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comment by am_Unition
am_Unition  ·  863 days ago  ·  link  ·    ·  parent  ·  post: No Way Out

Your production and mixing are getting better, and fast. Good job, tng :).

Are you spending more time with songs, or getting more efficient with a set amount of time? Have you switched softwares or recording techniques? Watched YouTube videos?

I always like to hear about artistic process, too. Do you start with a guitar chord progression? Do you write lyrics first? How do you write vocal melodies? Do you play every instrument?





thenewgreen  ·  862 days ago  ·  link  ·  

Thank you for listening. I’m not doing anything differently. I’ve been recording songs for 15 years. I think maybe some are just better than others.

I don’t have a lot of spare time these days so I typically like to record an entire song/idea in a sitting. This one is about 1.5 hours of work. I will usually start without any ideas, lay down a click track or drum track and then go from there. Typically bass or guitar will be first. This one started with a Brazilian cavaco (recently gifted to me). Then I added some guitar drone with an e-bow, then bass, then vocals, then electric guitar melodic parts, then some piano, strings and melotron. Then I level, pan and sort of mix as I go.

The vocal melody just comes as do the words. I typically have no idea what they mean until a later date. Sometimes years. Sometimes never.

Thank you VERY much for listening. Always nice to know they’re heard.

Onward!

b_b  ·  862 days ago  ·  link  ·  

Really nice track. I have to admit I'd never heard of a cavaco. Had to look that up. Looks like a ukulele, I guess? Does it play like one, too?

thenewgreen  ·  862 days ago  ·  link  ·  

They are very similar. As far as I can tell the only major difference is the tuning. The cavaco is a bit higher and is tuned in open G. It also has steel strings and seems fun to play with a pick. I wouldn’t use a pick with a Uke. But a real cavaco player may say that using a pick is wrong. Who knows?

Fun little instrument though

Edit: and thank you!