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
Cleaning Out the Garage
summer is here and i’m actually think it might be productive. it’s not like i don’t need the break, i’m just not that productive when i don’t have any real structure to my day. overall the last few years have been a little too much drama for me and it’s time to “get my house in order” (literally as well as figuratively).
1st up is cleaning out my garage and turning it into a rehearsal studio/performance space. over the last few years i have definitely outgrown my “office” and now that i’m teaching private students at the house i need a bigger space to work in. after editing and mixing three albums (not to mention most of the composing that i do at home)i also have to admit that i really need a change of scenery. even though i wasn’t writing that much music this past year i found it very hard to want to sit down at my desk to do anything creative so i ventured out anywhere i could think of as an alternative creative space (including different rooms in the house) and came to the conclusion that having a larger space in my garage should do the trick for now. it will also allow me to setup and properly practice with the all the gear i’m using with my “music for controllers” setup. instead making music through headphones i really have needed to spend the time figuring out how to play these pieces “live” and have come to realize it’s much more involved than when I just played trombone.
the main problem is getting a proper balance when you are mixing live acoustic instruments (trombone, voice) and controllers (kaossilator, drone/scruti box, buddha machine, ableton live, launchpad, etc…). i also have realized that mixing electric and acoustic instruments without sound reinforcement can be very a very disjointed listening experience in a live performance and in many ways my even though much of this music is not technically hard to perform my “practicing” centers around how to setup gear, mics, and amps which means that i have to pretty much be practicing/performing with a stereo/PA system to make my performances aurally make sense.
with all that being said (and after trying to mostly “practice” at other locations) the reality is that the setup and teardown of this technological spectacle (a few amps, mic/stand, laptop/keyboard stand/table, MOTU traveller(digital/audio interface), and 2 pedal boards) can take almost as long as the rehearsal so for the time being i’m going to be only performing solo or with whomever musicians that can make it to the 90042 for a weekly rehearsal.
after driving down to fullerton and back for the last 20 years for PBE and DIE rehearsals can really take it’s toll and at this point in my life i think it’s only natural to change things up and make music in a different way. to me it’s kinda funny b/c on one hand i know there are a lot of people who over the past few years have been introduced to my “Retrace Our Steps/PBE 1.0″ music who really wish i was making more music with the larger group and really like the strings/winds/rock band orchestration. there are also another group who have only seen the “PBE 2.0 rock band” (as we jokingly called it) and keep asking when that group is going to perform again. all i can say is that part of making alt-classical music is not really having the control to make those choices which leaves me to make music with the equipment and musicians that are available (and not continually banging my trying to fit a round peg in a square hole)
the good news is that if all goes well I should be performing on a regular basis soon. when and if there will be a PBE 3.0 is yet to be seen. right now one step at a time is fine with me.