Saturday, November 3, 2007 (1:26PM)
+ Compose.
* The idea for the verse first came 9:15PM, 15-Aug-2007.
I played the chords on the unplugged T5 and sang "doo-doo-doo"
into the Zoom H4. This included the Dm7-C2-Dm7-C2 sequence
at the end of the verse. I knew the idea was a seed to something
deep, but I didn't know what.
* The verse now comes to me as a song in 1st person as a plea
to others that have misunderstood the subject. It is a song
about being different and seeking connection through
multiple hindrances and the natural inclination to judge
or reject people who are different.
* Over the last week I have begun to really work at developing
the song. It is a grueling process that has no structure
and feels the emotional equivalent of giving birth (I can
only suppose). But I now begin to see the verses as about
engagement and a long bridge about solitude.
- I have struggled much to find a bridge, but I really
like a transition I stumbled upon:
Fmaj7-D2add4-Fmaj7-D2add4 with a guitar lead that introduces
the new chord by slowly bending from A to B and back down.
This sequence has a significance for the song, perhaps
of contemplation, and I wish to return to it several times.
- I have tried 3 or 4 ideas for the bridge and rejected them.
But yesterday at work I stumbled on something worth building
on: in 6/8
Gm F Eb Bb Cm
D G Bb A F D F G D C
I walk a - lone un - der the au - tumn moon
/ / / o / | o o / / | o. o. | o.
where,
\ = eigth note
o = quarter note
As much as I like it and feel this is will become part of
the song, there is much hammering and chiseling yet to
do as there is much to accomplish in the bridge. For I
must return to the verse (engagement) with new perspective.
- For composing I have turned to the T5 with the same
patch, "Far From Your Home" set to 100% tube, and the
pickup at position 4 (neck & humbucker in parallel). It
gives a lot of expression and flexibility while letting
me try chord sequences and switching to leads quickly.
Sunday, November 4, 2007 (12:54PM)
* Wrestling with the final verse today. My first pen strokes
used too wide a brush. Time to struggle with what I am really
trying to say--like I am for the first time putting words to
thoughts that I have already found music for. Such is the
way with me.
- I also had to tweak the first verse to unify it with
the rest of the song and bring it within scope. It feels
unfortunate to abandon what I thought was a good lyric,
but the rest of the song just wasn't going to elaborate
on that theme.
- My emotions begin to explode in resonance to the song,
indicating its completion is near. It currently
stands at 5:15, an appropriate length, I think, for
its theme.
Saturday, November 10, 2007 (5:39PM)
+ Arrange. Begin a scratch track.
* New SEQ file.
- Tempo = 125 bpm.
- Map out the meter, switching between 4/4 and 3/4.
Create a basic beat to serve as a metronome via the
drum grid editor and piano roll window.
* scratch T5. Same settings as above. The idea is that this part
is the purest, albeit crudest, expression of the song and,
therefore, should serve as the foundation upon which other
tracks are built.
* Back to lyrics: The final verse is weak and fails to advance
the song and lead to the final chorus powerfully enough.
I think it is time for The Wind and The Rain to re-emerge
as agents of renewal.
Sunday, November 11, 2007 (5:40PM)
* Spent some time on the RG1570. This will definitely carry
the refrain--at least most of the time. Bridge pickup through
RP20 with Dirty Tube preamp on low gain. I may wish to modulate
the gain.
Sunday, November 18, 2007 (1:05PM)
* I never did record a scratch with the RG1570--the Weight
just did not seem to be there. But I picked up the 414 and
recorded one. In the middle of the scratch take, the batteries
began to give out. When I opened it, I found the the Duracells
had leaked inside my 414--bad news!
- Pick up the bass. Yes, perhaps that is where the Weight
is for now.
Sunday, November 25, 2007 (12:09PM)
- OK, it took me a week to get back to it, but bass is
definitely where the Weight is. I am back to driving
with a pick as on The Ride.
> 1:14 PM Got a scratch track in, and I like the
direction we are taking. One thing that came to me was
taking the second bridge an octave lower at full
volume and setting it apart from the first and last.
Then, in the first four bars of the last bridge,
I let the one high C ring and build from mf. The
bass really is in the driver's seat! Almost makes me
want to return to it as primary instrument...almost.
Let's grab the RG1570 again and see what happens.
The first snow of the year is falling.
> By the way, patch 95 on the RP20 ("Wills Killer Bass"),
the old tried and true. No extra effects. Pan slightly
to bridge PU, mid-boost switch. Pick hard!
* RG1570.
- Fiddle for the right patch. Elusive. I know I want the
sensitivity of the tube, but preamp 2 (bright clean) has
too little gain, and preamp 3 (dirty tube) has too much
or is too dirty--something is different about it, and it
doesn't seem to be just the gain.
> New idea: preamp 2 (bright clean) with the compressor
on, but boost the volume out of the comp to +13db
to drive the tube harder. Add some mids to the EQ
(2.5kHz and 4kHz). Store on Mission Control to
patch 84 "Love & Truth". Bridge Pickup.
Tuesday, November 27, 2007 (9:02AM)
> Got a second scratch in.
Save Mission Control memory to "RP20 bulk 27-nov-2007"
and "RP20 sys 27-nov-2007"
Friday, November 30, 2007 (9:16AM)
* Recorded a second scratch on the T5. Better definition of the
part in the refrain, the chorus, and the bridge. A lot of
finger work for the bridge.
- I noticed I really blew the rhythm on the bridge in the
bass. Should alternate 6/8 and 3/4, and I almost made it
completely 6/8.
Saturday, December 1, 2007 (6:40PM)
- Fixed bass. More fiddling with T5.
Sunday, December 2, 2007 (3:21PM)
* The 414 is back in the saddle! Nothing like new strings, a
new power supply, and new batteries to resurrect a fine
instrument.
- Taylor Guitars' support was fantastic, and I wrote
them and told them so:
I have had my 414-CE-L3 (Maranatha! Worship-Leader LTD)
for three years now, and I love it so much I have nearly
worn the frets out. The other day I was dismayed to
discover my batteries had leaked inside the ES
compartment. I thought I had a real problem on my
hands--until I called Taylor Customer Service. In no
time at all I had a human being on the line (that means
a lot these days) who understood my guitar (that means
more) and could explain the process to me (icing on the
cake). Two days later I received a new power supply in
the mail. When I dismantled the old one, I came to
really appreciate Taylor's innovative yet practical
approach to guitar design (as a mechanical engineer, it
takes a lot to impress me). The swap was a real breeze
and demonstrated that my guitar was designed and built
for the long-haul.
I have been a Taylor owner for eleven years (a 555 in
1996, the 414ce-l3 in 2004, and a T5 this year, all of
which I am thrilled with), and this is the first time I
have had to call on you for help. You far exceeded my
expectations. I begin to feel the need for solid-body
electric. And, given this experience, your new one is
the first I intend to look at.
- recorded a second scratch.
> I feel like a sculptor continually chiseling away at
what is not yet the masterpiece, and the going is slow.
But I don't have a record company screaming about a
scheduled release date either. Thank you, Jesus.
> Record direct to mixer via XLR->BalQtr. Flat EQ.
dbx266xl compressor with moderately fast attack
& release and 2:1 ratio.
* Back to Bassics.
- I don't think I want the pick. Now for the hard part:
File the Fingernails down. Ironic, isn't it?
- Got a second scratch. I think I induced a blister though.
Also, I don't think I can get much further without
a vocal track.
love_and_truth_scratch_a.mp3
Tuesday, December 4, 2007 (10:02AM)
* Quick vocal scratch, but my voice is just not there today.
Oh well, it's something to work with as I arrange the other
instruments. I would like to lay another bass line, but my
blistered finger hurts too much.
- love_and_truth_scratch_b.mp3
Friday, December 7, 2007 (9:59AM)
* Back to Bassics.
- I haven't done much. I did not like the vocal scratch, and
I am struggling with the gap between the song's current
state and my original vision. If experience is any guide,
I will have to let go so I can see where the song is
supposed to go. But I finally have fingers that will last
long enough to develop a real bass line. And I miss the
nails!
- By the way, I am tracking the bass playing straight
through the Behringer B210A's. These things sound great!
* Voice feels stronger. Quick second scratch. Concentrate on
softer, more up-front sound in places.
- love_and_truth_scratch_c.mp3
Thursday, December 13, 2007 (10:28AM)
+ Drums
* I have got to do something to expand my drum sound.
- Checked out EZ Drummer by toontracks. No assurance of
compatibility with PowerTracks, and no trial version.
- Upgrade to PowerTracks 12 PowerPak Plus. Get RealDrums
sets 1-20.
> Total Download 2Gb.
> RealDrums comes as compressed WMA files and decompresses
to WAV. c:\bb\ is 20.0Gb!
Friday, December 14, 2007 (9:33AM)
- Post to PT user forum:
I currently use the Roland Virtual Sound canvas with
PT12, but it lacks flexibility (not enough kits). If I
could stuff 50 more kits in the VSC, that is the way I
would go.
I tried RealDrums but was disappointed. I write my own
drums with too much detail to take what it gives me. If
I could get it to follow a MIDI track, I might consider
it.
I asked about EZ Drummer, but got no response either
way. And they won't give a trial version either.
I am currently looking at Native Instruments' Battery 3.
They give a 30-minute demo. How I am going to learn the
thing and decide in 30 minutes is beyond me, but it's
better than nothing.
So... What are the rest of you using?
Friday, December 14, 2007 (4:05PM)
- Battery 3 by Native Instruments.
> return RealDrums for refund. Thanks to PGMusic for
being flexible and standing behind their products!
> download Battery 3 demo. Problem. Post to NI user forum:
I downloaded the demo version of Battery 3. But it
has a MAJOR problem: The VST won't render to audio
in my DAQ (PowerTracks). This means I can play the
thing, but I can never get a mixdown out of it.
Whenever I create a mixdown or render to an audio
track, the VST loses all its settings and reverts to
an empty setup, and I get blank audio.
Is this just because the demo disables "save" and
"total recall" functions? What are these functions
anyway?
Will this behavior disappear if I pay the money? How
can I be sure?
reply:
Yep, it is. When NI says save here, they're
referring both to saving kits/cells and saving any
rendered audio. This is a common restriction in
demos; after all, if the demo could render, there'd
be a lot of people who'd never buy the plugin, and
just install the demo to finish a track.
Total recall refers to how when Battery is loaded
into a host, when you recall that project, all of
Battery's settings will be recalled, even if that
particular kit isn't saved as a .kit in Battery.
Yes, it disappears when you get a license.
> Buy Battery 3 full from Guitar Center. GC will take
a return if it doesn't work even though it is not
their usual policy. 25% lower than any other price
too! Thanks to John G at GC!
> Install. Learn. WOW! This thing is DEEEEEEP! In fact,
it's so deep, it's unfathomable. I have a full-blown
sampling system on my hands. Absolutely incredible.
But it cost three times as much as the DAW.
Saturday, December 15, 2007 (10:51AM)
> Master Battery 3. E-mailed Ken and Rob:
Guys:
I bought Battery 3 to get some more drum kits and
more control of the sound. Then I read the manual
and understood I had gotten a full-featured sampler.
I figured a good way to get my feet wet would be to
build a kit. And what better material than the
recordings we made nine months ago!
You can get the kit I built here (15Mb):
http://.../djembe.zip
You will need to get the demo version of Battery 3
to run the kit:
http://www.native-instruments.com
If you don't have a MIDI interface and keyboard
handy, you can still listen to the mix by clicking
the cells with the mouse.
Also, the six major syllables are mapped to the
first two groups of three black keys. That is,
goon = F#0
goe = G#0
pa = A#0
doon = F#1
doe = G#1
ta = A#1
The samples use the three raw mic responses in
separate cells (I parsed out about 6*3*12 = 216 wave
files). This allows anyone to tweak to their heart's
content to get the "right" sound. I added a little
boost to the goon and doon notes on the bass mic,
moderately panned the overhead and side mics, and
gave a limiter to the mix. I would never have
guessed I could get this far in two hours.
Enjoy, Will
* The full Pop Kit in Battery 3 looks like the way to go for now.
It has 60 cells with multiple versions of snare (direct, rims,
and side sticks). Definitely a very nice kit.
- I will need to relabel the keys to get around the kit.
I am glad I have a full set of strong fingernails to
peel the old labels off. The new labeler works much better
with the 3/8-inch laminated tape which sticks better and
peels easier. 4 octaves (50 keys) labeled.
See b3_popkit_keys.jpg.
Sunday, December 16, 2007 (10AM)
* Program
- Wow! The snare, with 15 cells, is so expressive, I wonder
if I will find anything for the toms to do!
> Nice new feature in PowerTracks 12: automatic
backups saved to C:\pt\PTBackup.
- Finished the line through the first chorus.
love_and_truth_scratch_c.mp3
Tuesday, December 18, 2007 (8:30AM)
- Into the bridge.
> I used the audio chord wizard as a short-cut to
making the chords (they serve as a guide in the piano
roll window). But it deleted the meter and tempo maps.
The ritard at the end is a tempo fill:
pos tempo
176:01 125
177:01 50
Thursday, December 20, 2007 (9:50AM)
- Finished the first pass at the song. I cheated a bit and
copy-pasted a lot of material from previous passages with
the intent of listening for what is missing.
> love_and_truth_scratch_e.mp3
> To-do's:
: Do I want an open-hat in chorus 1 on 3-and?
: 1st bridge velocities need to increase
(ride & stick).
: Simplify fill leading into chorus 2.
: verse 3-4 needs to be at a higher energy
level (copy-pasted from verse 1-2). Perhaps just
raise velocities.
> Total drum-programming time at this point: 11.5 hours
Sunday, December 23, 2007 (2:47PM)
+ Tracking.
* Bass
- File fingernails again (boo-hoo).
- I like the scratch track, but I suspect that the presence
of the scratch tracks--especially the drums--will affect
my approach to the song.
- 3:35 PM Fantastic take! Fingers on the edge but held strong.
One take, 3 punch-ins. Call it golden.
> love_and_truth_scratch_f.mp3
- What do I track next? Both the 414 and the T5 require
fingerstyle, and I just filed my nails! RG1570.
> Make something to practice along with. I want to work
on some fills. love_and_truth_f_norg1570.mp3
Tuesday, December 25, 2007 (7:37PM)
Happy birthday, Jesus!
* RG1570
- I have about 3 hours of playing along with the scratch
over and over, and I only now begin to "feel it in my
bones" (and in my fingertips!). I now feel the rush of the
music and can begin to really hone the approach to the song.
I now think the RG1570 will drive the energy of the song, at
least more than any single instrument.
> Funny: I had thought I would put in a lot of shredding
fills in certain places, like where the F lingers
waiting to resolve to the C. But the instincts say no;
play the G-F-C sequence because that is the soul of the
song. I think I have a couple hours of play time left
before I am ready for tracking.
> I changed the RP20 program: assign the pedal to the
output of the compressor to control the gain. I need
to back off when playing the Dm7-C-Dm7-C sequence in
the first and third chorus. Subtle: the entire range
is 13 to 18 db.
Thursday, December 27, 2007 (9:54AM)
> I have gotten a couple more hours in and written a
blistering two-hand-tapping lead in the second bridge.
All my left-hand fingers hurt--especially the pinky
which stings during four-fret pull-offs. Now I notice
how much I rely on a four-fret span in my playing.
I need to develop more strength before tracking. The
full-step D-string bend in the refrain is still a
challenge for accuracy and strength, and this distracts
from expression.
: By the way, see practice_rg_interface.png.
Windows Media Player along with the Delta 1010LT
Control Panel is a very handy interface for
rehearsing.
Friday, December 28, 2007 (1:28PM)
- Fingers strong...Pain gone...WE TRACK!
> Forget about the pedal control. I am using the guitar's
volume pot to control overdrive level.
> Grueling work. It is a real stretch for my playing.
Lots of punch-ins.
> Four takes, but the 1st is worthless.
: Backup RP20 memory. Patch 84, "Love & Truth" used
with pedal at 100%.
: I noticed I was out of tune with the T5 during
the bridge. Better double-check when tracking T5.
Saturday, December 29, 2007 (11:21AM)
- Integrate the takes
section take
verse 1-2 3
chorus 1 4
56:1-66:2 1
66:2-end 4
> love_and_truth_scratch_g.mp3
: The intro gong cuts out too soon. What happened?
I had added a muted track to play with the
Arturia Analog factory. Its logo appears when
I render to audio. Delete notes. No luck. Delete
the connection. No luck. The sound drivers had
gotten reset to MME. Switch back to ASIO. No luck.
In fact, all cymbal notes are being cut short,
and the drums entirely disappear a few measures into
the song.
# Another change I had made was assigning
the track and synth to a specific port. This
added the benefit of not having to reload the
kit every time I opened the file. The MIDI
channel is zero. Try using 10. No luck.
Reboot. Problem gone!
Sunday, December 30, 2007 (10:42AM)
- I am having trouble with the song. It lacks the impact
and interest it should have. It may be the lack of
attention to the vocal or to mixing. But I can't really
move forward until I reconnect with the song's soul.
Spend a couple hours mixing. Much better.
> love_and_truth_scratch_h.mp3
> I can see now that the greatest needs are vocal
(I need the intimacy of a large-diaphragm condenser,
better timing, and be in better vocal shape) and the 414
(the Expression Pickup just won't cut it for this song,
and I picked where I should strum in places). I am
considering a low background vocal for the verses.
But I think the T5 can stay as is.
+ Vocal
* Prep. I will record both vocal and 414 through the B-2 Pro
mic. In both instances, I would like to record without
compression, but I would like to hear compression in my
monitor. Here is the technique:
- Route the mic into the BlueTube then into channel one.
- Ch 1 is routed directly to the main output with no effects
or inserts. However, the aux 1 and aux 2 sends are
at 12:00.
- The Aux 1 send is patched to ch 3's input. Ch 3 is routed
only to the submix which is used for monitoring.
The compressor is inserted in ch 3's insert chain.
- Aux 2 is used for reverb (and sent to the submix bus)
and uses the uncompressed channel. Thus, reverb increases,
relative to the dry sound (which is taken from the
compressed channel), when I sing louder.
- This setup should approximate what I intend with the
final effect, so I should end up singing appropriate for
the effects.
Monday, December 31, 2007 (12:40PM)
* Got four takes in. Tickle in throat. Drink lots of water
between punch-ins. Even managed to get in a high-A "yeah!" at
the end!
* Integrate.
- love_and_truth_scratch_i.mp3
- I have been increasingly noticing the RG1570 being out
of tune. I think I have not been careful enough not to
bend or overpress the strings as I play. I may be able
to fix it by re-integrating the takes, but perhaps not.
* Preliminary mix.
- Splitting the reverb from the compression has very little
noticeable benefit and a lot of hassle. Forget it.
Tuesday, January 1, 2008 (7:57AM)
- Trouble rendering. The automation on volume and aux 3
(delay) not working in the output. I notice that the audio
event does not start until bar 6 (though I consolidated
it).
> Step One: Reboot. No luck.
> Insert blank audio at the beginning. OOPS! All the
automation data moved, and it was not supposed to.
Lots of mouse work in the roll window to correct.
Audio is now the first event, and it plays perfectly.
No luck. The vocal is constantly washed out in the
delay at full send.
> Bracket the problem. Is all automation data ignored,
or just the aux 3 send? Exaggerate the volume boost
at the chorus. The volume commands are used. Is the
saved value used or full boost always? Save zero.
Zero is used, and the commands are ignored.
: Volume is controller #7, and Aux 3 is #1. They
are both on MIDI channel 1.
: The 414 also has volume and aux commands. Aux 4
is controller #11. That raises a question: Why
would aux-3 be CC1? Because Aux 1 and 2 are
"reverb" and "chorus" (CC91 and CC93), resp.
> Duplicate the track to an used location (track 16).
Use exaggerated movements. Plays fine. Render.
No luck. Same effect: volume used, aux3 ignored.
: Delete the volume commands. No luck.
> Build a track from scratch.
: Export the audio to WAV and import to track 17.
Save the effects group and load.
: Enter the commands in the roll window. No luck.
> Enter commands by recording mixer moves.
: Rebuild another track from scratch as above.
Funny, tracks 15 and 16 appear to be what I thought
were tracks 16 and 17. No luck.
: I must conclude that aux 3 cannot be automated.
Not yet.
> Build in a blank file. debug.seq.
: Import the wav file. Use subgroup 3 and aux 3 as
in the main song. Record mixer moves.
: No luck. The saved fader value is used throughout.
Now I conclude that aux 3 cannot be automated.
: Use the 3rd send, but change to aux 5. Plays fine
though data is still on CC1. No luck. The problem
is the 3rd send.
: Use the 4th send, but change to aux 3. Record
mixer moves. Data on CC11. No luck. the 4th send
doesn't work either.
: Use the 1st send, but change to aux 3. Use the
event window to change to CC91. Plays fine, the 1st
send is automated. IT WORKS!!!
: Try the same thing with send 2 and CC93.
IT WORKS!!!
: Conclusion: Aux sends 1 and 2 can be automated,
but 3 and 4 cannot.
: Post to the user forum.
> Fix in the main song.
: Try edit|replace. No luck.
: Cut-paste in roll window. No luck. It pastes under
the same controller, CC1.
: Paste data into an unused MIDI track. Then
cut-paste. IT WORKED! Now copy from that track
and paste into the vocal track. IT WORKED!!!
Not quite. The timing is all wrong. Problem on
the MIDI track.
: Try again. Get data from a backup(nice touch, PT!).
Wah-lah! I have automated volume and delay on
the vocal track.
: Use the same process to fix the 414 and T5 tracks.
: The rendered mix is finally equal to the
live mix. Re-render love_and_truth_scratch_i.mp3.
+ RG1570--again.
* I can't live with the RG's out-of-tunedness.
- Part of the problem is also my instinct of resting my
right hand on the bridge--a delicately balanced floating
tremolo. But no guitars appear to be out of tune.
* Two takes. 2nd was a good take in one take--no punch-ins.
But I punched once to perfect the 2-hand-tap sequence.
- love_and_truth_scratch_j.mp3
I am getting back "into" the song again. Truly it is said
that "Creativity is five percent inspiration, 95%
perspiration"
Thursday, January 3, 2008 (3:39PM)
+ Upgrade: Switch to Sonar 7 Producer Edition.
* Why?
- PowerTracks weaknesses:
> Biggie: during tracking, one or more tracks will
suddenly fall behind the other tracks. It is subtle,
so I don't always notice right away, and it causes
my playing to lag timing.
> The bug with the aux sends really "bugged" me.
> It is about time I graduated from an entry-level DAW.
> integrating takes (a.k.a., "comping" a track) is
tedious.
- sonar hit points
track folders
v-vocal pitch & time correction
customizable track window controls
console quick groups
step sequencer
inline piano-roll view and editing
velocity audition
Layered Recording and Editing
comp-track creation
clip-based effects & automation
Sunday, January 6, 2008 (12:43PM)\
grouping controls (p115)
db-scaled faders
subgroups have solo & aux sends
I can edit markers (rather than delete & recreate)
multi-select tempo events (tabular or graphical)
for deletion. draw tempo changes & view audio
alignment in track window.
Fast save to small file (audio in separate WAV files)
with auto-backup.
named subgroups
shift-key vertical dragging between tracks & layers
preserves time alignment.
dimmed solo mode (-6, -12, -18 db)
the scrub tool (MIDI AND audio)
dynamic zoom in track window
trim controls channel inputs (very helpful when
automating faders)
- Sonar down points
> Don't think I can autoconvert MIDI track to audio.
Have to bounce realtime through the Delta 1010LT
mixer. However, this is a very rare procedure for me.
[1/8: Wrong. Fast bounce.]
Tuesday, January 8, 2008 (7:57PM)
> Dropouts. Consulted forum.
: Disable Windows Media Edition stuff
goto Control Panel|Administrative Tools|Services
then Stop the following services:
Media Center Receiver Service
Media Center Scheduler Service
: Also, turn windows sounds off (per addendum in box).
: Update driver for M-Audio Delta 1010LT to
Version: 5.10.00.5065
Release Date: December 17, 2007
: Seems to have fixed the problem. Run several
loops of a problematic file with zero dropouts.
These issues may have been what plagued PT12,
but the program lacked the diagnostics to issue
an error.
Thursday, January 10, 2008 (4:32PM)
+ Re-comp takes.
* RG1570 takes 5 & 6.
- Gradually getting to learn Sonar, though the learning
curve is a bit steep. But it is well worth it. Comping
two takes together is vastly easier and faster, even for
a rookie.
See comp_rg1570_a.png. Use solo tool (Ctrl-click-drag
with mute tool) with track soloed in dim-solo mode to
listen to transitions and choose takes.
Saturday, January 12, 2008 (1:53PM)
* vocal
- Imported takes 1-4 into layers.
- Patched in aux sends for delay and reverb and inserted
the Sonitus Multiband Compressor--very nice interface!
The realtime graphics lead to quick understanding of what
the thing is actually doing.
- While comping, I am using solo in dim mode and soloing the
individual layers. But a bug occurs: once in a while the
rest of the audio will drop out. Use a second bus and
just reduce the master so that no track solo is needed.
> It seems to be hitting the CPU fairly hard (peaks
above 20%). Perhaps freeze the drums? Yes! Just
right-click the MIDI track and select Freeze Synth.
No hitches. An audio waveform appears in the synth
return track. Mute the MIDI track.
- See comp_vocal_a.png. Parts taken from all four takes.
- Render love_and_truth_scratch_k.mp3
1:30 to render to WAV with 64-bit engine. Pro Tools would
have driven me CRAZY (5:20 to render--real time). Plus,
I have only had Sonar 9 days, and I feel close to a good
mix and not far from a great mix. Also, since the project
file is only 1Mb, it is no big deal to save a copy as
love_and_truth_scratch_k.cwp in case I need to get back
to that point.
Monday, January 14, 2008 (7:24PM)
Grab a screen shot,
sonar_screen_a.png
Friday, January 18, 2008 (7:48PM)
- Here's what's so great about Sonar: I want the vocal delay
to decrease if I increase the volume and increase if I
decrease it. Use a console group.
See vocal_delay_console_group.png
Saturday, January 19, 2008 (11AM)
+ Mix
* Get initial volumes & settings for verses 1 & 2. Use snapshot
feature to set values for settings I plan to automate.
* Automation
- The control group for the vocal delay is not working!
It works if I manually adjust one or the other, but not
when the fader is automated. Oh well, go with normal
automation with the following map:
volume: -2 db 0 db
delay: 0 db -6 db
- Add automation to boost the T5 & 414 fingerstyles in bridge.
Coordinate volume and fader.
- Bass chorus mix (zero to 30% wet)
* Tweak drums
- Unfreeze the drum track.
- Too much deep bass in kick. Tweak EQ in Battery 3.
- Snare sidestick too low. Quick solution: open Battery 3,
Select the cell, click the setup tab, and in the velocity
area, increase the curve parameter to warp the MIDI
map upward. See boost_stick_a.png.
- Save kit as love_and_truth_popkit_c.kt3
- Cymbal swell was too fast at end. Select notes in roll
window, use Process|Fit to Time to stretch the notes out.
Beautiful!
- Refreeze the drum track. The audio engine still stops
a lot--especially when Battery 3 is running, but fortunately
not while playing.
- Render love_and_truth_mix_a.mp3. Save export settings
to preset "mixdown". Oops, forgot to listen on other
monitors:
> Listen on DX4's
: Bass high C is somewhat dead due to EQ dip.
> Listen on HD280's.
: Upper mids may be a bit sharp, but not much.
> Listen on Altec Lansing's (cheap PC speakers w sub).
: Oops, not plugged in. That is how I missed the
kick drum EQ.
: Ultra-lows and ultra-highs seem balanced. That is
about all I trust these for.
> Listen on Kenwood Surround's (cheap 4" speakers).
: Sounds rather nice.
> Do I want to boost the 414 in the 3rd chorus?
> Conclusion: Listen for a while & decide whether to
tweak.
Sunday, January 20, 2008 (10:19AM)
* After much listening, I think the mix needs a little tweak:
- The RG1570 needs to come up about 1db.
> Oops, no headroom left in the channel. I have to drop
all other channels. Use trim on those with automated
faders (couldn't do that in PowerTracks). For the vocal,
dropping the trim would effectively raise the
compression threshold. Use gain parameter in the Sonitus
Multiband Compressor.
> Yes, +1db seems right. Ears are improving--I think.
- Give the 414 that extra boost in chorus 3.
- Pan T5 harder left and vocal 15% left. So the panning
layout is
-65 -15 0 15 65
T5 voc bass 414 RG
- There was a weak word in the vocal somewhere. Find it.
Use F11 to mark it when I hear it (this places a marker
during playback). Found a couple of them.
> CPU getting slammed by Norton Antivirus (CCAPP.EXE).
Reboot.
- Aaaah, the magic is returning finally.
- Render love_and_truth_mix_b.mp3.
> Copy to love_and_truth_mix_b.cwp
> Screen shot of console: console_mix_b.png
> Make a mix without the RG1570 for practicing.
Monday, January 21, 2008 (2:40PM)
+ Publish.
* Martin Luther King Day. Ironic.
* The title is too direct. Change to "Rain & Wind", the subtle
Movers in the song's drama.
Total Production Hours: 52.5