Recording is good. And scary. When I’m doing something I’m not used to at least. I probably could’ve done something simple like the MARC in one take if I was just playing guitar and singing. But we’re doing it “the right way” which means I’m playing to a click track (which is haaard) and I’ve got to record a scratch track which we generally do on electric (which is weird) and then just play the guitar part without singing (which is also hard) and then sing without my guitar (which is hardest) and it probably took me about an hour to track the whole thing.
Fortunately we’re not doing things ENTIRELY via overdub – Kristen recorded her cello the same time in the next room and I felt better about my time management. All in all we’re about halfway through with Oracle and the MARC and once they’re polished a bit I think I’ll have a lot more confidence in how everything’s going to fit together. I hate overdubbing, it feels weird and alien and I have a paranoia about someone coming in, trying to put the last part on and saying “well, it doesn’t fit cause we NEVER play it THAT way!” – and then we have to start over from scratch.
The Weathered Road joined by Bruce Leibovitz.
Steve Steckler is our engineer and I’m really, really pleased working with him. There’s a comfort level here that’s really, really nice – probably not something I’ve felt since Jeremy and Jazzmo – and part of that is probably confidence in the band. Though I was uncomfortable with process, I still nailed the acoustic guitar in one take, the vocals in four (erf)… Heather probably got everything in or two takes, and Kristen nailed all her cello bits in one take barring one overdub of a hand-cramp-induced flub in the last couple of measures of Oracle.
There’s nothing like watching the sound waves slot themselves into place smoothly to boost one’s comfort level. Steve’s gotten a really delicious sound out of my OX, calming any thought of bringing in a “real” wood guitar. The tone from Kristen’s cello is just stunning and I can’t wait to see what he gets out of everything else.
We’re driving through the rain, headed home. Signs are looming out of the fog but traffic is light and we’ll be home soon, accomplished and self-satisfied.
December 4th, 2012 at Cafe Nola with the Weathered Road in Frederick, MD.
