Song061_Discarded Inventions

This song is in honor of failed inventions, and the ingredients that make great inventors...creativity, persistence, perseverance.

LYRICS: "Human hydro hamster wheels, JATO rocket on a classic car, bird wings fixed with suspenders and glue, drive-thru money-machines for the blind, riding vacuums and dogs with wheels, candle-lit coal mines, robot policemen, meatless meatloaf casserole mixtures, scuba suit laced with hooks and bait, cell phone tazer with defibrillator, pirate cruise-ships, ice fly-fishing, chocolate covered bacon, and aerosol cheeses. Lazer-beam bombs, deep sea jeeps, vegan-friendly cattle, bottles made of leeks, crust-less loaves of uncooked toast, and space ships fueled by jumping beans. You might've failed, but it was fun to watch. You gave it lots of thought, but it wasn't meant to be."

Some of these things I made up, and some of them actually happened. I recently sketched out the plans for a cell phone that has a built-in tazer as well as a heart-rhythm analyzer and defibrillator. I thought that was a practical idea. Chocolate covered bacon actually exists, and I love it. Also, I thought it would be nice if someone invented "vegan-friendly cattle" so our friends, Tim and Kristen, could enjoy meat that isn't tofu.

-Matthew

Song060_Defining Moments

We left town this morning at 3am and rode the 'Hotter Than Hell' (100k) cycling race in Wichita Falls, TX (3hrs 35min 48sec). We didn't get back until late afternoon, and (although I had given it lots of thought) I didn't have a specific plan for today's song. I decided to record an instrumental that mirrors my feelings about the day's events.

The ride was great...great scenery, great company, fast track, no crashes, etc. I rode without any music today, and I enjoyed the time to think. I kept recalling "defining moments" that I've witnessed...some great and some catastrophes, but all of them truly "defining." It's hard, if not impossible, to anticipate defining moments...just have to always be ready.

The primary track in this song is an acoustic guitar which I recorded through direct input (using GuitarRig 3). It's layered with a few delay effects and large-room reverbs. The analog bass was recorded next. There are two electric guitar tracks that have dueling E-bow parts. (An "E-bow" is an electronic device that you hold against a guitar string. The magnet in the E-bow reacts to the magnet in the guitar pick-ups...creating a sound that emulates a violin bow). The "icing" on the song was: a computerized vocal section, a french horn, and a few other random sounds.

I hope you enjoy the song.

-Matthew

Equipment Preparations

When I first started recording I had: a Tascam 4-Track cassette recorder, one SM58 mic, a guitar, a Casio keyboard, a borrowed drum set and a variety of miscellaneous instruments and toys that made noise. Today, almost 20 years later, I have made some upgrades, yet I'm still just a modest "home-studio" when compared to others. My current equipment list now includes: 6 mics, a newer Casio keyboard (with weighted keys...finally), a banjo, some guitars and a (different) borrowed drum set. I've been in high-dollar recording studios before, and they're nice. However, I'm thankful for the convenience and affordability of my personal studio, ThreeByNine.

I have been able to make a few recent purchases to help with this project. Paul Allen at Sweetwater has been a knowledgable and trustworthy salesman over the years (paul_allen@sweetwater.com). Also, Adrian Gamez (adrian@secondstoryms.com), a friend and a Guitar Center employee, was also able to get me some great deals.

In the end, it's not how much gear you own, it's how you use the gear you have.

Matthew