Album Diary v5
We started a new tune tonight "The Random Phrase Generator" which is an older song that I wrote back in 98 or so. My pal Geoff wrote the outro melody.This song is about town lunatics. Real town lunatics, not "eccentrics" but people who are generally unbalanced and do weird shit consistently. The Random Phrase Generator was a guy my friend Geoff saw every day when going to work. The Generator would sit outside of the Embarcadero Bart station and repeat, well..a random phrase. Morning til evening. Everyday the phrase was different and unique, representing a tangible product of a unhinged mind. The songs really not about The Generator but what his mother might say or think if she could fast forward right after his birth and see the person he became.
How do people become random phrase generators?
We set up the piano. I'm using one from the Reason Pianos Refills that's a little more mellow than our usual Mrs Mills Abbey Road pianos. Being this song is very orchestrated (kinda based on Rufus Wainwright-like arrangements) the main initial task is to get a good vocal that we can build the arrangements around. It imperative to have the vocals/tempos sussed out first when approaching a song that will employ "classical" arranging.
We set up the Mic. ADK Area 51. And let the tape rip. Or let the computer rip?
Recorded the basic guide piano parts
We then worked on tempos, speeding up the chorus and out sections. This will make these sections a tad more "peppy".
Next we hit the vocals. We completed the basic lead vocal track in about two hours and while it's still spotty in places it will will work as a guide when we start placing the string arrangements.Next up we do the background vocals for the chorus and outro section..but that will have to wait. I need to crawl into my warm bed.
Oh yes. For those of you that are curious what "West Grand" sounds like, here's a little chunk. It's not mixed etc, but we put it up in the spirit of showing our process etc.
Also, above is a pic of the Joystick Synth. It's cool.
West Grand Demo
posted by MBO at 9:10 AM
3 Comments:
Holy shit! Sounds amazing, more "electric" stuff perhaps than the first album? Can't wait.
Ok, I told to my bandmate about the joystick and we had this incredible vision: Bassguitar with joystick that controls the effects, it's like a gearswitch! How that is possible, I don't know, but it would look cool and you wouldn't have to stand near your pedals when switchin the gear to spacesolo.
Videos from the studio. MBO fans need them, I bet there are few that can't read because of the brain damage from listenin the first album 8 hours a day 5 days a week.
Love.
We have been video taping everything..just need to find the DV Mini cord so I can input the video into my laptop to edit
Soon!
oh god.
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