Overdub experiment

Since I use a basic stereo soundcard to generate the orchestral sounds on my recordings, I have to guess the final volume relationship between the various instruments used before committing them to tape. Sometimes a great sounding balance loses its greatness when new tracks are recorded and start cluttering up sonic space. Inevitably, some of the original instruments get buried while others seem to pierce the soundscape with magical clarity. In the case of "Aftershock", part of the drums have become buried.

To remedy this, I tried to overdub the bass drum and snare track from the midi file without midi sync. I pressed record and let it fly. The tracks came out slightly out of sync (approximately 20 frames) at the start and a little more toward the 4/5ths of the song. When mixed however, the drums sound a little fatter. At the end, when the sync is quite off, it sounds like a drummer flamming lazily behind the beat.

More experiments to come.

Four new vocal tracks

Set up the studio to record a new lead vocal track for "Aftershock". Used a second mike stand to support a towel folded in two placed directly behind the vocal mike to act as a makeshift isolation / anechoic chamber (of sorts). It definitely helped to cut some of the room reverberation from bleeding into the mike, which seems to have made the vocal track a bit tighter to my ears.

The first take was a good one, with the mike pre-amp a bit too hot. The track distorts a bit in places, but might be a keeper. The next take used a limiter on the mike. The resulting track was an okay performance, but the recording was dead sounding. Takes three and four were recorded clean (no limiter), with the gain a little lower than on take one. At present, it seems to be a toss up between takes one and four. Will leave the choice to another time.

The guitar solo seems fine after all. The performance is good, so it maybe just a question of finding its correct place in the mix.

Electric Guitar completed

Recording began around 7:09 this morning, with the help of the following co-conspirators:
The first takes started by using the neck pick-up which yielded a beautiful tone, which was not used simply because it disappeared when played with the other tracks. I used both pick-ups in combination and the sound stood out without being aggressive.

The part was subtly modified also. Most of the original part is still present, but some chords have been dropped to avoid clutter. In the chorus I double the bass part, which sounds much better to my ears. The flat wound strings of the guitar and bass give another identity to this part of the piece.

The next step is to try once more to get the vocals down and maybe add a harmony line in places. We'll see.

An early morning of Electric Guitar

Rose at 6:30 and after feeding the cat, set up the studio to record the electric guitar part for "Aftershock". Ran through many takes, keeping four. In the end the question remains, does it add anything? Obviously, it adds a new sound to the picture but is it needed? The more I listen, the less I feel like keeping it. Even the instrumental outro is less than satisfying. I might just add flourishes here and there and leave out any rhythm work from the electric.

The equipment used for this session is as follows: Ibanez semi-acoustic Artist A-200, Vox AC-30 amplifier and Sennheiser e906 dynamic microphone. It is my first experience with this microphone. The tone seems to be good and it withstands pressure without distortion. I need to try it in combination with the CAD E-200, blending their respective sonic properties.

I am now off to fetch breakfast, then we are off for the Autism walk Fund-raiser.

After Victoria, Sing!

Friday evening usually means to relax and watch a movie after the evening meal. This evening's offering was "Young Victoria". Since we started to watch it early, by 9:30 it was over. This permitted me to slip downstairs and experiment with a new microphone placement for vocals.

The victim was obviously "Aftershock", which I ran through a total of 4 times, each time with a slightly different setting. I find that if the microphone is too sensitive, I tend to hold back, to avoid overloading the pre-amp. On the other hand, if my voice is placed too low in the mix, my voice starts to strain. I still have not found the perfect balance that is needed for optimal results.

Another experiment was to place the microphone in a corner and use a figure 8 polar pattern to get some of the room but to cancel out some of it also. To my surprise, the voice sounds more present, although I would have expected some boxiness, there seem to be none. This said, I am still not sure I have committed a final take to tape.

An NST playing session

What is unusual with recording and composing is, when I am caught up in the process, I have little time to actually practice guitar, let alone enjoying playing it for pleasure's sake. So, this evening saw a short break in the proceedings and I broke out my Country Gent and played.

Since the guitar is tuned in NST, I went for the pieces I have written for this tuning. In order, I played Morning Glory, Neiges, Misleading Chambers, and Danse de Sophia. Practice was soothing and quiet, just relishing the sounds and the tone of this wonderful guitar and staying relaxed throughout.

While I was preparing for this short note, I turned on the multitrack and listened to a rough mix of "Aftershock" several times through, the last time muting the vocal track. Compared to my recollection, it seems well balanced and quite enjoyable to listen to. The harpsichord and oboe give a Baroque tinge to it (which was not the original intention), yet this might change when adding the electric guitar part. Listening has confirmed that the vocal track will be re-recorded; I wish to strengthen my voice a bit, so the voice seems less strained. As it is, it lends a certain drama to the song which overstates the lyrics and is unnecessary. It is possible to write a song about loss without glossing it over with drama or histrionics. "In My Life" by The Beatles comes to mind.

Acoustic guitar and 1st vocal tracks

Around 7:45 this evening, set up two large diaphragm condenser microphones to record an acoustic guitar track, one for instrument (CAD Equitek E-200), and one for the room (CAD GXL-2400), both recorded to track two. Changed positions a few times as the sound was a bit muffled; the final position was facing the outside wall, a foot in front of the mike, with the room mike about 4 feet to my left at a height of approx. 6'. Both microphones' on-board gain was up to 9 for a live feel.

A final check for sound levels around 8:00, then a take. Take one yielded the goods, so I put the guitar away and re-arranged the E-200 for a vocal take, this time having the mike two feet in front of my computer desk. I had the diaphragm at eye level, slightly angled toward the ground so I could sing into it without popping any P's or B's. Take one was also a keeper, although not necessarily the final take. I tried a second take but it was definitely inferior to the first. Both were kept, but ultimately, another vocal track will be recorded in the future.

Will the backing track need to be thought out again? Doubt is creeping in. As usual at this stage a good flat mix reveals the strengths and weaknesses of the initial tracks. Since my MIDI track was sent directly to stereo on linked tracks 15 & 16, the level of the instruments these tracks contain cannot be remixed. This might lead to a whole new recording using a new backing track or recording each instrument separately to individual tracks and lining them up with the existing recording (I cannot sync my computer to my multitrack at this point). Both have their merits and will yield valuable experience.

The next step will be an electric guitar part, however. But not tonight.