singing makes me dizzy

I’m getting the vocal parts down for Lines. I suspected a while back that I’d have to create backing vocals too. Yeah, I’m doing my own backing vocals– maybe that’s lame, maybe it’s not! It is pretty fun to record them, and it does require breath control and some, you know, technique. I plan to pull some singer friends of mine into the next project. But I gotta say I’m having more fun with the vox than I thought I would.

 I also put a time limit of sorts on this project. By next Sunday…it’s finished! In other words, whatever is recorded then is what ZLT will be. I’m about a month and a half behind schedule. But more importantly I’m happy with what I have, and I’ve learned quite a bit, and I can salvage a lot of it and apply it to the next project.

I’m starting to look ahead, put together a set list. The first thing I’ll do is record a guitar track to send a buddy of mine who’s an accomplished singer/songwriter in Nashville. But first I gotta put the finale stamp onto Zen Luck Tricks…

lead guitar– finito!

bellisimo! molto bouno!

And so forth…

All guitar is now done for Zen Luck Tricks. I’m moving on to record the final vocal takes, but before I do that, I’m going to spend time this week going over some of the original production ideas I had for the project last winter– before the songs took shape, and took over, frankly. These ideas mostly center on instrument sounds, ways of shaping the overall sonic experience (…huh…yeah, OK!) I call these “flourishes.” Yes, the EP could live without them. But why should it??

I’ve also been researching mastering options, and, being the DYI guy that I am, I’ve decided to do mastering myself. This could easily tack on another couple of weeks to the release of ZLT, but I’m thinking learning the skill is really what I’m after here. And if I were that worried about the release schedule…let’s just say I’d be very worried at the moment. But what’s more important than getting done is getting done with something that makes you happy. And, furthermore, to set yourself back on track for doing more and more of these projects in the future.

And on that point, I am a believer, once again.

slide guitar

I woke up last Saturday and it became suddenly clear that the lead part of Can’t Wait should be played with a slide. I finding I have to really tease the recording, though, as the harmonics overdrive the levels. At least, I think that’s what’s happening. I like the texture the slide creates though. And it adds another roots element to this project for me. I went through a blues phase, as a lot of guitarists do I assume, and I got really into slide. Even though you don’t have all the note choices, those limitations sometimes can lead to very creative applications. And one of the primary features of the slide is sustain, which is actually a slightly unusal quality for guitar. Slide was originally used to emulate vocals. It’s definitely a sound I’m going to use in the future.

back at it

Final lead parts to Can’t Wait are currently being recording. Vocals this weekend. Then ZLT is on to mastering!

Back with more to talk about soon, but right now work and this project are dominating my time…