long long long long day

ok, this post will just be about yesterday. not about the last few months of blog recess, but just yesterday, and if you are lucky, maybe some of today as well.

yesterday was the first of two days, today being the second, that i was/am to be working with sam cardon on music for a tv series called real families. i believe he has 9 episodes to do. i like working with sam on these film/tv things because:

a) it's fun to work with sam
b) i usually get to write some, and be creative
c) he understands my inability to play guitar in anything but the key of G with the occasional jaunt into the land of D
d) it provides plenty of well needed exercise for my vast collection of capos

continuing with the theme of lists, the things about this project that are/were unique/a total potential nightmare/kind of fun and exciting are/were:

1) we were to record at LDS MPS which for those of you not in "the biz" means the LDS church's motion picture studio featuring a recording studio full of some cool mics but only 2, yes ONLY 2, small mic stands.

2) by small i mean not really very small

3) by not really very small i mean good luck miking the inside of a bass drum or the bottom of a snare sucker

4) we were to record 45 or so cues in one day, then mix them the next. for those of you not in "THE BIZZZZ" a cue is a piece of music, usually somewhat short that you would hear in a movie or tv show. i was planning on just linking you to wikipedia to find out what a cue is, because that's what those of us in "le biz" would do, but stupid wikipedia is apparantely not in "el biz"

5) 45 cues is a LOT of cues. and by a lot i mean WAAYYYY more than i would ever imagine could be recorded in one day in a very familiar studio with all my equipment


the things that made this a total nightmare were:

I) i had to take loads of equipment from my studio to MPS, so much that Sam actually had to take some of it in his car

II) i had to show up at 7am to setup because:

a. i didnt know the room, the equipment, etc
b. i did not have time to go over the day before and set up due to the fact that at 1am on the night previous i was still recording my inadequate finger style guitar playing for another project.
c. dont even try to pretend that this sublist isnt awesome, cause it is

III) there were only 2 small mic stands (we've covered this)

IV) due to some miscomunication, the drummer showed up an hour and a half late, and I still wasnt ready for him

number V) and most distressing: for some completely unknown (even to those that work there) reason, the LDS MPS has decided that Pro Tools should be run on a PC. this is wrong. so so wrong. in addition to not running nearly as well, when one has worked 12 years with Pro Tools on a Mac, one begins to rely on certain quick-keys, as well as the basic layout and commands found on the keyboard. now, take that person, put him in a studio where he knows nothing about any of the gear, wait until he is 2 hours behind with a room full of musicians staring through the glass at him and now watch as he tries to change from the edit window to the mix window in pro tools. needless to say, a meltdown occured.

after that, the downhill spiral increased in speed. once things were running, slowly, but running, we tried a take. we got halfway through, pro tools crashed. opened it up, crashed again.

this is when the following series of events began:

one: sam decided the MPS thing may have been a bad idea
two: sam announced said decision and let it be known that our time at MPS had come to an end.
(sweet, are we going to get to go home early?!???!)
three: no
four: we were to pack up and move everything to june audio
five: apologies were made to those at MPS who had helped us so much, and 5 guys spent at least 20 minutes just packing up the equipment we had brought in.
six: drove to june audio, began loading in and setting up, this took nearly 2 hours. it was now about 1:00pm

so now we are ready to begin recording in our new june audio home. but first we eat lunch. so now it is 1:30pm and now we try to lay down a take. take 1 goes down fairly uneventfully, but there are mistakes and people are still getting to know the cue, so here comes take 2. take 2 is better, if not a tad light and uninspired. we decide to listen. things aren't sounding great. the vibe has left the building. back out, try another take. nope

and then.....

i) it begins to be clear that this isnt going to happen
ii) a decision is made to call it (awesome!!!! i'm outta here!!!)
iii) no. no you're not
iv) so, while my compatriots are released to the wonderful world of not working, (you know, trips to the mall, mowing the lawn, not sitting down, etc etc.), i settle in to get to know 45 cues.


hours worked over the 2 days:
day 1 - 16 hours
day 2 - 19.25 hours


some 'firsts' from the sessions:
- sam playing ukulele
- sam playing and keeping a toy piano track
- me playing ukulele
- intern pat getting paid for working


this post has become far too long and most likely far too boring. in the end on the bright side i think we did some nice work. on the not as bright side i think we only got through about 15 cues. sorry about that sam. ok, now i need to be done with this stupid post.

there, now maybe i'm back on the horse.

be back soon...

atherton at arts fest

no title available

i know, i know, i need to write another blog, but i've just been way to busy looking at my new favorite blog - The Fail Blog

the list

ok, ive decided to compile a list. this list will not be funny, or even interesting for that matter to those who dont have my job. here we go.

you know you are working on a crappy project when:

1. the song calls for strings and the client says "hey great, i have a friend who plays cello"

2. the song calls for drums and the client says "hey great, i have a friend who plays drums"

3. you find yourself recording applause at the end of a song, and it isnt live in front of an audience.

4. the client's girlfrient has mix notes.

5. the first conversation with the band includes the phrase "how much can we get done in a day."

6. the bass player doesn't own a tuner.

7. not only does the bass player not own a tuner, but doesn't recognize one when placed in front of him.

8. not only does the bass player not own, nor recognize a tuner, he shows up with no instrument whatsoever.

9. the drummer asks if you have any sticks.

10. the band is outnumbered in the studio by their friends.

11. while the band members take turns coming and going, recording their individual parts throughout the day, you never are given time to eat lunch or even use the bathroom.

12. when introduced to the large variety of vintage/boutique guitars and amplifiers available, the guitar player opts to use his mexican strat and line 6 pod.

13. instead of recording, the singer/songwriter takes the engineer, the assistant, and 4 paid studio musicians, all on the clock, to red robin in order to watch a european soccer game.

14. the cd release party is planned and scheduled before a note is recorded.



the sad part is, i have experienced each and every one of these. anyway, if you want to read something equally absurd, and you have a lot of time, click here.

i will add to this list, but please, if you have something to add, feel free to comment.

last week

peter

pat

my feet/ryan

matt

air guitar

craig

this week involved many microphones (please inquire for specifics), late late nights, no a/c, live performances in the studio with audience, and the elimination of a terrible diet coke habit.

el final de mezcla

according to my free online english to spanish translator, that basically sums up last thursday. this also sums it up:

when last we visited, you will remember how well the mixing was going. the thing i didnt tell you was that I actually was regularly recieving emails saying "sounds great! i love it!"

hmmm, i guess the love between a client and a mix is a fickle thing. because come thursday morning, i was out of a gig. the funny thing was how the client said "i love the mixes, i think it just might be fun to see how so and so would approach things."

anyway, i had a great couple of days off and frankly, i dont really care. if i wasnt getting it the way they wanted it, then they should go to someone else.

next week - ACTUAL TRACKING WITH LIVE MUSICIANS!!!

stay tuned