The Loudness War

I imported a whole bunch of professionally recorded/mastered songs
to listen to while i was doing my mastering


after a discussion with pat
we decided that these songs are not what I should be shooting for

we spent so much time writing dynamic songs...and then I mixed them in such a way to try to make them even more dynamically dramatic....and then here I was trying to figure out how to master like commercial mastering house...which means make the music as loud as you possibly can by taking all the dynamic range out of the music

that's not what we want

so
our songs won't be quite as loud
but they'll rock harder


you'll just have to turn them up a little

so
now the only thing i have to figure out is how to make these songs sound like they sonically belong on the same album

which is challenging

but I'm getting closer

...mastering?

I've been mastering these past two days

or
trying to master

i really don't know what I'm doing
(never having mastered before or used this software i just purchased)...(I've read the manual twice so far)
so

the going is slow

and i'm trying my derndest to make it sound professional...with zero experience

so i'm sure glad i was ahead of schedule

now i can take a couple weeks instead of only one week to fit in a career's worth of mastering experience




don't worry


i'll make it sound good

Still...ahead of schedule...but...

I can't put the mastering software in these labs
quite yet

because of an admin password snafu

so

i guess
i'll have to wait to master

hopefully just one day

Ahead Of Schedule

Mastering Starts Tomorrow!!!!

almost a week before I had planned

Here we come!!!

Click, Click, Boom

Hey all!

Martin and I spoke last night about all things album. As you can read from him, he is getting finished with the mixes, and then he will be mastering. In the mean time we are putting together the artwork. I can't say too much, but its gonna be awesome.

We are going to get medieval on your asses.

Who Is to Say I Am Not the Happy Genius of This Household?

I am back in the labs...back to mixing.

I was planning on returning yesterday but I caught quite a stomach bug and was nearly dead all day.

But here I am...almost better

good enough to mix at least

The songs are so close to being done

so close

I am having friends, family, and professors listen to my mixes for problems and mistakes...I am listening to them on all sorts of speakers to find problems and mistakes

now,There are less and less problems and mistakes
...I can't wait till it's done

it's going to be fantastic

Taking a Break

I've spent my spring break in an editing lab
not that it hasn't been worth it
the songs
are very close to being done
I'm shooting to be done by the first of april
then mastering begins!!
so
be expecting a Dog and The Wolf sampler soon
maybe in the form of a video?
we'll see

but tomorrow
i'll be going to ohio
to a cabin
to chill out in a hot tub
for a few days

I've heard these songs for about 8 hours a day for the past week
so it's time to not hear them
for a few days

so I'll be coming back to work on them this coming monday
with fresh ears
and boosted morale

Dog and The Wolf
is coming soon

YAY

Another Day, Another Demo

Hey you little cuties,

So, Marvtin sent me 3 mix "demos" - only because they aren't COMPLETELY done - for me to do some notes on, and I just wanted to tell you folks, that they are marvelous. All of this talk with no more sneak peaks makes me feel like I am just teasing you, so I will get on McMartin to make another sampler or something.

Anyhow, as I was listening to the tracks (to find the terrible mistakes Martin is inevitably making), I realized how honest all of these tracks are - they are more or less a co-written autobiography (if there can be such a thing) of Martin and I growing up over the last 4 years. It is really great - really. And I cannot wait to share it with you.

I was thinking we should name the record Autobiography, but dammit if that talented and new-nose-having Ashlee Simpson already beat us to that, and we don't wanna tread on Pete Wentz's territory, so the Dog and the Wolf it is.

See you soon! Hear us soon!

p.s. I bought and finally received a melodica.

Labs

The labs are to be up and running by this afternoon.


I'll be spending all day in them tomorrow

and the next day

and the next

and by all day
i mean all day

from the time i wake up till the time I pass out

8 weeks to mix/master 12 songs, create a website, tshirst, album art, etc.

time to get moving

maybe a rough tshirt design to show you by the end of the day?

Catastrophe

There is an electrical problem in the editing labs

and they are out of commission


i can't work on my music


i am having a nervous breakdown


i have lost about 10 hours of work in the past two days

partly because the labs are closed

partly because I tried to do something nice for someone and they shut down my protools session without asking and I lost 3 hours of work

here I am
at mortons pub
with a stout to make it better

they have wifi


also
everything is covered in ice outside
super

Oh, Canada

I am in a hotel in Montreal right now. And I have just heard the final (almost) vocal melodies for Frantic Man. This record is gonna blow you away. It is really gonna be spectacular.