What is/was your most AMBITIOUS recording?

[Llarion]

What recording of yours (cover or not) did you take the longest to do, put the most in, overflow with effort and ambition, try stuff you never did, overwork yourself, draw blood, and have to take a big nap when you were done?

Well, here's mine..

Children of Sanchez

I did a cover of the classic 1977 Chuck Mangione piece "Children of Sanchez"... Chuck was probably the single biggest formative influence in my musical life, I was always a HUGE fan, so for me, this was pure tribute... It's a 25-track monster! Here's the layout:

Recording device: Korg D1600 16-track hard disk station

10 tracks of drums (acoustic kit, 2 parts, 5 mics on the kit)
Bass - Peavey Foundation, direct, no FX
Piano - Roland RD-500
Rhythm Guitar - Martin DXME
Rhythm Guitar 2: Angelica classical
Melody 1: Martin DXME (more processed, over-attacked for bite)
Melody 2 (doubled): Korg Trion flugelhorn patch
Rhodes: RD-500
Cello: Proteus 2000
Flute Solo - Proteus 2000
HORN SECTION:
Trombone, 2 different trumpet parts, flute part, French horn. All tracked individually, in realtime, all Korg Triton patches except trombone, Proteus 2000.

Mastering: Cool Edit Pro 1.1, using t-Racks and Waves plugins.

This beast took a full month, probably 40+ total hours in it. No click track. Drums were take one both times, bass was take 2. Piano and Rhodes were take 1. Melody guitar was take 5. Melody keyboad was take 7. Cello was take 2. Horns were all at least a dozen. The flute solo was probably the 25th pass. (I am one poopstain of a soloist.)

For you Magione aficionados, I used the studio single arrangement, with the ending from the Live at the Hollywood Bowl cut, and longer drum section between the verses.

Whattya think? And what's the BEAST in your catalog??? Let's hear it!!

[Dogman]

Mine are in progress right now. I am trying stuff to make my music more full. I come from a time when we recorded stuff as a band on a cassette 4 track. One mic, so guitar amps were plugged into the recorder direct, and the one mic was used on drums, and vocals were screamed into the general direction of the mic. Now, I am just learning to do more layers than 1 guitar, bass, drums and vocals. I am also listening to your tune. Dude, that is very sweet. It is mixed so well, it is amazing. Very smooth. The playing is spot on, but the recording is just amazing. Clean is all I can say....
Ed

[Nakatira]

I`d have to say the same as Dogman, mine is also in the making.
as I only had one track recordings before.
I got my multiple interface, mics and sutch this summer.
So I feel I`ve got the basics down, and I`ve got a smashing drummer onboard.
So I hope to have some ambitious Prog rock posted soon.

however I did some ambitious recordings with one mic as well.
such as a 26 minute song with loads of themes loads of tracks.
very influenced by thick as a brick.

And there was the time were I did another track, wich is probably my best to this day, wich included bothe flute and pan flute.

Llarion your song was very cool, very nice in mix and preformance.

[SnakeDog5050]

I'll be back to hear yours Llarion, but good idea, I'm gonna go get my 15 minute song ready... I'd be thrilled if anyone listened to the whole thing It started as a 2 minute song that just keep growing and growing and growing... you get the idea

[SnakeDog5050]

Ok, Snakedog got a little excited and said he'd be right back with his most ambitious recording... well there's still some mastering work I'd like to do before anybody hears it (nobodies ever heard it before) so I'll probably post it in a few days or so... it's a good excuse to back and finish it

[SnakeDog5050]

Wow that's cool, the instruments sound good!! So is Proteus 2000 with the horn sections and all a midi keyboard? I used to be in marching band and thought about doing midi stuff like this mixed with other instruments, but it always turned into a complete disaster. Yours though, it's balanced so well and sounds great, like a full out concert band or something! Well worth the effort if you ask me.

[Rokket]

My most ambitious song is still in the works 15 years later.... and now it will take forever because I am separated from my gear.

But at least I will have time to practice my guitar, which is weak, and get vocal lessons...

[RAMI]

Wow! Llarion, "Children of Sanchez" is awesome, man. That's in another league all together. I can see why you'd be extremely proud of that. Shit man. I'm not even going to put my song in the same post.

[RAMI]

After hearing Llarion's "Children of Sanchez", I'm alittle embarrassed to mention my little rock song. But to answer the question, my most ambitious project would be a song that people hear have heard lately. It's not ambitious in the snese that there's any major virtuosity going on, but it did take some creativity to make the lyrics flow. Some vocal parts I'm proud of, and I think for a 7 minute song, it doesn't get boring...I hope. That 70's Song.

[jamtheguitarman]

That would be my First ever song, its posted below in another thread.
this thing took me at least 4 mothns to do everything. lost count of the number of tracks, probably over the 30 mark.

link below

[DonF]

Dang, Llarion, that's pretty hot.

My most ambitious project was my first and only solo CD, recorded in my father-in-law's home studio. Four years, countless hours, some very cool arrangements by Randy Porter, and a couple of passable ones by me. Shortly after I finished it (in early 1992), I retired from studio work to concentrate on raising my family.

Don

[madmush]

My most ambitious recording was a song called "My country is different from
yours", but the ambition wasn't about the sound (although i'm always ambitious about that).

I wanted to make a protest type song in the shape of a national anthem. I wanted it to reflect the core of my political conviction, slag off human political authority and the economic world system, which i view with both contempt and great sadness. I started by looking up a bunch of national anthems from all over the world, to see how they were written and what the lyrical content was. It worked out a beautiful, sad, and very ironic piece.

From conceiving the idea, it probably took half a year to emerge. Then I wrote it fairly quickly, as you do.

Mad Mush: My country is different from yours.mp3

[Llarion]

Originally Posted by SnakeDog5050

Wow that's cool, the instruments sound good!! So is Proteus 2000 with the horn sections and all a midi keyboard? I used to be in marching band and thought about doing midi stuff like this mixed with other instruments, but it always turned into a complete disaster. Yours though, it's balanced so well and sounds great, like a full out concert band or something! Well worth the effort if you ask me.

Snake,

The Proteus 200 is a rackmount synth module, I use my RD-500 piano to control/play it. I didn't sequence though, I played each part in realtime, one at a time... Thanks for the kudos!


Rami,

Thanks very much man! Means a lot from you... I can't listen to stuff at work, so later tonight I'll grab everyone else's tunes to hear!

Dog and Rakatira,
Thanks mucho, muchachos! I look forward to what you decide to post, once you record it. Ambition doesnt' necessarily mean "lots of tracks" though! if it was an intense and emotional songwriting process, or an exceptionally complex piece of songwriting, that counts too!

Rokket,
As I said above, an ambitious song can be solo guitar, ya know? Hope your separation isn't permanent!!

Jam,
I'll be on reciprocal listens tonight!

DonF,
Thanks, man!! I knew you'd appreciate it... I'll check it out tonight!

Madmush,
Sounds compelling, I look forward to hearing it tonight! Thanks for popping in!

[ecktronic]

Song "Dimmed"
http://www.soundclick.com/bands/7/teckno_music.htm

I love this tune but the recording is too rough. Tried to recreate it in a proper studio but couldnt get the sounds the same. Pity.

Most of the first recording I ever did were my most ambitious and used most tracks and alot of creativity. That was because I got a Boss BR1180 home recorder so i just sat at home with no time limits or stresses and just recorded without any real way of thinking how it would end up. Just started with a rough idae on the piano or bass guitar and worked from there.

[Rokket]

Originally Posted by Llarion

Rokket,
As I said above, an ambitious song can be solo guitar, ya know? Hope your separation isn't permanent!!

Yeah, but actually it's about 7 minutes long, has 3 key changes and two tempo changes. And I am looking for the right female voice to sing it.

And the separation is going to end in January!

[Llarion]

Sounds like good clean fun! Looking forward to hear it!

[Inverness]

Originally Posted by ecktronic

Song "Dimmed"
http://www.soundclick.com/bands/7/teckno_music.htm

I love this tune but the recording is too rough. Tried to recreate it in a proper studio but couldnt get the sounds the same. Pity.

Most of the first recording I ever did were my most ambitious and used most tracks and alot of creativity. That was because I got a Boss BR1180 home recorder so i just sat at home with no time limits or stresses and just recorded without any real way of thinking how it would end up. Just started with a rough idae on the piano or bass guitar and worked from there.

Wow, I REALLY like that song.
And hey, lo-fi isn't always bad. Sometimes it's very good, if it works in favor of the song.
Some parts do sound rough around the edges though, like clips and stuff that need to be edited out.

My most ambitious project has been working on a solo project debut album. So far all I've had to record was a webcam and a contact mic.
It's been good so far, taking to account those circumstances.

EDIT: Ecktronic, have you ever heard of a band called Menomena? Your stuff resembles them a bit, now that I think about it. You should check them out. They're amazing.

[Llarion]

Rami,

Yes, I'd already fallen all over myself about That 70's Song, though I thought the feedback wanted some more expressive nuance, if I recall. I still say you're a mutant. Or a one-man clinic, I don't know which. Maybe both.

Jamtheguitarman,

Man, this song is a journey in and of itself! I can see every second of work that went into it! All the meter changes and stops; I don't knwo why, but I can never really keep up with that kind of thing, and I'm a drummer, fer crissakes! I envy you that. I guess I have a pendulum swinging in my head that interrupts me. You've got great technique, and the song is atmospheric! The change at about 8:10 is quite literally ASTOUNDING!!!! I'm gonna hip all my proggie friends to this pice, man... WICKED!!!

madmush,

You certainly captured the catchy, anthemic deal with that piece... A little boomy on the bottom perhaps, but emotional, and ironic, perhaps a little angry. CERTAINLY, it's effective. I'll cruise over check out some other stuff! By chance, do you know Hakan Anderssen (AKA Master Zap)? He is another Swedish friend of mine that I met in the online music community, and also Matrin Lindhe (Bassic, www.lindhe.com, puure genius), who is from Sweden, but whome I met personally, as he lived in Tampa for awhile... Perhaps you've run across each other online?

Ecktronic,
Can you please define "trip hop" for me? Nobody's been able to explain it to me properly... From this piece, I'd say that it's a fusion of Abstract, instrumental punk, retro, and psychedelic... Am I close? It's too bad the recording is rough, the clipping is almost painful, but through it, there are brilliant ideas and executions.. I love the drum breakouts especially, and the copter flyby was effective. Lots of post-apocalypse-meets-crime-drama going on! Fun!!

[Llarion]

One bump; lots of responses for people....

[ecktronic]

Im glad you like the song. Cheers.
Its one of my best works in the experimental genre.
Was influenced by Dj shadow and Uncle. Thinking about making another couple of tracks in that style.
Gonna check that band out as soon as I get my pizza from the oven. mmmm

[ecktronic]

Nice glad you told me about Menomena. They sound cool.
I like the drums. Sounds like they have Dj shadow influences.
Nice.

[AvoidTheClap]

www.myspace.com/diminishingreturns

the song 'red army town'

bear in mind myspace streams at low quality & such.

[Chris Shaeffer]

Man, I need a fast connection here at home...

My most ambitious recording?

It was a live recording of a kick @ss Hawaiian rock band (Sugah Daddy) in an untreated warehouse. 16 channels going into Pro Tools with 8 sub-mixs going to an ADAT for redundancy. Oh, and I was mixing the house sound AND monitors. Oh, and my assistant failed to show up. Oh, and no time for a soundcheck before the audience started arriving. Oh, and we've added an opening band with their own equipment...

Any one of those jobs would have been easy. All of them at once made for quite the headache. Good thing I had chosen this opportunity to use my new (i.e. unfamiliar) mixing console!!

Um, I won't be posting an example. The mix actually turned out OK for what it was- a live show in a warehouse. It just that the first 2-3 songs were the sound check... and they only played like 6 or 7.

In that situation I chose to focus on the live sound- the show must go on and I wanted to make the band sound as good as I could (which isn't hard- they're fantastic musicians.) I found out after the fact that the bassist/lead singer's monitor never did work. Also found out about the 2nd or 3rd song that the other lead singer's channel wasn't hitting Pro Tools- a quick reseating of the cable fixed that.

Ah, well. That's how you learn. The hawaiians were happy enough with the results and we're still friends so it must not have gone TOO badly for them.

-C

[ido1957]

Excellent recording - I'm grooving to the beat as I listen ...... I've never heard the original. This is really nice.....

1) how do you keep those drums going the whole song (I'm getting tired just trying to keep up).
2) It evokes images of latin/spanish dancers
3) all the instruments - horns, flutes, guitars etc - great licks/chops
4) Nice crescendo at the end and outro on the guitar.....
I can see why you'd need a nap after that

[thehymns]

Menomena - I Am the Fun Blame Monster has some of the best artwork...it's a flipbook! I just started recording, so I don't have any ambitious ideas tracked yet.