Sounds good so far dude...can't wait to hear the final product.
Anwar Rizk Photography
www.anwarrizk.com
www.anwarrizk.com
Update needed! Whats going on these days? there used to be udates all the time......... don't mean to sound pushy or anything
Well, okay, lads...
But don't complain afterwards! You ASKED for it!
There are some problems I have to solve before starting.
Starting the real and final recordings, that is. In my head
it's all done. You see, I don't wanna rush head over heels
into work now, to realize that major parts will have to be
re-done afterwards. I'll give some reasons that'll help you
to understand my struggle:
1. I'm not sure in which key I'd tune my guitar, 'cause of
two reasons. The first one is that I haven't figured out yet
which key fits my vocal range best. The funny thing is that
for me clean vocals are easier to to in lower keys, while
the real agressive stuff is a lot easier to do in higher keys.
Well, that's half the truth. It's much more complicated.
And I'll explain it DETAILLED now, cause you ASKED for it...
Terraformer will cover lotsa different vocal styles.
Clean Vocals (for both leads and chorus), falset vocals (chorus),
"crunchy"-vocals (for leads...not fully driven, but somewhat dirty),
brute/"bark" vocals (leads and background) and simple screaming
(for leads mainly, in seldom cases for background).
So far, so good. I can do all that, but NOT over the whole vocal
spectrum. You see, should I decide to tune down to A or something,
that would work great with the clean stuff, but would be too low for
the agressive stuff. I just can't bring up the pressure at these low
tunings. Using a higher key (and tuning the guitar to C or D) would
ease the driven vocals a lot, but would cut too much from my clean
spectrum. You get the idea. I'll have to find a compomise here.
I don't wanna record all guitars and keyboards and then realize that
I can't sing to it the way I want. I'd have to redo it all. And being
forced to re-do/re-record up to 20 tracks AIN'T funny!
Best way to find this "compromise key" will be to sequence a rough
version of the songs, trying to sing to them in different styles.
Transposing sequenced midi stuff (no matter if down- or upwards)
ain't no big deal.
The second reason is my guitar. It has a standard scale neck, but I
tune it down to baritone range normally. Therefor I run into intonation
problems when sliding up to the higher frets, 'cause the neck is too
short for such low tunings. A free floating Floyd Rose trem, combined
with Devs' open tuning complicates things even more.
I can't buy a simple set of strings, 'cause of the free floating bridge.
I have to combine strings from different sets to get balance into the
overall string tension. Some have to be thinner, other have to be
thicker to avoid having some strings tensed hard as rocks and others
weak as chewing gum. So I'll have to find a compromise between my
vocal range and an "accurate enough" tuning.
Okay...now for the drums.
I'm still not sure if the drums will be "real" (read "performed&recorded")
ones or sequenced samples. Again, multiple reasons for that.
PRO-sequencing/using samples:
Tight as fuck, NO use to mic up a kit and perform a thousand of times,
NO problems to get the drums sound right in the mix (you choose the
perfect sounds BEFORE recording), NO mic/frequency-overspeaking
between channels/tracks.
CON-sequencing/using samples:
It takes AGES to program drum tracks that sound natural and human-like.
Some reasons for me to consider doing the drums with a sequencer:
I'm not sure if my drummer Mike will hold up the flag 'till the bitter end.
It's not that he couldn't do the job (if he'd cut down his weed consume
before sitting down behind his kit)...But he got real nervous once he
realized that people might actually LISTEN to what we're doing.
He feels uncomfortable with the knowledge that...well, I don't know...
Gene for example might listen to his drumming. That's crazy, I know...
And I told him that. But hell, that's the way he feels...He's a little shy...
Though he's a ROCK and a really skilled drummer.
The things is...IF Mike bails out, I WON'T be able to reproduce what HE
can do. Neither technically nor constitutional/stamina-wise. When I have
to kick a fast double base for more than a minute without having some
easement I start to break out in sweat...Three more minutes and I would
have a nice view on my lungs, hanging out of my mouth.
And there's TONS of double base action on "Terraformer".
Well, like I said...NOT yet sure about the drums...
There's more issues I'll have to get over,
but these are the main/grave ones.
I hope that your need for info on the projects status has been
satisfied for now. I'll post my final decisions in the next weeks.
'Till then...Take care and have fun.
Dan
P.S.
I almost forgot...I'm founding my own label at the time being.
Well, I'm TRYING at least...
But don't complain afterwards! You ASKED for it!
There are some problems I have to solve before starting.
Starting the real and final recordings, that is. In my head
it's all done. You see, I don't wanna rush head over heels
into work now, to realize that major parts will have to be
re-done afterwards. I'll give some reasons that'll help you
to understand my struggle:
1. I'm not sure in which key I'd tune my guitar, 'cause of
two reasons. The first one is that I haven't figured out yet
which key fits my vocal range best. The funny thing is that
for me clean vocals are easier to to in lower keys, while
the real agressive stuff is a lot easier to do in higher keys.
Well, that's half the truth. It's much more complicated.
And I'll explain it DETAILLED now, cause you ASKED for it...
Terraformer will cover lotsa different vocal styles.
Clean Vocals (for both leads and chorus), falset vocals (chorus),
"crunchy"-vocals (for leads...not fully driven, but somewhat dirty),
brute/"bark" vocals (leads and background) and simple screaming
(for leads mainly, in seldom cases for background).
So far, so good. I can do all that, but NOT over the whole vocal
spectrum. You see, should I decide to tune down to A or something,
that would work great with the clean stuff, but would be too low for
the agressive stuff. I just can't bring up the pressure at these low
tunings. Using a higher key (and tuning the guitar to C or D) would
ease the driven vocals a lot, but would cut too much from my clean
spectrum. You get the idea. I'll have to find a compomise here.
I don't wanna record all guitars and keyboards and then realize that
I can't sing to it the way I want. I'd have to redo it all. And being
forced to re-do/re-record up to 20 tracks AIN'T funny!
Best way to find this "compromise key" will be to sequence a rough
version of the songs, trying to sing to them in different styles.
Transposing sequenced midi stuff (no matter if down- or upwards)
ain't no big deal.
The second reason is my guitar. It has a standard scale neck, but I
tune it down to baritone range normally. Therefor I run into intonation
problems when sliding up to the higher frets, 'cause the neck is too
short for such low tunings. A free floating Floyd Rose trem, combined
with Devs' open tuning complicates things even more.
I can't buy a simple set of strings, 'cause of the free floating bridge.
I have to combine strings from different sets to get balance into the
overall string tension. Some have to be thinner, other have to be
thicker to avoid having some strings tensed hard as rocks and others
weak as chewing gum. So I'll have to find a compromise between my
vocal range and an "accurate enough" tuning.
Okay...now for the drums.
I'm still not sure if the drums will be "real" (read "performed&recorded")
ones or sequenced samples. Again, multiple reasons for that.
PRO-sequencing/using samples:
Tight as fuck, NO use to mic up a kit and perform a thousand of times,
NO problems to get the drums sound right in the mix (you choose the
perfect sounds BEFORE recording), NO mic/frequency-overspeaking
between channels/tracks.
CON-sequencing/using samples:
It takes AGES to program drum tracks that sound natural and human-like.
Some reasons for me to consider doing the drums with a sequencer:
I'm not sure if my drummer Mike will hold up the flag 'till the bitter end.
It's not that he couldn't do the job (if he'd cut down his weed consume
before sitting down behind his kit)...But he got real nervous once he
realized that people might actually LISTEN to what we're doing.
He feels uncomfortable with the knowledge that...well, I don't know...
Gene for example might listen to his drumming. That's crazy, I know...
And I told him that. But hell, that's the way he feels...He's a little shy...
Though he's a ROCK and a really skilled drummer.
The things is...IF Mike bails out, I WON'T be able to reproduce what HE
can do. Neither technically nor constitutional/stamina-wise. When I have
to kick a fast double base for more than a minute without having some
easement I start to break out in sweat...Three more minutes and I would
have a nice view on my lungs, hanging out of my mouth.
And there's TONS of double base action on "Terraformer".
Well, like I said...NOT yet sure about the drums...
There's more issues I'll have to get over,
but these are the main/grave ones.
I hope that your need for info on the projects status has been
satisfied for now. I'll post my final decisions in the next weeks.
'Till then...Take care and have fun.
Dan
P.S.
I almost forgot...I'm founding my own label at the time being.
Well, I'm TRYING at least...
Wow this all sounds awsome. Don't know what to say about your vocal problem other than I hope you can sort it out. The drums thing is interesting but I've never really been a fan of sequenced drums, not matter how good they sound it always feels fake to me. Although that can still be a lot better if you can't record real drums very well. And then you end with 'I almost forgot...I'm founding my own label at the time being.
Well, I'm TRYING at least...' Sounds awsome, keep up the good work.
Well, I'm TRYING at least...' Sounds awsome, keep up the good work.
Well, yeah...THX!
Keep in mind that the "Compact"-file is just a rehearsal-room
recording. It's neither representative for the sonic quality of
the final product, nor for the overall style of it. I just chained riffs
from all over the record onto another. I must admit that I like
this structure, though. Maybe I'll really make some sort of Intro/Ending
-thing out of it.
At the moment I'm still trying to solve the issues I already mentioned
in my previous posting. But I'll find a way. Guess it won't be long 'till
you'll be able to listen to "TERRAFORMER".
@All
By the way...the TF-logo that I now use as an Avatar is still
under construction. I'll have to fine-tune some things, but the
basic form will stay the same...Is it acceptabe? I like it very much.
Plain and simple...
Keep in mind that the "Compact"-file is just a rehearsal-room
recording. It's neither representative for the sonic quality of
the final product, nor for the overall style of it. I just chained riffs
from all over the record onto another. I must admit that I like
this structure, though. Maybe I'll really make some sort of Intro/Ending
-thing out of it.
At the moment I'm still trying to solve the issues I already mentioned
in my previous posting. But I'll find a way. Guess it won't be long 'till
you'll be able to listen to "TERRAFORMER".
@All
By the way...the TF-logo that I now use as an Avatar is still
under construction. I'll have to fine-tune some things, but the
basic form will stay the same...Is it acceptabe? I like it very much.
Plain and simple...
Yeah, the logo's really cool! Kinda fear factory-esque..not sure if you'd class that as a good thing but I like it!
Really looking forward to hearing more from you..and hopefully eventually the finished product!
*crosses fingers*
Really looking forward to hearing more from you..and hopefully eventually the finished product!
*crosses fingers*
Yes, the logo is cool, i whish you all the best for your recordings.
PS: Do you plan to go to the Opeth-concert on thursday in Essen? I´m not shure yet...
PS: Do you plan to go to the Opeth-concert on thursday in Essen? I´m not shure yet...
Lolliklauer wrote:Yes, the logo is cool, i whish you all the best for your recordings.
PS: Do you plan to go to the Opeth-concert on thursday in Essen? I´m not shure yet...
Off topic: GO THERE...that's an advise....I jsut saw them last saturday in Cologne...awesome...and also check out EXTOL
Okay, it's settled now. Recordings will be done in Open A tuning.
Reason Nr.1: Over the years I got USED to it.
Reason Nr.2: Low tunings fuckin' kick ass!
Reason Nr.3: Best compromise for my overall vocal spectrum.
Reason Nr.4: See Reason Nr.1, 2 and 3...
This, on the other hand, means that the guitar sound will be
pretty "dirty" (read "lightyears from perfect intonation") 'cause
of my standard scale neck. I'll explain what the problem is.
The get the strings intonate right in such low tunings you need
a longer string-way (read "longer mensure/scale/neck").
WITHOUT a long scale things will get more and more out of tune
the higher (closer to the body of the guitar) you go on the neck.
Why? Cause the frets don't devide the strings accurately anymore.
When you press the string down onto the neck you devide/part the
string lenght by varying factors to produce a certain note.
To ease up hitting the perfect spot on the neck these factors are
set, represented by the frets. But if a guitar was fretted to be played
in the standard E A D G B E-tuning you can't expect it to intonate
sober if tuned to Open A. The frets are not at the perfect spots
anymore, causing the guitar to drift off the expected tone.
This "drift-off" accumulates the higher you go up, cause the space
between the frets get smaller and smaller, while at the same time
they are set too near towards the headstock of the guitar, causing
the notes to be intonated too low. So even if a string is perfectly
in tune when being strummed open I have to bend up one 1/8 to
one 1/4 note when octaving it in the 12th fret to get the perfect
intonation. Well, it ain't no big deal when playing single notes.
I got used to this and now instictively bend up in the higher frets.
But it can get PRETTY nasty when gripping a chord in the higher
regions, combined with open (non-gripped) sounding strings.
You'll DEFINITELY hear that something is wrong. That's why I
tune my guitar "dirty" from the beginning on.
So, what's a "dirty"-tuning...
In a "dirty"-tuning you let the guitar go out of tune on purpose.
In an acceptable range, of course. Tune this string a little higher
and that one a little lower, and it'll compensate a little of the
"drift-off". An ultralow tuning such as A scratches the frontier
though. You CAN'T fully compensate the drift of with a "dirty" here.
Cause of the neck-scale...if it's too short, you're fucked. So am I.
Never thought I'd say this...
Size DOES matter!
I've contacted a guitar tech who's willing to build a custom neck
for this tuning, but it'll take time and will cost me 500-800 bucks.
Leading straight to the next problem.
I DON'T WANNA WAIT some other months to start the serious shit.
AND...
IF i'll spend such a bunch o' bucks on tuning up my guitar, I won't be
able to buy a five string bass in the next few months. Okay, no big
deal...I could go and borrow one for the recordings. But I'd love to
have my own one for the job. Argh...all these years it's been nothing
but: COMPROMISE, COMPROMISE, COMPROMISE! FUCK...
Guess I'll have to go with it...
That's the latest news for now...
I'll keep you updated.
Dan
Reason Nr.1: Over the years I got USED to it.
Reason Nr.2: Low tunings fuckin' kick ass!
Reason Nr.3: Best compromise for my overall vocal spectrum.
Reason Nr.4: See Reason Nr.1, 2 and 3...
This, on the other hand, means that the guitar sound will be
pretty "dirty" (read "lightyears from perfect intonation") 'cause
of my standard scale neck. I'll explain what the problem is.
The get the strings intonate right in such low tunings you need
a longer string-way (read "longer mensure/scale/neck").
WITHOUT a long scale things will get more and more out of tune
the higher (closer to the body of the guitar) you go on the neck.
Why? Cause the frets don't devide the strings accurately anymore.
When you press the string down onto the neck you devide/part the
string lenght by varying factors to produce a certain note.
To ease up hitting the perfect spot on the neck these factors are
set, represented by the frets. But if a guitar was fretted to be played
in the standard E A D G B E-tuning you can't expect it to intonate
sober if tuned to Open A. The frets are not at the perfect spots
anymore, causing the guitar to drift off the expected tone.
This "drift-off" accumulates the higher you go up, cause the space
between the frets get smaller and smaller, while at the same time
they are set too near towards the headstock of the guitar, causing
the notes to be intonated too low. So even if a string is perfectly
in tune when being strummed open I have to bend up one 1/8 to
one 1/4 note when octaving it in the 12th fret to get the perfect
intonation. Well, it ain't no big deal when playing single notes.
I got used to this and now instictively bend up in the higher frets.
But it can get PRETTY nasty when gripping a chord in the higher
regions, combined with open (non-gripped) sounding strings.
You'll DEFINITELY hear that something is wrong. That's why I
tune my guitar "dirty" from the beginning on.
So, what's a "dirty"-tuning...
In a "dirty"-tuning you let the guitar go out of tune on purpose.
In an acceptable range, of course. Tune this string a little higher
and that one a little lower, and it'll compensate a little of the
"drift-off". An ultralow tuning such as A scratches the frontier
though. You CAN'T fully compensate the drift of with a "dirty" here.
Cause of the neck-scale...if it's too short, you're fucked. So am I.
Never thought I'd say this...
Size DOES matter!
I've contacted a guitar tech who's willing to build a custom neck
for this tuning, but it'll take time and will cost me 500-800 bucks.
Leading straight to the next problem.
I DON'T WANNA WAIT some other months to start the serious shit.
AND...
IF i'll spend such a bunch o' bucks on tuning up my guitar, I won't be
able to buy a five string bass in the next few months. Okay, no big
deal...I could go and borrow one for the recordings. But I'd love to
have my own one for the job. Argh...all these years it's been nothing
but: COMPROMISE, COMPROMISE, COMPROMISE! FUCK...
Guess I'll have to go with it...
That's the latest news for now...
I'll keep you updated.
Dan
Cool, I can see why you wouldn't wait for the new equipment. I wouldn't, but then again I don't know how bad it would sound like that. Open A instead of Standard E is a big step. Hope you find a good compromise, the 'dirty' tuning sounds like a good option I think. Hope you can get something going soon, good luck with it.
Forget what I said in my last posting.
I'm up to Open-D and HAPPY with it.
Don't ask for reasons, just accept it.
I'm too tired to type another 1000 words.
Recordings start once I get my monitors back from
repair (yup, I sent them in AGAIN...they WEREN'T
fixed when I got em back the first time. GRRRRR!!!).
Chances are quite good that this will happen within
the next week. How long it'll take to record it all,
I have no idea of...All I can say is that once I have
started, I won't stop till it'll be done completely.
So...MAYBE...TF might be out THIS autumn...
I'm up to Open-D and HAPPY with it.
Don't ask for reasons, just accept it.
I'm too tired to type another 1000 words.
Recordings start once I get my monitors back from
repair (yup, I sent them in AGAIN...they WEREN'T
fixed when I got em back the first time. GRRRRR!!!).
Chances are quite good that this will happen within
the next week. How long it'll take to record it all,
I have no idea of...All I can say is that once I have
started, I won't stop till it'll be done completely.
So...MAYBE...TF might be out THIS autumn...
Who is online
Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 0 guests