Archive for the ‘recordings’ Category

couldn’t leave it alone…

I just got back onto Mac for some of my workload. Of course, I’m taking advantage of the goodies that come with it that have nothing to do with my job…

One such morsel is Garageband. Although I’ve got a ton of software experience in various professions, I’m not all that savvy with recording programs. Not so much because of the programs themselves, but because I’m pretty ignorant about all that goes into recording. I have used a bunch of them though. I started with a $25 eBay resale of Cakewalk’s Guitar Tracks (v.1). Really easy to use which was great, but pretty limited in it’s features. My neighbor was teaching me how to use Project 5 so we could record together, but it was over my head and I didn’t want to put the time into learning it. And of course, I’ve seen Pro Tools unleashed in the studio.

Garageband is right up my alley. It’s very easy to get everything in place, simple to add/modify/edit your stuff, and the bonus is how it’s integrated with iTunes.

Anyway, after getting back-in-mac, I spent 2 hours in Garageband (mainly seeing how performance would be - I’m on a Macbook vs. the Macbook Pro I was using previously).

Here’s the outcome of my little one man jam band session. Stick with it, it gets fun starting around 34 seconds in…

[removed - see "two hours redux" post for audio]

Simplicity is so often much more powerful than volume.  This is from BET (Brothers of the Empty Tomb), one of the 42,324 bands at this place.

I’m migrating from Mac back to PC as part of a job change (if you have a used MB Pro for sale please tell me) and I found a real gem (yes, that’s a subjective appraisal) buried in my files.

It’s a tune I recorded in 2004 called “Country Jam”, yet another unfinished piece. It was recorded one afternoon using a buddy’s 10 watt Marshall practice amp, playing my train wreck of an ‘81 Squier Strat, and using only a Boss DD3 delay pedal. I mic’d the amp using an SM58. Nothing but pro setup for me my friends… (that’s sarcasm for you non-musical types).

If you listen closely you’ll hear a metronome in the background. It’s the first (and only) time I’ve used one to record. The thing annoyed me to no end. I’m also playing the electric drums, so you’ll be treated to the most basic beat in history. The song is three tracks; rhythm and lead guitar, and drums. Stick with it, it gets fun towards the end.

The timing is off in places and the whole track is really a mess. But I love it. Some of my favorite music is from players and bands who didn’t have the latest and greatest and recorded in some of the “worst” conditions, but came away with really inspiring music. I’m not meaning to compare myself to them (nor am I saying that this is inspiring), just shedding some light on why I’m posting jacked up, unfinished recordings. Enjoy!

Here’s a little something I threw together a few months back. Total creation time was about 3 hours. It’s one of the many pieces I’ve got that haven’t been completed. I called it “Houston Walk”, but don’t recall why..