A while back I recorded/mixed some tracks for my good friend Joel. I’ll let him explain:
These are songs I recorded with my friend Ben Meadors early this year. It was some long weekend we had off from college; we recorded on the Monday before returning to class. I remember it snowed that day. After narrowly escaping the eager jaws of Digby, the resident man-eating dog, we set up shop upstairs in Ben’s house. Some clever cord-threading allowed us to isolate the room; Ben and his computer remained in the basement, with me upstairs. I feel like all this stuff is important to tell you, cause it matches the tone of the songs–the snow, the grim expectation of class the next day, the jaws, the isolation.
It took me a few weeks to decide whether to show these songs to anyone. Well, the songs aren’t the problem really, rather my vocal performance. This experience recording with Ben (my second time recording solo material with an engineer not me) really disheartened me. I am not really completely happy with any of the tracks, save perhaps “Paralyzed,” and even there I kinda botch a harmony or two. I guess I just choke when I record with someone else, when there are other ears listening. When I can’t just bang out take after take after take, get pissed at myself, curse a little–painstakingly hammer out everything until it sounds exactly how I want it. With an engineer I feel the time crunch. I’m outside my comfort zone. I can’t relax and let it happen.
It shows in these three songs (I cut two others whose vocals are so flat I don’t feel comfortable sharing them). My vocals are still a little flat at times in these remaining three, but after a couple listens, I started not minding. The songs just sound so damn lonely, so stripped and naked; it’s almost appropriate for my pitch to falter a little, I hope.
I ended up deciding to release these since 1.) I’m really happy with the songwriting, and 2.) Ben did such a fantastic job of recording, mixing, and mastering the tunes. Thank you so much buddy.
Many things were learned that day about how different people work differently in the studio and how, as the engineer/producer of sorts I should be aware of things. Give the tracks (Old Magazines, Paralyzed, Sinking Ship) a listen and check them at Joel’s myspace page. I love this man and his music. Great guy, heartfelt songs.
Ben Meadors Sessions – Joel Murray’s MySpace Blog .
A quick note on vocal tuning: I don’t use auto-tune. Not everything calls for it and certainly in this style of music it would be out of place. Given more time, Joel and I would have gone back and fixed things, or doubled tracks. But the idea was to do it all in one day and you work with what you get.
