Lutefisk TV dinner and some free samples
who knew?
My buddy Beale was an alt-rock god in LA when he played guitar for Lutefisk. His guitar playing was melodic and yet wildly abrasive and noisy. pop perfection really. Part of his secret was hand crafted effects, creative routing, using tubes he found in abandoned electrical appliances on the street, and Beales famous guitar tuning: E-A-C#- E- A- B. Try it out.
shoegaze update
Cool new music: I think it sounds like 90’s shoegaze music played with synths and drum machines. But to those who are in the know, it goes by Dreampop, Chillwave and Glo-Fi. So far my fave band is Washed Out. But I also enjoy Blackbird Blackbird and have been told I should check out Toro Y Moi, Memory Tapes, Teen Daze, and Millionyoung. I love shoegaze, electronic and psych music. this has lots of reverb and delay (which I love). Blackbird Blackbird seems to enjoy sidechaining the entire mix though, which can become grating after awhile. I do seem to remember stories floating around where My Bloody Valentine supposedly ran whole mixes through a phaser, and I love those records.
utensils
Free samples: A guy named Epoch over at the dubstep forum made an interesting percussion kit from a bunch of stuff in his kitchen. Here’s the link.
http://www.mediafire.com/?o5ibpz5fertb7id
a guy named Chad Kirk posted a track that was built around these sounds. very nice. check him out as well.
and here’s an oddly touching video about a fork and a spoon
You Have No Peace
Click the player to hear “You Have No Peace.”
Wish I used one of these
I made this song as a result of an experiment I was doing. Put a reverb send up for a guitar track, and then put a pitch shifter on the reverb. Played around with automating the pitch and I liked the results. If you just listen to the guitar track, there are a bunch of weird overtones and it starts to sound like trumpets and strings are playing in the distance.
Spacemen 3 how I love thee
It was really just meant to be an experiment, but the results reminded me of Spacemen 3 and Spiritualized, so I made a song out of it. A glorified drone really. I bounced out just the reverb signal and pitch shifted that as well, which really made it droney.
Logic’s Pitch Shift is a pretty simple affair
Did the drums with Ocean Way Drums which I got in a group buy awhile back. They sound pretty real and live to my ears. Also used AAS String Studio. I took a clean electric guitar “jazz” patch, and added fuzz, rotovibe, wah-wah, and finally a healthy dose of tape delay. Logic has a pretty awesome tape delay and I find myself reaching for it constantly.
Brian Eno’s tape delay set-up
I love to just tinker with the whole process, and figuring out what different types of effects and routing will do. That said, I am a complete novice and my desire to hear something outweighs the skills I have in finding those sounds. Fun to play though.
I’m more like the monkey
I think this song would be pretty cool performed live, with real instruments and real musicians. I have 2 kids and a computer, so it is what it is.
My friend Bryn took this picture
Lo-Fi Sci Fi
I have always loved science fiction, and horror movies; Creature Features, paperback books and Aurora monster models were a big part of my childhood. I always wished that I could see a UFO, but it never happened . I won’t say that they don’t exist, but if they do, we’ll never see one (it’s much too far a distance to fly to Earth from somewhere else).
I have posted this song already, but I put together a video for it. Haven’t had any time to record lately, so I have been messing around with iMovie on my lunch breaks.
click here if you just want to hear the song
I got the footage that I used from the internet archive, which is a great site. They have a ton of open source and public domain films, music and other stuff. I have spent hours on the site just poring through old home movies, sci-fi commercials from the 50’s.etc… There is a great 2 hour documentary someone made in the 50’s about their familys camping trips.
I think I still have a lot to learn about iMovie; the audio track sounds a little warbley to me at points, while the original sounds fine. I guess I could read the manual, but then I would have spent my break reading (as opposed to cranking out a lo-fi video). All in all, a really fun program (probably as I enjoy tweaking on things).
Hope you enjoy the video, it’s really cheesy, but that’s how I pictured it.
I Know Who We Really Are
click the player to hear “Outside”
My friend Aaron Embry lives in Nashville and plays piano for all kinds of great people. Daniel Lanois, Willie Nelson, Brian Eno and Elliot Smith are just some of the people he has worked with. He was also in Hedwig and the Angry Inch. I think his solo stuff is where he really shines though. It’s like Gershwin composing an avant garde space pop theater piece. Very heady stuff. When he lived in LA, we used to do shows together and I always found him to be one of the most creative musicians on the scene. His latest project is called We Are Each Other, and it’s wonderful.
Check out We Are Each Other here
I wrote this song Outside, and at the time I was pretty much thinking “what would Aaron do?” So I just started playing what sounded like haunting chords (at least to me), and then started singing about aliens coming from the sky. It’s a little apocalyptic.
The inspiration for the lyrics actually came from a trilogy of sci-fi books I read in 3rd grade. Tripods Trilogy (The White Mountains / The City of Gold and Lead / The Pool of Fire). These creatures came from space, and took over the world. They drove around in giant tripods, and lived in giant domes that replicated the atmosphere of their home planet. Scary stuff for a 3rd grader.
get the Tripods Trilogy here
The only instruments that I used for this tune, were a Roland SH-101 synth (the grey one), and a horrible digital piano that I borrowed from a friend (hey it’s better than nothing). It turned out pretty well for as fast as it was recorded, but I was thinking of re-recording it as I have better gear now.
if you’re into these synthy pillows, you can by one here from pulsewidth
I’m Just Fine (synth mix)
click to Hear “I’m Just Fine”
Wrote this song awhile back as an indie rock fuzz pop tune. I ended up getting bored one day and re-working it as an 80’s synth pop number. Picture a John Hughes movie.
I recorded this all with freeware stuff. I believe the synths are Automat and Alpha (both in the freeware section). Wish I could remember what I used for the drum track. The thing I love about MIDI is you can crank stuff out really fast if you have an idea what you want to do. You don’t have to tune anything or plug anything in. Perfect if you have only a limited amount of time to record.
These pictures are little miniature pieces of gear that were lovingly crafted by a guy named Dan McPharlin. You can see all of his work (and even buy some of it here:
Cool Miniature Gear
You may or may not have noticed that the blog has a new look. Still tweaking it, and need to add my links section back in. I have a bunch of new spots I’ve been haunting so I will add them all into the final layout.
I Need Gasoline
click the link above to hear “I Need Gasoline”
I wrote this song awhile ago; it’s about my neighborhood Echo Park. At the time it was really a pretty bad neighborhood and I had a real love/hate relationship going on with it. Things have been looking up for a little while now, and while it can still be a little rough, I’m feeling a lot better about the place. Weird mix of people.
This song was recorded using a cheap $100 Kay guitar that I bought from http:www.larkinthemorning.com. they are an awesome acoustic instruments store with a focus on obscure instruments. i would recommend getting their catalog as it makes for great gear porn. I drooled over it every night before bed for months.
I recorded this in Logic, and the mic was a MXL USB mic (since replaced), drums are the indie kit that comes with Logic and Garageband, and the synth is Automat free. It’s listed in my freeware section, so go grab it. Very nice synth. The delay was Logics Stereo Delay, and I think I used the Sample Delay to get the panning on the acoustic reverb.
This tune could use a re-mix as I did it really quick and there a few things that bother me about it (although I won’t point them out here). Think of this as urban hillbilly music.
Driving (With My Girlfriend)
Driving (with my girlfriend)
I wrote this song awhile back and just made it up as I went along. It’s your basic 90’s style Pavement rip-off; nothing original here at all, but it kept me entertained for a few hours.
Back before I got Logic, I was recording on Garageband. This was one of the tunes I recorded at that point. Nothing really fancy or complicated. The synth I used was Automat It’s a really great free synth, and the folks who put it together seem really into it.
The guitars were all done with my old tele, my crappy Ibanez bass and Podfarm. A lot of people seem to hate Podfarm for some reason, but I like it. There are some technical aspects of it that drive me nuts on a mac, but I have always found a way around them. Haven’t upgraded to the new version yet as I can’t seem to find a reason. Drums were done with EZDrummer.
I originally gave this song away to anyone who wanted to add something to it. Quite a few people took me up on my offer, and created their own versions of the tune. After a couple were done, I felt really lame that I couldn’t finish my own song, so I ended up writing lyrics and a melody for it.
I wrote it about how my girlfriend and I used to drive around for hours, exploring side streets and greasy spoon diners in out of the way towns. Nicole is now my wife, we don’t thrift shop anymore, and it’s a little hard to do those aimless drives with a 3 year old and a newborn.
here’s some other versions of this tune:
Beat Up Comic Books by Ridd Sorensen
Daze In Sunshine by Sonic Magpie
My Homemade Banjo
I bought a homemade banjo the other day at a swap meet for $20. Actually plays really well, stays in tune and sounds like a banjo. That’s my Harmony Broadway to the left, and to the right you can see a duck decoy my daughter likes to play with.
The guy I bought it from made it from a Carvin electric guitar neck, that he bolted onto a snare drum. As a “bridge,” there are holes drilled into the snare body that the strings pass through.
Waltz Of Time (re-mix by Jim Bouchard)
I have posted this song before, but here is a re-mix my friend Jim Bouchard did. He’s a really talented guy, love his sound. Very much on the mellow tip with primarily organic instruments, but definitely can go all over the place when he feels the need. He basically threw away all my tracks except for the vocals. Love his use of pump organ, kalimba and BANJO. my version was a lot busier, he really stripped it down.
Here is Jim’s music page
There is a screw on capo above the nut that keeps the string tension taut.
Carvin tuning gears. Carvin always makes me think of hair-metal bands in the 80’s. But they are good quality. worth $20 right there. if you figure in the capo, the neck and the snare shell, I got a really great deal.
That hunk of wood bracing the neck looks like it used to be a coffee table leg joint. Check out the mismatched screw. pretty crafty actually. The banjo plays great, actually pretty much feels like my Tele.
I Love Pop Music
This is total pop fluff, weighing in at about a minute and a half.
Pet
I recorded this song with my friends Scott and Io (for a record that is yet to come out). We recorded it live, with the exception of the guitar overdub and the Casio overdub.
We went camping at Jalama Beach, and Io and I had to get there early to claim a spot. Had the acoustic guitar so we worked out the harmonies and recorded this a few days later when we got back.
I used my tele for the wah wah stuff, and my trusty Harmony Broadway for the rest of the song. I got the Harmony one time when I was on tour; paid $50 for it because I happened to have mutual friends with the guy at the music store.
Io is about to have a baby (if she hasn’t by now), and I wish her luck.
Stars and Dust and Junk From Space
Another song; this time it’s about a guy who is stuck in outer space.
Stars and Dust
He misses the people that he knows back on earth, but there is no way to get back. He misses simpler times and outdated technology.
There is something to be said for things that you normally take for granted.
Simplicity = serenity
Technology = thought
Now to go study some embryology
Subtle Way to Say I’m Sorry
I was going for a trashy sort of Magazine, Mission of Burma feel on this one. It’s 1:27 long. Quick and painless. Push the button.
I was thinking about how when I was younger (and maybe even now), it was much easier to say I’m sorry in a song. Only problem is, that the other party involved has no idea you’re apologizing to them. How passive aggressive is that?
Guess it’s based in “I fucked up and look stupid. If I apologize it’s confirmed I’m an asshole. Maybe if I say nothing, they will forget about my faults.” Yeah, that’ll happen.
If anyone wants a complete list of Key Commands for Logic, here’s the link
Is This Love
Is that a flower you’re holding?
Listen to the song “Is This Love”
I don’t have a whole lot of drama going on in my world anymore: got my family, my friends, my job; it’s all pretty mellow for the most part.
Some of my kid’s art. That’s a stop sign
When writing songs I will often write about someone that I know (or knew), something that happened in the past, or I write about what’s going on in the present. In this case: my wife Nicole.
Tomatoes we grew, they’re about to be roasted
We have known each other for a really long time, and eventually we hooked up. Now we’ve been married for about 5 years and we have a little girl Sophie who is 2 and a half. I love being married. My wife is a great girl, and I am really lucky. Not to mention our kid is a perfect little angel. We are trying to have another, and sometimes I wonder how I will be able to love another kid as much as I love Sophie.
Doors are fun
I recorded this song on 4 track originally, and then dumped it into Garageband to try and clean it up a bit before I got Logic. The drums are an old Boss drum machine that I just turned on and let it go, no fills, no dynamics, nothing. Thought about recording it again, but I kind of like it this way.
The old music lab
I used my Roland JX3P for the noise at the beginning, but all of the other keyboards are an old Casio that I have. I recorded my Tele with an old Alamo guitar amp that I have, and the Bass was run through that as well (I think I used an overdrive pedal on it). I also used my SM57 to record the vocals. I have a lot more stuff now, and I sometimes miss the simplicity of a 4 track and having 1 mic to use for everything. Not enough to go back though.
Salem Witch Hunt
Authentic Salem Witch Trials Hat Pin
Trying out something new, if you press the button below, you can hear the song “Salem Witch Hunt.”
So I just found out that because of the budget cuts here in California, I am going to be working 1 day less a week. That’s 20% less cash in my pocket; always a good thing when you’re in school, have a kid and another one in the works.
Freaky old etching
It could be worse though. Awhile back I was reading about the Salem Witch Trials, now that was truly messed up. One of the theories as to why it was happening is that not enough people were attending church. In an effort to scare people into returning to the fold, the church started a witch scare that got a little out of control.
Some guys awesome Halloween costume.
I wrote a song about these events, as I had never written about a historic event before. Not really about history so much as my impressions of what it must have felt like to be close to this madness at the time.
JX3P
I recorded the song on my 4 track with the out of tune Wurlitzer in my living room, a big granny organ i used to have (see my first blog post), and my trusty Roland JX3P. To record the piano, I used this weird Radio Shack mic. It features a flat piece of tin with a crappy little button mic in the middle. I think that the tin is supposed to act like a radar dish and focus the sound towards the mic. I didn’t use it because it sounds amazing, it was a convenience thing. I didn’t have any mic stands, so it was impossible to stick a 57 in there. The Radio Shack mic has a little hole on the plate, so i was able to put a finishing nail inside the piano and hang the mic. Problem solved (for better or worse). I used an SM57 for the vocals as I didn’t have anything better at the time. there is no reverb on the vocals at all. Can’t decide if I liked how that worked out or not.
The JX3P is the flute like sound that runs through the song. These are awesome synths, but you need to get the PG200 controller to get the most out of it (or you are stuck with pre-sets). You could probably pick both up on ebay or something for like $400. I traded a Peavey bass for mine.
PG200 Controller
After going through my old 4 track tapes, I found the song and dumped it onto my mac. Ran it through Garageband (didn’t have Logic yet), and cleaned it up a bit. I also added the little boys choir that you hear in the song.
What most people think a witch looks like
The song is a slow art-rock style number. No drums, just keys and vocals. It originally started with piano, but the cassette tape that it was originally on was starting to show signs of wear and the piano track was messed up. Necessity being the mother of invention, I muted the piano and started the song with the JX3p only.
What most witches really look like
Swinging at the Windmills
Click here to hear the song “All My Friends”
I wrote this song one day when I was feeling a little melancholy. I was thinking about how many of the people that used to mean so much to me are all gone now. Either simply through life moving in different directions, and some of them have fallen victim to their own vices.
I feel like a lot of my friends have fallen along the wayside, and it bums me out, as well as pisses me off. On Sunday I will be attending the funeral of a girl who helped me get sober 14 years ago; she died of a Heroin overdose. What a shameful waste. I get to have this great life, and she gets cremated and forgotten. Thanks for your help when I needed it J.J.
I haven’t really been friends with the girl in years, and she was actually kind of bitchy to me whenever we saw each other. I didn’t take it personally as I know she was suffering through her own hell. Deep inside, under all of the drugs, was a sweet, loving girl who didn’t know which way to turn.
I recorded “All My Friends” in Garageband, it was one of the first things I recorded, so the level is a bit low. No worries, just turn it up. I used a piano sound that came with GB, and the Jazz drum kit, and Upright Bass that are also in GB. If I were to re-record this, I would use a different piano, the EZDrummer Jazz kit (which I just bought for myself ) and a real bass.
The song sounds like a Paul Westerberg song or an old Tom Waits number (before he found his voice).
Pills Are So Pretty
Click here to hear the song Sleeping
I have this friend Bryn, met him online. Depending on his mood, he can be found under many different monikers (Particle Dots and Biba Nova to name a couple). Originally from England, he now lives in the American desert. Don’t know how he puts up with the heat, he is such the Engish gentleman.
Bryn is a master at recording with Logic, they guy has been using it since it was a PC app. I am consistently blown away by the tracks that he does. It’s not only technical expertise either: his music is very smart yet emotional, like a waking state with a beat. He’ll use synths, found sounds and extensive automation to craft these really incredible songs. I don’t even want to compare him to anyone, but I will say that his love of Eno is but one element of his sound. Even though Bryn pretty much exclusively works in the electronic realm (genre-wise) and I come from more of an indie rock background, we have found a lot of common ground. We both love experimentation, happenstance and sound for sounds sake. we have done a few collaborations, and this song “Sleeping” is one of my favorites.
Bryn put the original tracks that he had put together online and was kind enough to let me have a go at them. He sent me some synth tracks, a bass track, a piano part and a loop he made from an acoustic guitar; played from start to finish, it was about 40 seconds long. The tracks reminded both of us of Bowie (because of the piano part), but with a sleepy digital feel. The intent (at least on my end) was to recall a narcotic induced daydream; a sort of lullaby that just floats there until you stop hearing it.
I loaded the individual tracks into Garageband (didn’t have Logic yet) and re-arranged everything so that I could build a vocal part and an arrangement. I added vocals, a slide guitar part (total Gilmour rip-off), and some electronic percussion. By the time I was through, the song was about 4 and 1/2 minutes long.
Haven’t listened to this in awhile, but now upon hearing it again I think I may dump the files into Logic and take another swing at it. I think the end could have been more interesting (rather than a fade out), there are some pops on the vocal track, and it could maybe use some EQ and a little razzle dazzle. I was going to give it to Bryn to mix, but life came up and both of us were busy. So I did a mix that pales in comparison to what he would have done (but that’s how I learn). The end result is kind of like Air covering a one hit wonder from the Carnaby Street psych scene in 1968.
I’m not sure what exactly Bryn used to record, he can be very mysterious; as an example I am unable to put up a link to his music as he has apparently taken it all down. He’ll post like 212 songs, and then pull them all. 2 weeks later he has recorded a whole bunch more. If I can find a link, I will post it as he really needs to be heard.
I used an MXL USB mic, an M-audio 49 e keyboard for about 46 seconds at the end, my trusty fender tele, a metal slide and the line 6 toneport.
Do What You Want To?
Airport Seven
Just wanted to take a second to pimp a band I just discovered: AIrport Seven. I really don’t know much about them other than they are from Brooklyn, and that their guitar players name is LSD25 (and he played in a band called the Reverb Motherfuckers). And did I mention that the band reeks of vintage 1980 New York? A bunch of scuzzy New Yawkers, dressed in black who would have no problem drinking the likes of Pere Ubu, The Fall and Sister-era Sonic Youth under the stage. I’m talking skronk, noize, like the sound of a fuzzbox through a Fender Twin that hasn’t had new tubes since it rolled off the factory floor. These were the sullen, surly guys in art school. If Iggy had actually finished his education in Ann Arbor, I think he would have started this band; but he didn’t and too bad for him.
When I hear these guys, I am instantly transported to some East Side dive bar that smells of cloves and stale beer; and the best looking girls in the club are all with the band. The sound system sucks, but I don’t care; the band is kicking ass, and the recordings I heard of them didn’t sound much better anyways. That’s the charm, the whole frikkin’ point; the focus is on the music and not the pursuit of high fidelity perfection. If you want that, go buy a Steely Dan record. Me, I’m going to be cranking Airport Seven and bouncing off the walls.
Airport Seven will be playing October 3rd. 10 PM
Freddy’s Backroom
485 Dean Street
Brooklyn New York
I live in LA, so i’ll have to make do with these Airport Seven songs I found online.
Click here for Airport Seven’s cover of Pere Ubu’s Final Solution
Pop Music
I love pop music. It comes in so many different flavors, so I never grow tired of it. Melody, harmony and pleasant arrangements. My sweet tooth can’t resist it. I don’t have any time to write today (at work now), so I am just throwing up a few vids for songs that I like.
I am addicted to this song
I think the Shins are a really good 60’s influenced indie pop band. This video is great too. Who doesn’t like cows?
Sufjan Stevens always seems to be held up as some sort of example of indie pop wuss-itude; whatever, I like him. he has a really nice way with a melody, his arrangements are really interesting sounding and he is a true musician. This song is great.
If you’re my age, then you have some memories of this song (good, bad or indifferent). Whatever happened to Postal Service?
I Can’t Imagine
I love the Astronomy Picture of the Day.
I Can’t Imagine
This song is not really about anyone in particular, but more about a “type” of person it seems like I have run into repeatedly over the course of my existence. Could actually be about myself when I was younger. Everyone knows one of those people who are like a tornado ripping through everyone around them; yet everyone loves them because they are smart, funny, good looking or charming. The song itself is a long Pink Floyd kind of thing (i’m partial to that sort of thing); it’s the kind of song I would listen too, but was mostly an experiment in playing with Logic. I am still interested in songwriting, but I have become very interested in the art of recording; not to say that I am successful at it (yet).
I know they kill people, but tornadoes are really cool.
I did this in Logic and tried out a couple of new things. I have been having problems getting a decent bass sound; always seems to be too boomy. So for this one, I EQed the bass kind of more trebl-ey, and then doubled the bass part with a synth EQed really low. I was reading an interview with someone who produces black metal bands, and he mentioned that he does it all the time. Synth provides the bottom end, while the bass gives the rhythm. Seems like it turned out okay.
This guy is a visionary; he brings the ancient traditions of Sumo to the world of black metal
There aren’t any other “synth” sounds in here. Just a little bit of audio that I played with in the EXS24 sampler. I recorded my piano, reversed it and then made an instrument out of it. You can hear that sound pretty much all the way through the song. I ended up being really happy with that instrument, nice to play a chord and hear a reversed piano coming back at you.
My piano isn’t much better.
There is also a flutey (flutish?) kind of sound that I made awhile ago with EXS. It’s mostly the reverb send of a synth pad i was playing with, all of the dry sound is pretty much gone. Liked how it sounded at the time, so I loaded it into the sampler for future use. I usually don’t throw anything away, even if a song sucks I can always sample cool noises in the song and use later for something else. My new fave reverb is EOS by Audio Damage It has a really great sound to it, a crazy hall algorithm, and it also has an infinite button that can get really ugly. Love it.
This was a wise purchase.
The piano itself is sampled too, although I didn’t make that instrument. It’s called the Rain Piano, and I bought it online for real cheap (they were having a sample). It’s just a beat up old upright that was sampled. The company that sells it is called Sampletekk . They have a lot of good stuff available for download online.
Serious business
The guitar part is my Tele run through Podfarm and a leslie simulation in Logic. I was feeling like the middle eight wasn’t very strong (still don’t), and in an attempt at adding a little interest, I cut the lead guitar line up into bite sized pieces and then reversed some of them. The bridge was weird as I improvised the piano part, and when I got around to doing the vocals it wasn’t really working like a song is supposed to. That’s also how that little section with the bass petering out came into play. Suppose I could have actually written a part there, but then I would have had to re-record.
“My son is not a monster”
Drums are EZDrummer; the vintage expansion kit. I bought myself EZDrummer for my birthday last year. Ultrabeat in Logic is really cool, but I have a thing for classic rock and indie, so I needed a different app for that stuff. I think I want to get the EZDrummer jazz kit next; sounds really nice on the songs I’ve heard.
Wish I knew these guys in high school.
Lastly, I just wanted to pimp my friend Carlos’ new record. Carlos is a freaking maniac. He does sort of a dark ambient thing, all tension, mood and an undercurrent of emotional violence. I have had the pleasure to work with him on more than a few tunes, and I have a bit part on this record. It is available for free, and I highly recommend it. Here is a link:
Streaming Audio LIngering Last Drops
Download this now.
Some of Carlos’ artwork
Sorry I got so exited by all of the black metal pictures I found, that I kind of went nuts. Just in case you’re feeling all skeezed out, here’s a picture of a cute baby elephant playing.
Remind me to get one of these for my daughter.
close the door while I play with my theremin
Godzilla circuit bends. Way cool
Not really much to say in this installment. Haven’t recorded much lately as life was getting in the way. This song I am posting was knocked ut pretty quickly and was basically an excuse to try out a fake theremin sound. I do have a real theremin, that my lovely wife gave me for xmas a few years ago, but it’s almost impossible to play a melody on the thing.
ES2 is an amazing synth
The theremin sound was made in the ES2 synth that is part of Logic. Speaking of Logic, I am really excited about the new Logic 9. Some really cool features: convert to sample, some really neat audio flex features. It’s all been said way better than I could explain it, but very excited. Now to just save up a couple hundred bucks (harder than you think with a kid).
This young man looks really comfortable with an infant
Anyways, not really sure what the song is about. I will probably try and do a re-mix of this, although I accidentally threw away the MIDI files for the drum track. Have been trying to learn how to think like a drummer, and am not always successful. I think I overdid it with the crash cymbals at the end of the song.
Before Logic there was the 4 track and some really weird shit
I should probably update this blog more often as the intent was to document my experience trying to learn how to make decent recordings in Logic. At this point I can’t remember a whole lot about the process of this song. Played some stuff, made a few software instruments with samples, etc… Nothing enlightening or interesting in the slightest. I will leave you with some of my plastic block art that I do with my daughter. This is an owl. hope you like the song.
The Owl of Doom
Click that link above to hear the tune
I Need Gasoline
I live in Echo Park, which is just north of downtown LA. It’s really nice here: trees, hills, old houses, even a lake. I have been living with my wife in our house since maybe 2000. At the time, the neighborhood was kind of bad in an inner city way (packs of wild dogs, gangs, abandoned furniture on the street), but it was cool and cheap.
This is where we walk our dog. There isn’t much open green space like this here in LA. You can understand why we chose to live here. The neighborhood was actually getting better too, coffee shops opening up, less gang activity, etc… But recently the economy has put an end to gentrification, and now we are left with high rents and people who have been pushed out. Couple of weeks ago, there was a shooting: 3 local gang members were hit, 2 died. That was like a block from our house.
So now it seems like the White people are afraid of the Hispanics, and the Hispanics are angry with the “white hipsters” who moved in. Lame. I really love the neighborhood, but at this point we just wish that we could move to a better neighborhood and not think about crap like gentrification, racial tension, and where in the hell we’re going to send our kid for school.
If you click the link, you can hear a song that I wrote about Echo Park. I don’t know why I gave it that title, just kind of fit. I recorded this in Logic, with an MXL USB mic that I used for vocals and the acoustic guitar. Other than that, it’s just my voice and some sounds I made with the Automat soft synth (freeware and really nice, go google it). I have no idea why someone made a guitar pedal called Echo Park, but kind of silly.
Got My Eyes On You
Drinking a Rolling Rock with my lady on the corduroy sofa. Good times.
I have a bunch of online friends that I record music with, my favorite gathering spot is macjams. It’s a horrible name for a really great web site. There are some really talented people there, and it’s really given me a kick in the butt to keep playing music. Occasionally there are challenges: write a song that sounds like it came off someone else’s record, write an acoustic song with no overdubs, etc… My favorite challenge has been the LIOLI challenge. Basically the idea is: someone is the organizer and they pick a really horrible MIDI loop and you have to write a song around it. The beauty of MIDI is that you can change the sounds, the tempo, the pitch, you can drag the notes to different places. This challenge really inspired me to figure out how to work with MIDI, and was a lot of fun.
This is the best ice breaker ever
The MIDI loop that this song was based around was really awful. It was really bad dance sounding clavinet. Really horrible. I took the loop and turned it into a bass track and a percussion track. The rest of the song is me playing guitar and I tapped the drums out with my keyboard. It’s about my wife, and how thrilled I used to get when I would see her. I decided to go for a real 80’s vibe on this one; think Love & Rockets/Tones on Tails meets Gang of Four with a little Can thrown in. I don’t usually sing like this, but it fit the song. Take a listen:
These are actual prosthetic eyes. Hope I never need a fake eye
I recorded this in Logic, and used the effects that come with it for the reverb and the drum sounds. For the echo-ey guitar part in the middle I used the TAL-Dub delay plug in. It’s free, and I put a link for it in one of my earlier posts. I automated the delay plug in to make the pitch bends and other trippy sounds. Logic is great for editing effects and sound files, really intuitive I think. If anyone tells you that Logic is too difficult to use, don’t believe them. They probably have troubles with their email too.
These guys make me happy
I got these pictures by typing in the name of the song and just grabbed a few random images. Google images is (sadly) probably the website that I visit the most.
I’ve Never Seen A U.F.O.
click the player to hear “I’ve Never Seen a U.F.O.
When I was a kid I was really into UFOs. Apparently everyone else was too, judging by the popularity of books and documentaries on the subject at the time.
I really wanted to believe that there was some sort of intelligent, benevolent beings out there. Maybe if things ever got really bad, they would come save us.
Anytime I was outside at night, I kept a watchful eye out for them. Unfortunately I never saw one (or even thought I did). Now it’s too late for me: I’m older and now that I am aware of the enormous distance between Earth and the nearest galaxy, I just don’t feel like it’s possible. Just another one of the buzzkills that go along with being an adult.
I wrote this song about having never seen one. I recorded this in Logic. I used EZDrummer to do the drum track and the rest is just guitar and bass that I played using the PodFarm amp modelling software.
Here’s the blueprints for a flying saucer if you’re inclined to try and make one. I wish you would.
Gods Robots
I like to kill time in many different ways. One of my favorites is scouring the internet for pictures of robots. For some reason, I just found that very embarrassing to type.
Not sure why they are so appealing to me. My daughter loves monkeys. Both robots and monkeys are kind of like people, but different. Cooler.
I was chatting with some friends, and one was irritated that he couldn’t write code. I took his quote and turned it into a song. It’s all done on synths that are in Logic. I had to write and record this in about a half an hour, otherwise it wouldn’t have been funny anymore.
“Sapience(No Code, Can’t Send Notes)”
The song is about a robot named Sapience who is stuck in space. His human companion has died and Sapience wrote the song on software that was loaded in him for his masters amusement. Sapience is confused by the emotions that he feels.
I like these robots as they are soft and plushy.
These are just appealing in that molded plastic sort of way. Kind of like toy soldiers, only cooler.
I’ll Be Sad (When You’re Dead)
I wrote this song when I was really angry with someone, it’s kind of a “screw you, go to hell” type of song. I didn’t want it to be angry sounding though (too punk rock and predictable for my tastes); so instead I used Pink Floyd, Spiritualized and random Disney soundtracks as my inspiration. I was going for a lullaby mixed with some dissonance. The best part is that I can’t even remember who I was angry at.
http://www.imeem.com/people/Js3nomQ/music/yxWukL-t/mount_st_helen_ill_be_sad/
All of the string arrangements are from instruments that are found in Logic, with the exception of the Fitch Cello. I feel like it has a nicer sound to it for a solo cello sound. I really love Logic, but the symphonic instruments are all ensemble for the most part. Here’s a link to the Fitch Cello (it’s free); he also has a bunch of instruments like toy pianos, drum kits, horns, etc… You’ll have to Google those as his page seems to move around. Anyways here’s the cello:
http://mac.softpedia.com/progDownload/Fitch-Cello-Download-25411.html
The beginning of the song (and the end) is a drum loop that I ran through CamelCrusher to add some grit to it. The drums in the verses are midi orchestral drums from the Apple Jampack 4. The synth I used is the FM synth that comes with Logic. There isn’t a lot of it in there, just a few sweeps towards the end.
I found all of these pictures in Google images when I typed in “I’ll Be Sad.” They were just pictures that I liked, except for this last one which just baffles me. I guess if that was the amp that I had to use I’d be sad too.
Rabbit Ears Motel 