RPM Challenge 2012?

Danny G · January 30, 2012, 06:26:47 PM

Anyone going to participate?

I've done albums 3 years running, but last year ended one song shy due to life shit and maybe being a little too ambitious with what I was trying to write/record.

However this year poses me a unique challenge: I have no way to record in my new place, unless I do an acoustic album.

But I have a good friend/old bandmate who has protools and a studio in her garage, so I may be doing some collaboration this time, heh.

Looks like my stuff from last year is still up tho I didn't complete the actual challenge or come up with album art even.

http://rpmchallenge.com/index.php?option=com_comprofiler&Itemid=296

zachoff · January 30, 2012, 07:08:30 PM

I have no way to record drums or I'd at least try. 10 songs in a month is tough though.

neighbor664 · January 30, 2012, 07:28:47 PM

I don't think I'll ever be able to do this again as long as I remain at my current job. February is too busy a month. I like this gig, so hopefully that wont be any time soon.

The only time I was able to pull it off I was unemployed and should have spent the time job hunting anyhow.

zachoff · January 31, 2012, 05:53:52 PM

eff it... signed up & will record sans-drums. I'll record to a click though so if anyone wants to mix in drums later, I'm down.

justinhedrick · January 31, 2012, 07:05:32 PM

I hope to record 1 song in february . . . $:-\$

neighbor664 · January 31, 2012, 09:58:44 PM

Fuck it, I signed up any way. It'll probably be an improvised, free-jazz wank fest.

giantchris · February 02, 2012, 09:56:38 PM

I was all pumped to actually finish it this year but I got in a band and have been spending all my time writing for that. I did write a really cool 12 part song that sounds vaguely like Metallica's Orion though which I can't wait to record with a full band.

Danny G · February 06, 2012, 08:26:03 PM

have 3 solid ideas demo'd out, about 18 mins of music so far. One a straight forward rock song, one a spanish classical piece and one that's turning itself into an 8 min+ orchestral arrangement. Will post them soon to rpm site.

Not sure where I'll track this for real but can't wait to get started.

Danny G · February 15, 2012, 07:01:38 PM

Posted 4 of the 6 demos for tunes I've worked out. Album is written unless I rewrite the last song, which I'm not 100% on.

http://rpmchallenge.com/index.php?option=com_comprofiler&task=userProfile&tab=getcbmyplayertab&Itemid=63

Dusted off my drums today and found I could play to a click track finally. That will open up a whole new world. Will start tracking drums the new few days.

Danny G · February 26, 2012, 01:15:25 PM

Have 4 tracks done save for bass on 3 and perhaps some touch-up guitar solos if time permits.

http://rpmchallenge.com/index.php?option=com_comprofiler&Itemid=296

Recording drums for another song today, then guit and bass as well. Last idea I had I scrapped in favor of a request from a friend to compose a song about the Hindu Goddess Kali. My rough stab at it is 9 minutes long, dont think it needs any extra instrumentation.

Also scouring my cellphone pics for album art, mainly Retro Camera shots because they are already correct shape (square).

Have a lot going on til Wednesday, but I think I will finish this in time \m/,

jibberish · February 26, 2012, 08:55:21 PM

i think im going to cheat next year and do this.

i'll have the songs written, but maybe i'll record them all in one month heh. i can get my son to whip out relatively relevant drum parts and then slice-n-dice on the computer to finish the drums.

i cant just spew generic songs out under the gun like i was at work or something. my songs are strange and different and they come from the vapors whenever they feel like it. so i'm screwed as to actually doing this properly.

but i really like my songs i have worked up so far to open mic nite performability regarding a set arrangement that gets played the same way consistently which is then suitable for recording

Danny G · February 28, 2012, 12:56:19 PM

Bass done for 4 tracks that needed them yesterday.

Working every available hour at this on top of a full gig schedule and multiple rehearsals with multiple bands is running me ragged. Fuck I am beat. Ready for the month to be over so I can finally rest. Tracked drums on Sunday after playing 2 shows for 6 hours Saturday night. Havent been eating properly, picked up my GF from work and she gave me a grave look: "You OK? Your color is really weird...". We went posthaste to get me a meatloaf dinner. Going all mad composer is fun and all, but this is starting to hurt.

Mixing today and finishing the last song. Even if it would benefit from drums, I am done. And still need to do artwork and mail the fucker in.

Ugh.

bass sic · February 28, 2012, 01:36:34 PM

Hey jibberish where do you play open mic? Your from clevo area right?

jibberish · February 29, 2012, 11:37:43 AM

Quote from: bass sic on February 28, 2012, 01:36:34 PM
Hey jibberish where do you play open mic? Your from clevo area right?

i dont do shit when the weather is nasty, but pretty soon here, will be stalking the berea-parma-middleburg hts sort of area.
and the scene changes. A bar will decide to try it, then for whatever reason, they stop, or dont give it enough time to develop the following. so every spring i sort of have to put the scene back together.

For example, a while back,the phoenix or wtf it was called, out by great northern used to have a metal open mic. full carvin house pa, and an ex metal dude host with a gigunda fake book. i think that was too expensive so it went away. red giant did a quicky show there one night.

we also sort of follow this local guy around from place to place as he hosts open mic nites. Crash Coffin heh. i remember seeing him like at the red onion in brunstucky way back doing his goofball show.
His open mics are real amateur and this is where i took most of my lumps, but it's cool when other people are fuck ups too. except there is a dude who plays leavin on a jet plane, every time if he is around. if i NEVER hear that song again, it will still be too soon. so good and bad with that deal heh.

i actually have been kicking around the idea of hosting one myself. i have accumulated several hours of tunes, so i could hold off the crowd on a slow night. and you guys know, i dick around and have fun with stuff. my partner in crime sometimes is also a clown, and everyone loves the 'bone. plus he is a very good singer.

i'll let you know how things are looking as soon as i figure out where the open mics will be this season.
I don't like roadie-ing so much in the winter. i dont like the winter actually. and the guitar doesnt either.

bass sic · February 29, 2012, 06:48:17 PM

When you find a place let me know and give me a few songs I can learn/relearn on bass, I wouldn't mind jamming. Ok, back to Dannys thread.

bass sic · February 29, 2012, 08:02:12 PM

Oh yea, btw the Phoenix was a few blocks from my house. And when I found out about the awsome metal jam night it was about a week too late. Bars now a gym.

jibberish · March 01, 2012, 03:38:24 PM

that's awesome. i will keep you informed. rip phoenix. wish i could have gotten some of that PA. i dont know too much about full house sound, but i would order wtf they had at the phoenix for my bar (if i had one).

you like CCR? heh.

ok, i'll quit the off topic also [snickering face goes here]

Been re-thinking the spirit of this rpm challenge. the game IS to knock out the songs in 1 month. i dont do crosswords using the answers.
i will plan my composition strategy to prepare for the next game. maybe it will be a story with 10 parts. maybe that will dictate the mood etc of the songs as they now have to fit the story part. then steal chord progressions from old abba and kinks tunes or something like commercial jingle chord progressions backwards.
maybe black sabbath or neurosis backwards for this crowd. heh

Danny G · March 02, 2012, 01:43:30 PM

Done and sent in on time.

I can generate a music player for it but cant post the goddamn thing here. Suggestions? It's all HTML code.

Regardless. Calling the album "Leap of Faith" and pressing copies in the next few days.

http://dannyg.bandcamp.com/album/leap-of-faith

jibberish · March 02, 2012, 08:20:17 PM

Quote from: Danny G on March 02, 2012, 01:43:30 PM
Done and sent in on time.

I can generate a music player for it but cant post the goddamn thing here. Suggestions? It's all HTML code.

Regardless. Calling the album "Leap of Faith" and pressing copies in the next few days.

http://dannyg.bandcamp.com/album/leap-of-faith

wow, that's a pretty righteous album. it sounds nice regarding the mix or production too. heh 1st tune is some nice tucker boys worship. if i had to dish out any criticism, i could only come up with that luna.. is really a 3 minute song. the rest work great for me, including the last one.

question: on that "give us the key" song, what was your mic set-up for the cymbals? i like how you can clearly hear the stick hitting the metal.

RAGER · March 02, 2012, 08:28:34 PM

Look at Danny G. go!! damn

Danny G · March 03, 2012, 02:02:48 PM

Thanks jib! Yeah all these tunes were written pretty stream-of-conciousness. Some of them shortened themselves, some not so much... Was cool that in the original pass of "Luna" you can hear the rain hitting the patio roof in some of the mics. Would have liked to have transferred that sound to new one but forgot/ran out of time.

As per the drum mics, did 2 rounds or drum tracks. "Key" was the second round (after I fixed my snare cord). Both days recorded the same way. Have 2 inputs on my 8-track. Was using a mic about 18" from the kick as one track (kick + some ambient), the other track was my mixer board which had three mics plugged in: snare mic (half volume) and 2 overheads. Overheads were a beat-up SM58 and another shitty mic. Guess the SM58 was over the ride, heh.

jibberish · March 04, 2012, 01:58:13 PM

heh, gets better with more listens. i'm enjoying checking out the various combinations of effects on the 2 guitars throughout the songs too. you got a nice sharp full sound in your production

this is actually pretty mind boggling that you whupped this out, to this level, in that amount of time.

another question: what was your max db setting on your recorder as you were recording the single tracks? I'm curious as to the levels of the initial tracks before the mixing started. the whole thing sounds sorted nicely in the final mix.

Danny G · March 04, 2012, 02:17:39 PM

Thanks man, much appreciated!

I've been using this 8-track (Tascam DP-01CD) since 2006, so it's more of being used to working with it than having any real recording chops.

The display is primitive, there are two stacks of black bars on top of each other. Levels stray up into the 2nd set that's ok... they start hitting the top and it's distorting. Straight into the inputs on the 8-track, set the level to taste (you can't EQ on the way in, which I really like). For a master job, I boosted the overall level a hair as I mixed it down. Used some hand-me-down studio monitors to set the overall instrument levels, then did the actual mix using headphones (the monitors are loud as shit, didn't want the neighbors to complain). Hence I paid real close attention to how/where things were placed in the mix.

Guitar tracks were mostly my JCM800/V-30 4x12, but there are some tracks that a are distortion preset on the 8-track. Didn't sound too shabby, most of the preset tracks are from the original songwriting pass. Either didn't have time to re-record them using the 800 or didn't need to.

Only other effects used were a Phase 90 and a tremolo pedal I built. The phase swirliness on the 2nd half of the first song are 2 separate tracks each with a phaser on them and panned hard left/right. Thought both tracks were a bust (can't punch in/out using that phaser, heh), but both played together sounded awesome.