Ok so the robots work well for generating new stuff, but matching songs from multiple mixing and mastering engineers from 16 years worth of work?
Dion sent me a video. I am yet to watch it. I did all the stuff that I knew to do and...levels between the songs are still ...well...i might actually be sort of ok but I am kinda freaked out by it and to master a 20 song compilation right means listening to it over and over aaaand...ok so yeah I am a little concerned. God bless but we're not up for springing for the dough to get someone else to it for us. COVID etc meant low revenue times.
Soo...it's gotta be me (for now) and I think my last proper attempt at it was 4 weeks ago. Ok. i wanna get this done before our trip out west thats an excellent deadline, as ya know what, it sounds pretty nice.
My target is to start playing the album and not to have to touch the volume control, matching acoustics/electric instrument tracks is requiring more learning on my part. Oh the joys of growth.
I posted a sample on the patreon thing but it's way not ready for release. It'd be nice to have it for next week tho.
Meanwhile, Mr Wizard confused Greenhouse 3 with Greenhouse 2 because between listens, some of the songs we moved into 3 were 'meh' which is why they havent emerged yet. Ah! But one of Mr Wizard's other aphorisms, songs develop from Meh to Yeah! during play and production has already been proven to my opinion-changing-satisfaction. Soothesayer for example was a fleeping zombie fleeping song that WOULD NOT DIE!!! Just would not die. I tried to get out but it kept dragging me back. And it's a fave now :)
My Kung-Fu level of file management has meant we have been able to carry the seeds of ideas until they blossomed, like 'Brave with your heart' for example which took multiple approaches and I think almost 7 years to crystallise. Whenever we were jamming or travelling it was easy to grab the phone and capture stuff.
The Fix Is In which is a rebuild from 2017 that didn't make it to Rogue State is now actually right for the times, it's waiting on some last instrumentation. Psychedelic Surfer (guide track on patreon) is in production for a re-recording and there are 2 other newies that will fall in line shortly thereafter.
I think we're heading for 4 releasable tracks in the next little while so we are more or less on cycle for an "album's" worth this year, sort of, as I am not sure these are album, EP. singles or...I just dunno.
Since necessity dictated that we bring production mostly 'in house' it has influenced output styles and approaches. I'm totally ok with it because it feels like appropriate creative growth while maintaining the core of what we do - make what we can, when we can. I really think we embraced the 21st century options for making music.
We're in a way a period spanning band simply cos we're in C21 straight outta C20, represent!
Same time, Freedom is scary and not for the unwary ;) A certain God Fearing approach is wise.
Listening to that small voice in your head is our job and what we do comes about for its own reasons and perhaps purpose. I think it's more stewardship that ownership. We have been remarkably fortunate to find so much freedom to become ourselves, shh don't tell anyone. It's been nice out here on the perimeter, to borrow from the lizard king, stone, immaculate, amongst the stars.
If I had my druthers, i'd be glad to crank out a coupla vids as well. Plus the Stormcellar screenplay. I am testing the idea of telling our story as a band the way I did with Mallee Boy last year. It's cos I watched those Beatles cartoons as a kid, I am sure of it.
Baaarrrthoollllemeewwwww.
Meanwhile we're trying to get the backlog from COVID into the live show. Tracks from 'Sweet Grace of Mercy' and 'Signposts'.
If possible, I'll also film a buncha stuff while we're on the road for the mini tour.
Stay tuned, much happening, if you'd like to support us join our patreon and get all the work in progress for this year, plus some albums of your choice.
patreon.com/Stormcellar375