Song268_Soapbox Derby

I started writing today's song around noon, and I approached this one a little different than ever before. I found about 6 individual rhythm tracks, and I edited and arranged the entire percussion section before recording anything else. I've started songs with drums before, but I usually don't determine what will go where (and for how long) until I've written another foundational part (usually guitar, sometimes bass guitar, sometimes keys). The next instrument that I recorded was the bass guitar. I played along to each section...writing each part as I recorded. The bass happened quickly (1-2 takes on each section), and then I was able to edit, EQ, and mix these tracks before taking a break.

I ate lunch around 1330, and then Brandon (Steach) came over. We had scheduled some time to work on his mom's CD project (a 20-plus song double-disc of quality gospel music). Half of these songs have a pre-recorded backtrack (i.e. they tracked it karaoke-style), and the other half Brandon arranged and recorded himself. We worked on one song for about 4.5 hours with minimal progress, and then we took a break and went running (nice day...went 3 miles). Our session today helped us realize some ways to make progress more efficiently, so in some ways it was productive.

I returned to today's song around 2000, and completed it around 2300 (4.5 hrs total to write, record, and mix). I really like this arrangement, and it was fun to record (especially the guitar parts, which seemed to write themselves). The mix took a few tries. I found a track with some rogue frequencies after the first mix, fixed it, raised the overall levels, and re-mastered the song. Another day complete.

-Matthew
www.anewsongeveryday.com
matthew@anewsongeveryday.com