Ladies and gentlemen, here it is.
As some of you may have seen, I did the National Solo Album Month challenge, which formed the core of this release. The version you see doesn't technically qualify as a NaSoAlMo entry though, since I've added more material and have done some pruning/polishing to it.
It has been a very important exercise for me though. Until now I've never really attempted to disseminate my personal music beyond posting a link once and a while. I've also never written so much and in so little time.
Some takeaways I learned from the process:
1. Spending days writing a track doesn't have an appreciable advantage over tracks that I knock out in an afternoon in a fit of inspiration. Actually, the longer I have to spend on it, the more likely I'll end up with crap. This really shines a new light on the importance of workflow.
2. I work better creatively with deadlines. Like, loads better.
Dull Technical Behind-the-Scenes Info
All the titles are references to (maybe) famous sci-fi stories, particularly ones from a certain club some of you may know.
The art I hobbled together from a concept I attempted to execute, but the result wasn't especially good. Subjecting that result to various filters in paint.net gave me the basis of what I have now.
Here's a breakdown of the album in musical and technical specifications, with a grid of which instruments and notable plugins were used where. Older tracks that got inserted are highlighted in blue.
Lessons: I have a strong preference for F minor when writing on keys, which I knew about. Also, maybe I should throw away my guitar. Volcas are the MVPs here.
My project folder for NaSoAlMo had projects 1-21. 12 of those made it to the final album. Some (like Mercer) got recorded in one pass improvisationally while others (like O, Salem) I spent weeks trying to finish, then ended up cutting half of the material.
It's a relief to be wrapping this up now. I'm tired of listening to it over and over for mixing and mastering purposes right now.
Just listening to this now while studying for my exams. Don't have anything smart or insightful to say, other than the fact that I really like it and that it just fits my evening mood somehow. Made of Meat is my personal favourite so far.