Album 3 Recording Diary: Day 4
This is going to sound strange: I had fun today! To be quite honest, with a few exceptions (playing I Just Need My Car, for one), I really can't say that the word I'd use to describe our studio time thus far would be "fun." Intense, intimidating, focused, challenging, stressful, exhausting, gratifying, enlightening. These descriptors are accurate. But "fun?" Not so much (at least for me!) Until today.
You see, we're done with basic tracking. Now it's all about adding extra colors and flavors (percussion, guitars, hand claps, whatever) and about doing vocals. To a degree, the pressure is off. I was still nervous going into tracking today re: the vocals. We had planned to do them in Seattle in the summer, so I hadn't really prepared to sing. I've been practicing guitar parts and all that jazz. Thankfully, we've been doing a lot of live shows. And the coffee shop shows are especially good vocal prep. So today when we started on vocals because we were ahead of schedule, I was able to do a pretty good job! Some of the songs took a few takes, but we got five of them done. I sang You're Out Of Luck, I Tried Again, Say Goodnight, The Chatty Bandit and Daddy Loves Me Some.
Like I said, we also did guitar overdubs. I won't enumerate all the details, there, but I'll continue the list of new gear deployed for the first time:
- Keeley Compressor
- Pat's Fender Hotrod Deluxe
- Pat's Sovtek Mig 50 (produces what we're now calling the "plow guitar" tone.)
- Black Lodge's Alamo amp (6L6s)
- Black Lodge's 2x12 Marshall cabinet
Tomorrow I'll sing some more songs, we'll lay down some more guitars, percussion and Steve will probably play a keyboard or two!
Speaking of Steve, he has the most amazing stories. Today he told me all about how Marvin Gaye challenged his father to a broadsword duel. It's fascinating stuff, all the things you learn when you're a record producer! In honor of Steve's profession (and Steve's outstanding and excellent representation of said profession), I have decided to stop using the phrase "over-produced" to refer to albums that have been buried in overdubs or otherwise over-slickified. The new word, as proposed by Steve is "Gelded." A strange choice of words from somebody who is so groovy and careful about gender stereotyping and such things. :) Just messing with you, Steve. Don't Geld me.
Well, that's it for today! More tomorrow.
- Jesse Kates / Download Kinda Like Fireworks for FREE
You see, we're done with basic tracking. Now it's all about adding extra colors and flavors (percussion, guitars, hand claps, whatever) and about doing vocals. To a degree, the pressure is off. I was still nervous going into tracking today re: the vocals. We had planned to do them in Seattle in the summer, so I hadn't really prepared to sing. I've been practicing guitar parts and all that jazz. Thankfully, we've been doing a lot of live shows. And the coffee shop shows are especially good vocal prep. So today when we started on vocals because we were ahead of schedule, I was able to do a pretty good job! Some of the songs took a few takes, but we got five of them done. I sang You're Out Of Luck, I Tried Again, Say Goodnight, The Chatty Bandit and Daddy Loves Me Some.
Like I said, we also did guitar overdubs. I won't enumerate all the details, there, but I'll continue the list of new gear deployed for the first time:
- Keeley Compressor
- Pat's Fender Hotrod Deluxe
- Pat's Sovtek Mig 50 (produces what we're now calling the "plow guitar" tone.)
- Black Lodge's Alamo amp (6L6s)
- Black Lodge's 2x12 Marshall cabinet
Tomorrow I'll sing some more songs, we'll lay down some more guitars, percussion and Steve will probably play a keyboard or two!
Speaking of Steve, he has the most amazing stories. Today he told me all about how Marvin Gaye challenged his father to a broadsword duel. It's fascinating stuff, all the things you learn when you're a record producer! In honor of Steve's profession (and Steve's outstanding and excellent representation of said profession), I have decided to stop using the phrase "over-produced" to refer to albums that have been buried in overdubs or otherwise over-slickified. The new word, as proposed by Steve is "Gelded." A strange choice of words from somebody who is so groovy and careful about gender stereotyping and such things. :) Just messing with you, Steve. Don't Geld me.
Well, that's it for today! More tomorrow.
- Jesse Kates / Download Kinda Like Fireworks for FREE
0 Comments:
Post a Comment | Go to the top of the blog