Studio Log Part 5: Tracking guitars, whining about intonation problems and HAND SWEAT

[SavageDoom]

Hey man, I hear ya. This is not the first time I hear someone say that and to be honest it does feel a little sad to hear that. From the beginning I knew I wanted to make a complete record with vocals and everything because I want this music to carry out a message to people in the form of my vocalist's awesome lyrics. It was never my intention to make yet another instrumental record but I can totally understand how most of you have become used to my music without any vocals - because up until now there hasn't been any vocals in any clip I've posted (almost)! I don't seem to have been affected by this "getting used to"-factor because I always knew I wanted vocals, but I can really understand you guys have.

All I can say is, I'm not 100% sure if I'll release an instrumental and a vocal version because I feel like that's a bit of a whoring out thing, just to make as many people as possible listen to my music. It just feels wrong but we'll see. With that said though, I do happen to think my vocalist adds to the music rather than subtracts from it so I'm pretty happy with him. He doesn't sound like a "look at me, I can do a long fry scream for 30 seconds with no volume at all"-singer, he pushes and screams his lungs out (without hurting himself I may add), and it really pushes everything forward. I like it, and it fits my vision, I think it'll turn out good.

I understand what you mean about having a more complete product. I suppose it is likely that it would "get to" more people if it had vocals as opposed to it being instrumental. However if it does add to the the music rather than subtract from it and fits your vision of what the final product should be, all one can do is trust that it will be good, and wait and see. And so far, as seen on your youtube studio log videos and your teaser clip, the quality of the music has been excellent.

Either way, I wish you the best with your album!

 

[FIXXXER]

dude i knew you are good on drums but i didn't
know that you rule on guitar also.
fuckin ace riffs!

cheers
S.

 

[RaDiKaL]

Fucking. Killer. Riffs.

 

[Uladyne]

Oh kickass didnt know you had a vocalist already.

BTW, is that an ESP LTD MH250NT?

If so I have the same guitar! But I got mine like 3 months before they switched to the chrome hardware, which sucks because I remember thinking how much cooler it would be with chrome hardware when I bought it, haha.

 

[Erkan]

I understand what you mean about having a more complete product. I suppose it is likely that it would "get to" more people if it had vocals as opposed to it being instrumental. However if it does add to the the music rather than subtract from it and fits your vision of what the final product should be, all one can do is trust that it will be good, and wait and see. And so far, as seen on your youtube studio log videos and your teaser clip, the quality of the music has been excellent.

Either way, I wish you the best with your album!

Yeah, instrumental music is mostly for musicians anyway isn't it? A big aspect of my music is to sort of pick people up from the holes they've fallen into as many of us do now and then, including myself. That positive uplifting energy wouldn't really get through without some words backing it up, if you know what I mean. Sure, just instrumentally it's possible to do that but as humans we listen more to a voice than anything else. I just know I need vocals on this no matter how ok it seems to be turning out instrumentally.

Alas, I fear I may disappoint many of you here once the vocals start showing up (part 7 will be about vocals). I LOVE the band SikTh and my vocalist does too but I know many people can't stand their vocals. I try to keep a good balance between "normal/solid" sounding screams and the more crazy type of screams. I posted some vocal clips a long time ago from a test we made and the majority seemed to hate him. I continued working with him and after a while, the latest clip I posted with his vocals seemed to have the majority on his side. That's a big improvement. There will always be people who will hate the vocals but so be it. Plus, he's quite a charming little fucker so there's no way I'm kicking him out! Haha

Oh kickass didnt know you had a vocalist already.

BTW, is that an ESP LTD MH250NT?

If so I have the same guitar! But I got mine like 3 months before they switched to the chrome hardware, which sucks because I remember thinking how much cooler it would be with chrome hardware when I bought it, haha.

Yeah it's that guitar! The guitar is alright but I really feel like I want to try out a baritone so I might go for the ESP MH401-B or whatever it's called. Might sell this one soon and get that one after summer I also want to try out some good passive pups instead of the classic EMG81.

 

[Mago]

hand what?

cool video again!

 

[BLOODROOT]

love this tune. I would like to hear more for sure.

 

[elapidae1]

Uh, you're being sarcastic right? I do have some weird accent which I'm not even sure of where it's from myself But thanks anyway!



Thanks man! It's all software amp sims so there's no mic involved (well ok, an impulse is inolved of course). I'm using WarpVST with the (too) famous s-preshigh Took a LOT of tweaking to get WarpVST to sound less like an ass but now it works. I'll go into this later in the videos when we get to the mixing phase.

Edit: Oh and yea, only double track. Sometimes there are more layers but still only double track per layer. By layer I mean playing something different just to add on top, I don't play the exact same riff or else it would be quad tracking.

How the hell do you get it to sound like that!!!

 

[BlaK-Argentina]

Dude, great stuff!

About the hand sweat: try washing your hands with a lot of soap and warm water before recording. It will keep them from sweating that much and they'll be sliding along the neck a lot more smoothly.

 

[acappa]

You are making something epic man!!

 

[JeffTD]

Uh, you're being sarcastic right? I do have some weird accent which I'm not even sure of where it's from myself But thanks anyway!

honestly, I wasn't at the time, but I hadn't seen the full video...

Now that I've gone back through and watched it all, you do have an accent.

But HOLY FUCK do you write some good music!!! It's like all the good parts of R2R era In Flames mixed with tech shit and other goodness and just general fucking luscious loveliness!!! I love your music and cannot wait for something to be released!! what are you doing as far as vocals?

 

[Rob Logic]

... It's like all the good parts of R2R era In Flames mixed with tech shit and other goodness and just general fucking luscious loveliness!!!...

Jeff pretty much said what I was thinking. It's amazing dude. Great work!!

 

[Paulie!]

Definately some major riff work, dude. Can't wait to hear it on something other than laptop speakers through a camera :-D

Also, since you are di'ing the guits anyways are you going to keep that tone or are you thinking about having someone reamp it later? Just wonderin...

-Paul

EDIT: PS: I'm a sucker for tap licks, haha...

 

[GeertSamuel]

YOU DID NOT JUST DO THAT! Connecting me to Devin Townsend... you make me feel like a demigod. Haha, on a more serious note: eh, I don't have much serious stuff to say other than thank you good sir, I humbly bow before thee. You should look forward to next part then, which is the bass guitar! I usually don't walk around bragging about me being able to play all the instruments myself but I guess I should start admitting to myself that I've got some talent at least But there's always people who are better and I certainly know my place.

Don't be to modest. I always admire people who master multiple instruments that well as you do. I can play drums, and am shit on guitars, but I know how it works (note wise etc.etc.), same with piano. Only if I have time I might be able to become a multi-instrumentalist, but like I said I really admire people that have put the effort into doing that.

 

[MVM]

hand sweat part is epic

oh yea, and killer stuff btw

 

[James Murphy]

i found myself wanting to be there in the room with you at the point, about one minute in, when you say... "seriously, this is just ridiculous, trying to fix this with such a short tool"... so i could suddenly shoul out, "that's what she said!" d'oh

cool riffs erkan

 

[Erkan]

Holy crap guys, thank you so much for all the positive feedback, I really mean it. You guys should be proud too because without you this music would probably not even have been created, let alone recorded.

James, haha I laughed out loud a little at what you wrote Thanks.

Also, since you are di'ing the guits anyways are you going to keep that tone or are you thinking about having someone reamp it later? Just wonderin...

About 6 months ago I had my mind set on reamping but I sort of feel like it would be very cool to just go with this tone I've got now (although it needs a bit of tweaking in the mix). I just really like the tone for the music, it feels kind of unique in a way but not too bisarre like Meshuggah or something (though I would kill to get that tone!)