<glacius:metadata>

    <title>Sources of Light</title>

    <description>Details about my 2024 album "Sources of Light"</description>

    <visibility>private</visibility>

    <category>Music</category>

    <category>Music recording</category>

    <category>Music transcription</category>

    <category>Guitar</category>

    <category>Acoustic guitar</category>

</glacius:metadata>

<p>

    I recorded <a href="https://music.tmont.com/?album=Sources+of+Light">an album</a>

    called <em>Sources of Light</em>, released in October 2024. I started recording it

    <glacius:date value="2023-07-30" /> and finished <glacius:date value="2024-09-02" />. Here are

    some probably fairly boring details about the recording process, gear and music.

</p>

<h2>Gear</h2>

<ul>

    <li>

        Electric guitars: <a href="https://www.kieselguitars.com/series/guitar/dc">Kiesel DC6</a>

    </li>

    <li>

        Acoustic guitars: 

        <a href="https://www.martinguitar.com/guitars/standard-series/10D18.html">Martin D-18</a>

    </li>

    <li>

        Keyboards: 

        <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yamaha_Motif#First_genenation:_MOTIF_Classic">

            Yamaha Motif 8

        </a>

        that I've had since 2003

        </li>

    <li>

        Interface: 

        <a href="https://us.focusrite.com/products/scarlett-4i4-3rd-gen">

            Focusrite Scarlett 4i4 (3rd gen)

        </a>

        <ul>

            <li>

                One caveat was that since I was also using a laptop the USB interface would 

                not work properly without a powered USB hub, which was a bit annoying.

            </li>

        </ul>

    </li>

    <li>

        Effects & amp modeling: 

        <a href="https://line6.com/podgo/">Line 6 POD Go</a>

    </li>

    <li>

        Bass: 

        <a href="https://www.fender.com/en-US/electric-basses/precision-bass/">Fender Precision</a> 

        w/ broken bridge, can't be bothered

    </li>

    <li>

        Microphone (for vocals and acoustic guitar): 

        <a href="https://www.audio-technica.com/en-us/at2035">Audio-Technica AT2035</a>

    </li>

</ul>

<h2>Software</h2>

<ul>

    <li><a href="https://ubuntustudio.org/">Ubuntu Studio 22.04</a></li>

    <li>DAW: <a href="https://ardour.org/">Ardour v6</a></li>

    <li>Effects: <a href="https://calf-studio-gear.org/">Calf Studio Gear</a> (mostly)</li>

    <li>

        Sound and audio management: <a href="https://qjackctl.sourceforge.io/">QjackCtl</a> and

        <a href="https://jackaudio.org/">Jack</a>

    </li>

    <li>Drum programming: <a href="http://hydrogen-music.org/">Hydrogen v1.1.1</a></li>

</ul>

<p>

    Of note: I did not use Line 6's software to load any IRs, but not for lack of trying.

    Line 6 does not support Linux and I absolutely could not get the USB interface to do the

    right things through my Windows 7 VM.

</p>

<h2>Recording process</h2>

<p>

    For all recordings, I used <a href="https://ardour.org/">Ardour v6</a> on 

    <a href="https://ubuntustudio.org/">Ubuntu Studio</a>. Almost all of the production effects

    were from <a href="https://calf-studio-gear.org/">Calf Studio Gear</a> plugins.

</p>

<p>

    Since I'm on Linux, I used <a href="https://qjackctl.sourceforge.io/">QjackCtl</a> to

    manage audio connections. It mostly worked without a hitch. Since I basically left

    Ardour open for a year straight, it would seem to crash occasionally, and then Jack

    would get all weird and I couldn't open connections to it. A reboot fixed all problems,

    like always.

</p>

<p>

    All guitar effects, pre-amps and modeling was from a Line 6 Go stomp box. I recorded directly

    into a Scarlett USB audio interface (no external cab). For acoustic guitars and vocals,

    I plugged the microphone directly into the interface's XLR input.

</p>

<p>

    Minimal automated effects were used, except delay/reverb for vocal tracks, and a few

    weird things like the ring modulator at the end of <em>The Haunted House</em>, or the

    very first synth chord in <em>Calling Out a Name</em>. Fader automation was used

    extensively.

</p>

<p>

    All rhythym/clean guitars were doubled, one panned hard left (90/10) 

    and the other hard right (10/90). Lead vocals

    were also doubled in the same way. Acoustic guitars were also

    doubled and panned<glacius:cite>The two other guitars in the acoustic guitar "trio" at 

    the end of <em>Without You</em> were not doubled</glacius:cite><glacius:cite>The

    acoustic guitar solo in <em>Fair-weather Friend</em> and subsequent leads were

    also not doubled</glacius:cite>. 

    This hardcore doubling was a bit of an experiment. I think I liked

    it, even though it made recording take quite a bit longer.

</p>

<p>

    To handle all the track doubling during the mixing phase, I created 

    <a href="https://manual.ardour.org/ardours-interface/busses-mixer-strips/">audio buses</a>

    in Ardour and redirected the outputs of the doubled tracks to the bus, and then redirected

    the bus output to the master track. All automation was then only done on the buses; the

    doubled tracks were not touched except to set the panning. So there were a lot more

    tracks/buses to handle in Ardour than otherwise. Basically every instrument that I doubled

    would actually have three "tracks" in the DAW interface instead of just one. Which was

    obnoxious but I think it made a difference in the resultant mix. At least to me.

</p>

<p>

    Drums were programmed using <a href="http://hydrogen-music.org/">Hydrogen v1.1.1</a> with the 

    <a href="http://hydro.smoors.de/Flac_GSCW-1.h2drumkit">FLAC GSCW-1 drumkit</a>. 

    I did very little to the drums except increasing the gain of the kick, snare and hi-hat. 

    Otherwise I did absolutely nothing to them production-wise. Largely out of pure laziness.

    And also because over-produced drums annoy me.

</p>

<p>

    In all cases I recorded all instruments, one at a time, from start to finish. Then the

    vocals, then I would do a rough mix, then program the drums, then finish mixing and any

    other post-production effects (that was pretty rare, though).

</p>

<h2>Tracks</h2>

<h3>Calling Out a Name</h3>

<p>

    <a href="https://music.tmont.com/?album=Sources+of+Light&amp;track=Calling+Out+a+Name">

        Listen - 8:23

    </a>

</p>

<hr />

<p>

    This has no specific inspiration, except maybe some kind of Metallica, or other

    semi-thrash metal type of thing. I just wanted something "heavier" and faster

    as an opener.

</p>

<p>

    The solo was inspired by that one rad part in 

    <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reb_Beach">Reb Beach</a>'s 

    solo in <a href="https://youtu.be/Irc5j1gkihY?t=138">Seventeen</a>. 

    Everybody likes Winger, right? Maybe I still had some Winger stuck in my brain from 

    my cover of the

    <glacius:link page="music/projects/easy-come-easy-go-solo">solo from <em>Easy Come 

    Easy Go</em></glacius:link> a few years back during my 

    <glacius:link series="2022 music project">2022 music projects</glacius:link>.

</p>

<h4>Timing</h4>

<table class="table" style="max-width: 600px">

    <thead>

        <th>Instrument</th>

        <th>Start</th>

        <th>End</th>

    </thead>

    <tbody>

        <tr>

            <td>Electric guitars</td>

            <td><glacius:date value="2023-07-30" /></td>

            <td><glacius:date value="2023-08-08" /></td>

        </tr>

        <tr>

            <td>Keyboards</td>

            <td><glacius:date value="2023-08-09" /></td>

            <td><glacius:date value="2023-08-09" /></td>

        </tr>

        <tr>

            <td>Bass</td>

            <td><glacius:date value="2023-08-10" /></td>

            <td><glacius:date value="2023-08-12" /></td>

        </tr>

        <tr>

            <td>Vocals</td>

            <td><glacius:date value="2023-08-13" /></td>

            <td><glacius:date value="2023-08-23" /></td>

        </tr>

        <tr>

            <td>Drums/mixing</td>

            <td><glacius:date value="2023-08-24" /></td>

            <td><glacius:date value="2023-09-06" /></td>

        </tr>

    </tbody>

</table>

<h4>DAW stats</h4>

<h3>Waiting for the Stars to Fall</h3>

<p>

    <a href="https://music.tmont.com/?album=Sources+of+Light&amp;track=Waiting+for+the+Stars+to+Fall">

        Listen - 12:33

    </a>

</p>

<hr />

<p>

    This song is basically half overly-gratuitous instrumental sections. But I think

    they sound cool, so I guess it's okay. There are two separate piano solos, and the

    first third and the last third of the song are separated by a four minute

    instrumental. And it ends with a one-minute piano solo. A bit eccentric, perhaps.

</p>

<p>

    This was inspired by twice over by

    <a href="https://www.davidmaximmicic.com/">David Maxim Micic</a>. He at

    one point was in a band <small>(horribly)</small> named

    <a href="https://sordidpink.bandcamp.com/album/lun">Destiny Potato</a> with 

    Aleksandra Radosavljevic (although she later left), who later formed a duo

    with <a href="https://www.arsafesproductions.com/">Roman Arsafes</a> called 

    <a href="https://abovetheearth.bandcamp.com/music">Above the Earth</a>. They wrote

    a song called <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PHNfSE8HOYQ">Trapeze</a>

    that was pretty neat, and the intro rhythm (begins at 0:27) was just something that

    was stuck in my head and I ripped it off for <em>Waiting for the Stars to Fall</em>.

</p>

<p>

    David Maxim Micic has a solo album called 

    <a href="https://davidmaximmicic.bandcamp.com/album/bilo-iii">BILO III</a>

    which has a track called <em>Daydreamers</em> which has the lyric (also sung by

    the aforementioned Aleksandra Radosavljevic):

</p>

<blockquote>

    Looking at stars,<br />

    Waiting for them to fall

</blockquote>

<p>

    Which I thought was pretty cool, so I wrote a song entirely around that line.

</p>

<hr />

<p>Some other random notes/trivia:</p>

<ul>

    <li>

        I accidentally ripped off the last bar from the last bar of Guns 'N Roses'

        <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Think_About_You_(Guns_N%27_Roses_song)">Think 

        About You</a> from <em>Appetite for Destruction</em>. I say accidentally because I 

        didn't realize that little arpeggio was from something else until I randomly

        listened to that album again and then the recognition hit. But by then it was

        too late. Alas.

    </li>

    <li>

        I got sick recording the vocals which is why it took so long to record them.

        I basically spent two weeks not recording. Eventually I got fed up with waiting

        and just went ahead even though my voice was still a bit scratchy.

    </li>

    <li>

        The guitar interlude which starts at 6:30 required me spending about five days

        honing my technique since I couldn't really play the riffs I had written.

        Eventually I got barely good enough to play them up to tempo.

    </li>

</ul>

<h4>Timing</h4>

<table class="table" style="max-width: 600px">

    <thead>

        <th>Instrument</th>

        <th>Start</th>

        <th>End</th>

    </thead>

    <tbody>

        <tr>

            <td>Electric guitars</td>

            <td><glacius:date value="2023-11-24" /></td>

            <td><glacius:date value="2023-12-12" /></td>

        </tr>

        <tr>

            <td>Bass</td>

            <td><glacius:date value="2023-12-12" /></td>

            <td><glacius:date value="2023-12-16" /></td>

        </tr>

         <tr>

            <td>Keyboards</td>

            <td><glacius:date value="2023-12-16" /></td>

            <td><glacius:date value="2023-12-19" /></td>

        </tr>

        <tr>

            <td>Vocals</td>

            <td><glacius:date value="2023-12-20" /></td>

            <td><glacius:date value="2024-01-24" /></td>

        </tr>

        <tr>

            <td>Mixing</td>

            <td><glacius:date value="2024-01-25" /></td>

            <td><glacius:date value="2024-01-30" /></td>

        </tr>

        <tr>

            <td>Drums</td>

            <td><glacius:date value="2024-01-31" /></td>

            <td><glacius:date value="2024-02-02" /></td>

        </tr>

    </tbody>

</table>

<h3>Shine</h3>

<p>

    <a href="https://music.tmont.com/?album=Sources+of+Light&amp;track=Shine">Listen - 4:38</a>

</p>

<hr />

<p>

    Inspired (in mood and tempo) by 

    <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kfMdT-NSFU0">Dance With Me!</a> by

    <a href="https://nospun.bandcamp.com/music">Nospūn</a>. I was listening to a

    great deal of their debut album <em>Opus</em> at the time and I wanted to write 

    something more uptempo. Certainly <em>Dance With Me!</em>'s little piano riff

    at the beginning is analagous the clean guitar riff in <em>Shine</em>.

</p>

<h4>Timing</h4>

<table class="table" style="max-width: 600px">

    <thead>

        <th>Instrument</th>

        <th>Start</th>

        <th>End</th>

    </thead>

    <tbody>

        <tr>

            <td>Electric guitars</td>

            <td><glacius:date value="2024-08-23" /></td>

            <td><glacius:date value="2024-08-27" /></td>

        </tr>

         <tr>

            <td>Bass</td>

            <td><glacius:date value="2024-08-27" /></td>

            <td><glacius:date value="2024-08-28" /></td>

        </tr>

        <tr>

            <td>Keyboards</td>

            <td><glacius:date value="2024-08-28" /></td>

            <td><glacius:date value="2024-08-28" /></td>

        </tr>

         <tr>

            <td>Vocals</td>

            <td><glacius:date value="2024-08-28" /></td>

            <td><glacius:date value="2024-08-30" /></td>

        </tr>

        <tr>

            <td>Mixing</td>

            <td><glacius:date value="2024-08-30" /></td>

            <td><glacius:date value="2024-08-31" /></td>

        </tr>

        <tr>

            <td>Drums</td>

            <td><glacius:date value="2024-09-01" /></td>

            <td><glacius:date value="2024-09-02" /></td>

        </tr>

    </tbody>

</table>

<h3>Castles in the Sky</h3>

<p>

    <a href="https://music.tmont.com/?album=Sources+of+Light&amp;track=Castles+in+the+Sky">

        Listen - 6:33

    </a>

</p>

<hr />

<blockquote>

    <p style="text-align: center; text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px black">

        I look up to the Heavens<br />

        to see the stars live and die<br />

        while sitting on lonely thrones<br />

        in their castles in the sky<br />

    </p>

</blockquote>

<hr />

<p>

    This was inspired by <a href="https://www.instagram.com/jkui/">Jason Kui</a>'s

    song <a href="https://youtu.be/C1SHFUhsmHQ?t=190">The Creator/The Destroyer</a>,

    specifically the part at 3:12. I thought that riff was totally rad and I liked

    the i-V progression.

</p>

<h4>Timing</h4>

<table class="table" style="max-width: 600px">

    <thead>

        <th>Instrument</th>

        <th>Start</th>

        <th>End</th>

    </thead>

    <tbody>

        <tr>

            <td>Electric guitars</td>

            <td><glacius:date value="2024-03-06" /></td>

            <td><glacius:date value="2024-03-16" /></td>

        </tr>

        <tr>

            <td>Bass</td>

            <td><glacius:date value="2024-03-17" /></td>

            <td><glacius:date value="2024-03-18" /></td>

        </tr>

        <tr>

            <td>Keyboards</td>

            <td><glacius:date value="2024-03-19" /></td>

            <td><glacius:date value="2024-03-19" /></td>

        </tr>

        <tr>

            <td>Mixing</td>

            <td><glacius:date value="2024-03-19" /></td>

            <td><glacius:date value="2024-03-20" /></td>

        </tr>

        <tr>

            <td>Drums</td>

            <td><glacius:date value="2024-03-30" /></td>

            <td><glacius:date value="2024-03-21" /></td>

        </tr>

    </tbody>

</table>

<h3>The Haunted House</h3>

<p>

    <a href="https://music.tmont.com/?album=Sources+of+Light&amp;track=The+Haunted+House">

        Listen - 6:00

    </a>

</p>

<hr />

<p>

    I wanted a song with less riffs and more "strumming". I partially succeeded.

</p>

<p>

    Just like <em>Waiting for the Stars to Fall</em>, this was inspired by a single

    line from another song. Specifically, Audioslave's 

    <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0XVCc5zwPlU">Gasoline</a>. The very first lines

    are:

</p>

<blockquote>

    House is haunted<br />

    I just want to go for a ride

</blockquote>

<p>

    The first three words are where the similarities end, though.

</p>

<h4>Timing</h4>

<table class="table" style="max-width: 600px">

    <thead>

        <th>Instrument</th>

        <th>Start</th>

        <th>End</th>

    </thead>

    <tbody>

        <tr>

            <td>Electric guitars</td>

            <td><glacius:date value="2023-09-21" /></td>

            <td><glacius:date value="2023-09-28" /></td>

        </tr>

        <tr>

            <td>Bass</td>

            <td><glacius:date value="2023-09-28" /></td>

            <td><glacius:date value="2023-09-28" /></td>

        </tr>

        <tr>

            <td>Vocals</td>

            <td><glacius:date value="2023-09-30" /></td>

            <td><glacius:date value="2023-10-11" /></td>

        </tr>

        <tr>

            <td>Mixing</td>

            <td><glacius:date value="2023-10-11" /></td>

            <td><glacius:date value="2023-10-15" /></td>

        </tr>

        <tr>

            <td>Drums</td>

            <td><glacius:date value="2023-10-16" /></td>

            <td><glacius:date value="2023-10-20" /></td>

        </tr>

    </tbody>

</table>

<h3>Fair-weather Friend</h3>

<p>

    <a href="https://music.tmont.com/?album=Sources+of+Light&amp;track=Fair-weather+Friend">

        Listen - 4:36

    </a>

</p>

<hr />

<h4>Timing</h4>

<table class="table" style="max-width: 600px">

    <thead>

        <th>Instrument</th>

        <th>Start</th>

        <th>End</th>

    </thead>

    <tbody>

        <tr>

            <td>Acoustic guitars</td>

            <td><glacius:date value="2023-11-01" /></td>

            <td><glacius:date value="2023-11-01" /></td>

        </tr>

        <tr>

            <td>Electric guitars</td>

            <td><glacius:date value="2023-11-02" /></td>

            <td><glacius:date value="2023-11-03" /></td>

        </tr>

        <tr>

            <td>Bass</td>

            <td><glacius:date value="2023-11-04" /></td>

            <td><glacius:date value="2023-11-04" /></td>

        </tr>

        <tr>

            <td>Vocals</td>

            <td><glacius:date value="2023-11-05" /></td>

            <td><glacius:date value="2023-11-10" /></td>

        </tr>

        <tr>

            <td>Mixing</td>

            <td><glacius:date value="2023-11-10" /></td>

            <td><glacius:date value="2023-11-10" /></td>

        </tr>

        <tr>

            <td>Drums</td>

            <td><glacius:date value="2023-11-11" /></td>

            <td><glacius:date value="2023-11-12" /></td>

        </tr>

    </tbody>

</table>

<h3>Still Alive</h3>

<p>

    <a href="https://music.tmont.com/?album=Sources+of+Light&amp;track=Still+Alive">

        Listen - 8:07

    </a>

</p>

<hr />

<p>

    Every album needs a ballad, and I'm not particularly fond of ballads, so this is as

    ballad-ish as this album gets. It's slow, in a minor key and in 3. Therefore it's a

    ballad.

</p>

<p>

    The structure of this song was loosely inspired by Breaking Benjamin's

    <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iuoZjolHHFU">Forget It</a> 

    from <em>We Are Not Alone</em>. Which is kind of a forgettable song

    (how very titular), but it has a structure which I thought was kind of neat.

    Each verse is in a different key, a half-step higher than the previous.

    <em>Still Alive</em> does a similar thing, the verses are in

    F♯m, F♯m, G♯m, B♭m, Bm, Em, F♯m. Not quite

    as monotonically increasing as <em>Forget It</em>, but it kind of starts

    that way.

</p>

<p>

    I'm particularly proud of the pinch harmonic in the early part of the solo. I worked

    hard on that. And that's not even a joke. A couple takes were ruined because I

    didn't pinch good enough.

</p>

<h4>Timing</h4>

<table class="table" style="max-width: 600px">

    <thead>

        <th>Instrument</th>

        <th>Start</th>

        <th>End</th>

    </thead>

    <tbody>

        <tr>

            <td>Guitars/Keyboard/Bass</td>

            <td><glacius:date value="2024-04-10" /></td>

            <td><glacius:date value="2024-04-21" /></td>

        </tr>

        <tr>

            <td>Vocals</td>

            <td><glacius:date value="2024-04-22" /></td>

            <td><glacius:date value="2024-04-27" /></td>

        </tr>

        <tr>

            <td>Mixing</td>

            <td><glacius:date value="2024-04-27" /></td>

            <td><glacius:date value="2024-04-28" /></td>

        </tr>

        <tr>

            <td>Drums</td>

            <td><glacius:date value="2024-04-29" /></td>

            <td><glacius:date value="2024-05-01" /></td>

        </tr>

    </tbody>

</table>

<h3>Without You</h3>

<p>

    <a href="https://music.tmont.com/?album=Sources+of+Light&amp;track=Without+You">

        Listen - 16:02

    </a>

        <th>Instrument</th>

        <th>Start</th>

        <th>End</th>

    </thead>

    <tbody>

        <tr>

            <td>Electric guitars</td>

            <td><glacius:date value="2024-05-23" /></td>

            <td><glacius:date value="2024-06-23" /></td>

        </tr>

        <tr>

            <td>Acoustic guitars</td>

            <td><glacius:date value="2024-06-23" /></td>

            <td><glacius:date value="2024-06-27" /></td>

        </tr>

         <tr>

            <td>Bass</td>

            <td><glacius:date value="2024-06-27" /></td>

            <td><glacius:date value="2024-06-30" /></td>

        </tr>

        <tr>

            <td>Keyboards</td>

            <td><glacius:date value="2024-07-01" /></td>

            <td><glacius:date value="2024-07-05" /></td>

        </tr>

         <tr>

            <td>Vocals</td>

            <td><glacius:date value="2024-07-06" /></td>

            <td><glacius:date value="2024-07-31" /></td>

        </tr>

        <tr>

            <td>Mixing</td>

            <td><glacius:date value="2024-08-01" /></td>

            <td><glacius:date value="2024-08-05" /></td>

        </tr>

        <tr>

            <td>Drums</td>

            <td><glacius:date value="2024-08-05" /></td>

            <td><glacius:date value="2024-08-11" /></td>

        </tr>

    </tbody>

</table>