Tag: Rpm Challenge

Finally

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At long last, I have actually recorded guitar parts that are usable. Last Thursday I recorded the guitars for two songs but there was a lag issue between GarageBand for iPad and the Amplitube amp sim I was using and things sounded just a tiny, hair off. Other than that, there had been no actual instruments on any of my RPM songs to this point. It’s February 11th and I didn’t have a single guitar part recorded!

Today is my telecommute day though, and I was home from dropping off the kids by about 7:10. I spent the next hour and 40 minutes on guitars. I rerecorded the bad parts for those two songs from last week, and then cranked out two more songs. That’s four guitar parts down, nine to go, and I still need to add at least one more song.

My time management is pretty awful this year, but I will… I WILL… get everything done on time.

RPM Challenge – Day 9

This has been the weirdest RPM to date.  I have 13 songs in progress, but I don’t have a single recorded instrument track that is useable.  I’ve got a few guitar tracks down, but I want to replace all of them.  Everything I have so far is just built in GarageBand sounds.  Guitar, bass, and drums.  I have so much guitar to do that it’s starting to feel overwhelming.  Every day I come home and say, tonight I record guitars!  Then every night something comes up.  It’s getting frustrated.  I took a couple of days off from work next week to start vocals.  I need all of the rhythm guitars done before then, never mind adding real bass guitar.  

Like I said, weirdest RPM experience ever.

Almost Time

According to both rpmchallenge.com and my swanky little Apple Watch, there are less than 26 hours to go until the start of the 2016 RPM Challenge.

Tomorrow I’ll check all the plugs and cables and everything to make sure the whole set up still works (fingers crossed), then I’ll put new strings on the ES-335, go to band practice, go home and go to bed, then get off to as much of a good start as I can on a Monday morning.  These games are so much easier when they start on weekends.

February is almost here.  Get ready for the flood of annoying music posts!  I’m ready!

Nerd Alert

I often make a Google Document for keeping notes on my RPM Challenge progress. Start a new idea, add it to the doc. Write some lyrics, add them to the doc. I just sometimes need something to help me keep my thoughts in order. Sometimes I use a Google Spreadsheet to keep track of which guitars I use on each song, or which amplifier patch, or beats per minute, or really anything you can think of.

Today I upped my nerd game. I created a Trello board to keep track of this year’s project. There is a list for songs that are just in the idea phase, songs that are in the recording instruments phase, songs in the vocals/lyrics phase (lyrics and melodies are always the last thing I write), and songs that are in the mixing phase. Each time I start a new idea I will add a card to the idea list. Then as I add to it I can make notes on what I did in each card, and move it between lists as it progresses.

I’m waiving my nerd flag high this year.

The Final RPM Post

Here’s one you’ve been waiting for. The Final Official RPM Challenge Post for 2015.

My project has been uploaded into the RPM Challenge Jukebox. The final step is complete!

My Jukebox Page

There are still listening parties and stuff like that, including one in second life that I’ve always been curious about visiting, and a Portsmouth radio station is going to spend a full day playing nothing but RPM music from all over the world. That will stream online here. It’s scheduled to start at 12am on March 29th and run right straight through to midnight on the 30th. 24 hours of RPM music. Insane! I might check that out too.

Other than those things though, the annual craziness that is RPM is now officially finished.

Post Office Adventure

I made plans to drive to Portsmouth on Saturday afternoon.  At the last minute those plans fell apart.  I made new plans to drive to Portsmouth on Sunday morning.  At the last minute those plans also fell apart.  I did some Googlin’ and there is a post office down the street from work that opens at 8:30.  Nice.  I can mail the disc by noon on Monday without having to sneak out of the office for a wicked early lunch.

I get to the post office a little early, address the envelope, take the obligatory picture of the addressed envelope, the clock hits 8:30 and inside I go.

I have to punch in at work at 9:00.  I’m seventh in line.

Ummm…

One counter open.  Dude in front of me has three huge boxes that are all going different places using different services.  Woman in front of him has a package going to the UK and doesn’t know how to fill out the customs forms.

Ummm…

Suddenly the whole mailing in the CD by noon on March 2nd is feeling like the most challenging part of the challenge.  Fortunately a second counter opens.  I watch the post mark go onto the little envelope.  I pay my less than three bucks.  I hop back into the car and drive to work.

And realize that I forgot my ID badge and my glasses.  I blame this on the couple of inches of snow we had over night.  I was thinking more about shoveling the little snow bank at the end of the driveway than I was about getting to work.  Oh yeah, I can’t open the door to the building without my ID badge.  I had to stand there like a chump waiting for someone else to walk up.  And with no glasses… I can read the monitor okay, but my eyes get really tired and I get huge headaches.

Happy Monday, everyone!

New RPM on the Bandcamp Page

I uploaded the new RPM music to bandcamp. Please don’t pay for this. If you want it you can get it at my alonetone site for nuttin. If you insist on shelling out some dough, I would ask you to donate it to rpmchallenge.com.

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!