Tensions are definitely up as we started work on the last song today, "The Quest for the Latke Oil." This is the 9th and final proper song on the record.
There will not be another full rehearsal for a week and a half. In that time we will break into smaller groups, work out the rhythms as two guitars and bass, and work with our drummer to make sure tempos are ok and that all his kicks match.
I confessed to Doug our bassist today that I am petrified about being the mix engineer. I know I can do this but I do become the only member of the band whose primary responsibilities start once everything is recorded. Stress is good for the soul though. For the body? Well I have a physical tomorrow. I will let my doctor tell me how anticipating the mix is treating my digestive tract.
Despite the brief venting above I definitely think this band is going to be ready. Many records have been written and recorded much quicker and under much more adversity. I am so proud of how much we have been able to do in the few short months since deciding this would be the next project. It took us five years to write five songs since recording Wrath of the Gods and suddenly we have 9 songs ready to go in less than six months. We can really step up to the plate when we need to and I can't wait for you guys to hear this. Even if you don't care about holiday music this is going to be a really interesting album........
Monday, May 11, 2009
Sunday, May 10, 2009
TMinus......OH FUCK!
In 31 days Gods of Fire will be entering Emandee studios in Williamsburg to record basic tracks for Hannukah Gone Metal, a full length album of classic Hannukah songs and new material we wrote for the holiday. It will be released in October in time for the holiday season.
The plan is to record 9 conventional songs plus three "bonus tracks" in the most elegant but cost effective way possible. Plans are made to be shattered but this is the current roadmap-
6/11-6/15 basics at Emandee. My goal is to record all drums and bass, and as much of the rhythm guitars as possible. Also we are going to have strings and horns on the album. I would love to get as much of that recorded in a "proper" studio as well. Marc, the engineer at Emandee, has great mics and a beautiful live room I would like to take advantage of. He also passes everything he records through 1" tape before it hits the computer to add some analog warmth.
6/16-6/30 overdubs at the Orange Room (my home studio). This is going to be vocals, guitar solos, keyboards, and any of the acoustic instruments we did not get an opportunity to record at Emandee. My goal is to have this album fully recorded by the end of June.
July - the mix. This is the part I am most worried about. The limitless freedom of home mixing can also encouarge nit-picking by band members and too much time spent worrying about the little details. I want to take my time and make this album sound phenomenal, but I do not want to release Chinese Democracy. The biggest challenge for me as a mixer is to know when to allow flaws to reveal themselves in the recording. It is so easy to make everything PERFECT that the challenge is no longer to make something sound as good as possible, but to know when to make the choice to allow imperfection to reveal the humanity in the music.
8/22- Mastering at STERLING FUCKING SOUND! This makes me giddy. I can't help it. I only have great things to say about the mighty Alan Douches who mastered my last two records but it is impossible to pass up this great of an opportunity.
So there it is. And as of this writing the band hasn't even LEARNED all of the material yet, let alone perfected it. But this has been an ambitious project from the start and everyone has been working their ass off to make sure their parts are learned and are grooving. This is going to be a busy summer but a fun one.
Frequent updates will continue......
The plan is to record 9 conventional songs plus three "bonus tracks" in the most elegant but cost effective way possible. Plans are made to be shattered but this is the current roadmap-
6/11-6/15 basics at Emandee. My goal is to record all drums and bass, and as much of the rhythm guitars as possible. Also we are going to have strings and horns on the album. I would love to get as much of that recorded in a "proper" studio as well. Marc, the engineer at Emandee, has great mics and a beautiful live room I would like to take advantage of. He also passes everything he records through 1" tape before it hits the computer to add some analog warmth.
6/16-6/30 overdubs at the Orange Room (my home studio). This is going to be vocals, guitar solos, keyboards, and any of the acoustic instruments we did not get an opportunity to record at Emandee. My goal is to have this album fully recorded by the end of June.
July - the mix. This is the part I am most worried about. The limitless freedom of home mixing can also encouarge nit-picking by band members and too much time spent worrying about the little details. I want to take my time and make this album sound phenomenal, but I do not want to release Chinese Democracy. The biggest challenge for me as a mixer is to know when to allow flaws to reveal themselves in the recording. It is so easy to make everything PERFECT that the challenge is no longer to make something sound as good as possible, but to know when to make the choice to allow imperfection to reveal the humanity in the music.
8/22- Mastering at STERLING FUCKING SOUND! This makes me giddy. I can't help it. I only have great things to say about the mighty Alan Douches who mastered my last two records but it is impossible to pass up this great of an opportunity.
So there it is. And as of this writing the band hasn't even LEARNED all of the material yet, let alone perfected it. But this has been an ambitious project from the start and everyone has been working their ass off to make sure their parts are learned and are grooving. This is going to be a busy summer but a fun one.
Frequent updates will continue......
Saturday, May 9, 2009
LATENCY ISSUES IS BACK!!!!!!
Welcome to Latency Issues 2.0.
This is not just a fresh coat of paint. I am officially bringing this blog back to its roots as a recording blog. If you are not interested in the process of writing recording and mixing an album you can stop reading here.
My Facebook status updates and postings on Baroque Bleak Brutal will keep you connected to my personal life.
For everyone else, I am embarking on a pretty awesome journey. This blog will be updated regularly and frequently to chronicle the recording process for Hannukah Gone Metal. Come along with me for the ride.
This is not just a fresh coat of paint. I am officially bringing this blog back to its roots as a recording blog. If you are not interested in the process of writing recording and mixing an album you can stop reading here.
My Facebook status updates and postings on Baroque Bleak Brutal will keep you connected to my personal life.
For everyone else, I am embarking on a pretty awesome journey. This blog will be updated regularly and frequently to chronicle the recording process for Hannukah Gone Metal. Come along with me for the ride.
Friday, December 5, 2008
Top 10 most disappointing albums of 2008
Cross posted from Facebook
1) Judas Priest - Nostradamus
2) Guns N Roses - Chinese Democracy
3) Death Angel - Killing Season
4) Gojira - The Way of all Flesh
5) In Flames - A Sense of Purpose
6) Children of Bodom - Blooddrunk
7) Cynic - Traced in Air
8) John Oliva's Pain - Global Warning
9) Alice Cooper - Along Came a Spider
10) Slipknot - All Hope is Gone (yes, this was also in the best, they either succeed or fail spectacularly on this record)
1) Judas Priest - Nostradamus
2) Guns N Roses - Chinese Democracy
3) Death Angel - Killing Season
4) Gojira - The Way of all Flesh
5) In Flames - A Sense of Purpose
6) Children of Bodom - Blooddrunk
7) Cynic - Traced in Air
8) John Oliva's Pain - Global Warning
9) Alice Cooper - Along Came a Spider
10) Slipknot - All Hope is Gone (yes, this was also in the best, they either succeed or fail spectacularly on this record)
Top 10 album of 2008 - the Metal edition
Cross posted from Facebook:
1) Opeth - Watershed
2) Testament - The Formation of Damnation
3) Torche - Meanderthal
4) Gama Bomb - Citizen Brain
5) Nachtmystium - Assassins: Black Meddle, Pt. 1
6) Destruction - D.E.V.O.L.U.T.I.O.N.
7) Cavalera Conspiracy - Inflikted
8) Metallica - Death Magnetic
9) Enemy of the Sun s/t
10) Slipknot - All Hope is Gone
1) Opeth - Watershed
2) Testament - The Formation of Damnation
3) Torche - Meanderthal
4) Gama Bomb - Citizen Brain
5) Nachtmystium - Assassins: Black Meddle, Pt. 1
6) Destruction - D.E.V.O.L.U.T.I.O.N.
7) Cavalera Conspiracy - Inflikted
8) Metallica - Death Magnetic
9) Enemy of the Sun s/t
10) Slipknot - All Hope is Gone
Thursday, December 4, 2008
Top 10 albums of 2008 - the non-metal edition
Cross-posted from Facebook:
1) Future of the Left - Curses
2) Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds - Dig Lazarus Dig
3) The Hold Steady - Stay Positive
4) Thee Silver Mt. Zion Orchestra - 13 Blues for Thirteen Moons
5) Nine Inch Nails - The Slip
6) Spiritualized - Songs in A and E
7) Black Crowes - Warpaint
8) Man Man - Rabbit Habits
9) David Byrne and Brian Eno - Everything that Happens will Happen Today
10) The Roots - Rising Down
1) Future of the Left - Curses
2) Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds - Dig Lazarus Dig
3) The Hold Steady - Stay Positive
4) Thee Silver Mt. Zion Orchestra - 13 Blues for Thirteen Moons
5) Nine Inch Nails - The Slip
6) Spiritualized - Songs in A and E
7) Black Crowes - Warpaint
8) Man Man - Rabbit Habits
9) David Byrne and Brian Eno - Everything that Happens will Happen Today
10) The Roots - Rising Down
Monday, October 13, 2008
That awful time of year........
Its video game season. I haven't been playing all that much. Haven't even gone through more than a couple of hours each on GTAIV or Metal Gear Solid IV. I am playing through the Strongbad games, which barely take up your time and are super fun, and Silent Hill: Homecoming is out and I'm playing through it, although I hate it. But anyone who knows me knows how obsessed I am with Silent Hill so I even have to suffer through the bad ones.
But awesome new game season is here. While I have no time to play through anything here is a brief list of what is looking to take away all of my free time. Please remember that even if this list doesn't look long, each game can represent anywhere from 10-50 hours of play time:
Already out and unbought: Star Wars: The Force Unleashed, Sonic Chronicles: The Dark Brotherhood, Lego: Batman
10/14 - Dead Space
10/21 - Little Big Planet, Legendary
10/28 - Fallout 3
11/11 - Mirror's Edge
12/2 Prince of Persia
But awesome new game season is here. While I have no time to play through anything here is a brief list of what is looking to take away all of my free time. Please remember that even if this list doesn't look long, each game can represent anywhere from 10-50 hours of play time:
Already out and unbought: Star Wars: The Force Unleashed, Sonic Chronicles: The Dark Brotherhood, Lego: Batman
10/14 - Dead Space
10/21 - Little Big Planet, Legendary
10/28 - Fallout 3
11/11 - Mirror's Edge
12/2 Prince of Persia
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