![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
catsittingstillSo. Album. You remember.
Anyway--since I have to make special arrangements to use the padded room ...
Okay, that is coming out funny. Pause to explain: the Very Best recording is done by preference in a room whose hard surfaces are made not hard (so they won't reflect sound) by attaching foam to them. Often foam cut in egg-crate type patterns. You want the sound you're trying to record as clean as possible--no echoes (nor echoes from close by, which is referred to as "reverb"), no sounds from other sources) because YOU want to pick how much reverb and such there is when you do the mixing. Adding more is child's play but taking it away is damn near impossible. (There are some sound processing tricks. Last time I was recording they made the sound left behind sound funny. Funny in ways you would only do deliberately, for effect, in small doses. Things may have advanced since then--goodness knows my Zoom is a major advance....)
Carson Newman has a room with foam on the walls, not really as sound-isolated as I'd like (ventilation window goes straight out to a hallway, for example) but much better than anything I have at home. I'm referring to this, and to such rooms in general, as "the padded room." This may or may not make it into a song or album title.
However I have to make special arrangements to use it. I can't argue with that; obviously paying students have first call. But that means once I hit the padded room I'd like to be Ready To Record with minimal messing about. Which means I need to learn 1) my songs very well, including the exact arrangements, so minimal retakes for performance flubs 2) the exact order I will want to record tracks in, and how to negotiate the sound of the previous recorded tracks so they don't throw me off 3) how to play along with a metronome (this is more difficult than you might think--if you ever think you're going to need to do this, I recommend a month or so of prep time) 4) how to work my recording equipment, so minimal retakes for sound engineering flubs.
So I've been practicing, every day, not just my songs--and not just things like laying down a rhythm mando track without singing to it (harder than you would think if you're not used to it) but playing with a metronome and working the recording equipment and recording along to previous tracks. Because the recording equipment is almost an instrument in its own right and you have to learn to "play" it too.
Don't get too impressed; I'm still working with the first song on this.
Anyway--"You Stand Alone" I laid down a octave mando track (had to try several times to get 1) a consistent number of measures between each chorus and the subsequent verse 2) the right consistent number of measures 3) the switch from playing melody to crosspicking rhythm. Why did I think it was a good idea to have that on one track? You know, I don't know. That's how I've been doing it in performance. Also a plucked stringed instrument has enough sustain that turning its volume on or off suddenly produces funny sounding results. Like, for example, if I laid down separate melody and crosspicking tracks that each ran the length of the whole song, then tried to alternate between them by setting a track's volume very low when I didn't want it, and back up when I did. You can hear the "joins" and they annoy me.
So--laid down octave mando track with Pearl. Came back and laid down vocal track. Discovered problem with consistent number of measures. Laid down new Pearl track a couple of times. Came back and laid down vocal track. Pulled out countermelody for Lark I had been working on during the weekend. Ran through countermelody with recorder off a couple of times (I can delete files from the SD chip so it doesn't fill up but it's kind of a pain, and I could barely play the countermelody when I finished practicing yesterday so why waste the space?) Figured it would be terrible, but just for grins turned the recorder on and tried to play along with the previous tracks.
You know, it's a lot easier to play the countermelody if you don't have to sing the melody at the same time. I didn't do good enough to keep even for a scratch track, but I did a *lot* better than I expected to do. Furthermore this might be a helpful way to practice countermelodies I'm not solid on yet. And having written 2 and a half in the previous week, something like that might be helpful.
File under "After Many Years, Cat Finally Notices Obvious."
Also I discovered it's possible to transfer one file from iTunes to my iPod without synching it. Which is great because I had my computer play the (melody turned down soft) plus new countermelody for "Ballad of the Valkyries" five times into my Zoom, then transferred the result to iTunes and this way I could listen to it on my walk this morning. On repeat. For thirty five solid minutes. The plan was that I would learn it by ear this way. However, I'm not sure I like it as much as I did.
Anyway--since I have to make special arrangements to use the padded room ...
Okay, that is coming out funny. Pause to explain: the Very Best recording is done by preference in a room whose hard surfaces are made not hard (so they won't reflect sound) by attaching foam to them. Often foam cut in egg-crate type patterns. You want the sound you're trying to record as clean as possible--no echoes (nor echoes from close by, which is referred to as "reverb"), no sounds from other sources) because YOU want to pick how much reverb and such there is when you do the mixing. Adding more is child's play but taking it away is damn near impossible. (There are some sound processing tricks. Last time I was recording they made the sound left behind sound funny. Funny in ways you would only do deliberately, for effect, in small doses. Things may have advanced since then--goodness knows my Zoom is a major advance....)
Carson Newman has a room with foam on the walls, not really as sound-isolated as I'd like (ventilation window goes straight out to a hallway, for example) but much better than anything I have at home. I'm referring to this, and to such rooms in general, as "the padded room." This may or may not make it into a song or album title.
However I have to make special arrangements to use it. I can't argue with that; obviously paying students have first call. But that means once I hit the padded room I'd like to be Ready To Record with minimal messing about. Which means I need to learn 1) my songs very well, including the exact arrangements, so minimal retakes for performance flubs 2) the exact order I will want to record tracks in, and how to negotiate the sound of the previous recorded tracks so they don't throw me off 3) how to play along with a metronome (this is more difficult than you might think--if you ever think you're going to need to do this, I recommend a month or so of prep time) 4) how to work my recording equipment, so minimal retakes for sound engineering flubs.
So I've been practicing, every day, not just my songs--and not just things like laying down a rhythm mando track without singing to it (harder than you would think if you're not used to it) but playing with a metronome and working the recording equipment and recording along to previous tracks. Because the recording equipment is almost an instrument in its own right and you have to learn to "play" it too.
Don't get too impressed; I'm still working with the first song on this.
Anyway--"You Stand Alone" I laid down a octave mando track (had to try several times to get 1) a consistent number of measures between each chorus and the subsequent verse 2) the right consistent number of measures 3) the switch from playing melody to crosspicking rhythm. Why did I think it was a good idea to have that on one track? You know, I don't know. That's how I've been doing it in performance. Also a plucked stringed instrument has enough sustain that turning its volume on or off suddenly produces funny sounding results. Like, for example, if I laid down separate melody and crosspicking tracks that each ran the length of the whole song, then tried to alternate between them by setting a track's volume very low when I didn't want it, and back up when I did. You can hear the "joins" and they annoy me.
So--laid down octave mando track with Pearl. Came back and laid down vocal track. Discovered problem with consistent number of measures. Laid down new Pearl track a couple of times. Came back and laid down vocal track. Pulled out countermelody for Lark I had been working on during the weekend. Ran through countermelody with recorder off a couple of times (I can delete files from the SD chip so it doesn't fill up but it's kind of a pain, and I could barely play the countermelody when I finished practicing yesterday so why waste the space?) Figured it would be terrible, but just for grins turned the recorder on and tried to play along with the previous tracks.
You know, it's a lot easier to play the countermelody if you don't have to sing the melody at the same time. I didn't do good enough to keep even for a scratch track, but I did a *lot* better than I expected to do. Furthermore this might be a helpful way to practice countermelodies I'm not solid on yet. And having written 2 and a half in the previous week, something like that might be helpful.
File under "After Many Years, Cat Finally Notices Obvious."
Also I discovered it's possible to transfer one file from iTunes to my iPod without synching it. Which is great because I had my computer play the (melody turned down soft) plus new countermelody for "Ballad of the Valkyries" five times into my Zoom, then transferred the result to iTunes and this way I could listen to it on my walk this morning. On repeat. For thirty five solid minutes. The plan was that I would learn it by ear this way. However, I'm not sure I like it as much as I did.
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 2011-03-16 08:25 pm (UTC)Oh my! Yes, I know (from a recording tech point of view) exactly what you mean, but that is such a wonderful term for it in so many ways (not all of them complimentary to either the performers or the engineers).
Yes, I know what you mean about trying to play with the Little Man On The Subway (a.k.a. the Metro Gnome). He never plays at the same speed as me. And he won't pause for me to think, the way I do between verses (and sometimes lines).
no subject
Date: 2011-03-17 02:43 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-03-15 05:51 pm (UTC)My solution is to computer-generate drum tracks to play along with. Even really bad ones are good enough to make me feel as if they have something musical happening and that makes all the difference to me.
no subject
Date: 2011-03-15 05:58 pm (UTC)But I like the idea of the drum track. Garage band even has loops one can use to create such a drum track. The first time I listened to the loops I became lost in all the possibilities, but if I knew how many measures everything was, I might be able to do something like that.
I'm glad it is working for you, and I may try it sometime myself.
no subject
Date: 2011-03-15 08:35 pm (UTC)When you record to previous tracks, are you listening on earphones, or recording you playing along with a recording?
no subject
Date: 2011-03-15 09:07 pm (UTC)The irony hadn't escaped me :-)
I'm listening on earphones as the Zoom plays the previously recorded tracks and records a new track at the same time. (This is called "play-through" and I'm very happy that the Zoom can do it.) As a matter of fact, part of what I'm practicing is playing/singing while not letting the earphone cord touch anything that might make a noise (music stand, instrument, clothes...)
no subject
Date: 2011-03-16 09:06 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-03-16 01:32 pm (UTC)Tip regarding the earphones - get an extension (if needed) and run the cord through your collar and down your back inside your shirt/jacket/sweater/whatever. Keeps it out from where it will whack against all the schtuff in front of you.
And, finally - if all else seems crazy, get someone else whose job it is to keep quiet and push the button on the recorder. You'd be surprised how much easier it makes things.
no subject
Date: 2011-03-16 02:22 pm (UTC)Now it has been a long time since then, and maybe I'm misremembering, or maybe I could do it better now. Plus a trick we discovered later in recording (leaving one earphone off) might also help. This would definitely be something to experiment with *before* I got to the padded room.
Thank you for the idea of the extension, and running the cord down the back. I will certainly give that some thought. I don't think I have anything that would work but probably it wouldn't be too expensive to buy one.
I will keep your suggestion of a button-pushing assistant in mind, but the zoom is attached to its microphones (or perhaps vice versa) so if the mics are at a proper distance to record, there is no trouble reaching the buttons. I do have to leave a couple of seconds open at the front of the recording to pick up the flat pick and so on, but I haven't noticed a problem with that. And one more person in the padded room is one more source of tummy gurgles and breath sounds :-)