neighbors”
i should be recording basslines but i’m not feeling it today
i couldn’t get much accomplished saturday
(tried recording basslines to no avail)
MARCH 2014:
recording “teacher’s pet” demo
APRIL 2014:
recording “pariah” demo
MAY 2014:
recording “spoiler alert” demo
2 JUNE 2014:
recording acoustic backing tracks for “spoiler alert”
10 JUNE 2014:
finished a working version of “pins and needles”
(i should still work on vocal overdubs / editing)
next on agenda:
“writer’s block”
“timber”
“el jacko”
(even though i have working versions of all three songs)
(they need better basslines and more intricate chord patterns)
11 JUNE 2014:
posted working version of “pins and needles” to youtube…
the recording future is wide open…
i have no specific concept to focus on…
i prefer the “he done died” music at the moment…
(as i’m drowning in misery at the moment…)
12 JUNE 2014:
recorded skeleton instrumentals for “writer’s block” and “timber”
(onto “el jacko”!)
i need to start working on one recording in each of the 12 song cycles every day
for now i am focused on the “permanent damage” introduction to the “he done died” cycle
but i’m also working on new versions of “little rock” and “village green”
(the beginning and the end)
and i sang a demo of “regression” just for the hell of it…
my computer has narcolepsy…
13 june 2014:
basic acoustic structure for “el jacko” recorded
(onto the bassline)
but i already recorded a decent version back in 2011!
i wasn’t feeling well last night (which affected my productivity)
and i want to record a new version of “candy bowl”
(with better chords + bassline)
songs to record:
LITTLE ROCK
THE CRUSADES
CHERYL LYNN
ANN BROWN
GRAPPLERS
EL JACKO
AMBER ALERT
BEGINNER’S LUCK
PATRICIDE
LAST MAN STANDING
WRITER’S BLOCK
NOT AGAIN!
should i stay in and record or go out and perform?
(the 21st century musical dilemma)
14 june 2014:
i spent my friday organizing music files (again)…
(until i ran out of steam ’round 3am)
16 june 2014:
mostly writing out chord charts…
songs to work on:
art of the straddle
carrot booty
the jaffies
little rock
timber
writer’s block
not again!
dopeland
regression
tag teams
one of a kind
grapplers
20 june 2014:
lack focus in recording endeavors
working halfheartedly on new song called “listen to the lizard king”
(part of the “he done died” song cycle)
26 june 2014:
finished organizing my media files to edit in final cut…
finished organizing my chord charts…
(still need to upload tracklist to blog)
now i need to edit the vocal takes from last week…
(and continue working on the “he done died” song cycle)
(why not work on all 12 song cycles simultaneously?)
(still haven’t finalized the chord progression for “listen to the lizard king”)
7 july 2014:
on wednesday afternoon (2 july 2014) my voice returned to full form…so i recorded a flurry of vocal takes…but i failed to focus on any one song…i keep obsessively working on the “first” and “last” songs in each cycle…bookends…now i have 3 separate lists of songs i’m working on…
first of all songs that i’ve written “complete” scores for (my pet project from december 2006 – august 2008)…but as i review them now i only see more possibilities…”roller coasters” (which i consider an ideal introduction) can have a variety of chord progressions under the melodies…and they all have different implications for the song…
then “new songs”…lately they’ve all fallen under the “he done died” song cycle…but why not write a new piece of music for each category?…
finally there are old songs that have not been fully developed and strike my fancy on any given day…there is a definite trade-off here…the more “new songs” i write, the more that these underdeveloped gems will never achieve their potentials…
and then there’s the tendency to record cover songs…these help me derive musical inspiration for new songs…
i finally started releasing some new videos…mostly because during my drinking binge a lot of new songs started sounding good to me…
i sped up “art of the straddle”…sounds good with just acoustic guitar and voice…but i’ve got to build a backing track…
i released “like a lion”…because i’m no longer in fear of bergblum hitting me for copyright infringement…
there were a few live shows i rediscovered…the july 2011 rolf’s show…the march 2012 sullivan hall show…as well as jam sessions from this spring in the roboray basement…
i like some of my slower songs…mixed with pictures of sexy teenage girls (just to get people to watch them)…songs like “wedding bell blues” and “dell dear”…they could probably be re-recorded as well…
“lucky orange” is a song that deserves a re-recording…already got some great vocals down…as well as “great white”…and the songs i’ve been working on all month…
did a cover of paul mccartney’s “one of these days”…i’ve been in a mellow mood lately…
i need to take a less methodical / more inspired approach to recording…then i’ll get a lot more done and not just be “paralyzed by possibilities”…starting with my drum tracks…i’ll continue to intentionally experiment with a new beat every day but overall i’ll stick to whatever i’m feeling (which is usually a straightforward rock 4:4)…
18 august 2014:
mixed tracks beginning thursday night…my productivity is being hampered when my computer goes into “sleep mode” while i am working in cubase…i need to start shutting down my computer whenever i’m not using it…i’m working my way through tracks on the “rat race” album…the booze brought the productivity to a grinding halt…and now the withdrawals will interfere with the recording process…i need to start releasing more songs…
20 august 2014:
made it all the way up to the final “we won the war” song cycle before the computer started falling asleep…i made basic updates to all my “summer tracks” (all of which required as little effort as possible)…haven’t been doing any vocal / guitar tracking since last week…pathetic…
have not uploaded a new video since the birthday 12-minute update…shaky videos of live performances…cover songs…only 4 likes on facebook…
tonight i start grouping my wav files into 12…use the lexar (as well as the 4GB flashdrive that cheryl bought for you last week)…should’ve told her to buy a bigger flashdrive…and fill the ipod mini to capacity with mp3s…then you should feel comfortable departing for NYC tomorrow morning…
21 august 2014:
uploaded master wav files to the flashdrive…ended up totaling 15GB…which means i still have over 15GB of space…i should also use my spare external hard drive (the iomega) to back up more wav files…just delete a few of the spare hard drive backups (from 2011)…just make sure you don’t delete any projects that you want to return to…it was a pain to upload the files to the flashdrive…the computer kept falling asleep on me…
i got through updates of all my “summer tracks”…but most of them still need a lot of work…and i don’t know whether or not i’ve already run out of time…now i need to start recording more impulsively (which is the cure for procrastination)…hampered by life in a welfare motel with a cranky black neighbor…i also need to write new music…i have so many undeveloped songs…it really is a shame…and i still haven’t put out a video since the 30th anniversary birthday video…
25 august 2014:
more struggles with the narcoleptic computer…
i need to have twelve 12-song albums ready to go if all else fails…
in 2013 i think i completed 5 solid albums:
“the creeps”
“tabula rasa”
“king of the cats”
“dopeland”
“we won the war”
(these were mostly re-recordings of older tracks)
so far in 2014 i have 2 albums…the second one still nowhere near completion (either written or recorded)…
“the slums”
“time to shine”
don’t know how much more time i’ll have to complete “time to shine”
i finally narrowed down the 12 songs for the “time to shine” album:
THE MOODY BLUES
LISTEN TO THE LIZARD KING
DEATH OF A BOZO
PINS AND NEEDLES
THE MANSON MURDERS
THE JAFFIES
ROBIN’S GHOST
LIPSTICK
BURGER KING
ANGER MANAGEMENT
THE PRIME MERIDIAN
THINK TUCK
and i’d always like to have 12 songs from the past that could use a re-recording…
RED LIGHTS
MOTOWN
FRIENDLIER FACES
LA LESSON
TRANSIT OF VENUS
VICIOUS CYCLES
SUNSHINE SOLDIER / SUNSHINE THUNDER
MODERN MARVELS
JAP HAPPY
GOLDILOX
SURROGATE SISTERS
DOWN THE SHORE
(as well as continuing to work on cover songs)
as for the other 5 albums:
“banjogai”
“harvard hop”
“dinosaurs”
“raise hell”
“make a wish”
i’ll just compile some reworked tracks over the past few months…going by the planned itunes releases i had been planning up until 2012…i hope it will all fit on my flash drive…if not i’ll have to put it on the iomega or just get a new flash drive…this one has been beat up enough as it is…
on friday i got my voice warmed up in washington square park throughout the course of the day…after not singing all week…i can still sing like robert plant…then i smoked a bunch of cigarettes over the course of the weekend…that’s never good for the voice…but i still recorded some initial takes for “death of a bozo”…a good portion of the weekend was spent consolidating song snippets for the next 12-song release…now there’s no one next door (for now) so i feel better about recording…i’d rather be recording than hustling in NYC…and i always write great new songs whenever i get stoned (which is a rarity)…
tonight i’ll do some more recording / backing up (as much as my computer will allow)…then an early morning venture into NYC…gotta line up some apartment viewings / job interviews…i again spent all my money so i can’t even count on having the $2.50 necessary for the PATH / light rail…guess i’ll have to learn how to navigate jersey city now…all the while i’m nervous about the indian fuck coming into my room while i’m gone and then padlocking the door…
2 september 2014:
i was all beat up after two days of busking in NYC…but at least i gave my voice an extreme workout (although the cigarettes probably didn’t help matters)…my voice was definitely hoarse by the second day but i fought through it…the falsetto wasn’t working well…my right index + middle finger were bloodied from violent strumming (decorating the acoustic guitar with more blood spatter)…the continuous violent strumming also took its toll on my right wrist…
in a few days i was almost back to normal again…
after justin broke my string, i ended up putting a B string in my high E guitar slot so i could record over the weekend…
this ended up wrecking my intonation (making the notes sharper as i went up the neck) and affecting playability…but i recorded acoustic guitar parts anyway…and they’ll probably end up in the final draft…only because they don’t sound so “off” to my ears…
i hate changing guitar strings…so sloppy…
i got back to work on the “time to shine” album…i think i’ve completed the compositional requirements…now it’s time to finalize the recordings…
i tend to get carried away with outro sections…cramming in as many musical ideas as possible…
i ran out of steam @ 3am on saturday night…even though the voice got progressively stronger as the session wore on…
seems the crazy old man next door will be here for the long haul…
he just leaves his door and window open and sits shirtless and silent in his bed…
this means i can’t risk making noise…
i should coincide the completion of the “time to shine” album with the apartment move
(and job)
since i’ll have to go back and forth to NYC now i won’t have much time to complete the recording…and who knows whether i’ll be able to record in a new apartment…and i definitely won’t be able to record if i’m out on the streets…
on monday night i transitioned to video editing…i want to record proper versions of all the songs i’ve been covering during my street performances in washington square park…even old blues tunes like “motherless children” and “crossroads” (thanks clapton)…i want to put out improved versions of old songs (like “great white” and “carrot booty”) and make interesting visuals to sync with the melodies…i’ve been using footage from live performances and an array of “jogajungle.com” tags i’ve created over the years for now…but it takes so damn long to render + export these files that i end up never finishing them before i need to make the library trip…
i put out a new videocast: “rock n roll”…featuring the jam sessions of the previous weekend and a potpourri of recorded material + scattershot visuals…i’d still like to make better versions tonight…and post them as soon as i get back to the internet…
i need to somehow have 144 portable songs at all times…so i can drop 12 albums at a moment’s notice if need be…i’ll work on getting them ready for the flash drive…i need more flash drives…and resort to mp3s if need be (if only to get them on your ipod)…
i really want to drop a version of “the jaffies” on the jafferian triplets…although i know they’ll be creeped out…i finally made that song work after months of procrastination…it’s not a great song but i bulked it up as much as i possibly could…
in 2013 i worked on the revision of 5 albums…
“the creeps”
“tabula rasa”
“king of the cats”
“dopeland”
“we won the war”
so far in 2014 i think i’ll have two albums ready…
“the slums”
“time to shine”
for the remaining 5 albums i’ll draw on materials i’ve been working on all along…the songs i’ve been revising in summer 2014…songs from previous albums (“finest hour” / “tabula rasa”)…songs that i was planning to put on the unreleased “banjogai” album (now retitled “raise hell”)…
4 september 2014:
started organizing my wav files into 12 album groups…i want to copy them to my original “time machine” iomega external hard drive and carry it with me at all times…had a hard time deleting files from that drive since it was programmed to prevent backups from being deleted…finally opened the time machine application and deleted files through that program…wiped out all my may-december porn (that i had videotaped off my computer screen back in the day)…it was a distraction anyway (but also a reward)…
the wav files i want to back up are just under 32GB
(for ~144 songs)
(probably more)
(so i can travel in relative peace)
(although i’ll still worry about the life of this portable hard drive being that it’s been banging around in my carrying case for the last 3+ years)…the lexar flashdrive is probably already corrupt from the times i didn’t “safely remove hardware”…
8 september 2014:
almost done with recording my electric guitar parts for “time to shine”…still gotta work on the parts for “the prime meridian”…and then do some touching up…i was rushed out the door on friday afternoon…
now i’m out of money for intoxicants…and my voice is shot from busking in NYC for 3 days…finish the “time to shine” album before you hit up NYC on thursday…
14 october 2014:
still polishing the “time to shine” song cycle…also recording old songs on a whim…(the latest being a remake of “cocoa court”)…and writing new songs…the latest being “quirk” and “mariachi”…i need to keep working on these songs while i still can…the booze seemed to have slowed me down yesterday (instead of motivating me)…
18 october 2014:
i think the “time to shine” song cycle is just about complete…the beers didn’t quite help with efficiency…on friday morning i started getting in a focused mode and started updating the “daily updates” songs…starting with “12”…then “modern marvels” tripped me up…didn’t realize how complicated that chord progression was…keep fighting through it…
now my acoustic guitar is fucked up…so i’ll sloppily have to rely on my electric guitar for the chord foundations…i don’t like singing along with my solo electric guitar…doesn’t feel organic…this puts me right back to when my guitar was left for months in a holding cell in austin TX and i had to rely on the electric…not my most productive musical period…
27 october 2014:
it’s actually pretty good singing along with the electric guitar on the clean channel…and the chords give a different vibe to the songs…more resonant…
finished a working version of “grown men”…onto “love hungry”…how many more overdubs should i do? i think it’s best now to spread out the songs i’m working on…instead of focusing on one song for several days…then i work too slowly and tend to procrastinate and waste my mojo…gotta start focusing on songwriting…although the voice feels great and i’m able to record uninterrupted these days…
*28 october 2014*
wrote + recorded a working version of “my dear brown”…took my all night and into the next day…let’s see if anyone notices…
*1 november 2014*
finished working version of “dani mag”
*3 november 2014*
finish a working version of “daniel poon” before you have to report for the substance abuse evaluation @ 2pm tomorrow…voice has been abused from cigarettes…but now you have money for intoxicants…don’t overdo it…
*7 november 2014*
new music video: “daniel poon”…gotta start working on new music…”naked and rich”…
i got a great night’s sleep while listening to more marc maron podcasts…finally got myself out of bed…saved 3 1/2 red bulls for today…and the black n mild butts…that motivated me to shower and brush my teeth…and record skeleton for “clairvoyance”…and generally get caught up with some of my mixes…
*15 november 2014*
recorded working version of “altamont”…posting music video today…the video (and song?) could still use some work…now i’ve gotta start writing new songs to record…or record them as i write…where do i use the “this is so bizarre” outro that i discarded for “altamont”?…next up “tumbler” / “my dear helena” / “busk”…
*19 november 2014*
attempting to tie up loose ends on “banjogai” album…recording a skeleton for “letter to my editor”…now it consists of the “bizarre” riff (original coda to “altamont”) and the “arrow through me” paul mccartney chord progression…then just keep editing…
*23 november 2014*
finished working version of “ruby roo”…now polish up fall 2014 “banjogai” album…
*24 november 2014*
editing lead vocals for “my dear helena”
*25 november 2014*
completed updated version of “my dear helena”
*8 december 2014*
completed updated version of “come get ready”
(also working on a song called “mountin everest”)
(i can record a few more songs before the end of the year)
(take advantage of the time you have left in the motel)
*10 december 2014*
keep overdubbing tracks for “mounting everest”…
(then it’s onto “an evening with rishi”)
i’m working on a new version of “roller coasters”
(how far can i take this obsession with my opening track?)
i gave up in the middle of recording the bassline…i was out of beer and the lines were so hard…
*11 december 2014*
finished working version of “mounting everest”
(i can still improve the track)
onto new songs…
“an evening with rishi”
*22 december 2014*
been getting ready to record “tinder” for two days now…time to focus on the winter album…9 days left in the motel…
i just listened to a lot of my music after giving up on electric guitar overdubs (in the middle of “great white”)…
i’ve realized that i’ve been needlessly copying audio files every time i back up a cubase project from a shared “audio/image” source…and i discovered that i have access to a whole host of audio projects from 2007-2009 on another hard drive…but it’s “read only” and they all have the same audio file so backing…10 USB ports…i’ve always feared overloading my computer by plugging in too many external hard drives…is this possible?…now i should just focus on video editing…i have enough audio to last a lifetime…and nobody cares…i need to iron out all the rough edges…
starting work on “my sexy sleepyhead”…
(which segues into “everybody hurts” / “i can hear music” / “trespassing”)
voice feels amazing today…despite going through the pack of cigarettes…
i’m back in the groove…
next up: “my dear brown”…gotta write it first…
start uploading the five “2013 albums” to bandcamp…and edit them as you go along…
use audacity to export tracks when you’ve lost the cubase project…
time to overdub electric guitar + harmonies for “my dear brown”…
the computer is acting strangely…it shut down when i came back from the library…and sound has been going off at random times on cubase…forcing me to restart computer…
going through my cubase projects…
now i have so many song lists to review…which means i won’t give the proper attention to any one song…
finally got more streamlined in terms of figuring out the album sequences
and started copying cubase projects to the master hard drive
and working on songs from the “we won the war” album
still working on “magic marker” 5 years later
should i run cubase or will that fuck up my final cut projects?
(just get this damn video exported and uploaded to the internet)
cubase quit unexpectedly?
this is troubling….
still going through cubase projects…
eating out of sheer boredom…salama sandwiches and applesauce… now i’m waiting for my voice to warm up to record vocals…another beautiful day…just copying cubase projects to new hard drive…
now i’m back to doing chord charts and backing up cubase projects…
(in other words avoiding my real tasks at hand)
round 6am the computer went to sleep and so did i…
should record vocals tonight
(but there’s someone in the other room)
now i’ve gotta start recording in earnest…
(i have one month to track this album)
9 songs left to record…
then start recording music again…the final file is hopelessly corrupted…
recorded a few good harmony vocals before growing bored…gotta stop sabotaging my vocal stamina with cigarettes…
still gotta start working on new songs…as well as the “time to shine” album…with elisa on my ass i don’t know how much longer i’ll have to record at the motel…should’ve made better use of my time…
voice felt great yesterday…should have recorded more vocals…but i’ve gotta be systematic…
gotta do some more recording tomorrow…
make some new fucking songs…
you haven’t written any great songs in a long time…
i woke up on monday feeling fresh from the gin and tonics…recorded some great vocals…
got a bit of electric guitar recorded for “lesson learned”…other than that just did some basic video editing…
now i can start fresh again…
(but i’m running out of time to record)
the beers are getting me in the zone…i should do more voice recordings…but there’s already still so much to edit…and i need to do more video editing…
i have so many good tracks ready to go
and i’m still continuing to record
completed a rough working version of the “time to shine” song cycle
(still much more to do)
i was still productive in spring 2012…exiled to the jersey shore mansion and drinking heavily…until i got the guitar center job…even then i took advantage of my offtime to record new music…
came back and started recording guitar solos for “season’s greetings”…
then i stopped when i saw that the drunk neighbor turned his light off…
can’t have another noise complaint…
turned my amplifier facing the other way to minimize the noise through the wall…
what’s the use of doing any more recording?
i realize that i need to focus more on “portable” chord patterns
(meaning ones that i can play seamlessly while singing)
(rather than the detail-oriented ones that accentuate the vocal melody that i record piece-by-piece for my songs)
i didn’t finish the electric guitar parts today for “time to shine”
i’ve got a guitar solo for “season’s greetings” and then “between the buns” and “the prime meridian”…
i didn’t want to risk a noise complaint after i saw the old drunk’s TV on…
taking too long to record the guitar parts…lost the magic from yesterday…
and ruining my voice with cigarettes…
and no videos to show for it…
and no mp3 backups either…
that’s tonight’s task…
great white
carrot booty
the jaffies
pins and needles
i really like the latter part of “season’s greetings”
(simple but effective)
but am i really writing GREAT songs?
they don’t sound as good today…
in my insomniac nicotine-fueled haze everything sounded great
go back and forth thursday and friday…
(and strike saturday)
i worked my way through the “time to shine” album
didn’t record vocals today
do i record today?
(gave up last night due to lack of direction / narcoleptic computer)
i’ve got to put in a good workday
record new songs…but i keep wanting to remake old ones…
this computer situation is completely crippling…
go to princeton tonight and pick up food…figure out itinerary for tomorrow…more energy drinks from CVS?…transfer final $5 to checkings account…if it’s still there…at least get your wav files onto the flash drive…still got lots of recording projects to go through…and the indian made me feel guilty about the music (again)…”playing yo music all night…you lazy…look at clean room next door…you white people no understand…your house look like this?”…this is sheer hell that i have to submit to bozos like this…and now elisa will believe him (since dorothy also complained about the dirty room)…as did dablan…and then i made messes at skip’s house / watchung basement / beach house…
i walked home in the rain without using the remainder of my 2-hour daily allotment at 3:30pm to record while i still had the energy drink buzz…
only to find that the nigger next door had arrived back to the room (well before 6pm)…
depressed, i started pigging out…2 hot pockets and 2 personal pizzas (and handfuls of stale cheerious)…with flat coke and water…3 monsters (and now i’m tempted to buy black and milds)…
still haven’t sung at all…i’m going to ruin my voice this way…
SHIKSA
BRITISH INVASION
REDNECK REGGAE
DOPELAND (SLOW)
GRAPPLERS
CARROT BOOTY
ART OF THE STRADDLE
BACK TO JERSEY
FAILURE TO LAUNCH
SWINGERS
FANTASY FOOTBALL
FIREWORKS
CALENDAR GIRLS
LIPSTICK
LISTEN TO THE LIZARD KING
NOT AGAIN!
THINK TUCK
so i record vocals until the nigger neighbor gets back…
as soon as i prepare to record some electric guitar, the nigger neighbor next door arrives home
(BEFORE 6pm)
then again, i had all day to play…
just anticipating the dumb little useless indian boy coming to do his daily check of my room…
i’ve written too much junk at this point anyway…
gotta get back to recording vocals
still a scratchy throat
too late to record vocals…
i wonder how the voice feels today…
and i’ve realized there are lots of songs i’ve written that are off the “official record”
are they worth tracking down?
now pedro is mowing the lawn AGAIN and the indian fuck is mulling around my room AS USUAL
(which prevented me from recording great vocals round 10pm last night)
i didn’t want a noise complaint
so i restrained myself
now i’m sweating and my skin is peeling off
voice feels great
don’t know where to aim it now…
i’ll be out of energy drinks soon
hope computer doesn’t fall asleep
finally wrote a skeleton for “think tuck”
i’ve gotta start editing things down
(instead of starting new songs / re-doing old ones)
i’m going to start documenting my vocal takes for as long as my camera can hold
as usual i’m working on too many songs at once
instead of just perfecting one
i feel good and buzzed today…let’s see if i can record more acoustic guitar (if my fingers aren’t too sore)…got 4 monsters and 11 cigarettes to fuel me…plus the rest of my food…and finally clean up my act…
the new version of “timber” sounds great
(although mike is the only one who MAY appreciate it if i post and explicitly tag him in it)
although i should do more harmonies + electric overdubs
fingers sore from acoustic playing…
and got new songs on the horizon
(first finish “lipstick” and “listen to the lizard king”)
i should record more covers
(or should i?)
now onto editing “el jacko” vocals
i have more than enough material to put out an “ultimate album”
(or many of them)
but what’s the point?
nobody downloads the music i already have on itunes
(much less listens to it for free on soundcloud)
(or watches any of my youtube videos)
(my facebook posts get no likes)
(because they are all sloppy and half-baked)
(i should start fresh at age 30)
(embrace my over-the-hill middle aged status)
(what else do i have to lose?)
finally went through all the audio masters
now what?
gotta get back to recording…
back to recording…
back to recording
a productive audio editing day
now i’m going to eat without recording any vocals…
curry / string cheese / parmesan chips
mouse freezing
(flick on/off switch to fix)
still working through the recording…
i need to start recording vocals again…i think i’ve finally caught up with myself in terms of my song catalogue…now it’s time to fire away at will in terms of recording + video editing…
i’ve had a good year so far in terms of songwriting…last year was slow because i spent all my time re-recording my back catalogue…most of it was successful…i need fans…how can someone who’s spent so much time giving away music for free and sharing it on the internet and performing whenever i get the chance and improving my skills and going after every detail of my recordings to maximize emotional impact and receiving constant validation of my musical skills STILL not have a SINGLE dedicated fan of my music? it’s revolting…
now i’ve reached a new plateau…
just keep recording on the fly…and instantly incorporate it into video…spend less time composing and more time inserting new ideas right into recording projects…
the computer starts falling asleep once i start recording…
at least the mouse seems to be working for now…
will spend night video/music editing…
the computer’s starting to fall asleep again whenever i record…
cut off all songwriting (and recording new takes)…take the next two weeks and create the ultimate video…
spend the night recording basslines…
hitting a bassline stride near 5am…no more late night walks…i’ll either get arrested or thrown out of the motel…
always think of more songs to re-record…
get back to work on recording while you still can…before everything collapses…
what the fuck…now the nigger next door is back…what the fuck is he doing here if he has a jeep and an alleged job?…
a cranky day…the computer falling asleep…vocals aren’t working because i don’t have the lyrics down yet…and worried about the indians busting me…the first takes are always best before the voice gets “tired” and uninspired…
in no mood for recording…time to go to the library and finish updating the journal…that should give me just enough time to catch the 10pm train…
just export tracks and start fresh tomorrow…
i keep turning off the reverb effects to ease workflow but remember to turn them back on when you export…
if i write 48 songs / year it’ll take me over 20 years to reach 1000 songs…
but i could really write a song every day if i wasn’t so lazy…
today’s song was “dani mag”…
time to build up the backing tracks…
now it’s time to build up the tracks for “grown man”…did some good vocals today but i was rather lazy in my approach to tracking…still writing the damn song…is it great or does it change too often?
(got through 4 tracks from “time to shine” yesterday)
now i have two more podcasts i want to complete for september…just to get them out of my system…still doesn’t quite represent my best work…i view this as an exercise to review my video sequences…start incorporating more cover songs into the dopeland tracklist…i have to remember that facebook videos have to be less than 20 minutes long…
focus on updating the tracks this weekend…
did some vocal overdubs…voice feels OK…some guitar overdubs…
i got most of the skeletons done
(sticking to basslines as i’m trying to be as quiet as possible)
when will i get back to vocals + guitar?
(i started substituting synth piano for acoustic guitar chord progressions)
(it was probably a good move)
now just have to finalize “the prime meridian”
i keep wanting to rework cover songs
starting with “rock and roll”
and then i want to cover the chorus of “change the world”
i should also get a bass setup
“some people never know”
the intonation is off on my electric guitar now…i figured out how to plug in the TV across the wall using the extension chord…
did some decent vocals but finally gave up late into the night
afraid to smoke these cigarette butts
(may fuck up my voice before i do my daily vocal takes)
broke an A string on the electric guitar…tried my best to find one…ive really gotta load up on strings…
broke my G string…should’ve bought electric guitar strings @ the store today…wtf was i thinking?…now i’m fucked if i break another electric string…
i was rather lazy (again) in my approach today…the cigarette butts gave my voice a good rasp…and i played some solid electric guitar…
now i’m onto “love hungry”…which are really songs in Dmajor…wondering if i should add more sections as they come to me in a stoned state…song’s already long (and even without already sorting through all the takes)…lots of it is old songs and cover songs though…
slept from 12 – 8 because i was sick of doing guitar parts…
i’m so lazy…
may as well finish my guitar parts…
i’m worn out and sweaty and overwhelmed with the possibilities of the electric guitar
the intonation on my acoustic guitar is fucked
i should change the strings
(changed high E string today to fix intonation)
seems i popped a blood vessel in my left index finger from excessive guitar playing…
but it was a productive day nonetheless…
took awhile for the voice to hit its stride…
i got back into the guitar playing groove with electric overdubs to “grapplers” (with power chords + solo)…there’s still a burning smell coming from the amp but it sounds fine…then i passed out until 11:30pm…tried hitting up chou / brown / roboray on FB to no avail…only magic dan keeps in touch…
i’ll spend the rest of the night working on song outlines…begin working on the 30th anniversary video on july 28th (which gives you ~ 1 week to create magic)…
the indian came to kill my buzz as soon as i broke a D string on the acoustic and was trying to find another one…where did the pack i bought in NYC last month go?
so i’m working my way through the “banjogai” world music song cycle…still doesn’t feel complete…”tabula rasa” and “banjogai” are the first two albums of the opus…the ones that aren’t “personal” (as they are scientific and exploratory by nature)…just like my first attempts at songwriting…therefore they aren’t my strongest songs…but they are still necessary in the canon…
so i am physically unable to work straight through the day…the inspiration fades without intoxicants…i walked outside at 4am last night in search of cigarette butts…found a thin virginia slims outside the liquor store…and a marlboro on the side of the highway…they gave me decent buzzes to keep me going…
buzzing on certain frets of bass guitar…
i should be more careful with my guitars…i’ve knocked them over with abandon so many times over the years in my cramped quarters…
another lazy day…
not very motivated to work…
3 weeks to finish off the album…you could’ve been starting the next album by now…missed opportunities…
“mean spirit”
“client number 9”
another lazy day…
got all the songs for “common cold” written
(with lots of scattershot bits ready for the spring 2015 album)
no use trying to work today…
from “abortion” to “the negro leagues”
(got a basic structure down)
(now i’m working on areola)
still working on skeleton for “mounting everest”
can’t even get the lyrics for “86” from my secret blog to start work on it…
work on “86”…
actually i got the 86 lyrics on soundbite…
work on “cocoa court” tomorrow
now working on a great version of “quirk”
should i dare sing past midnight tonight? i don’t think anyone’s in the room next door…
i did…changed the title to “grown man”…finished a working version of “quirk” yesterday…
what songs do i work on now?
got some new riffs to work off of…
get my songwriting in order…voice feels great…do i really want to sacrifice a night of work to hit up princeton when i can’t get paid?
tomorrow i work on…
quirk
mariachi
cocoa court
“time to shine” cycle
and whatever songs strike my fancy…
still working through “quirk”…
a very unproductive sunday…just slowly working through “quirk”…
now i’ve gotta get back into work mode…
and work for two days straight…
work through thursday…
i should take nick’s advice and keep working on newfound heroes…add some more harmonies…
i was up by 5:20am without an alarm and got back to work…i dreamt my mother was giving me a care package…which included gummy bears on ice…
started listening to internet videos again
then i worked some more…
relax until 3pm…then work until 5:10pm…catch 5:45pm bus to princeton…
i need to listen to the maron podcast as i work…now that i’ve isolated myself from the standard television…
my voice feels shitty
(although i can still manage “oh! darling”)
i’ll work on music today…
but i got through a lot of song skeletons…
anything more now would be repetitive…
i’ve realized that 2010 was my golden year…
when i turned 26…
(same age as paul during the white album)
and when i had enough material to put out 6 full-length albums…
opie and anthony being my only friends as i work…
any music before 2009 has already been perfected…
(no use going back to any music written before age 25)
(although there are many gems there)
it’s 1:30am…trying to motivate myself to get back to work…
i’ll have two more weekends to work before the 30th…
still wasting time when i should be making music…
i got into masturbatory music mode…didn’t get enough done…don’t fall into that trap today…will the cigarettes hurt my voice?
i struggled through the music to “roller coasters”
(which was one of the most complicated musical pieces i’ve ever written)
because it doesn’t quite rely on a straightforward chord progression
i’m having trouble figuring the corresponding chords
(and get back to the music tomorrow)
i feel overwhelmed by song
(keep writing MORE new songs?)
i should’ve focused more on music yesterday
instead i went straight to bed after the library
another day where i just reorganized my music…
now i’m drinking my coffees and organizing my music files…
i’m more determined to get all my audio masters to the new hard drive
it’ll take me all day
another day of copying/pasting music
hopefully the last one today
now my voice is always rough in the “morning” (read 5pm)
must be the bummed cigarettes (without booze)…
or lack of exercise…
this is no way to live…
when will i finally start setting my sleep schedule on track?
and voice rough from smoking…but i bet it’s still great…
smoking the last of my tobacco…
but the voice still feels great…
will have to reference the sibelius score
(although there could be multiple corresponding chords)
the voice still felt OK on saturday
(though my mind was haywire)
(although many of the songs were from 2009)
i didn’t write many songs in 2013…
(just reworked old ones)
but i’m making up for it in 2014…
audio + video editing…
audio + video editing…
i’m gonna hit up the library as i back up my audio files to the “time machine” hard drive…
new versions of “god is my only friend” and “mounting everest”
starting up on bassline for “cream”
i can still improve “come get ready”
how many harmonies do i stack up for “my dear brown”?
voice felt great yesterday…i should’ve sang last night…
my voice is still shot
and which will ruin my voice
gotta make a new video…
and make sure my voice is in shape…
my voice still feels crappy…
this is not good…
start pumping out mp3s
just get some mp3s ready…
(today i’ll just go through my audio “masters”)
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💕💝💖💓🖤💙🖤💙🖤💙🖤❤️💚💛🧡❣️💞💔💘❣️🧡💛💚❤️🖤💜🖤💙🖤💙🖤💗💖💝💘
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*🌈✨ *TABLE OF CONTENTS* ✨🌷*
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🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥*we won the war* 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥