Tuesday, March 06, 2007
April Fool's Day Part 1
This song was recorded last year as a quick demo using PSP Rhythm and Audacity. I've decided to pretty it up a little (and then move on to some of my other favorites from the last couple of years). I explain why I'm using Sonar this go 'round, below. I haven't completely sold out, though. Not yet, anyway. I've signed on as a subscriber to Ardour to help ensure that it makes it to 2.0, and hopefully beyond.
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A couple of days ago I imported the saved audio tracks from this song, created in PSP Rhythm into Sonar. I'd exported each instrument as a separate wav file, to allow greater flexibility in mixing the song when it was done. I tried initially to change the audio to 48 kHz, 24 bit (in Sonar), but it seems to apply to new projects, and I'd already started this one. By the time I'd realized that I was still in 44.1 kHz, 16 bit, I was already underway and didn't feel like re-importing the PSP Rhythm files.
The VGA Kick-Low end (bass drum) track has some crackle in it that originates in it's source, the sample in PSP Rhythm 4. It'll have to be replaced, but that won't be difficult. I'll come back to that later.
My condensor mic, the MXL 990 was plugged in to the Lexicon Lambda USB interface, so I got started on vocals. I recorded four full takes before I was satisfied with performance and input levels. Then did a harmony take on each chorus and the ending.
I ended up using Sonar on this song because I thought I could reduce the tempo, record a vocal, and then speed it up to normal, but end up with a slightly sped up chipmunk voice ala Prince's Camille voice (Housequake, U Got The Look, etc.). However, it's been years since I'd used Sonar or Cakewalk Pro Audio, I didn't remember how to do this. I wasn't sure I had actually done this before on digital audio. Tape, yes, but that was a while ago. So I changed my mind and started top go back to Ardour in Agnula. But then, I made an impulse purchase of the USB interface mentioned above. I haven't yet gotten it to work with Agnula Linux, and the Cubase LE it comes packaged with, produces noise, instead of playing back music (I'll figure that one out later). So I'm back in Sonar (6), and thought I figured how to do the pitch thing without a plugin.
Audio stretching is available in clip properties, so I selected it on each instrumental track. Then I slowed the tempo from it's original 125bpm to 100, and then recorded a vocal. Unfortunately, the pitch in the tracks don't change, unless you tell them to, so I ended up singing the song in the same pitch, and didn't get the effect I was looking for. It did come out kinda interesting, in that there was a weird doubling effect on parts of the words I was singing. I haven't figured out if I'll keep it.
I tried it again, this time changing the pitch in the backing tracks to -5 and then singing in whatever key that was. Restored the tracks to their normal pitch, applied audio stretching to the new vocal part and then upped the pitch +5, and found that it sorta, kinda worked out, but not as a lead vocal.
Added two more harmony tracks, and then a separate spoken track for the trickster god bit at the end. The roll call appears on all the main vocal takes. In the demo, this bit appears both in the bridge and at the end. Here, I've taken it out of the bridge to make room for some guitar playing.
I'll post the song when it's done. Hopefully in a week...
Next...
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A couple of days ago I imported the saved audio tracks from this song, created in PSP Rhythm into Sonar. I'd exported each instrument as a separate wav file, to allow greater flexibility in mixing the song when it was done. I tried initially to change the audio to 48 kHz, 24 bit (in Sonar), but it seems to apply to new projects, and I'd already started this one. By the time I'd realized that I was still in 44.1 kHz, 16 bit, I was already underway and didn't feel like re-importing the PSP Rhythm files.
The VGA Kick-Low end (bass drum) track has some crackle in it that originates in it's source, the sample in PSP Rhythm 4. It'll have to be replaced, but that won't be difficult. I'll come back to that later.
My condensor mic, the MXL 990 was plugged in to the Lexicon Lambda USB interface, so I got started on vocals. I recorded four full takes before I was satisfied with performance and input levels. Then did a harmony take on each chorus and the ending.
I ended up using Sonar on this song because I thought I could reduce the tempo, record a vocal, and then speed it up to normal, but end up with a slightly sped up chipmunk voice ala Prince's Camille voice (Housequake, U Got The Look, etc.). However, it's been years since I'd used Sonar or Cakewalk Pro Audio, I didn't remember how to do this. I wasn't sure I had actually done this before on digital audio. Tape, yes, but that was a while ago. So I changed my mind and started top go back to Ardour in Agnula. But then, I made an impulse purchase of the USB interface mentioned above. I haven't yet gotten it to work with Agnula Linux, and the Cubase LE it comes packaged with, produces noise, instead of playing back music (I'll figure that one out later). So I'm back in Sonar (6), and thought I figured how to do the pitch thing without a plugin.
Audio stretching is available in clip properties, so I selected it on each instrumental track. Then I slowed the tempo from it's original 125bpm to 100, and then recorded a vocal. Unfortunately, the pitch in the tracks don't change, unless you tell them to, so I ended up singing the song in the same pitch, and didn't get the effect I was looking for. It did come out kinda interesting, in that there was a weird doubling effect on parts of the words I was singing. I haven't figured out if I'll keep it.
I tried it again, this time changing the pitch in the backing tracks to -5 and then singing in whatever key that was. Restored the tracks to their normal pitch, applied audio stretching to the new vocal part and then upped the pitch +5, and found that it sorta, kinda worked out, but not as a lead vocal.
Added two more harmony tracks, and then a separate spoken track for the trickster god bit at the end. The roll call appears on all the main vocal takes. In the demo, this bit appears both in the bridge and at the end. Here, I've taken it out of the bridge to make room for some guitar playing.
I'll post the song when it's done. Hopefully in a week...
Next...
Labels: April Fool's Day, PSP Rhythm, Sonar
