tkdunning

[tkdunning]

(90)

i keep forgetting to update:

Lenny progressed to last section of second solo

working on short songs for practice set

quad tracking via mic has so far sounded better for power chord rhythm parts

phaser sounds better on rhythm parts

running the compressor pedal too hot causes clipping

finally used the legacy 4k switch on my SSL interface and it sounds way better with it on

[tkdunning]

(89)

Progressed to end of first solo section. The double string licks are hard to play clean.

[tkdunning]

(88)

Started learning Lenny - Stevie Ray Vaughan

[tkdunning]

(87)

Did song breakdowns with emphasis on clean muting and pleasant string attacks.

[tkdunning]

(86)

Have been doing practice in increments the last couple of days. I should do metronome practice soon. I'm thinking of trying to write some sad songs - I think I would be good at that. I feel like I need vocals but I don't really sing. I wonder if maybe vocal lessons are a good idea or if I should just stay with my strengths. It's very difficult to obtain the same kind of staying power with purely instrumental songs, and the instruments have to make up for the substantial impact the vocals bring. Or, I could work with other people. Maybe both paths are valid?

[tkdunning]

(85)

Remastered the song today. Mixing/mastering is really a lesson in patience - time passage gives better results.

[tkdunning]

(84)

Not exactly the target sound I was going for. Dialing in the tone using the mic route was not a good time, especially since I demo'd the song using DI. The options felt gated by the limited amp/pedal choice.

Using DI matches closer to my style but I'd rather try and use mics since it's more difficult from a workflow sense. Plus, it feels more legit bc if you can dial in tone at the amp/pedal stage then you possess the ability to play that sound live.

Recording (esp. with OD) really highlights messiness in playing lmao. I also need to be more careful controlling noise while using mics.

I think the feel of the song felt better when I was doing one-pass recordings. Sometimes the splicing/quantization feels gross.

Maybe I should have auto-tuned the lead guitar bend in that first chorus section.

My monitor setup is super bass heavy but I'm not sure if I can there's much I can do to correct that in this room. I have ear fatigue. Can't tell if the song balance is correct even between monitor and headphone. Should've used a spectrum analyzer.

I learned a lot.

[tkdunning]

(83)

Finished basic first-pass tracking

Heavily debated if mic'ing amp was the correct method here. I feel like the results I can get are pretty much gated by the amp and pedals I have (which are barebones). Will have to A/B against the DI demo track.

Lead track needs re-recording for timing issues

Adjusted a few riffs

Added extra phrase to the bridge section. I like the bass riff here but it's hard to hear over the rhythm guitars. Re-doing the rhythm guitar track might work here since trying to adjust the bass tone didn't really do much.

Lead track levels are weird. The delay is weird but then it also sounds lacking without it, but that might be because the lead track needs to get the timing fixed and the delay disguises the mistakes.

Some changes to the bridge section in the lead & rhythm.

[tkdunning]

(82)

Changed a few things in every track

I think the "C" bridge section needs another 4 bars or something to ease the transition back into the "A" section. Maybe the rhythm guitar should be doing power chords here also?

Still need to lay out the bass track

Timing issues all over but I'm not going to worry about those until do the actual tracking sessions

Need to dial in the tone especially on the lead guitar

Trying to think of other things to add or spice up but I also think it's fine to leave things simple for this one. I kind of just want a solidly made guitar-centered song without too much more. Can think of doing "high art" or whatever on later songs when I get more experience doing this style.

[tkdunning]

(81)

Drafted this out today:

Opening rhythm riff is mid. Needs a bass track. Need quad-rhythm guitars. Not sure if throwing in "the lick" as a meme helps the song but it's hard to let go. Some rewriting needed before re-recording.

Also... I either need to find a drummer or I gotta start playing drums myself because splicing a drum part is not it.

[tkdunning]

(80)

Many hours spent noodling on yesterday's song

[tkdunning]

(79)

...And we're back. Just general playing today to de-rust. I need to get a stereo mic bar to simplify my mic setup and then I can start writing some throwaway songs. I also need to start thinking about putting together a portfolio so I can put myself out there for side gigs and other opportunities.

Also, made a throwaway song today to remind myself how to do it:

[tkdunning]

(78)

Fell off for a bit there. Mainly did warm-ups and loose song runs to get my hands to remember everything.

[tkdunning]

(77)

Progressed pride and joy to the last verse. I'm less worried about the final solo than the verse.

[tkdunning]

(76)

Sporadic practice over the last few days so I'll just lump them all together into one entry. Just a few observations:

Learning and monotonous work is way more enjoyable with certain kinds of drugs, but playing well and cleaning up technique are better when sober. The amount of influence is also notable - small amounts lead to fairly productive and long sessions, while high amounts make it feel like playing at all is a step backwards since things will be practiced wrong. Generally I prefer staying clean since it keeps my life and mentality in order, but once in a while a fix can help to refresh the creative process.

In other news, I think it's a good idea for me to consider learning another song now that Pride and Joy is nearing completion. I tend to get lost if I'm not actively learning a song.

[tkdunning]

(75)

Progressed Pride and Joy to the end of the first solo. The remaining verse and solo have a few annoying sections in them, but there are a lot of loosely reused licks in this song so at this point it's not too hard to learn.

Now that my pickups are closer to the string, my OD pedal gets put to work much better. Since this pedal cleans up very well with the guitar volume knob, and it boosts when the level knob is past 12 o'clock, I can now have a pretty good clean > edge of breakup > distortion range all controllable from the guitar volume knob. The more I use this pedal the more I love it.

[tkdunning]

(74)

Forgot to post yesterday:

Re-adjusted my guitar setup. Made the neck relief straighter to a more accurate .010 measurement. It's kind of annoying to do this without a feeler guage since trying to match it via ruler/visual feels super inaccurate (it's too small).

Went off of "standard specs" for bridge height here and actually ended up with a nice result this time. Raised my pickups to a suggested height (5/64ths for highs, 6/64ths for lows) and uhhh.... let's just say my guitar sounds different now.

Obviously finished with intonation to fix everything. Things seem more stable with the lower neck relief.

Overall I'm getting less string buzz now. Before, with more neck curvature, I would get string buzz on the higher frets but not on the lows with the bridge height set as low as possible on both sides (but still measuring near standard specs). I think this makes sense - neck relief plays less of a role once the neck reaches the body. With the straighter neck, the bridge is the main thing actually affecting string buzz.

Also noodled/improv'd and loosely practiced Pride and Joy for a long stretch of time.