Tag: Recording

Songs to Rerecord

Ive been thinking about which songs to rerecord, assuming I want to go through with that idea.  I want to stick to songs that I don’t hate (there aren’t many) and maybe make some changes here and there.

I’m thinking of starting with this one from 2013’s RPM.

This is mostly okay, but I don’t like how it starts with the verse.  It should also have a new ending.

What Next

All of the music for RPM is complete (see the previous post).  I need to burn a cd.  Do I have a cd?  I need to find a cd, then burn a cd, and then print out the cover (front and back!  Fancy!).  This year my beloved wife, the love of my life and woman of my dreams (I will never get tired of calling her those things.  Swooooon) and I are going to drive to headquarters in Portsmouth, NH and hand deliver.  

That leads to the inevitable post February question:  What next?

Well for starters, I’m not going to do an RPM a month for the rest of the year.  I’m also probably not going to take part in 50/90 again, though the jury is still out on that.  What I was thinking of doing next is a little more complicated.  First and foremost, the band takes precedence from this point on.  No more recording when I’m supposed to be practicing.  That doesn’t mean I’m done recording, it just means I’ll do it after practicing is done.  

Second, I think it’s time to upgrade from GarageBand to Logic Pro X.  It’s expensive, but it just seems time for something new, and being a total Apple nerd, that’s where I want to go next.

Finally, is it time to collect the highlights from 8+ years of home recording and make a best of album?  Maybe, but it has to be something different.  I figure 15-20 songs.  I’ll record them the way I normally do, with midi bass, drums, and keys, and simulated amplifiers, but those will be scratch tracks.  After everything is arranged correctly I’d bring my Marshal amp home after practices and replace the guitars with actual amplified noise.  Next, maybe it’s time to bring Mike the Bass Player into the fold and let him replace the midi bass parts with the real thing.  Maybe I could do the same with Greg the Lizardfish Singer.  That would leave drums.  I’d like to have Kevin the Lizardfish drummer replace the midi parts, but recording real drums is an absolute bitch of a process, not to mention the overwhelming majority of drummers puke at the thought of overdubbing drums onto an existing track.  Neil Peart does it all the time, but he’s part genius, part human metronome, and part god on Earth.  He’s the exception to say the least.  I’m not sure that I’m up to the challenge of live drums.  Technologically I know I’m not right now because I don’t have enough microphones, and I’d probably need a bigger USB audio interface.

Anyway, that’s what I’m thinking about.

PS, we aren’t driving to Portsmouth.  I’m going to mail the cd like I always do.

The Last RPM Song!

That’s it kiddos, I’m done with RPM for another year! The last song has been mixed, the cover art is done and the running order is set. All I have left to do is burn a CD, print the cover, and drop it off at headquarters.

I’ll share a playlist with the final running order soon. Probably tomorrow. For now? Sleep!

Tracking is Complete

Unless I miscounted or forgot something, tracking for this year’s RPM Challenge/FAWM is complete. It should be 14 songs and one very cheesy instrumental thingie. I added a song last night before bed and finished it up today. I used my amp for the last two songs worth of guitar parts, and then re-recorded one of the other songs using the amp as well. There was one more I wanted to re-do, but I am out of time. The takes I have are okay so the song still works out. Now I have to mix the last six songs, and remix one from the other day that I think is no longer acceptable. Three days left.

Finish Line in Sight

The finish line is in sight for both the RPM Challenge and FAWM.

I put a very crappy vocal onto a song this morning before work.  Once that song is mixed, there will be 10 songs and more than 35 minutes.  Check and Check for RPM.  There are also three additional songs that I hope to put vocals on tomorrow.  If I can do that it will bring me up to 13 songs, one shy of a complete FAWM.

Last night, just before bed, I sketched out a little instrumental thing.  It will just basically be bass and guitar trading off.  Nothing terribly interesting there.  However, there is a bed consisting of a looped recording of the water dripping off of our picture window into a bunch of metal pots.  I recorded a couple of minutes worth of that sound and then chopped it into pieces so that it can drift around the stereo field, and every few seconds it will add more and more reverb and echo.  In all it will sound tres stupid, but it counts in my book.

That means I have one guitar part to finish and three vocals, and then mix mix mix.  If I am feeling dangerous tonight I might try to add another short vocal song.  That would mean I have to finish four vocals by about noon tomorrow, but it might be worth a shot.

Rock Star

I just received an email from hearthis.at basically telling me that I am a freakin’ Rock Star:

#4

Critical Mass
in Rock

Congratulations Robert,

Critical Mass is #4 of the weekly Rock ranking:

#1 Mouse and the Traps – Maid Of Sugar, Maid Of Spice by On The Flip-Side
#2 The Wig – Crackin’ Up by On The Flip-Side
#3 Mouse and the Traps – I Am The One by On The Flip-Side
#4 Critical Mass by Robert
#5 The Esquires – These Are The Tender Years by On The Flip-Side
#6 The Outcasts – 1523 Blair by On The Flip-Side
#7 The Outcasts – Smokestack Lightning by On The Flip-Side
#8 Dj MasterBeat VS The Mastermixers -the AC/DC megamix by DeeJay MasterBeat
#9 wreally wrongkey queen by Des Harmonic
#10 The Esquires – Judgement Day by On The Flip-Side

Listen online: https://hearthis.at/?type=trending&category=rock

Wishing you a nice weekend!

Benedikt Groß
hearthis.at

So how about that, huh? You didn’t realize you were dealing with a giant of the German Rock World, did you!  Me and the Hoff, just owning all of Germany!

Granted, seeing as seven of the top 10 spots are from the same band, that might tell you more about rock music on hearthis.at than seeing a doofus like me on their weekly chart.  Maybe I should check out On The Flip-Side.

Do you think this is just a way for the site to sucker people into using up my 5000 plays so that I will have to either pay up or stop uploading files?  Could be.