EP Released!

Yes, its here. But not as I'd planned. I've released the first three tracks I've done as the whole EP.

I made this decision after spending a lot of time exploring, remixing, and experimenting with my first 3 tracks. Basically I came to the conclusion that I didn't like where the EP is heading. I really want to take a different direction, and keep exploring.

So I've released the 3 tracks that I've done, and called it, Elucidation. It means, to make clear, which is fitting because this EP has clarified, to me, what I like, what I don't, what my own strengths and weaknesses are, and so on. Sort of a self-clarification. Yeah, deep and stuff, ha!

50 cents is as cheap as bandcamp would allow me to offer the EP.  :)

A year in the making. I hope you enjoy it.

ERGO ALT - Elucidation

EP Progress 14

Spent the better part of last month attuning myself to the new speakers. Mixing my songs. Mapping out song 4, which needs a little reworking in the song structure. The Fall (song 2) and I Feel Alive (song 3) are really really really close to exactly how I want them.

I took a risk and reset all my mixing work for The Fall, and attempted a remix from scratch. It paid off. I managed a much cleared mix and, in the process, noticed that some of the samples I've been using aren't very good quality. So I've replaced the bass and the piano. I purchased Reason Pianos refill, some hyper-sampled grand pianos, from Propellerheads. They're are awesome by the way. The piano sounds cool now.

I also need to do some more work on The Fire in the Heart of Youth. Particularly in the drums. The samples are sloppy in the bass end and it muddies the sound. I'll attempt some drum replacement stuff. How dull.

Back to work!  :)

EP Progress 13

I've spent the past month playing with my new speakers. Remixing my first 3 songs. Yeah, so not a lot of progress to report on song 4 unfortunately.

I've also started doing my friend Amy's second song for her EP. It's called Safeway Parking Lot. I've learnt a lot of new stuff since I did her first song, so I will probably remix that for her EP release.

I've been uploading my songs to Bandcamp and listening to them all in a row. This is helping me to create consistency between the frequencies in each song, and to test out the flow of the tracks.

Now some technical rubbish:
I've begun noticing a technique that lots of artists use to create perception of space. I call it the 'cone of space'. I have no idea what this is actually called, if anything. Basically it works like this. Sounds positioned in the centre of the mix, have a low pass filter applied to about 400hz, whilst sounds in the side have a low pass to about 300hz. These vary of course, depending on the song. Anyway, this creates the illusion that the sounds to your left and right are closer than those in front of you. Something like that.

That's it for this month.

EP Progress 12

This fortnight I've been working heavily on Track 4. Recorded a whole set of vocals, then deleted at least half. I'm back again to that horrible iterative process of trial and error until I hear something I really like. I was making good progress, but I decided that I didn't enjoy listening to the song. I think that's important. I could churn out a whole heap of songs easy, but I find I keep asking myself, 'why would anyone listen to this twice'? Once, sure, but twice means a whole lot more. 

I think asking these questions is healthy. It obviously means I'm producing less than I could, 3 songs in 10 months (sigh), but it's for the best. Otherwise I wouldn't be proud of what I'm doing. I need to be proud. 

The vocals are key to this track. I'm trying to make them dark and gritty without sounding cheezy. No easy task.

I'll just keep working on it. The new monitor speakers are helping.

That's all I've got to write right now. 

Game changer

New monitors are Awwwwwsome! They add a new point of reference for getting a quality mix, and its an epic win here on all fronts. I feel like I have more control all of a sudden. So, I've gone back to Song 1 this week, The Fall. And I'm doing a remix for the EP. It sounds wicked already, I bloody love it. But I might have to resing 1 part, that's ok I get around to it later. I'll probably remix the other songs too.

So in retrospect, it was kinda stupid not to have studio monitors from the beginning. Good ones. And ALSO, good headphones. My monitors are KRK Rokit G2 5's, and I'm using the Shure SRH440 headphones. A potent combination. But I just didn't have the money when I started out.

Also, I decided I don't like the graphics for the bandcamp website. So I whipped up some new ones. The new ones are darker, and represent the core elements of my music. Stuff like, the power of the individual, but also isolation and loneliness that can come with that image, and darkness and beauty co-existing. etc etc. A little gothic perhaps, but not dark gothic. I've used some photo's a good friend of mine took.

It's fun, making the graphics. I like doing it. I should become a graphic designer!  ;P
Oh, and the 4th song is coming along. Sounds good, but still revising the lyrics here and there...
Here the look of the new site.

Studio Monitors!

YAY!!

EP Progress 11

Slow. That's how progress is. Very slow.

I've got a new job which I've been settling into. It will pay the bills, and hopefully I will soon buy some monitor speakers to help me mix. It's kinda funny that I've been able to get so far without monitors. I've been mainly mixing through headphones, which is not ideal. I'll go shopping for them soon, yay. Big yay.

I've also been teasing out vocals for my 4th track. I laid some down, and they almost work, but I need to aim for something better. So I'll be working on them tomorrow (it's a public holiday, woo hoo!).

Finally, I've whipped up a bandcamp website for Ergo Alt. It's hidden so no-one can see it just yet. I need to take some artistic photos to help develop it further. The background needs to look spiffy, and fit the mood of the EP.

That's all for the news this month.

Here's a screen shot of the draft bandcamp website. You can see that I've titled the EP 'Elucidation'. I'll write about that next time.

Spiffy.