A little recording project...

April 2012

I haven't been performing very much these last few years but I have been writing and doing some home recording. I thought it would be fun to start putting some of the stuff I've been working on out in to the world in a casual way.

Even though I have Logic and GarageBand on my laptop, I decided to work with an extremely simple recording set-up (i.e. GarageBand on my iPhone) for this project.

The simple set-up serves a few purposes.
  • No more than 8 tracks per recording: I find the limits this imposes helps me focus on what is essential.
  • No real options for editing/processing (EQ, reverb, compression, etc...) tracks after they are recorded: The emphasis is on getting good takes. My approach is to get a solid take of vocals and accompaniment on a single  track, and then layer a few additional tracks to flesh out the tune.
  • Minimal set-up/breakdown time for a recording session: Life with two kids, a full-time job, and a business on the side is pretty busy. The majority of these recordings are done in my dining room, early in the morning, before the rest of my family is awake.
  • The ability to record or review tracks anywhere/anytime: I pretty much always have my phone with me. When I have the chance, I can take a few minutes to try out a new harmony idea, or review a take to see if its going to work. This is essentially a guerrilla recording project in that I have to grab time when I can. Not being tethered to a computer is key.

I'll leave it at that for now. Happy listening!

Andrew
April 8, 2012

This is an old Carter Family tune I learned from one of the Anthology of American Folk Music discs . This track features dobro, ukulele, harmonica, lead vocal and a bunch of vocal harmonies.
April 20, 2012

Here's an original tune about....what? Parenthood?
Nylon string guitar, dobro, harmonica, and vocals.