making the seams disappear
didn’t get a lot of mixing done today. i have been finishing up mixing my ‘life’s too short’ track and needed a break from it so i decided to get started mixing my cover of weezer’s “sweater song”.
the arrangement pretty much evolves contrary to what you are probably expecting, swapping mandolin for electric guitar and passing the melody around through the ensemble gives it a real boho feeling and it’s been a fun way we have been ending most shows since the group started
the main problem today was that i got sidetracked worrying about whether the trombone fit well into the mix and since the the arrangement is pretty light and frothy i originally recorded it a bit away from the mic to get a more transparent sound (which i have since learned i could easily create with reverb plugin). so i spent my afternoon re-recording trombone, but now am having 2nd thoughts since the new recording that doesn’t sound much different.
so the plan for tomorrow (or monday b/c i have a few rehearsals) is to give it a fresh listen and see how things sound before i start making any big changes. right now i’m thinking i’ll probably use both tracks with one mixed low and slight delay (which will give it more stereo spread) and go from there. overall i think i the whole song is mixed too low (in the 2nd half) and need to get a better idea how to make the seams disappear (just like in counterpoint!)
until then enjoy the sweater song intro
summertime news and notes
for me summertime is the only of the year to time to catch up on some projects and get a little housecleaning done (professionally and personally). after a relaxing camping trip in catalina (hiking around two harbors was great!) i finally started going through my many “summer todo” lists that i made throughout the year. for whatever reason i always feel that i have to have “something tangible” completed by the 4th of july. so here is my list:
- unfortunately this website had to be burned to the ground and reinstalled. for some reason my template stopped working and it took me a while to figure out how reinstall from scratch. luckily it wasn’t as hard as i thought (thanks @vansgirl12)
- also most of this site should be quite useful now. scores (.pdf, .mus (finale), and .mid) to most of my music is now available through creative commons. all that means to me is that you can use it however you want; as long as you attribute me, and the work is not for resale.
- i started mixing the ‘alt-classical’ CD/EP again. i have to admit that doing all of the recording and editing alone (mostly) is too much of a narcissistic experience for me. eventually i’d really like to be able to hire somebody to do it, but until that day comes i have to get some distance and be able to disassociate myself from the music i wrote and we (the pbe performed). the good news is that 2 years after the fact (recording) i can now listen to that music and enjoy it (i totally understand why some actors can’t see themselves on film). currently i’m pretty close to finishing 3 tracks (principle of sufficient irritation, cheap admiration, myinnnersatan), and i’m thinking of downsizing it into an EP just to get it done. at this point i can only anticipate more problems getting clearance to release my covers of Weezer’s Sweater Song and Radiohead’s National Anthem.
- and finally, it was great to get an email (thanks caryn!) that a few weeks ago the PBE’s 1st album “Music from Summerland” was featured on John Schaefer’s New Sounds (WNYC) radio show “The Pulse of Minimalism, 060909” podcast download. its our 2nd featured spot on the show and i’m really ectastic to have interest in my “back catalog”. along those lines i have made the 7 summerland mp3′s freely available to download. enjoy! (i also learned a great lesson about making a special page for “press photos” so gig photos like this never see the light of day again)
like i said in some previous posts its hard not having a group to write or perform with right now, but mixing is keeping me plenty busy and if things go well i’m also hoping to get in the studio to record my Requiem for a High Homicide Enclave (2008)
fearless leader
pbe live at csuf 092507
scott mcintosh, clarinet
bruce gallego, electric guitar
matt menaged, electric bass
eric hendrickson, piano
paul bailey, tbone
latest mp3′s from the csuf show and lacc show:
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lacc, 100207 cheap admiration fearless leader eye for optical theory principal of sufficient irritation principal of sufficient irritation sweater song |
csuf, 092507
fearless leader
eve for optical theory
principle of sufficient irritation
principal of sufficient irritation (with real quiet)
les moutons de panurge
