Post by Dan on May 26, 2006 18:06:04 GMT -5
For awhile I was keeping an Outros blog but it has to be moved. I'm storing it here for now. Feel free to read it but go from the bottom up if you want to read it in the order the events happened.
Tuesday, March 14, 2006
Recording
We have had a session since the last time I wrote in which Matt came in and finished up all of the keyboard parts. Jeremy and I also laid down most of if not all of the remaining acoustic guitars. Chris was feeling under the weather this night so we kind of took it slow and had to feel it out. It was the same feeling as when Jeremy and I was sick, its just like a underlying lack of enthusiasm and it makes for a weird environment. To his credit Chris was a trooper and we did get a lot done. It did kind of suck to find out that he was sick for a few days after the session. I hoped we hadn't pushed him too hard.
Anyway, tonight we return in what feels like forever. Jeremy and I have a pretty good idea where we are at and what needs to be done. It should come together nicely.
-Dan
Friday, February 24, 2006
Overdubs
The overdub sessions of the past 2 nights have gone extremely well. Jeremy and I made a list and we just started checking things off left and right. We were able to plow through about 4 tracks total leaving us with 4 more to finish off in another 2 day session. I would imagine that we would have one more overdub session to tidy up the odds and ends in the recordings.
Vocals went amazingly well. I couldn't believe some of the tones and sounds that were coming from the 2 of us all being just perfect for what the songs needed. There was a point of the giggles again. I think laying vocals with both Jeremy and I in the both gives us a different kind of energy that we can't get alone. This probably stems from how the 2 of us are used to working and recording together. Whatever it is, it worked for us last night.
Tuesday, February 14, 2006
Practice
Things started out a bit odd on this day. First of all, I had to come up with a new plan of attack for the next recording session. Our next two weekends are out because people are going to be out of town. This brings our February deadline to a screeching halt. We decided to try some weekday basic tracking and made plans to do so this coming Thursday giving us Monday and Tuesday to practice with Drum set up on Wednesday. Being the thoughtless person that I am at times, I forgot about plans I had for valentines day so Tuesday was not an option for me.
It took us a while to all come together with a plan that will work and practice was almost canceled for the week but we got it together and figured it all out before that happened.
Adam came over with some interesting news. It appears that Chris doesn't want to do the 15 songs that we had discussed doing. I guess in his mind we were only going to do 7 songs originally. Its odd because we have always had 15 songs since this began and always intended on recording them all. I believe that Chris may have gotten those numbers from Adam since he is our link and also where our wires seem to always get crossed. It just seems weird to me that we would get this far into the project and Chris would want to bail. Something isn't adding up and I intend to find out what and why.
Anyway, practice went well. We decided to work on "Zep" and "Figure Something Out" for the night. I think we have a good grasp on the songs, now we just need to tighten them before Wednesday. No problem!
Sunday, February 12, 2006
Saturday, Feburary 11 - Recording
Things went fairly smooth on this recording session. We had done quite a bit of homework as well so we were prepared to get things done. We laid basic tracks for Wolfowitz, Took A Ride, What's Happening, and DJ. I was slightly surprised at how fast and well we did them. I guess we had done more homework than I thought.
After basic tracks we decided to tackle Goosetown and The Kid guitar overdubs. This went quickly but so did the time. Once these things were done it was already time to break for dinner.
Upon our return, Matt broke out the keyboards and we laid a bunch of tracks on pretty much everything we had planned to use keys on sans 2 songs. Matt also threw down some muted trumpet to What's Happening which came out great! All in all it was a very productive session.
Wednesday, February 08, 2006
Another Practice
Last night we drudged through four songs. It wouldn't have been so bad, in fact it was fun but Jeremy, Adam, and I are all sick with some kind of chest infection. Matt is the only healthy one of the bunch. Still we played on like troopers.
We decided to drop the song that I have been calling "In Through The Outro" so we can do it at a later date with Terry at the bass helm. In its place we added "Took A Ride" which I really think is a good choice and gives the songs we are doing some balance.
Practice went quickly and it was decided to go ahead and schedule another one for tonight.
Wednesday, February 01, 2006
Practice
Adam and I were supposed to go to the studio today and lay some acoustic guitars and practice for a while. That didn;t happen. Chris miscalculated something so Adam and i decided to just get together and go through the 4 songs that we are going to record soon.
Matt called during the day and said he can make it for practice on Thursday and invited Jeremy and I over on Friday. I let him know about Adam and I playing tonight and he said he might be over.
Adam and I banged out the four songs and I think he has a pretty good idea how they all work now. This will give us the jump we need to nail them on the 11th. I was really tired and my fingers were really sore from playing all day so was glad when it was over. Glad we did it too. Tomorrow is another day!
Sunday, January 29, 2006
Saturday January 28 - Recording
An interesting day to say the least. All of us got together for breakfast before the recording was to go down. Everyone seemed fairly chipper and excited with the exception of Jeremy who had a bit of a cold and almost canceled.
We got to the studio around noon and unloaded gear. As soon as we were done with that and trying to decide what to do Jeni showed up. Jeni is a local student that we found through myspace to sing on "Jackie Johnson". We played the song for her twice and by the third time she was ready to tackle it. She was quite professional in her craft and really brought a new dimension to the song. I think it took roughly an hour and a half to get her vocals done and then she was gone. Real nice girl and she offered her services again should we need them.
Terry had shown up during the vocal recording so we got right on to recording basic tracks for "Goosetown". We did 2 or 3 practice takes and nailed the recording on the first take. I was quite impressed since Terry had just heard the song that morning. Terry had to leave so Matt switched up bass duties and we got the basic tracks to "The Kid". Adam, Jeremy, and I had practiced these quite a bit so its no surprise that the basic tracks didn't take too long.
We took a break and went outside so the smokers could get their fix. Chris brought up that he wanted to have tracking done by the end of February. I think this will be a feat to pull off and we will have to work really hard but it can be done. If things don't get done we have a lot of other recording options.
We all came back in and had Justin lay a guitar track to put the finishing touches on "The Drinking Song" before heading out for some dinner.
I'm not sure what happened after we got back. I tried to lay a acoustic track down to "Goosetown" but it just wasn't happening. Its wasn't too bad but the live recorded drums were hard to keep time with. I'm used to using a click track to play to in the studio but we wanted a different approach here. Anyway, we thought we could give Matt a go at the keyboard sounds. For some reason, that didn't work out either so Jeremy stepped to the plate. Try as he might he couldn't get a part he was happy with. We were 0 for 3 on this tune and running out of time for the day so we wrapped up and called it a night.
Hopefully we can get the rest done during the week.
Friday, January 27, 2006
Thursday practice
We didn't plan on having a practice but somehow it came together. Matt called to say that some stuff came up and couldn't make it last night. I offered to show him the songs if he wanted to come over. I told the other guys what was going down and before I knew it we had a full band practice going.
It went fairly well but the songs are a bit moody and I could tell everyone was tired. Still, I think it will give us the edge for the weekend.
Thursday, January 26, 2006
Tues Recording & Wed Practice
Last Tuesday was recording night. This time it was just Jeremy and I working with Chris. We had vocals yet to lay on "Jackie" and "The Drinking Song" and it was decided to do so. Jeremy had some great vocal ideas on "Jackie" that make it even more different than the demo version.
After Jeremy was through, I put down some quick chorus vocals on "Jackie" and then began work on "The Drinking Song". This went very quickly as we had most of it already done. Jeremy laid a vocal similar to the demo (which I love) it just sounds so sweet through the gear Chris has.
The real fun began when Jeremy and I decided to do a group vocal to add to the "drunken singers". The ompahpa's were funny as shit. We got a case of the hard belly laughs like you would see in outtakes of movies where the actors just can't keep a straight face for their dialog. That’s exactly how it was. Lots of fun and we improved the sound in the end. It was great.
Wednesday began with Terry calling to say he was too booked to be able to make the session. This was a bummer because we all love that guy and like having him around. I also had trouble getting a hold of Matt and I assumed that something had come up.
Adam, Jeremy, and I got together and ran through the songs a couple of times. It went pretty well and we already know them well enough to record once Saturday hits.
Wednesday, January 18, 2006
Tonights Session by Dan
So tonight we went to lay down some vocals for the songs that we had laid basic tracks down last Saturday. Things went a little slower then expected but we did get a lot done. Jeremy started off by laying down the verses for "Verge" while Adam and I went to grab the lyric sheets that had been forgotten. Jeremy was just about done by the time we got back. Justin showed up around this time and I headed down to the booth to record my section of "Verge".
The main vocals went fairly smoothly with the exception of running out of tracks to work with on pro tools. Chris was trying a mic technique where he had 2 mics going at once which was eating up tracks quickly. I began to lay harmony tracks when Matt made his appearance. He expressed that he had a vocal part that he wanted to try and would do it when I was finished. It turned out that he had the same harmony idea that I had so in the interest of adding more texture to the track I invited him down to do what he had in mind. It turned out fairly well and I'm glad he did it.
When that was finished up we went on to work on vocals for "The Drinking Song". In the interest of time it was decided that I would go down and lay the main chorus vocals. This acted as a guide for the gang vocals that came next. We all had a blast recording the drunken gang vocals. Before we knew what happened it was time to wrap up for the night. It was a good session even though we didn’t get as far along as hoped.
Tuesday, March 14, 2006
Recording
We have had a session since the last time I wrote in which Matt came in and finished up all of the keyboard parts. Jeremy and I also laid down most of if not all of the remaining acoustic guitars. Chris was feeling under the weather this night so we kind of took it slow and had to feel it out. It was the same feeling as when Jeremy and I was sick, its just like a underlying lack of enthusiasm and it makes for a weird environment. To his credit Chris was a trooper and we did get a lot done. It did kind of suck to find out that he was sick for a few days after the session. I hoped we hadn't pushed him too hard.
Anyway, tonight we return in what feels like forever. Jeremy and I have a pretty good idea where we are at and what needs to be done. It should come together nicely.
-Dan
Friday, February 24, 2006
Overdubs
The overdub sessions of the past 2 nights have gone extremely well. Jeremy and I made a list and we just started checking things off left and right. We were able to plow through about 4 tracks total leaving us with 4 more to finish off in another 2 day session. I would imagine that we would have one more overdub session to tidy up the odds and ends in the recordings.
Vocals went amazingly well. I couldn't believe some of the tones and sounds that were coming from the 2 of us all being just perfect for what the songs needed. There was a point of the giggles again. I think laying vocals with both Jeremy and I in the both gives us a different kind of energy that we can't get alone. This probably stems from how the 2 of us are used to working and recording together. Whatever it is, it worked for us last night.
Tuesday, February 14, 2006
Practice
Things started out a bit odd on this day. First of all, I had to come up with a new plan of attack for the next recording session. Our next two weekends are out because people are going to be out of town. This brings our February deadline to a screeching halt. We decided to try some weekday basic tracking and made plans to do so this coming Thursday giving us Monday and Tuesday to practice with Drum set up on Wednesday. Being the thoughtless person that I am at times, I forgot about plans I had for valentines day so Tuesday was not an option for me.
It took us a while to all come together with a plan that will work and practice was almost canceled for the week but we got it together and figured it all out before that happened.
Adam came over with some interesting news. It appears that Chris doesn't want to do the 15 songs that we had discussed doing. I guess in his mind we were only going to do 7 songs originally. Its odd because we have always had 15 songs since this began and always intended on recording them all. I believe that Chris may have gotten those numbers from Adam since he is our link and also where our wires seem to always get crossed. It just seems weird to me that we would get this far into the project and Chris would want to bail. Something isn't adding up and I intend to find out what and why.
Anyway, practice went well. We decided to work on "Zep" and "Figure Something Out" for the night. I think we have a good grasp on the songs, now we just need to tighten them before Wednesday. No problem!
Sunday, February 12, 2006
Saturday, Feburary 11 - Recording
Things went fairly smooth on this recording session. We had done quite a bit of homework as well so we were prepared to get things done. We laid basic tracks for Wolfowitz, Took A Ride, What's Happening, and DJ. I was slightly surprised at how fast and well we did them. I guess we had done more homework than I thought.
After basic tracks we decided to tackle Goosetown and The Kid guitar overdubs. This went quickly but so did the time. Once these things were done it was already time to break for dinner.
Upon our return, Matt broke out the keyboards and we laid a bunch of tracks on pretty much everything we had planned to use keys on sans 2 songs. Matt also threw down some muted trumpet to What's Happening which came out great! All in all it was a very productive session.
Wednesday, February 08, 2006
Another Practice
Last night we drudged through four songs. It wouldn't have been so bad, in fact it was fun but Jeremy, Adam, and I are all sick with some kind of chest infection. Matt is the only healthy one of the bunch. Still we played on like troopers.
We decided to drop the song that I have been calling "In Through The Outro" so we can do it at a later date with Terry at the bass helm. In its place we added "Took A Ride" which I really think is a good choice and gives the songs we are doing some balance.
Practice went quickly and it was decided to go ahead and schedule another one for tonight.
Wednesday, February 01, 2006
Practice
Adam and I were supposed to go to the studio today and lay some acoustic guitars and practice for a while. That didn;t happen. Chris miscalculated something so Adam and i decided to just get together and go through the 4 songs that we are going to record soon.
Matt called during the day and said he can make it for practice on Thursday and invited Jeremy and I over on Friday. I let him know about Adam and I playing tonight and he said he might be over.
Adam and I banged out the four songs and I think he has a pretty good idea how they all work now. This will give us the jump we need to nail them on the 11th. I was really tired and my fingers were really sore from playing all day so was glad when it was over. Glad we did it too. Tomorrow is another day!
Sunday, January 29, 2006
Saturday January 28 - Recording
An interesting day to say the least. All of us got together for breakfast before the recording was to go down. Everyone seemed fairly chipper and excited with the exception of Jeremy who had a bit of a cold and almost canceled.
We got to the studio around noon and unloaded gear. As soon as we were done with that and trying to decide what to do Jeni showed up. Jeni is a local student that we found through myspace to sing on "Jackie Johnson". We played the song for her twice and by the third time she was ready to tackle it. She was quite professional in her craft and really brought a new dimension to the song. I think it took roughly an hour and a half to get her vocals done and then she was gone. Real nice girl and she offered her services again should we need them.
Terry had shown up during the vocal recording so we got right on to recording basic tracks for "Goosetown". We did 2 or 3 practice takes and nailed the recording on the first take. I was quite impressed since Terry had just heard the song that morning. Terry had to leave so Matt switched up bass duties and we got the basic tracks to "The Kid". Adam, Jeremy, and I had practiced these quite a bit so its no surprise that the basic tracks didn't take too long.
We took a break and went outside so the smokers could get their fix. Chris brought up that he wanted to have tracking done by the end of February. I think this will be a feat to pull off and we will have to work really hard but it can be done. If things don't get done we have a lot of other recording options.
We all came back in and had Justin lay a guitar track to put the finishing touches on "The Drinking Song" before heading out for some dinner.
I'm not sure what happened after we got back. I tried to lay a acoustic track down to "Goosetown" but it just wasn't happening. Its wasn't too bad but the live recorded drums were hard to keep time with. I'm used to using a click track to play to in the studio but we wanted a different approach here. Anyway, we thought we could give Matt a go at the keyboard sounds. For some reason, that didn't work out either so Jeremy stepped to the plate. Try as he might he couldn't get a part he was happy with. We were 0 for 3 on this tune and running out of time for the day so we wrapped up and called it a night.
Hopefully we can get the rest done during the week.
Friday, January 27, 2006
Thursday practice
We didn't plan on having a practice but somehow it came together. Matt called to say that some stuff came up and couldn't make it last night. I offered to show him the songs if he wanted to come over. I told the other guys what was going down and before I knew it we had a full band practice going.
It went fairly well but the songs are a bit moody and I could tell everyone was tired. Still, I think it will give us the edge for the weekend.
Thursday, January 26, 2006
Tues Recording & Wed Practice
Last Tuesday was recording night. This time it was just Jeremy and I working with Chris. We had vocals yet to lay on "Jackie" and "The Drinking Song" and it was decided to do so. Jeremy had some great vocal ideas on "Jackie" that make it even more different than the demo version.
After Jeremy was through, I put down some quick chorus vocals on "Jackie" and then began work on "The Drinking Song". This went very quickly as we had most of it already done. Jeremy laid a vocal similar to the demo (which I love) it just sounds so sweet through the gear Chris has.
The real fun began when Jeremy and I decided to do a group vocal to add to the "drunken singers". The ompahpa's were funny as shit. We got a case of the hard belly laughs like you would see in outtakes of movies where the actors just can't keep a straight face for their dialog. That’s exactly how it was. Lots of fun and we improved the sound in the end. It was great.
Wednesday began with Terry calling to say he was too booked to be able to make the session. This was a bummer because we all love that guy and like having him around. I also had trouble getting a hold of Matt and I assumed that something had come up.
Adam, Jeremy, and I got together and ran through the songs a couple of times. It went pretty well and we already know them well enough to record once Saturday hits.
Wednesday, January 18, 2006
Tonights Session by Dan
So tonight we went to lay down some vocals for the songs that we had laid basic tracks down last Saturday. Things went a little slower then expected but we did get a lot done. Jeremy started off by laying down the verses for "Verge" while Adam and I went to grab the lyric sheets that had been forgotten. Jeremy was just about done by the time we got back. Justin showed up around this time and I headed down to the booth to record my section of "Verge".
The main vocals went fairly smoothly with the exception of running out of tracks to work with on pro tools. Chris was trying a mic technique where he had 2 mics going at once which was eating up tracks quickly. I began to lay harmony tracks when Matt made his appearance. He expressed that he had a vocal part that he wanted to try and would do it when I was finished. It turned out that he had the same harmony idea that I had so in the interest of adding more texture to the track I invited him down to do what he had in mind. It turned out fairly well and I'm glad he did it.
When that was finished up we went on to work on vocals for "The Drinking Song". In the interest of time it was decided that I would go down and lay the main chorus vocals. This acted as a guide for the gang vocals that came next. We all had a blast recording the drunken gang vocals. Before we knew what happened it was time to wrap up for the night. It was a good session even though we didn’t get as far along as hoped.