As
you may have see in "Part 1, we recorded the rhythm tracks, bass
and drums, for three songs, "Yeah, A Harbor", "Dockside
Bar", and 21st Century Kinda Girl" last week at the Ramble
Room Studio, here in Key West, last Friday.
http://keywestmusic.blogspot.com/2016/08/the-making-of-cdalbum.html
http://keywestmusic.blogspot.com/2016/08/the-making-of-cdalbum.html
In
the week that followed, producer Ian Shaw had a good deal of editing
to do, mostly in the percussion section.
Yesterday,
I was at Warmfuzz studio, here in Key West to put down both acoustic
guitar and vocal tracks.
We
put down around four guitar tracks for “Yeah, A Harbor” to start.
I brought my Ibanez, which I used on my last album “Shanghai'd and
Marooned In Key West (things could be worse)”, as well as my
Rainsong. Ian had me play both guitars and in the end, he had me play
the Rainsong. I liked the idea, as this guitar will give it a
different sound from the last record.
In
doing this process, there's a lot of stopping and going. In my case
the things that stood out the most were Ian wanted me to be hitting
the full six strings throughout. Additionally, he wasn't looking for
as many added fills as I put in the song playing live. As I mentioned
in the last blog, playing live is a lot different than recording.
Bear in mind that the song is around five minutes long, or so. We
spent over an hour putting it together. What we did was, I'd play the
song through. If I made an error or maybe Ian thought there was a
better way for me to record a particular part, we'd go back to that
section and do it over.
As I
say, we have a total of several tracks to chose from. What Ian will
do most likely is take sections from those tracks and mix and match
them to make one guitar track. On the other hand, he may like one that stands out
on it's own merit alone.
The
next song to record the guitar on was “Dockside Bar”. This was an
unusual one as we only did one track. There were a few areas that we
redid for subtle accents, but one track was it.
Next
came “21st
Century Kinda Girl”. We did several edits throughout on this track
as well, and ended up with a track Ian was happy with.
We
started at noon and it was now 3:30. The acoustic guitar tracks were
now done and it was on to the vocals.
Ian
asked which one I wanted to start with and my instincts suggested
doing them in the same order as we did the guitars.
The
vocals went smoothly, with one exception on the timing in one part of
“21st
Century Kinda Girl”, which Ian helped me with. In addition, his
learned ear also came into play, as he suggested subtleties that
would enhance the songs. We finished around 5 pm.
In
the end, again we had several tracks for Ian to mix and match with.
He'll be in London between now and the next time we get together and
may do some mixing there as well. Fun thinking that some of the
mixing production of this will be done in England!
All
of this is worth every penny, however recording and doing it the
right way, is an expensive endeavor. So far, for three songs here's
the breakdown thus far:
Studio/musicians/producer
expenses for rhythm section recording, Friday, August 27. 2016
$625.00
Vocals
and Guitar recording Friday, September 2nd,
plus editing from the August 27th
date: $430.00
So,
we're at $1055.00 at this point.
We
are not close to being done as of yet. We still need other musicians
and vocalists added, plus the added editing and final mastering at
the end.
As
I say, I'm not complaining about this at all. However, I think it's
good for the general public to be aware of. For one, there are many
who are curious about the process and how it's done. These blogs
following the production of the album “Jump Into De Fi-Ya!!!”
will hopefully bring that to them.
The
other is for people who approach musicians asking to donate CD's for
various charities.
Lets
take a quick look at what we have here:
At
this point the budget spent on three songs is $1055.00. There's a
significant more to go on those three songs as well. That figure will
more than double most likely when it's all said and done.
Then
consider that there will be a total of ten songs on the finished
product. Figure the total cost on that will be in the $7 - $9K range.
Then
add the cost of CD production and add another grand.
While
their intent is good and noble, asking a musician to donate their
recorded music is really asking a lot. As you've seen, there is a
very large out of pocket expense involved. If they are asking for
is a donated CD, at least ask them if they can be obtained wholesale. That's fair for everyone. The starving artist
Being
that I don't have $10,000.00 falling out of my back pocket, I'm
attempting to sell the songs as they are produced. The first song
“Island Blue” is available now for less than a dollar at $.99. It
features Misty Loggins on lead vocals and Dani Hoy on background
vocals. Here are the links where it can be downloaded.
Thanks
for reading the blog and for those of you who purchase the son a very
big THANK YOU!!!
All
the Best From Key West!
Key
West Chris Rehm
Great job man.so many times Artist want to know how all this works for their first song or cd, here is a great reference point
ReplyDeleteThe Tiki Man
Tiki Man Radio
Chris, Chuck Hargrove here. I am in Key West for a couple of days. Check your LinkedIn for a message for how to contact me. I lost your info. Mine is same if you still have contact info.
ReplyDelete