Writing & recording procedures...

  • Thread starter Thread starter Pedullist
  • Start date Start date
oh...and that is how I write a fucking song. I get my hairs up wishing I could punch someone in the face, throw a cheap guitar against the wall, and hopefully it recorded ok. Then...maybe I cut and paste the chorus.
 
Mixmkr, thank you for specifying "cheap guitar." Throwing a nice guitar is comparable to getting kicked in the nuts. The thought alone makes me drop to the floor. :eek:

Oh, and please don't get too annoyed about that other thing, though I know exactly how you feel. Clearly certain people get a little insecure about their status as "gurus" and sometimes resort to pissing matches.

But that's another thread in another place.

Now, back to our regularly scheduled recycled off-topic clinic thread.
 
...im fightin the urge to go check out that post...

Sluicey, did you know that there are 62 lighthouses in the state of Maine? ....circa Snapple "real fact" #62
 
i'll put in my 2 cents

I usually come up with a single line that I like then try to imagine what kind of theme a song would have to support that line. Then, I get out the ryhming dictionary to see how many rhymes the end word of the line has.
(sometime you just have to scrap a real good line because there are not enough available rhymes).
Then I write down rhyming words that I could fit into the theme of the song without creating corny lines just to get a rhyme.
Next, I imagine what type of tempo and mood I want the song to have.
I try to visualize the song in my head.
when I have done that (still haven't picked up a guitar yet) I will usually write a chorus and 1st verse (if the tune is going to have a chorus)
At that point i will pick up a guitar and see what key I need to do it in.
I then record a scratch track of acustic guitar and vocal to see how the verse and chorus sings....if I like it I write the rest of the lyrics and record the 1st version of the song.
I listen to that for a week or so (with other musicians involved) and we discuss whether it will work or not and arrangement.
Then, we practice the arangement and lay down what I hope will be the final recording of the music.
Finally, I fine tune the lyrics for what is sometimes a couple of weeks.

Lastly I lay down the vocal of the finished lyrics
 
SLuiCe said:
(alright time for bed. For some fucked up reason I just read through a 4 page flame war on the nature of mastering in the mixing/mastering forum. It has truly rattled my senses and I'll never go into the forum again.)

Ah good, you're saying something completely different than I first thought (when I quickly read through this thread at work your post puzzled me a little). What did I read?

For some fucked up reason I just read through a 4 page flame war on the nature of masturbating

Eh....


:D

My mind, it works in mysterious ways... :)
 
You laugh, but you probably wouldn't be too hard pressed to find that somewhere around here either. There's no limit to the depths some will sink in their desperate attempt to rule the world of ASCII! I'd start with the Cave to verify...


Though these little spats can be pretty entertaining late at night when your ears are fried and the little woman is asleep. :)
 
Guernica said:
Sluicey, did you know that there are 62 lighthouses in the state of Maine?

Are you insinuating that we're all lost at sea, Mike? You wanna take it outside buddy? Meet me in the cave after school...
 
Somehow this thread always changes into a Hey Moskus kinda thread. Yep, that's right: 1130 replies and 12840 views :eek: :D And none of those replies make sense!!!

Tom, stop posting and start downloading. I've got four tracks for ya to download...
 
- Do you compose on guitar or piano first or by noodling around on your pc? ('noodling' not meant in a negative way! )

Guitar.


- Do you prefer to write lyrics first, then music or the other way around? (or at the same time)

Usually Music first, then lyrics to fit it. Sometimes (rarely) I'll have a melody line in my head and I'll write music to fit that.


- Do you record quick demo's first and decide later whether you proceed or do you aim for the final product directly?

I use a mini-cassette recorder to capture the very first "draft" of the song.


- Do you ever write and record at the same time?

Not really. I've done this with other people's material, but not mine.


- Do you record on a computer, hardware only, or both?

Computer.


- How's your relationship with the almighty click? (this one is for Sluice mainly, because his music often has multiple tempo ratios)

I suck at playing to a click. :p Considering I'm a drummer... that's a bad thing. :cool: But it's true. It's mainly because I never do.... ever. I only have to play to a click in rare live occasions and when I lay the very first track to a song I'm recording (which isn't very often these days. :p) I really do need to make it a permanent part of my playing routine.


- What's your studio like?

It's a desk in my bedroom with some mics next to it.


- How would you describe your equipment? Amateur, pro, semi-pro?

You decide. I have a souped-up, water-cooled computer that I built from only the choices parts. :p ...a digi001 running ProTools 5.3.1, a Focusrite Penta Platinum Compressor/Pre, a C-1, an MC-12, and Studiophile 8B's to monitor.


- How do you stay focused and fresh? Do you listen to lots of other music or none?

Not really. I don't listen to music much. I don't really like playing music in the background when I'm doing something. The only time I ever really listen to music is in the car, and even then, all I do is flip through the radio stations until I find something tolerable.


- What are your main influences?

I don't really have any. When I was growing up, I listenend to Rush (while practicing drumming) and alternative stuff like Pearl Jam. (I'd say those are my biggest drum influences). As fro guitar... I guess I kind sound like James Taylor... I used to listen to his stuff a lot. As far as song influences... I have none... I just try to write good hooks (which sometimes end up sounding much like hooks from other songs that I've heard on the radio at some point or another :p).




WATYF
 
Okay, what the hell...

- Do you compose on guitar or piano first or by noodling around on your pc? ('noodling' not meant in a negative way! )

Typically, I'll play on the actual instrument, get it the way I want it to sound, and go from there. If I like it, and it needs 'more parts', I'll record it, then play the next 'actual' instrument, etc..

If I don't own the instrument, or can't borrow it, I might muck around on the machine to get it, but prefer the real thing.

- Do you prefer to write lyrics first, then music or the other way around? (or at the same time)

Usually, lyrics first, because they pop into my head first. Sometimes it's the other way around however, and sometimes I'll convert an instrumental into a full song, just because later I'll come up with lyrics that might fit...

On the rare occasion, I'll get the full song in one lump.

- Do you record quick demo's first and decide later whether you proceed or do you aim for the final product directly?

I think nearly everything I've done has been demo, lol.

- Do you ever write and record at the same time?

The base is usually written ahead of time, but I do 'build' on that base by writing and recording at the same time occasionally.

- Do you record on a computer, hardware only, or both?

Both... Mostly whip up the demos on computer though, as I finally got some gear to do it.

- How's your relationship with the almighty click? (this one is for Sluice mainly, because his music often has multiple tempo ratios)

First track typically only. After that, it's annoying!

- What's your studio like?

I live in a very small room... Everything is in one room, bed, dresser, desk, computers, recording gear... Let's just say 'cramped'.

- How would you describe your equipment? Amateur, pro, semi-pro?

A little of everything ;) Shit mix!

- How do you stay focused and fresh? Do you listen to lots of other music or none?

Man.... I couldn't tell you how much I listen to... How do I stay focused and fresh? Glasses, and daily bathing.

- What are your main influences?

Damn good question... Emotion mostly, I suppose.

W.
 
- Do you compose on guitar or piano first or by noodling around on your pc? ('noodling' not meant in a negative way! )


it's always different.. I don't use a p.c. for recording..




- Do you prefer to write lyrics first, then music or the other way around? (or at the same time)

50/50


- Do you record quick demo's first and decide later whether you proceed or do you aim for the final product directly?


usually it is what it is.. I plan on rerecording a few though..



- Do you ever write and record at the same time?


often..



- How's your relationship with the almighty click?


estranged..


- What's your studio like?



like a bedroom with recording stuff in it..



- How would you describe your equipment? Amateur, pro, semi-pro?


amateur..


- How do you stay focused and fresh? Do you listen to lots of other music or none?


it's easy to stay focused when you enjoy the process.. I listen to lots of other music..


- What are your main influences?



too many to name.. here's a few in no particular order.. Black Sabbath, Rush, Steve Vai, Type O Negative, Living Colour, Pantera, the Beatles, King's X, early Aerosmith, Hendrix, the Doors, Seal, Iron Maiden, Judas Priest, Rage Against the Machine, Soundgarden, Suicidal Tendencies, Life of Agony, Led Zeppelin, Cradle of Filth, King Diamond, Yes, Slayer, Triumph, Joe Satriani, Alice in Chains, Van Halen, the Misfits, Naked Raygun, the Rolling Stones, Skynyrd, old punk, old New York Hardcore, some assorted hip hop etc.. I listen to lot's of stuff.. these are all things I've listened to recently..
 
TheRealWaldo said:
- What are your main influences?

Damn good question... Emotion mostly, I suppose.
Hhhhmmm... good answer. I'm gonna second that.



WATYF
 
guess i'll go next...

compose on guitar

i always write music first, then add lyrics. i tried the other way around, but it's hard to predict how it's all gonna work out.

quick demo, then see how it sounds, then maybe go for it

i often write and record simultaneously

my studio is my bedroom.

gear is amateur^100000

i stay fresh by recording infrequently.

influences? i dunno...
 
Will there be a statistical analysis of this information at some point?

- Do you compose on guitar or piano first or by noodling around on your pc?
Guitar or piano or drum loops - I often get inspired by a rhythm, so I listen, noodle and then start writing

- Do you prefer to write lyrics first, then music or the other way around?
60% lyrics first, 40% other way around

- Do you record quick demo's first and decide later whether you proceed or do you aim for the final product directly?
Always demo first - but some of the first ideas get incoporated thanks to non-destructive editing

- Do you ever write and record at the same time?
No

- Do you record on a computer, hardware only, or both?
I use a hard disk recorder - I hate fiddling with software but I guess I'm gonna have to get into it if that's where all the cool mastering tools are.

- How's your relationship with the almighty click?
Never without a click - I'm a rhythm freak.

- What's your studio like?
A college dorm room - papers all over the place, cords lying all over the floor, no real furniture, empty cigarette packs by the trainload - the only thing missing are the nightie-clad nubile nymphets nodding their noggins as my fingers fondle the fretboard feeding their orgiastic fervor. Other than that my studio has some music gear in it, too.

- How would you describe your equipment? Amateur, pro, semi-pro?
Absolutely amateur - Boss BR-1180, some B-gear, total value around $2K.

- How do you stay focused and fresh? Do you listen to lots of other music or none?
My focus is directed by self-discipline. I set realistic musical goals and always try to exploit my limitations. I don't think my music is particularly 'fresh' - it's all 60s and 70s throwback stuff.

- What are your main influences?
Jorma Kaukonen (solo, with the Airplane, and as Hot Tuna), Clarence White, Mississippi John Hurt, Doc Watson, Woodie Guthrie, Chad Mitchell Trio, CSN (with our without Y), Warren Zevon, Frank Zappa and a host of songsmiths from the 15th Century - to name a few.
 
mixmkr said:
naw...you've got something better than that, watyf.
er........? :confused:


ok... I'll bite. What do I have? :D




Really though... I hadn't thought of it that way. But when I look back... almost all my compositions have been influenced (quite heavily) by the emotion I was trying to convey at the time.


WATYF
 
Time to use up some space, even though I'm useless at recording :D

- Do you compose on guitar or piano first or by noodling around on your pc? ('noodling' not meant in a negative way! )

I normally make it up first, definately


- Do you prefer to write lyrics first, then music or the other way around? (or at the same time)

Music first, lyrics last

- Do you record quick demo's first and decide later whether you proceed or do you aim for the final product directly?

I record a quickie to remind me of it, and sometimes to overlay a few instruments to get a texture

- Do you ever write and record at the same time?

Secondary parts played along to the recording

- Do you record on a computer, hardware only, or both?

Computer

- How's your relationship with the almighty click? (this one is for Sluice mainly, because his music often has multiple tempo ratios)

We had a fight a bit earlier, but we're back together, and going out to dinner tonight

- What's your studio like?

Non existant

- How would you describe your equipment? Amateur, pro, semi-pro?

Non existant/Amateur/Lonely ;)

- How do you stay focused and fresh? Do you listen to lots of other music or none?

None whilst trying to record

- What are your main influences?

Radiohead, blur, myself usually.
 
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