Category: Recording

2025 50/90 Challenge Day 1/90

Today is July 4th. While that means something to the nation formerly known as the US it now just means that it is the first day of the 50 Songs in 90 Days Challenge. Welcome!

I would link to the 50/90 website but apparently it no longer exists. I guess 50/90 as an organized thing is over? Sure looks that way. I’ll still try it on my own though. There are 90 days between July 4th and October 1st. During that stretch of time I plan to write 50 songs… because I am an insane.

It’s after 11:00pm now. We just came home from watching fireworks up in Derry, NH. Do I have a 50/90 recap? Why yes, yes I do.

There are two songs in the pipeline. One has the full song form and the MIDI bass and drums done. The other is just three loose fitting eight-bar phrases.

That’s it. Two songs under way. Come back again tomorrow and see if I made any additional progress. One day down, 89 to go!

RPM Challenge Day 28/28

Let’s see… how did I make out on the last day?

I put lead guitars onto two songs. I mixed eight, count ’em, eight songs. I then sorted all of the songs into three lists.

  • Definitely makes the final album
  • Might be okay enough to make the final album if I hide it at the end
  • No way in hell it makes the final album

Oddly, the third list was very short. I think I ended up with nine songs on the first list, seven songs on the second list, and four on the third. After sorting was done I re-listened to everything on the second list to find at least one that I could put on the final album. I ended up keeping four. There were two that were easy decisions. That put me at 11 keepers. I figured 12 was a better number so I went back and forth between two B list songs but I couldn’t decide so I kept them both.

Next, I “borrowed” a photograph of good ol’ Punxsutawney Phil from wikipedia and used an iOS app to turn it into a very lame album cover. Then I listened through the 13 keepers again and came up with something that passed for a half decent running order. From there, the only thing left to do was go to rpmchallenge.com and submit it.

Done and done. See you next year, RPM Challenge fans.

Groundhogs and Top Hats

Done. I whittled the 20 songs down to 13. I was thinking of using 12 but I couldn’t make up my mind between the last two so I kept them both. I just sent it off to rpmchallenge.com and my name is now on the list of winners. Yippee. 14 successful RPM Challenges in a row. What a hero I am. Huzzah and shit.

Now lets see if I can embed a playlist, shall we?

The Last Day

Tracking is finished. I added lead guitars to the last three songs and then started mixing. I’ve plowed through three mixes already but there are still five left to do. The phrase that pays as far as mixing goes is “quick and dirty.” I just want something to upload, it is not going to be anything particularly good but it will exist and that’s good enough for me today.

This was the last song I started working on, and the last song to get vocals, and the last song to get lead guitars, and the 11th song to be mixed.

Also, I played my Les Paul Custom today and it came through for me on this song. I actually enjoy the leads here. That’s not normal for me on this year’s project.

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RPM Challenge Day 27/28

Yesterday was day 27, which means as I type this it’s day 28 and it’s the last day and I am too panicked (musically) to think straight.

I seriously forget what I accomplished yesterday. I know I did two songs worth of vocals, and I know I mixed four songs. I also did some sax parts but was it two songs or three? I also, also did some lead guitar but was it three songs or four? I think it was three parts each but they combined to finish four songs. I think.

It doesn’t matter. I have two more lead guitar parts to record and then I have to mix EIGHT songs, make a cover photo, and pick the running order for the final album submission.

That sound you hear off in the distance? That’s me screaming in frustration.

Yippee, bro.

12 Songs and Counting

I just finished mixing the 12th song for this year’s RPM Challenge. I kinda sorta like it. I think the GarageBand drummer would have worked up quite a sweat if it were a real human being and not a piece of software. Oh well.

12 songs down, eight to go. Two of them still need their last guitar tracks to be recorded. So ridiculously much left to do and I only have tomorrow left to do it. Oh, and I have a full work day to get through too. If I manage to pull it all off then I expect my brain to be a puddle of melted mush by the time I sleep tomorrow.

Snow?

I did my car music this morning. I was out of the house a couple of minutes past 6:00am. I only had two songs to work on so I knew it was going to be a short trip. What I didn’t know was that it was going to freakin’ snow!

We only got enough to cover everything, but I don’t think we were supposed to get anything at all. At least I didn’t hear anything yesterday. Granted, I knew the forecast was calling for it to be warm today so I didn’t pay attention to any precipitation predictions but still… what the hell?

Fortunately it didn’t stop me from finishing the last two songs worth of vocal tracks for this year’s RPM Challenge. Once I got home I finished the last three saxophone parts too. On top of that, I managed to sneak in a few songs worth of guitar leads. I am still not finished with tracking for this month’s project. I still have to add lead guitar to two more songs. After that, all that will be left is to mix the last (gulp) 12 songs. Yikes!

All of this zaniness ends tomorrow… record two guitar leads and mix 12 songs… and work two full work days… yeah… I can do it. I’ll stress out and be on the verge of constant musical freak out, but I can do it.

RPM Challenge Day 26/28

Not a lot on day 26 (yesterday), but what I did was important.

I wrote the lyrics and the melody for each of the last two songs. That sets me up for a short vocal session in the car on day 27 (which I am literally packing up a bag to go do as I type this) which will leave me with 20 songs potentially finished… or something like that. 19 vocal songs and one instrumental.

Speaking of the instrumental, I mixed it last night and boy is it terrible. Oh well.

Only two days left and I am about to start musically panicking. Come along for the ride, let’s all panic together!

Car Music Tomorrow

There will be car music in the morning before work. I had two songs that needed lyrics and melodies and I wrote them both out tonight. I also mixed one song but it is absolute garbage so I ain’t sharing it. Sorry.

It’s quarter to 10pm now and I am exhausted. I’m hoping I can get the vocals recorded quickly tomorrow (I am positive I just jinxed myself though) so I can have some time for lead guitars and saxophone. Three of the six songs that still need lead parts have places reserved for sax solos. I don’t know if I have it in me though, especially where the song I mixed tonight had a lot of sax and it just sounds awful. My playing was embarrassing.

Two days to go… I’m feeling the crunch for reals, but I still think I can pull off all 20 songs. It depends on how things go in the morning.