Sources of Light[source]
xml
<glacius:metadata> | |
<title>Sources of Light</title> | |
<description>Details about my 2024 album "Sources of Light"</description> | |
<image>sources-of-light-cover-600x600.jpeg</image> | |
<visibility>public</visibility> | |
<category>Music</category> | |
<category>Music recording</category> | |
<category>Music transcription</category> | |
<category>Guitar</category> | |
<category>Acoustic guitar</category> | |
</glacius:metadata> | |
<glacius:figure glacius:src="sources-of-light-cover-3600x3600.jpeg" type="image" glacius:thumbnail="sources-of-light-cover-600x600.jpeg"> | |
<caption> | |
Album cover for <em>Sources of Light</em>, art by | |
<a href="https://wakuine.com/">Joe Montgomery</a> | |
</caption> | |
</glacius:figure> | |
<p> | |
I recorded <a href="https://music.tmont.com/?album=Sources+of+Light">an album</a> | |
called <em>Sources of Light</em>, released in November 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. | |
This is all documented purely for my own amusement, and for me to revisit the next time I | |
record something after I've forgotten how to do everything. | |
</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. | |
</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> | |
<h3>Gratuitous images</h3> | |
<glacius:grid cols="2"> | |
<div> | |
<glacius:figure glacius:src="kiesel.jpeg" type="image" glacius:thumbnail="kiesel-thumb.jpeg"> | |
<caption>My Kiesel DC6</caption> | |
</glacius:figure> | |
</div> | |
<div> | |
<glacius:figure glacius:src="martin.jpeg" type="image" glacius:thumbnail="martin-thumb.jpeg"> | |
<caption>My Martin D-18</caption> | |
</glacius:figure> | |
</div> | |
<div> | |
<glacius:figure glacius:src="motif.jpeg" type="image" glacius:thumbnail="motif-thumb.jpeg"> | |
<caption>My Yamaha Motif 8</caption> | |
</glacius:figure> | |
</div> | |
<div> | |
<glacius:figure glacius:src="battlestation.jpeg" type="image" glacius:thumbnail="battlestation-thumb.jpeg"> | |
<caption>My "recording studio"</caption> | |
</glacius:figure> | |
</div> | |
</glacius:grid> | |
<h2>Software</h2> | |
<ul> | |
<li>Operating system: <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 trusty Windows 7 VM. | |
</p> | |
<p> | |
All of this stuff ran on a | |
<a href="https://system76.com/">System76</a> | |
<a href="https://support.system76.com/images/guides/gazp9.pdf">Gazelle Pro laptop</a>. | |
</p> | |
<h3>Gratuitous images</h3> | |
<glacius:grid cols="2"> | |
<div> | |
<glacius:figure glacius:src="ardour-setup.png" type="image" glacius:thumbnail="ardour-setup-thumb.jpeg"> | |
<caption>Mixing/recording setup</caption> | |
</glacius:figure> | |
</div> | |
<div> | |
<glacius:figure glacius:src="ardour-setup-hydrogen.png" type="image" glacius:thumbnail="ardour-setup-hydrogen-thumb.jpeg"> | |
<caption>Drum programming setup with Hydrogen</caption> | |
</glacius:figure> | |
</div> | |
</glacius:grid> | |
<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. Restarting jackd was just not happening, I assume some issue with the | |
sound card was the problem, but I ain't here to debug Linux nonsense, I'm here to rock out. | |
</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. It certainly made me | |
play much more precisely, which was a probably an unintended positive side effect. | |
</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. But mostly laziness. | |
</p> | |
<p> | |
In (almost) 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&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> | |
<glacius:grid cols="2"> | |
<div> | |
<p>There were 19 tracks total:</p> | |
<ul> | |
<li>3 vocal (one doubled)</li> | |
<li>3 rhythm guitar (all doubled)</li> | |
<li>3 lead guitar</li> | |
<li>1 clean guitar (doubled)</li> | |
<li>2 keyboard</li> | |
<li>1 bass</li> | |
<li>1 drums</li> | |
</ul> | |
</div> | |
<div> | |
<glacius:figure | |
glacius:src="ardour-calling-out-a-name.png" | |
type="image" | |
glacius:thumbnail="ardour-calling-out-a-name-thumb.jpeg"> | |
<caption>Ardour screenshot for <em>Calling Out a Name</em></caption> | |
</glacius:figure> | |
</div> | |
</glacius:grid> | |
<h3>Waiting for the Stars to Fall</h3> | |
<p> | |
<a href="https://music.tmont.com/?album=Sources+of+Light&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 and did not perform on | |
the album), 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. <del>But by then it was | |
too late. Alas.</del> Actually, it wasn't. I re-recorded a different ending 9 months | |
after accidentally ripping off GNR. | |
</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. If you listen | |
closely you can tell where that happened. | |
</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> | |
<h4>DAW stats</h4> | |
<glacius:grid cols="2"> | |
<div> | |
<p>There were 21 tracks total:</p> | |
<ul> | |
<li>4 vocal (1 doubled)</li> | |
<li>2 rhythm guitar (all doubled)</li> | |
<li>2 lead guitar</li> | |
<li>2 clean guitar (doubled)</li> | |
<li>6 keyboard</li> | |
<li>1 bass</li> | |
<li>1 drums</li> | |
</ul> | |
</div> | |
<div> | |
<glacius:figure | |
glacius:src="ardour-waiting-for-the-stars-to-fall.png" | |
type="image" | |
glacius:thumbnail="ardour-waiting-for-the-stars-to-fall-thumb.jpeg"> | |
<caption>Ardour screenshot for <em>Waiting for the Stars to Fall</em></caption> | |
</glacius:figure> | |
</div> | |
</glacius:grid> | |
<h3>Shine</h3> | |
<p> | |
<a href="https://music.tmont.com/?album=Sources+of+Light&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 to the clean guitar riff in <em>Shine</em>. | |
</p> | |
<p> | |
I recorded this after <em>Without You</em> which ended up being 16 minutes long | |
and took like 2½ months to record. So this was a nice ending to the album's | |
recording session since it only took like a week start to finish. | |
</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> | |
<h4>DAW stats</h4> | |
<glacius:grid cols="2"> | |
<div> | |
<p>There were 17 tracks total:</p> | |
<ul> | |
<li>3 vocal (1 doubled)</li> | |
<li>4 rhythm guitar (all doubled)</li> | |
<li>1 clean guitar (doubled)</li> | |
<li>2 keyboard</li> | |
<li>1 bass</li> | |
<li>1 drums</li> | |
</ul> | |
</div> | |
<div> | |
<glacius:figure | |
glacius:src="ardour-shine.png" | |
type="image" | |
glacius:thumbnail="ardour-shine-thumb.jpeg"> | |
<caption>Ardour screenshot for <em>Shine</em></caption> | |
</glacius:figure> | |
</div> | |
</glacius:grid> | |
<h3>Castles in the Sky</h3> | |
<p> | |
<a href="https://music.tmont.com/?album=Sources+of+Light&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="2024-03-21" /></td> | |
<td><glacius:date value="2024-03-30" /></td> | |
</tr> | |
</tbody> | |
</table> | |
<h4>DAW stats</h4> | |
<glacius:grid cols="2"> | |
<div> | |
<p>There were 29 tracks total:</p> | |
<ul> | |
<li>2 clean guitar (all doubled)</li> | |
<li>4 rhythm guitar (all doubled)</li> | |
<li>6 lead guitar</li> | |
<li>1 acoustic guitar (doubled)</li> | |
<li>1 bass</li> | |
<li>6 keyboard</li> | |
<li>1 drums</li> | |
<li>1 "wind"</li> | |
</ul> | |
</div> | |
<div> | |
<glacius:figure | |
glacius:src="ardour-castles-in-the-sky.png" | |
type="image" | |
glacius:thumbnail="ardour-castles-in-the-sky-thumb.jpeg"> | |
<caption>Ardour screenshot for <em>Castles in the Sky</em></caption> | |
</glacius:figure> | |
</div> | |
</glacius:grid> | |
<h3>The Haunted House</h3> | |
<p> | |
<a href="https://music.tmont.com/?album=Sources+of+Light&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> | |
<h4>DAW stats</h4> | |
<glacius:grid cols="2"> | |
<div> | |
<p>There were 20 tracks total:</p> | |
<ul> | |
<li>4 vocal (one doubled)</li> | |
<li>3 rhythm guitar (all doubled)</li> | |
<li>3 lead guitar</li> | |
<li>1 clean guitar (doubled)</li> | |
<li>1 acoustic guitar (doubled)</li> | |
<li>1 bass</li> | |
<li>1 drums</li> | |
</ul> | |
</div> | |
<div> | |
<glacius:figure | |
glacius:src="ardour-haunted-house.png" | |
type="image" | |
glacius:thumbnail="ardour-haunted-house-thumb.jpeg"> | |
<caption>Ardour screenshot for <em>The Haunted House</em></caption> | |
</glacius:figure> | |
</div> | |
</glacius:grid> | |
<h3>Fair-weather Friend</h3> | |
<p> | |
<a href="https://music.tmont.com/?album=Sources+of+Light&track=Fair-weather+Friend"> | |
Listen - 4:36 | |
</a> | |
</p> | |
<hr /> | |
<p> | |
Nothing interesting about this one. It's just more laid-back and acoustic-driven. | |
It's in 5/4 though which is always a good time. | |
</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>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> | |
<h4>DAW stats</h4> | |
<glacius:grid cols="2"> | |
<div> | |
<p>There were 20 tracks total:</p> | |
<ul> | |
<li>5 vocal (one doubled)</li> | |
<li>2 rhythm guitar (all doubled)</li> | |
<li>3 lead guitar</li> | |
<li>2 acoustic guitar (1 doubled)</li> | |
<li>1 bass</li> | |
<li>2 keyboard</li> | |
<li>1 drums</li> | |
</ul> | |
</div> | |
<div> | |
<glacius:figure | |
glacius:src="ardour-fair-weather-friend.png" | |
type="image" | |
glacius:thumbnail="ardour-fair-weather-friend-thumb.jpeg"> | |
<caption>Ardour screenshot for <em>Fair-weather Friend</em></caption> | |
</glacius:figure> | |
</div> | |
</glacius:grid> | |
<h3>Still Alive</h3> | |
<p> | |
<a href="https://music.tmont.com/?album=Sources+of+Light&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> | |
<h4>DAW stats</h4> | |
<glacius:grid cols="2"> | |
<div> | |
<p>There were 21 tracks total:</p> | |
<ul> | |
<li>5 vocal (1 doubled)</li> | |
<li>2 rhythm guitar (all doubled)</li> | |
<li>4 lead guitar</li> | |
<li>1 acoustic guitar (doubled)</li> | |
<li>3 keyboard</li> | |
<li>1 bass</li> | |
<li>1 drums</li> | |
</ul> | |
</div> | |
<div> | |
<glacius:figure | |
glacius:src="ardour-still-alive.png" | |
type="image" | |
glacius:thumbnail="ardour-still-alive-thumb.jpeg"> | |
<caption>Ardour screenshot for <em>Still Alive</em></caption> | |
</glacius:figure> | |
</div> | |
</glacius:grid> | |
<h3>Without You</h3> | |
<p> | |
<a href="https://music.tmont.com/?album=Sources+of+Light&track=Without+You"> | |
Listen - 16:02 | |
</a> | |
</p> | |
<hr /> | |
<p> | |
This evolved out of a keyboard riff I wrote in 2018. The first 16 bars of this | |
song. Originally it was a little slower (around 120 BPM) but the notes were | |
sixteenths instead of eighths. But I couldn't play it that fast on the guitar, | |
and I couldn't come up with anything else besides that riff anyway, so | |
I left it alone for six years or so. Eventually it turned into this. | |
</p> | |
<p> | |
Originally it was just called "A♭ thing". I don't have the original version | |
from before I rewrote it in its enharmonic equivalent, though, so we'll just have | |
to deal with all the ♯'s. And not many songs are written in G♯ | |
Mixolydian, so there's a feather in my cap, I suppose. Maybe I just want | |
to be like Scriabin, you know? | |
</p> | |
<glacius:figure glacius:src="without-you-original.png" type="image"> | |
<caption>The origins of "Without You" from <glacius:date value="2018-05-08" /></caption> | |
</glacius:figure> | |
<hr /> | |
<p> | |
The guitar solo is actually doubled by the keyboards. This song was weird | |
because it originally came from an idea on keyboard, and then it was all | |
completely guitar-driven, and then I decided to take a mildly awkward | |
guitar solo and play it on the keyboard, which was even more awkward to | |
play. | |
</p> | |
<hr /> | |
<p> | |
I decided to do an acoustic guitar "trio" near the end, that revisited | |
verse 1's vocal melody (verse 4's, too, I guess). I think it ended up sounding | |
pretty neat. Here it is isolated. Three guitars, with the main melody | |
doubled and panned L+R. | |
</p> | |
<glacius:figure glacius:src="without-you-acoustic-excerpt.ogg" type="audio"> | |
<caption>Isoloated acoustic guitar trio, from 14:36-15:00</caption> | |
</glacius:figure> | |
<hr /> | |
<p> | |
The ending of the song was initially a <em>TBD</em> situation. The piano arpeggios | |
were always meant to be there, but I worried it was just a little too gratuitious. | |
And I was not wrong about that, but I chose to ignore my own trepidation. | |
</p> | |
<p> | |
Here's the original transcription of the ending. If this were a musical or | |
a Big Band arrangement, it would've just said <em>vamp</em>. | |
</p> | |
<glacius:figure glacius:src="without-you-end-original.png" type="image"> | |
<caption>Original transcribed ending of "Without You"</caption> | |
</glacius:figure> | |
<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="2024-05-23" /></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> | |
<h4>DAW stats</h4> | |
<glacius:grid cols="2"> | |
<div> | |
<p>There were 31 tracks total:</p> | |
<ul> | |
<li>5 vocal (1 doubled)</li> | |
<li>4 rhythm guitar (all doubled)</li> | |
<li>2 lead guitar</li> | |
<li>3 acoustic guitar (1 doubled)</li> | |
<li>2 clean guitar (all doubled)</li> | |
<li>5 keyboard</li> | |
<li>1 bass</li> | |
<li>1 drums</li> | |
</ul> | |
</div> | |
<div> | |
<glacius:figure | |
glacius:src="ardour-without-you.png" | |
type="image" | |
glacius:thumbnail="ardour-without-you-thumb.jpeg"> | |
<caption>Ardour screenshot for <em>Without You</em></caption> | |
</glacius:figure> | |
</div> | |
</glacius:grid> | |