Home Recording Project

briang-telkomsa-net

For those who may be interested in
1. Following my progress
2. Offering any comments (did I say "any" - I have a thick skin)

I have embarked on a "budget" home recording project.

Why?
Because I have 12 original acoustic guitar instrumental songs that need to be recorded. Don't they?
Hopefully I will also learn a few things along the way.

How?
At home, in my bedroom, using the following widgets;
Sigma 6-String acoustic guitar
Samson C01 condenser mic (the SM58 and Dean Markley pick up didn't really work and "budget" is my only option)
Allen&Heath FX10 as audio interface
Laptop
Reaper
GuitarPro6 (for drums and bass - not optimal but will have to do for now! Benefit of this is that I am forced to score the songs which is probably a good thing?)

So leave was put in this week in order to get the project off the ground - Below is a "Progress List" and each song's progress is measured as follows; (Drums, Bass, Gtr Rhythm, Gtr Melody, Mixed) - Comments

Song Title - (Progress)
Spanish Stallion - (Drums, Bass, Gtr Rhythm, Gtr Melody....)
- My alternate picking technique could not handle one of the faster passages without a "click" when crossing to an adjacent string (16th notes @ 130 b.p.m.) and I "discovered" the "inside" technique which helped to sort out the timing - not sure that this is a good technique to follow but it works!
Strumming The Line - (Bass...)
- As I have to score the Bass on GP6 I managed to simplify what I had done previously and to a large extent "cleaned up" the bars that required odd time signatures i.e. 6/4 and 3/4 in a 4/4 tune
Think Quick - (Drums W.I.P....)
- no comment

I hope to have these three tunes recorded and mixed by the time work beckons on Monday (I can't wait!).
Mixed songs to be posted Soundcloud as a "draft"?

The remaining nine tunes will be worked on as time permits. I have not got it clear in my mind what a reasonable time frame could be to complete all twelve into a list of mastered tunes. At the rate things are going a deadline for a mastered set of tunes by September 30 2015 may be achievable - so will keep that as a deadline. I am doing this as a solo project so have only myself to blame if things do not get done and the deadline has to be changed!

For those who are interested, follow me on my journey, and I look forward to any comments you may make.

studmissile

Sounds good, post when ready!

Chabenda

Great, Brian - I also have an accumulation of leave and I reckon that your idea of taking leave to set everything up and get stuck in is a good one.

All the best!

briang-telkomsa-net

Thanks for the encouragement Studmissile and Chabenda.
I can recommend taking that leave Chabenda = food for the soul

Hear the first two songs at the link below, only 10 to go!!

3rd tune progress (Think Quick)
-drum and bass tracks completed
-Rhythm guitar recording not going so well - timing seems to be an issue so some work needed here

Squonk

Good stuff Brian

Great songs and playing. need to show me some of your chops!

The tone of the guitar sounds good to me, I didn't like the drums in Spanish Stallion, sounded a bit too plastic, not that I can give you any advice.

Good stuff so far

briang-telkomsa-net

Squonk wrote: ...... I didn't like the drums in Spanish Stallion, sounded a bit too plastic, not that I can give you any advice.....
Good stuff so far

I have to agree with you on the drums, but, will have to stay that way until I have the resources for a better sounding, and more efficient, drum source! - see my first post on how I am going about this.
If I have to wait for everything to be "perfect" I will never get going, which is kind of what has been happening for far too long now.
Glad to know someone thinks I have chops worth showing - thanks for that and will gladly share

studmissile

Very impressive playing Briang, is that a contemporary flamenco? I'm not very familiar with it, but it sounds great. Looking forward to more....

briang-telkomsa-net

studmissile wrote: ....... is that a contemporary flamenco? I'm not very familiar with it,....

Thanks for the kind words, much appreciated - My project consists of tunes that I have come up with without any particular thought given to genre. If it sounds like flamenco then it is flamenco, which is cool!

studmissile

briang wrote:
studmissile wrote: ....... is that a contemporary flamenco? I'm not very familiar with it,....
Thanks for the kind words, much appreciated - My project consists of tunes that I have come up with without any particular thought given to genre. If it sounds like flamenco then it is flamenco, which is cool!

Very unique....... at least to my ears!

Stoffeltoo

Keep them coming BrianG
Hell I wish I could play like this :-[

TokyoP0P

I dig it, especially that Spanish Stallion one.

It sounds like something Quintin Tarantino or Robert Rodriguez would use in their movie scores.

domhatch

both lekker. left some comments - not helpful, of course, just thoughts - but ja, i dig what you're doing!

dh|

briang-telkomsa-net

Chanbenda, Studmissile, Squonk, Stoffeltoo, TokyoP0P and Domhatch
Thanks for the comments guys (no gals?)
Been away or a few days so no progress in the last week - will climb back on the train during this week.

briang-telkomsa-net

domhatch wrote: both lekker. left some comments - not helpful, of course, just thoughts - but ja, i dig what you're doing!

dh|

Dom
I replied to some of your comments on soundcloud - thanks for these!

jrs

Regarding the drums - try out MT Power drum Kit - it's free and sounds pretty decent.
http://www.powerdrumkit.com/

briang-telkomsa-net

jrs wrote: Regarding the drums - try out MT Power drum Kit - it's free and sounds pretty decent.
http://www.powerdrumkit.com/

Thanks for this jrs - will certainly look at it!!

briang-telkomsa-net

So progress on the third tune has been painfully slow, latency issues, not knowing the melody as well as I thought I did, work getting in the way of my personal time....etc. but a draft is finally up on Souncloud for those of you that may be interested in listening.

Song Title - Status
Spanish Stallion - draft mix on Soundcloud
Strumming The Line - draft mix on Soundcloud
Think Quick - draft mix on Soundcloud
Oh, It's Blue - next up

TokyoP0P

All Think Quick needs is Questlove on drums and Black Thought on vocals.

briang-telkomsa-net

TokyoP0P wrote: All Think Quick needs is Questlove on drums and Black Thought on vocals.

I will have to admit my ignorance with regard to "Questlove" and "Black Thought"!
But wait, there's Google.....so will follow up on these - thanks

TokyoP0P

briang wrote:
TokyoP0P wrote: All Think Quick needs is Questlove on drums and Black Thought on vocals.
I will have to admit my ignorance with regard to "Questlove" and "Black Thought"!
But wait, there's Google.....so will follow up on these - thanks

Their members of The Roots, a hip hop group consisting of flesh and bone, talented musicians as appose to just synths and artificial drum tracks. Think Quick just reminds me a bit of a couple of their older songs, like Seed 2.0.