EP Progress 10

Reverb Equalization. Not incredibly important, but very useful to clean up your mix. Thankfully, parallel processing makes it simple. Route the reverb to its own dedicated mix channel and EQ it.

This week I've been working on the final track to the EP. It's still early days for this track. In fact, I wrote this song as a sort of spin-off from The Fall, but then it evolved. I added new bits, and now it sounds absolutely nothing like the idea genesis. This track is total experimentation.

I started with a basic piano bass-line ghost track. Added a crazy experimental beat using samples. Then started tacking on bits of other songs I'd been working on. And it sounds ok. It's weird, but I like weird. I'll keep working on it.

I wonder if, by the time I'm finished this EP, a year will have passed. I think that's ok, isn't it? There are no rules after all. Actually, I think that's pretty normal. Lots of great bands can take 2-4 years to do a full album. A few months ago, I met a guy at a music producers conference who had been working on his album for 10 years. 10 years!! That's possibly a little too long.

I'm hopeful of getting a job this week. Fingers crossed.

Ergo out.

My little M-Audio Oxygen8 v2. A producers must have. Great portability.
M-Audio, please sponsor me...    :)

EP Progress 9

My poor long neglected blog, how have you been? Don't cry, I'm still here, and still working on my 4th track, slowly tho. I've been job hunting a lot this fortnight, which doesn't leave a lot to report on my music.

I've finished most of the core musical elements for this new track. Started singing recently, but still working on lyrics and vocal melody. I really like what I have so far though, which is great. I'm trying to use different tones in my voice for this song.

I had a mate come around recently, and I explained the song and played him a little. His reaction was 'oh cool, so it'll sound sort of like Nick Cave'. And although that's probably not 100% right, it's pretty close I reckon.

Also, I've started using a new mixing technique for this song. Parallel processing of reverbs. Basically, its the routing of any reverb unit output through a dedicated mix channel. Then I can apply pass filters to really shape the sound of the reverb. In this case, I'm applying low pass filters to about 700hz on hall reverbs which makes them sound really roomy (large).

I don't know why I didn't think of this before. I should just run everything through its own channel!!!!   :)

I wonder how many channels my software can actually run....  I should know that already. GAH! Ok well I just counted how many channels I'm using, and I'm up to 60 channels so far with this song. That's a lot, but I think I used at least 100 for The Fall.

I don't think this song will top that.

Lots of channels. And knobs. And stuff.