I'm Going To Record 28 CDS in Feb

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Walter Tore

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Hi All: The RPM Challenge starts Feb 1st. The challenge is to record a complete cd in a month. For me that is no challenge, so I decided to challenge myself to do 28 full cds in the month of Feb. That is 1 a day. I work full time as a special education teacher, so 7am-3pm is blocked out. But I figure from 3-5pm each day I can record and mix a cd. I never have tried to record a set number of cds in a time frame, but figure what the heck, you only live once! Here is a warm up sample of songs I did this morning (off for snow). I have been tweaking my preamps, mic placements, and mixer/mster functions, to make my already streamlined recording process faster. I am going to try and keep a journel on my RPM Challenge blog. Wish me luck! Walter


link to the contest. Enter it if you feel inspired!
http://www.rpmchallenge.com/


Click on link below to hear the songs.

I fell for her
since shes gone the sky cries
in the mood all night long
clean country air
skating on the harp

http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendid=71994638
 
Like the recording set up, great harmonica sound! :D

Good luck!

Bassett's! It takes allsorts to make a World...

Frankie x
 
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Good luck with a cd a day! I'm also doing the RPM project, using the opportunity to collaborate with my girlfriend.

Usually I have enough trouble doing a song a week, so tripling that output is not going to be a cakewalk, exactly.
 
Usually I have enough trouble doing a song a week, so tripling that output is not going to be a cakewalk, exactly.
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Unless you're using SONAR *ba dum tsh!*





...just kidding. :D

I'll be doing the RPM Challenge too! Woo! Good luck everyone!
 
I wish you guys good luck with the challenge! I have a different approach to music. Songs and music just won't stop coming out of me. I let my stream of conciousness loose to a beat that somehow caters to it. It is just a snapshot of that moment, so one could literally make as many cds as moments on an instrument a day. I record about 300 cds a year and due to this volume, I have had to learn how to mix/master a song in a couple minutes. If I spend more time than that, I get backlogged exponentially. I have never practiced to learn a song, riff, etc. When I pick up an instrument, it is to sing a song. I know nothing of music theory. All I do know is everytime I pick up an instrument, a song comes out. Often I am thankful for working a day job. Otherwise I think I might go nuts locked up in my studio all day. Walter
 
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tojo said:
holy crap, you get my kudos. good luck man
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thanks tojo! IMO most people base who they are on what others do. With my approach we all are continuous poets, artists, and musicians, all totally unique. Each of our lives generate volumes of material each moment. My main problem is I am not able to capture a majority of what is coming out of me because I am at work, or whatever, and away from an instrument. That is ok, because I realize the art is in the man no matter what he holds or doesn't hold in his hand. So, why waste time trying to sound like others, impress others, and rely on the world for confirmation for your own unique gift of life? Easy rolling is what I like! Walter
 
that is so wicked, that is what I think I need to strive for ,rather than caring so much what people would think. Don't get me wrong, I've gotten better at it; at the beginning of my recording career (i'm only 17 ) it wasn't coming straight from me you know... it was coming from what other people would have wanted...

i would love to hear what you come up with!
 
tojo said:
that is so wicked, that is what I think I need to strive for ,rather than caring so much what people would think. Don't get me wrong, I've gotten better at it; at the beginning of my recording career (i'm only 17 ) it wasn't coming straight from me you know... it was coming from what other people would have wanted...

i would love to hear what you come up with!
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Hi tojo: I can remember well being 17. Life is a preparation for that last breath. Keep doing like you are and you will be fine. Life is hard on ones who follow their heart. Most musicians claim to be pure artists. That is all lip service because most cater to audience, labels, and whatever they think will get them accepted. True art has no such concerns. It has to come out and to try and control it makes it vanish quicker than you can blink an eye. I have worked hard at letting go of worldly concerns about my music and my life. It is like our society is a ford assembly line. It spits out tons of products (people included) that are perfectly duplicated for maximum efficentcy. I am now in my 50's and am just opening that magical door that says no concerns about what you do-just do what is in you. I have been on the road to this door since I was born. There have been tons of moments in this world that were pure for me, but I kept falling back on worldly concerns. I still do, but they are dimishing quicker each day. I guess that is the journey. You just keep getting closer to the pure gold of it all, and then you die. Keep your heart as your leader. That is the guide on this journey. I probably won't be posting any of the songs because it takes too long to load them to the net and then post on forums. I can tell you they will be like the ones on my site below, only those were moments from days other than today and tomorrow. Take care. Walter
 
Wow! Wonderful links. Thank you most kindly sir for providing them all.

I've been a fan of the way you work ever since I first heard about you a couple of years ago , on a guitar forum, from a doctor in Tennessee who knew you. But I'd not seen your Soundclick site before. So it's been a real treat to be able to see and hear you at work.

Not sure if I'm up to the challenge, but I there's one way to find out... ;) I noticed that you work in the area of special ed - so do I - but I have some free time coming up in February.

Thank you, most sincerely for giving inspiration to an old codger on the other side of the world who took up playing at the ripe old age of 58, and who couldn't understand why he never seemed to want to play the same thing twice.... I've since learned to study theory (which I really enjoy) and work in other ways too, but I've still never been able to stay still long enough to memorise even any of my own songs to form a 'repertoire'.

All the best with your CD a day goal.

Cheers,

Chris
 
Hi Chris: Thanks! I am glad you have found music. It never is too late to start learning anything. I started playing the keyboard about 1 year ago and immediately added it to my 1 man band setup. People get into whatever you are into. Technique is second to passion. The technique will come through time spent on the instrument, but passion cannot be had. It has to call to you. What kind of sped do you teach? I am at the HS level with MR students. I created a home made dog biscuit business that is booming. We have 5 stores carrying them and shipp nationwide. My wandering ways have made me many friends around the US and a lot them support our business. We also do a school cafe that serves coffee, tea, hot chocolate, and scratch made muffins, cookies, brownies. I scored an old home ec room and we have 4 kitchen stations. There is a huge industrial kitchen on our campus as well. I have gotten friendly with the ladies there and they let us cook out biscuits in their convection ovens and have 3 of my students working there. Before moving here to Ohio, I was in the SF Bay area and put together a full working bakery at the MS level with LD students. It made about 25k a year. My job is great. I go in at the first bell and leave at the last. No work comes home because we do no paperwork. I do all my IEPs and paperwork during the school hours. This leaves me free as a bird at 2:30. Special ed is my other artistic passion and the vacations allow me to still do a bit of touring. Take care. Walter
 
This is either the best or worst idea I've ever heard...

Man, I'd love to do RPM challenge, but I just don't have time. If I drop all my social and non-work (read "videogames") activities, I could probably do it (I was doing two a week about a year ago). But I just can't do that to my precious videogames. :D
 
Hi Walter,

Fascinating to hear your story. :) Thank you for posting it. The businesses you got going sound just amazing - more power to you. The kids are very lucky to have you. My work in special ed is rather different in that it has a narrower focus - my son. When he was born 16 years ago I took on the role of being the ‘home Dad’ while my wife continued with her career. I got more than I initially bargained for as he turned out to be severely intellectually disabled. I had to look up your abbreviations but I guess he’d be ASD, MR and LD.

He couldn’t speak at all until he was 6, and had a whole raft of problems that I’m sure you’d be familiar with. I home schooled him for many years (using a picture exchange system initially) and made a lot of progress. He’s now at the Ed. Support Unit at our local High School and they have a great program there. Matt does stuff like Art, Cooking, Gardening, and Circus - which is a wonderful way of doing OT and has done wonders for his coordination etc. They also go out into the community once a week and do things like simple shopping tasks, and helping serve morning tea at the old folks home, etc. They also do a bit of work experience (simple assembly stuff) at a place that specialises in supported work. The aides and teachers at school are wonderful. So my job has eased off a lot over the last 3 years (although I do help at the unit occasionally) and I can now do the music in the spare hours. It’s a life balance I’ve come to love, and the kids at the unit are just amazing.

Matt still can’t communicate very well, although I did manage to teach him to read and write. He has a bizarrely good visual memory, but very little ability at knowing what it means. So when he reads one of his books, if he’s seen it read on kids’ TV (he still likes stuff made for 3 or 4 year olds) he often seems to be able to ‘read’ it without turning the pages, just by running the ‘tape’ in his head. And he always adds the same comments that the presenters made on TV when they read the story, even years later. I bought him a drum set, which he was very enthusiastic about for a few weeks, but then lost interest - so I guess that’s quite ‘normal’ behaviour! I also taught him a few songs on a toy keyboard, by numbering the keys, but that’s slid away for now too. (I gave the unit a 61 note keyboard but I don't think they've worked out anything for the kids with it yet.)

Matt does great drawings though. He puts them together in a most unusual way. He draws all the separate parts on the page first (like one of those exploded diagrams in an assembly manual) and then cuts them out and colours them in. Then he sticks the whole lot together with loads of selotape. He can’t really draw on request - it just pops into his head, and he has to go through with it. A little like Sponto-Draw I guess. :) He does several new ones per day. Here’s an example. It’s a built up collage, made out of many bits, but you can’t tell that from this photocopy unfortunately. I keep meaning to stick a page up with some of his art on it. Maybe tomorrow...

Here's some small pictures for a quick click if you have time:

3 Hens and a Rooster

Oink

The first stage - mice

Chicken family

Eye contact from the drummer!!

Apologies for the length of this, but I tend to write stuff a bit like you play - I never quite know what’s coming next, but can’t deny that urge to keep moving on and finding out, and I really enjoy the process as it goes. :D It’s great to meet somebody who has the same interests in both spec.ed. and music. Must stop, or I’ll write on for hours...

Cheers,

Chris
 
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you are welcom tojo!

Chris: Thanks for writing that note. I tried to open the pictures but was a no go. I will try again later. Keep up the great work!

I am finishing my first day up. I did 2 sessions and will have close to 3 cds mixed and mastered to wave files. I should be done within the hour. Today has been a good one and a bit long- started at 9am. Here is a link to my RPM blog if anyone feels like writing something. Walter

http://www.rpmchallenge.com/component/option,com_mamblog/task,show/action,showmyblog/Itemid,291/
 
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