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gurdonarkLast night I stayed up late to work on mixing the music which scottm and I recorded last Saturday. I always listen when people who are expert in a field or endeavor say things like "just because people know how to word process, they think they can write!". Listening to these tapes of "music" really proves all these people right. The recordings amuse me, but perhaps what amuses me about them is their sheer, raw, lack of merit. It's not so much the execution--in fact, Scott M's uke and guitar work has some strong points. It's the sheer ecstasy of nearly talentless creation. I had aimed for the unvarnished truth of the moment.
I got more than a mere lack of varnish. I got something nearly completely lacking a wood finish at all.
Whatever gifts I lack as a creator of music, let me assure you that they are more than doubled by my lack of gifts as a sound mixer. Just because one can work the knobs does not make one a sound engineer. At first, I was fairly sparing on the sound input and "mix" knobs, aiming for a non-clever sound which merely adjusted downward as much of the irritating part of the metallic hums as possible. Later in the recording, I went for more elaborate mixes, trying to highlight the richness in the sound (translation: trying to make it sound a little less gawdawful).
This morning I listened to the resulting "mixed" tape.
The portions in which I played it safe are only irritating as music, but not as a sound mix. The portions in which I applied my earnest artistic ear include a series of inadvertent "mixes out", one song altogether omitted (in fairness, this is probably a "hit the record key" matter) and an uneven-ness not native to the original tracks. I must remix this portion, but at least the project is now 2/3rd mixed.
I am not an unbiased ear, but I have developed many inner questions about the recording. Is it really effective to start the first track with an easy listening guitar track in the left headphone, accompanied by an annoying electric hum in the right? Was the two minute nose flute solo really a positive addition? Just how many moments of Hendrix-homage slow space-flanged guitar can one CD hold? Will the track in which the metal ball bearings in the Diet Coke plastic bottle sound like someone chewing corn chips really be redeemed by titling the song "Robot Breakfast"?
Just how many minor chord flanged electric autoharp chords are required to reach the legal maximum? These are the issues that try the artist's soul. Fortunately, I pre-defined to project to resist self-editing for mere reasons of lack of quality. I instead came up with the single sentece of liner note that I wish the CD to have: "We went weird in an effort to amuse". I wonder if that's my personal mission statement. I do find the whole process amusing, so perhaps I am at least able to humour myself.
I must say that I am very discouraged with The National Network. I turned on that station several times last night, only to find a discernible lack of Star Trek re-runs. What is the point of having the rights to Star Trek: The Next Generation if you are not going to play them 24 hours a day? I still haven't figured out who plays Star Trek: Deep Space Nine at 4 in the morning (I know somebody does, because whenever I am in LA I seem to see an episode at 2 in the morning Pacific Time). I also need to figure out if anyone is showing Babylon Five re-runs. Now that I have heard my inner musician, and discovered that he sounds a bit like the soundtrack of a bad 50s sci fi movie, I feel the need to get in touch with my inner sci fi.
For some reason, this whole enterprise has been energizing rather than enervating, notwithstanding the flaws in my thinking.
I hope I can keep the momentum up, as I want to get a lot of hobby type things done and started. Who knows, maybe it's time to write that sci fi novel. I have in mind a story about our first contact with an alien culture. The problem is that the contact is by radio telescope only. Neither culture evolves space travel. Both cultures exchange masses of scientific, cultural and religious information. Both cultures learn that no matter how connected the experience might be, the isolation is very lonely.
scottm and I recorded last Saturday. I always listen when people who are expert in a field or endeavor say things like "just because people know how to word process, they think they can write!". Listening to these tapes of "music" really proves all these people right. The recordings amuse me, but perhaps what amuses me about them is their sheer, raw, lack of merit. It's not so much the execution--in fact, Scott M's uke and guitar work has some strong points. It's the sheer ecstasy of nearly talentless creation. I had aimed for the unvarnished truth of the moment.I got more than a mere lack of varnish. I got something nearly completely lacking a wood finish at all.
Whatever gifts I lack as a creator of music, let me assure you that they are more than doubled by my lack of gifts as a sound mixer. Just because one can work the knobs does not make one a sound engineer. At first, I was fairly sparing on the sound input and "mix" knobs, aiming for a non-clever sound which merely adjusted downward as much of the irritating part of the metallic hums as possible. Later in the recording, I went for more elaborate mixes, trying to highlight the richness in the sound (translation: trying to make it sound a little less gawdawful).
This morning I listened to the resulting "mixed" tape.
The portions in which I played it safe are only irritating as music, but not as a sound mix. The portions in which I applied my earnest artistic ear include a series of inadvertent "mixes out", one song altogether omitted (in fairness, this is probably a "hit the record key" matter) and an uneven-ness not native to the original tracks. I must remix this portion, but at least the project is now 2/3rd mixed.
I am not an unbiased ear, but I have developed many inner questions about the recording. Is it really effective to start the first track with an easy listening guitar track in the left headphone, accompanied by an annoying electric hum in the right? Was the two minute nose flute solo really a positive addition? Just how many moments of Hendrix-homage slow space-flanged guitar can one CD hold? Will the track in which the metal ball bearings in the Diet Coke plastic bottle sound like someone chewing corn chips really be redeemed by titling the song "Robot Breakfast"?
Just how many minor chord flanged electric autoharp chords are required to reach the legal maximum? These are the issues that try the artist's soul. Fortunately, I pre-defined to project to resist self-editing for mere reasons of lack of quality. I instead came up with the single sentece of liner note that I wish the CD to have: "We went weird in an effort to amuse". I wonder if that's my personal mission statement. I do find the whole process amusing, so perhaps I am at least able to humour myself.
I must say that I am very discouraged with The National Network. I turned on that station several times last night, only to find a discernible lack of Star Trek re-runs. What is the point of having the rights to Star Trek: The Next Generation if you are not going to play them 24 hours a day? I still haven't figured out who plays Star Trek: Deep Space Nine at 4 in the morning (I know somebody does, because whenever I am in LA I seem to see an episode at 2 in the morning Pacific Time). I also need to figure out if anyone is showing Babylon Five re-runs. Now that I have heard my inner musician, and discovered that he sounds a bit like the soundtrack of a bad 50s sci fi movie, I feel the need to get in touch with my inner sci fi.
For some reason, this whole enterprise has been energizing rather than enervating, notwithstanding the flaws in my thinking.
I hope I can keep the momentum up, as I want to get a lot of hobby type things done and started. Who knows, maybe it's time to write that sci fi novel. I have in mind a story about our first contact with an alien culture. The problem is that the contact is by radio telescope only. Neither culture evolves space travel. Both cultures exchange masses of scientific, cultural and religious information. Both cultures learn that no matter how connected the experience might be, the isolation is very lonely.
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no subject
Date: 2002-07-24 09:06 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2002-07-24 09:37 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2002-07-24 11:17 am (UTC)me that there are three things to examine: the experience, the artifact from
the experience, and any lessons learned from the experience. As for the
experience itself-- I had a great time Saturday afternoon! And if you enjoyed
doing the recording and mixing, we're batting .333 already.
The artifact from the experience is trickier. I daresay that the first song we
recorded is the one that comes closest to your original vision for this project,
and that guitar thing I did that on reflection sounded like "Iron Man" (I'm still
horrified at that realization, by the way), that other guitar thing I did that
sounded better played backwards, and even "Saturday Afternoon" were
departures from from what you had had in mind. You couldn't have possibly
envisioned "Gladiator Song" before we committed it to tape, because
unless I'm not remembering it right, it sounds like nothing ever heard by
human ears.
Is all that a good thing or a bad thing? You seem not to be entirely pleased
with the end product. That's okay, because if you know what you like and
what you don't, we can use that information to take another shot at it if you
want to. Or if you'd rather work with a musician who doesn't have "Iron Man"
lurking just under the surface, believe me, I get that.
In related news, I've made some changes to the CD booklet design to work
in your preferences for title and artist name. I'll try to get it to you somehow.
no subject
Date: 2002-07-24 11:44 am (UTC)I was just saying to my wife last night what an incredibly nice person you were for patiently putting up with my whims and whisperings. The result we got, it is a result all right, and we got it.
The mixing was fun last night. This morning, when I realized I'd messed up the second tape altogether, was no fun. But I'll remix the second tape 2night, and that will be much better. I probably should have begged you to to do the mix, because it sounds as though I did it, if you know what I mean.
But I'm very eager to finish it now, because it is more than I ever hoped it'd be.
It's not ambient, it's not industrial, it's not pure noise...heck, it's just flat not. That's the whole fun. That's the Experience. and when I begin to overcapitalize words like 'experience', then I am having fun!
BTW, that kazoo thing is my magnum, so we must always speak of it in respectful tones, not as if it were, as it were and was, tossed off on a whim.
Re: That Kazoo Thing
Date: 2002-07-24 12:26 pm (UTC)truly indescribable because it's truly unique.
"What does Gladiator Song sound like?" is a
question just as impossible to answer as "What
do the Shaggs sound like?" They don't sound like
anything-- there's no comparison upon which to
hang a reference.
Hey-- that's ... that's ... ART, man!
Call me Partch. Harry Partch
Date: 2002-07-24 12:39 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2002-07-24 06:01 pm (UTC)Send it via Mata Hari or Kim Philby, please.
no subject
Date: 2002-07-24 04:26 pm (UTC)The proj. is found here. There's no promise of success or anything in return on this one, esp. since the person it's being made for is not exactly in contact with me right now. But, if you are bored/interested, feel free to sign up. It's in Finland with Rusakko right now!
no subject
Date: 2002-07-24 04:37 pm (UTC)