Notes on "Elegance..."
James,
This entire record, hopefully, will sound cohesive, despite the fact that the songs are from different "eras." I am providing some notes to guide you, but I want your fingerprints across the record; I trust your judgment 100%, and I am looking forward to your interpretation. Most of these songs have quite a number of tracks. Feel free to remove parts, or even entire tracks, if you feel it necessary or appropriate. All of these songs were recorded with an air of ignorance, since I learned the software and recording techniques "on the fly." I apologize in advance for problematic frequencies, hiss, unwanted noise, etc. Despite my lack of knowledge, technical and otherwise, I tried my best to put to digital tape what I heard in my head. Unfortunately for both of us, that sound resembles soup. I had no reservations about using heavy treatments and effect, many at a time, on each and every song. Furthermore, I often recorded a track with the effects already on, so my playing calibrated for that fact. Before handing you the individual tracks, I removed every effect, placed the master volume and individual track volume at 0db, and centered the pan. In doing so, I heard beneath the thick sheen of affectation, and didn't recognize a lot of what lay there. Many of these songs rely on achieving what I'd call "twilight state," meaning they should sound like liquid surrounding you, placing you gently, and not so gently, into the arms of sleep; basically morphine drip, straight to the brain. To meet this end, I used a lot of processing and "fakeness" to masquerade the pure tones that lay submerged. This point is important because many tracks sound a bit wrong without track echo, delay, reverb, etc., but I will leave it up to you. The best advice I can offer is to listen to the recordings that currently exist if you want a frame of reference. In recording and mixing, I favor depth and dynamics over volume, but I'll leave all of that to you too.
On a different note: I have already invested (aurally) heavily in recording and mixing, so my "objective" ear is just about deaf. When you finish mixing and begin to master, I would appreciate your opinion regarding sequencing. You will have a feel for the mood, tempo, scope, and ambition of the songs by then, and I would be very interested in your take.
Bitter Half
· I intended this song to sound like a sea waltz, with a great big storm at the end, leaving us shipwrecked.
· I would maybe fade in.
· If you could beef up the flimsy Bass tone, that would be great.
· The 2nd part of the song ("the storm") could use as much depth as possible.
· I would be interested in hearing a "choir" of Scott's Vox at the end, and not necessarily a sober one.
Shotgun Funeral
· I intended this song to sound like the name suggests: a mix of celebration and gloom.
· For the second part of the song, I wanted it to sound like an ancient transmission from a radio station broadcasting from a remote corner of outer-space. I would like Scott's recitation to be unintelligible, completely unlike it is now.
· The drums sound synthetic, so I mixed them a bit low. Do what is best.
Ghost of Two
· This was, believe it or not, my attempt at a country song.
· The harmonica was heavily treated with delays and echoes.
· My falsetto in the second half of the song was treated with loads of reverb to avoid embarrassment.
· The drums sound synthetic, so I mixed them a bit low. Do what is best.
As We Slept Through The War
· I intended this song to sound like waking up from a dream, uncertain, and in the midst of fever.
· Unlike the mix that exists now, I would like Scott's part to move between, beneath, above, and around mine, audibly and intelligibly.
· When the guitar solo surfaces, I had the main guitars fade out.
· I would like the guitar solo to sound like a "kaleidoscope."
· I would like the end Fuzz Guitar to rip through the dream.
Amy Grant's Tomb
· I intended this song to sound like a dream – comforting, warm, and a bit distant.
· Alisha's spoken part in verse 2 ("Some Angels bind…") should be barely audible.
· After the 1st chorus ("If I can't fall asleep…"), the song gradually dissolves to softness, an end I achieved by fading out most of the main guitars and fading in the other, heavily treated (track echoes, delays, chorus, etc.) instruments.
· I would like Scott's short melody in the middle to be treated fairly heavily, in terms of sounding distant but still there.
· The guitar solo(s) at the end should gradually make its/their presence known, and maybe circle the sound field.
· I intended, and failed, to make Scott's ending melody sound like an old Motown/ new Phil Collins vocal line. Maybe you have an idea what I'm talking about, maybe not.
The Sober Choir
· I intended this song to sound like a drunken choir performing a midnight mass for a non-believer… in the desert. (man, these are becoming pretentious J)
· I would like to hear the different voices interweave. They don't all need to be present at the same time. As it stands in my recording, the different voices fade in and out. I would love to hear your interpretation of the "choir."
· The drums sound synthetic, so I mixed them a bit low. Do what is best.
· Maybe the outro can be made into something?
Where The $$ Spends
· I ended this song to sound like a pretty ballad, albeit sad and lonely.
· I would maybe fade in.
· The strings should vary in dynamics, I think.
· For the last verse, I cut out guitar so it was mainly drums, bass and vox. You decide what should be done here.
Sunday Music
· I intended this song to sound like a hazy walk through the city at night.
· On Steve's mix (the current version) he replaced the opening few seconds with an altered version of the female vox at the end.
· I would maybe play with dynamics.
Tannis Root Down
· I intended this song to sound like a psychedelic dance song with a bit of teeth.
· Although not the case currently, I would consider fading the drums in over time. Again, you decide what's best.
· The guitars and music were treated heavily with delays, echoes, reverb, etc. to make them distant and smooth. The bass, drums, and vox held it together.
Elegiac (BLKLGHT)
· I intended this song to sound like a simple, pretty tribute, with loads of atmosphere.
· I would add dynamics to the strings and ebow.
· Maybe fade out the instruments before the vox.
