Archive for January, 2011

Forced Vacation, Down w/ the Flu

Sunday, January 23rd, 2011

This weekend the plan was to record my guitar tracks. Everything was set up in the office, which doubles as the recording studio for now, ready to go. Thursday however was all eaten up by house hunting – yes there is finally light on the horizon and we will be escaping this hell hole we’ve called home for 10 years. Don’t get me wrong, it’s a decent apartment, the rent is good and there’s hot water and heating included but you get to a point in life, like me at the age of 31, where you just want a place all your own.

Something my lovely husband said to me when I was whining about getting out of here struck me as the sweetest thing – He said home is wherever we are together. He’s absolutely right.

Today I’m recovering from the flu. I spent the entire day in bed yesterday sleeping. This morning I woke up feeling a little bored so I checked my email of course – I am so obsessed with mail! By the way all you people on facebook please write! I will respond, promise!

Although I didn’t get to record my guitar tracks this weekend I did buy a house. Ha! Not too shabby.

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Violin Done!

Tuesday, January 18th, 2011

I just finished a day, well, more like a few hours to be exact of recording with Aliza – That’s how efficient it is to work with that little wonder lady! I first met Aliza at a show that I did last winter on her first gig playing with a band called The Belle Game. At the time the idea of having violin on any of my songs never crossed my mind simply due to the fact that it’s nearly impossible to find a good violinist who isn’t already involved in a band or two.

However, now that I’ve moved on from the idea of a band and have decided to tackle my music on more of a project to project basis, I’m able to collaborate with talented artists who I otherwise wouldn’t have had the opportunity to work with.

Last week Aliza came over and we finalized the arrangements on violin for all the songs. I hummed out the tunes for her that I’d hear in my head and like magic she’d reproduce it to a tee! If I knew it was going to be that easy I would have had all the equipment set up so that we could record her tracks that same day. Regardless, there was no time lost.

It was an absolute pleasure to record with Aliza, everything went so smoothly and with breathtaking efficiency. After having the privilege of working with such a skilled musician I now have a new saying:
When preparation meets professionalism you’re that much closer to perfection.

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Recording – Different Strokes for Different Folk

Sunday, January 2nd, 2011

So far December has been pretty hectic but I guess that goes without saying given that the holidays play a big part in that. However, this year, aside from the usual Christmas preparations I was busy getting the guide tracks down for all the songs on the album and having the musicians come in to record.

Once the scheduling was out of the way and it came time to the actual recording work I realized how no matter how much you prepare there’s no preparing for how musicians will perform in the end. Each individual is different with their own style of working and their set of limits or strengths. The challenging part is to know how to customize each session so that you get the best take out of each musician and do your best to keep them comfortable and happy while they’re at it!

In my case especially, I found this to be an important factor to note since the musicians I was working with were volunteering their time so the same incentive may not be there as there is for paid musicians.

Next up is the violinist and I’m very excited about working with her. This will be my first time including violin on my arrangements and I think it will be a great addition.

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