I recorded this as "Showdown in Cimarron" about five years' ago. I liked the chord sequence, but whenever I got the volume where I wanted it, the distortion would rattle my fillings, so, when I first published it, it was whisper-quiet. And far too long, at just under five minutes. So I went back, cut over 90 seconds out of it, re-recorded some of the guitar parts, kept all the percussion, changed the synthesised instruments around, made it as loud as I wanted, downloaded the result to iTunes - and the distortion was even worse. I tried changing all the guitar settings, because they were the problem - but I missed the classic jangly, trebly Telecaster sound, as well as the chunky power chords, so I reverted to the original guitar parts, made some compromises between volume and distortion levels, redownloaded the whole mess, and... well, it's better. Still too quiet, but until I get round to creating my own studio, I'll have to live with that.
The film posters are fun, I think.
I really enjoyed this. It's the Fulmos best. You need to spend your generous Budget pension rebate on some backing singers. Check out an excellent I player programme on Darlene Lovet and you will never listen to another Phil Spector track in the same way again.
ReplyDeleteThe power chords work. So does the mix. And you are string bending like a mutha. Shredding is just around the corner?
Unfortunately, Mr. Grønmark, the lead guitarist with the once-popular beat combo The Fulminators (formerly known as Gary Savile and the Gay Blades), is currently undergoing an operation to save two of the fingers on his left had, the others having been irreparably destroyed by presistent attempts to bend the .011 - .060 gauge strings on his Fender telecaster guitar during the recording of the group's latest single, "Guns Blazing". We will pass on your message once he has regained conciousness following his operation.
Delete...and back in the room! Having trouble holding a fork, though.
ReplyDeleteThanks very much for your kind comments, which are particularly welcome as I spent more time on "Guns Blazing" than on any other recording, having redone the whole thing three times in an eight-year period. It got a bit shreddy towards the end of the first two recordings, but I finally realised that the resulting high-pitched noise was simply irritating. When I upgrade my Mac later this year I will buy Apple's collection of vocal sounds (I'm hoping it has girlie backing groups and something that sounds like the Jordanaires on it as well as ethereal choirs - their bass and orchestral instruments collections are excellent). I recorded the power chords wearing a bright blue '70s soft metal spandex outfit and a fright wig.
Darlene Love - what a voice. But I can't find the programme on iPlayer - give me a clue, please.
I am off to see Nile Rodgers and Chic tomorrow at the Roundhouse and if I catch his eye I'll ask him if he has any tips for sore fingers. Meanwhile, I feel your pain. Sorry not to have been more helpful with the Darlene Love programme. I think it was called either The Backing Vocalists or Backing Singers. It was a wonderful tribute to resilience. Darlene Love was thoroughly expoited by Phil Spector, stuffed up financially in order to make fortunes for people who lip synced her vocals and still has an indomitable spirit. If you shell out £150 for the first ever downloadable Logic Pro, and the cheapest, you'll get all their samples as part of the package. It has had great reviews. There will be no charge for this service.
ReplyDeleteI'm tempted by Logic Pro. I'm used to Garageband, and I enjoy using it, but I recently listened to some tracks I made using Cubase years ago, and, while they're fantastically crude and inept musically, they display a sort of sonic verve that Garageband lacks - you could download tracks with ear-splittingly high-pitched guitars, a vast booming bass sound and great thunking drums without it distorting or losing any volume when converted to an MP3 file (which it has to be to get it on YouTube). Odd.
DeleteApple bought Logic Pro some time ago, didn't do all that much with it but have now developed it into something rather easier to use than earlier versions. If you can find your way round Garage Band, you should be able to master LP. The disc version cost around £400 five years ago. The new downloadable version is very good value. Go for it Gronners!
ReplyDeleteI'm tempted - I've run out of "instruments", and I'm sick of being penalised when I try to give a track some welly. For a start, I really want a proper rimshot sound and a looser, plashier snare drum - and a Hammond organ, and the sound of an electric bass being played with a plectrum (like Jet Harris) , and that's just for starters. Garageband for iPad has some of these sounds, so I'll see what I get with GB when I buy a new Mac before deciding whether to upgrade to LogicPro.
DeleteWith apologies for the delay, I have tracked down the backing singers film I mentioned. It's actually called Twenty Feet from Stardom. And it was on Netflix not Iplayer. Other than getting the title and the medium wrong, I was spot on.
ReplyDeleteIt's lucky you don't have an important job or anything.
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