Triptych

“Mandarin Ducks” - I need a better plan. The plan I HAVE is ridiculously complex, so I need a final working map before I start on the recording. I have to decide how this one goes and how it’s structured, because once I start the recording, that’s it.

Pile

Y CAN NOT - Still working towards a final mix.

Seppuku - Also still working towards a final mix.

Shacklebones - Another marked “Done”. I heard it in my car and had to do some mix tweaks (turn down drums & main backing track). I mean, there’s a possibility that my car is a shitty reference environment, but it’s the audio environment I’m most used to, so…

R&D

Working on an algorithmic piece.

See, here’s one of my big problems. I started a studio log in order to focus myself on things I had already started, but soner or later I get inspired and then “I want to do THAT!!!” In this case, the culprit was a Brian Eno interview (now lost to the memory hole) and subsequent purchase of his “Reflections” for iPhone. And I’ve done algorhythmic pieces before (see Chapters 4 & 5 from Seasick), so ideas for that kind of stuff are always in my head.

So I guess what’s going to happen here is I’m going to keep expanding out until I get frustrated with myself and try to focus in on Triptych & The Pile again…

Meditations

#10 done. This one was fun.

We haven’t translated it yet, but it appears to be important.

more at flickr

Wait until they align, then JUMP!

more at flickr

I think I’m going to sneeze.

more at flickr

Triptych

Trying to write lyrics for “Doubtless” (#33), which is pretty much done musically.

Rewriting lyrics for “Water” (#1). Current events are leaking into my brain, so the revised lyrics may move more in that direction. They weren’t far off to begin with.

Pile

Small drum tweaks and cycling through final mixes for Y CAN NOT. So close to done, I can TASTE it. Also, there’s something weird with the lead guitar part that I can’t quite figure out - it disappears into the mix early, but only on my car stereo. Which screams “phase problems”, but when I mix it in mono the problem goes away. Not sure what to do but I’ll keep poking at it.

Pulled out and dusted off “Seppuku”, which I had marked as a mix-and-done. Nope. Long and nothing much happens. New guitar track, more orchestration, an additional percussiony thing. I think it’s done now, but I’m going to sit on it a while to be sure.

R&D

Cut a guitar track for R&D #6 in the middle of a storm, with predictable results. Hell of a time to find your battery backup no longer works. Recut a week later, not impressed with take 2. Trying to cut something together out of the 2 tracks.

Remember those backing tracks I made a couple months ago? Finaly did something with some of them. I may retrofit some of them into R&D pieces eventually…

Meditations

Up to #9 now.