Archive for the 'Mastering' Category

“The Future”…MASTERED

Published on 04/29/2011 in History for Sale, Mastering, Video and Writing. 1 Comment Tags: , , , , , , , , , .

Yesterday my band HISTORY for SALE mastered our new record with Ed Brooks (Pearl Jam, Sub Pop, pretty much amazing music).  He said that we have some really great stuff on this record…come awn, seriously, for him to say that…what?  So if you liked our first self titled record, then you will fucking love this record.  I can’t get over how awesome my band sounds on this effort.

There is so much to write about this record, so many things that are different, so much release of control in the right ways.  We couldn’t fuck this one up by being overly involved…who would have thought that this much less would result in so, so much more.   I have some videos I am going to be putting together like this one I did for our recording days at Studio X in Seattle:

I will expand on the feeling more in the coming days.  Just know that I am excited about….

“The Future”

Working on my kingdom…

Published on 09/10/2010 in Going Somewhere, Hearing Impaired, Mastering, Mixing, Music, Record Label and Uncategorized. 0 Comments Tags: , , , , , .

A quick update on what I have been up to!

I have pretty much finished the packaging layout and print work for “Going Somewhere…?”. It took way longer than I expected due to some tech issues with my old laptop (speed) and then figuring out how I wanted to package the whole deal.

So I sent out 10-15 packages last week and am slowly getting feedback that they are arriving in good shape! This is exciting news due to the amount of thought I put into the final presentation.

Dreams in a bag

I am still working on getting my cover song cleared. I can’t technically sell the music till that little issue is taken care of. It shouldn’t be long…as it is now just a money thing to pay for the license.

The next mechanical step is to save up the scratch $$ to get a run of 100 or 200 color discs replicated. Then from there start assembling the hand packaging for these little beauties!

Hope everybody is embracing the change of seasons and the way it changes our minds.

I know I am.

Best to those who read this…

Mastering session video and song previews…

Published on 02/16/2010 in Going Somewhere, Hearing Impaired, Mastering, Mixing, Music, Recording and Video. 0 Comments Tags: , , , , , , , .

As promised in an earlier blog…here is a little video compilation from my mastering session on January 6th. It is just a little something to show you the room, the day, the effort that goes into making a song sound “polished”.

Ed Brooks of RFI/CD is an amazing Mastering Engineer. The word “amazing” gets tossed around so easily now days, but with conviction…I express that he is the definition of the word amazing.

I am going to be making a couple hundred CD-R’s of this 9 song disc. The title of the project is as you might know now “Going Somewhere”. Some will get mailed to labels (know any looking for a middle aged dreamer?), some will get mailed for reviews. After that, I don’t know what is going to happen with the songs…if anything. That is part of the reality of this art form.

All I hope is that in the next 8 months, regardless of what happens…you will have heard some of this music. That you will have felt my message. That you will want more.

Thanks for watching, reading, and listening.

Mastering is done…NOW WHAT???

Published on 01/12/2010 in Mastering, Music and Record Label. 0 Comments Tags: , , , , .

Well last week I mastered.

To be correct in the above statement *I* did not master, but the very, very talented Ed Brooks did. He took 9 different songs and squeezed life into them.

One could take that statement and ask…”hey, don’t you mean squeezed life *out* of them…?” The answer would still be the same. He squeezed, pulled, lifted, and compressed the 24bit/44.1 units into something whole and new. He gave them life.

Rob Sharp of The Playroom Studio came in with the tracks and we went to work. Rob is someone who I think will continue to grow in the local music world. He has a great sense of sound dynamics, and most of all he really cares. I would recommend him in a heartbeat. Hell, he put up with me and my schedule for the past 2-1/2 years.

Probably the most exciting thing about the mastering session to me was the education. There was no judging about my music. No looking down upon was done. There was only a free flowing giving of the experience that Ed has amassed over his long career. That is why I love this hobby…coming across people who share the passion of creation.

Now that the disc is mastered…I am trying to figure out what I want to do with it. For that reason I didn’t even get a CD or VINYL master. I will decide that later…

Since I am not really in a hurry…I am going to spend a month sending out mailers, emails, blog requests. If I can find a home for this disc that will help with getting it out to the people that should hear it, then I would love that.

Would you like to hear a track? Shoot me a message and I will let you hear one.

Mixing is done…

Published on 12/08/2009 in Mastering, Mixing and Music. 0 Comments Tags: , , , , .

Mixing is done.

Three long days got me and Rob (my engineer) through the first phase of mixing. The songs are so refined now and are in a great shape. I will post a short video when I figure out how to get it off of my new HD camera.

Rob is now taking my notes that i compiled after listening over, and over, and is starting the final phase.

LA2A compressor is going to be routed for three of the slower sexy songs. The real compressor…analog…not a plugin.

So, so, so very excited to be this close to having the technical side of things done. There is just one more step after this and it is scheduled for January 6th.

Mr. Ed Brooks is all I will say right now…Google him. He is busy right now doing a Pearl Jam project…come on.

Much love if you are reading this…It means you care.

Mixing…it is happening!

Published on 11/13/2009 in Mastering, Mixing and Music. 0 Comments Tags: , .

To those of you that read this…

I am actually going to be mixing next week! I am going in for three straight days, pretty much using up the rest of the budget for now…but it is happening. I don’t have a team of producers, a team of song writers, nor the budget of even a small to mid size label/contract.

I am one man, who is not well to do, who doesn’t know much…who just has a dream.

With odd feelings of denial, fright, and excitement I am really looking forward to next week. It has been over two years now since I started the quest of “making a record”. I have learned so many things about myself, about music, and about my limitations since launching this ship.

I have everything I need for next week too. Bass tracks are on my desk. Keys and strings are on a disc as well. I just got the final guitar tracks bounced for me on what will be an incredible song. Things are now stacked and ready to fall into the mix.

Having listened to these songs in various stages of rough mixes for almost two years now, I would be lying a bit if I didn’t admit to you that I am a little burned out on them. BUT…the excitement of seeing the end of the journey, the knowledge that they are going to be polished, and the chance to produce what I have been dreaming of, well that has infused a whole new level of power.

I will be updating as we proceed next week.

Wish me luck.