Acknowledgements for the Reconstruction EP

Posted: May 25, 2014 | Author: | Filed under: Music, Recording Studio | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

There were too many things to say to squeeze them onto a single insert page on a CD, so I am taking advantage of the space I have on this blog to list my acknowledgements and also to talk about the process of recording this album.

I will start with the acknowledgements to spare those who might not be interested in the technical details, though those details are cool, I swear! 😉

  • This album would not exist if it were not for the help and patience of my dear husband, and for the most laid-back (and super fantastic, seriously solidly sleeping) baby.
  • I want to thank my musician father for his feedback on songs when I thought the auditory “vision” was going astray. I love that we have music and songwriting in common.
  • I appreciate the graphic design advice given to me by my step-dad. This was rather tricky since he is not connected to the Internet and I had to describe to him, over the phone, what I wanted to accomplish on the album cover. Luckily he is a great (retired) designer, as well as a musician, so he gets it.
  • I am ever so grateful to my friend Jen Boone for helping with the photo shoot for the album cover. She is the first friend I made when we recently moved to Louisiana and we’ve not known each other very long. However, she was quick to lend a hand when I wanted to drive to an unfamiliar area of town to do a series of self portraits in front of an abandoned building. The word “abandoned” inspired a “YOU WANT TO GO ALONE AND TAKE THE BABY WHERE?” when I told my husband what I wanted to do. Jen was happy to babysit during the shoot, and to give me feedback on when the wind was blowing my dress just right. 🙂
  • And YOU. If you are reading this, it might be because you bought the album and saw the link to my blog. Thank you! Supporting musicians is what allows them to keep making more music. ❤

Other liner notes:

  • “Dusk to Dawn” originally appeared on my 2010 album The Soundtrack to Your Demise. Because that album is very different from the rest of my music, I thought it might be nice to attempt a dreamy piano version of the rhythmic, beat-heavy, and synth-driven original. I’m really happy with the piano arrangement.
  • The song title, “The Medium,” refers to a concept in the Legends of Muirwood series by Jeff Wheeler. Though this song is in fact about that concept, it is also about my general spiritual beliefs.
  • “Make Him Mine” is directly inspired by The Wheel of Time series by Robert Jordan (written by Robert Jordan and completed by Brandon Sanderson after Jordan’s passing.) If you’ve read the first three (of 14) books, you know whose point of view I am taking. It’s not spoiler-y, just in case you are avoiding spoilers.

Now for the technical stuff:

  • I am so very pleased to say that this album was recorded using entirely open source (FREE) software. I used Ardour 3 as my Digital Audio Workstation (DAW) and used Yoshimi and Qsampler for my MIDI sound fonts. I ran all these programs using 64-bit Ubuntu Studio 13.10, a Linux-based operating system (again, all free.)
  • For the beautiful grand piano sound, I used the open source Maestro Concert Grand piano sound font provided by Mats Helgesson.
  • I did not have any guest musicians appear on this album. I like to think I am rather resourceful at getting my keyboard (via MIDI) to sound as much like other instruments as possible. I try not to push those boundaries too hard though; I am still a piano player at heart.
  • My keyboard, an old Casio Privia, has a huge selection of drum presets, and it is amazing what a lot of time, patience, and clever editing can do to make boring, repetitive drum tracks a whole lot more interesting. For the record, in hindsight, it may have taken the same amount of time to just hire someone to play drums and record them. I ran into a few snags that had me searching dozens of presets for just the right boom/crash combo with a cymbal that was not too long and not too short. Painful.
  • If you are still reading this, you may enjoy some of my previous blogs about setting up my studio and using MIDI in Ardour. I also wrote a post on the specs of Ardour (though my blog post was written for the previous version of Ardour, it is still good for the basics.)

 

 

 

 

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New Music Update

Posted: April 15, 2014 | Author: | Filed under: Music, Recording Studio, Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

I’ve been working on new music everyday while the kiddo naps. I’ve been writing, recording, and editing the mix, which takes the most time of all three. After a month and a half of doing this 5-6 days a week, 2 hours a day, my five new songs have these percentages of being complete: 99%, 97%, 70%, 40%, and 1% (1% = stream of consciousness lyrical ideas in my notebook.)

I’m aiming to have an EP of new songs ready for Cleveland ConCoction at the end of May. Though I’ve been working on stuff every day, and doing some serious time management (ie. writing lyrics while waiting for the baby to fall asleep)I still have so much to do!

I need to keep plug plug plugging along. 🙂

 

 

 

Setting Up a Linux-Based Recording Studio (Chapter 3)

Posted: March 31, 2014 | Author: | Filed under: Music, Recording Studio | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

It’s been a while since I posted about recording in Ardour. Well, it’s been a while since I recorded, but I have been working on new music daily for the last month.

It took a couple of days, but I’m flying through all the connections at start-up now. (I use QSampler for my MIDI sound fonts in addition to analog instrument tracks.)

The reason for posting today though, is because it seems I have found my computer’s limit. She’s not a new machine, and she’s feeling the strain. It turns out that 15 tracks, of which 8 have one plug-in each, and one that has two plug-ins, are more than she can take. Playback is stuttering. It exports just fine, but when I go back to listen, make notes and edit, I have to mute or bypass the reverb on at least 5 tracks. Okay, so I like lots of harmonies. DON’T JUDGE ME. 😉

Before recording in Ardour on a Linux computer, it was common for my songs to have 15-25 tracks on average. I really like a full, complex sound. The last CD I put out, and the first to be recorded on this computer in Ardour, was very basic: vocals, piano, drums and bass. I wanted the album to sound the way my songs sound when performed live. The songs had 5-6 tracks at the most, so I never even considered what my computer could handle.

Looks like there might be a hardware upgrade in my near future. I will keep you posted.

The ProTools Proficiency Test (PTPT)

Posted: March 11, 2012 | Author: | Filed under: Music, Recording Studio, School | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

This past week was quite a stressful one for me. In addition to all the tests and projects that come with the end of a school term, I had to complete the ProTools Proficiency Test.

This test is designed to make sure students are competent with the DAW software and know signal flow before they are allowed into the school’s studios. It is timed (10 minutes) and in front of a panel of faculty.

I am proud to say that I finished in 9 minutes, completed all the tasks, and passed with a 92% The faculty graded each task on a points-based system evaluating several things including the use of short-cut keys, organization, and the ability to comprehensively answer questions while keeping on task.

If you are interested, here is a summary of the exam from the syllabus:

Pro Tools Proficiency Test (PTPT)

This exam is the Mid-Program Assessment for the Bachelor’s Degree in Audio Production.  All students must pass this exam before they can take any advanced courses beyond AU200.  Failure to pass the PTPT will result in a failing grade in AU200 regardless of other assignments, quizzes, and/or projects.

In front of a jury of at least three Audio Production Instructors each student must complete the following tasks within ten minutes.

  1. Set up a new Pro Tools session in the correct format and in the correct place on the Hard Drive.
  2. Import the track provided using the workspace window.
  3. Program a drum beat using Reason that is appropriate for the track provided.
  4. Record two vocal takes into a playlist and edit the two takes together on a compilation playlist.
  5. Insert 1 type of dynamic processing and apply appropriately.
  6. Set up a time based effect and apply appropriately.
  7. Write appropriate automation.
  8. Perform all the necessary steps to create a Redbook CD.

[also: proper breakdown of equipment, though that part is not timed]**

 

** I added this part because it was on my evaluation sheet, but not listed in the syllabus.

 

Now that the PTPT is behind me, and I am no longer focused on knowing all the ProTools short-cuts, I am free to play around with Ardour. Already, I have tried using ProTools short-cuts in Ardour and have made some really wacky things happen. For example I made my Ardour session completely disappear with no distinguishable way to recover it other than shutting down and restarting the computer.

Since one of the points of this blog was to document my experiences with Ardour, I hope to be able to post more often about it now that no longer have to worry about failing the PTPT due to incorrect short-cuts. Imagine if I made my session disappear during the exam!?!

Today, I am using Ardour to record the vocals for my final project in AU200 (the PTPT class) but the final project must be mixed in ProTools since that is the focus of the class. Still, it logs a few hours on my open source DAW and gets me that much more comfortable with it.

I Present to You: The Ardour 2.8.12 “Box”

Posted: January 29, 2012 | Author: | Filed under: Music, Recording Studio | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

As I previously posted, I really wish Ardour 2 came in a box so that I could quickly reference its specs and get an overview of what it can do for me. Well, this “box” – even a virtual one – does not exist, so I made one.

I present to you, the Ardour 2.8.12 “box”:

Recording:

  • In Ardour, you have the choice of recording in 16 bit integer, 24 bit integer, or 32 bit floating point formats.
  • Ardour supports the following native file formats: Broadcast WAVE, WAVE, WAVE64, and CAF.
  • Ardour can import over a dozen libsndfile-supported file formats including, WAV, WAV64, AIFF, CAF, RAW, Ogg, and FLAC.
  • Ardor exports to WAV, WAV64, AIFF, CAF, RAW, Ogg Vorbis, and FLAC.
  • The number of tracks that can be recorded at one time in Ardour is only limited by what your hardware can handle.

Mixing:

  • Ardour utilizes a 32 bit floating point mixer and has bit-for-bit fidelity for 24 bit samples.
  • It has total automation and a large selection of plugins.
  • You can mix as many tracks as your hardware can handle.

DSP (Digital Signal Processing, aka plugins):

  • Mixbus is recommended on Ardour’s homepage (for a fee of $219.) However, for the adventurous, the official Ardour website lists dozens of sites where users can download free plugin packages…though they admit some are better than others.  The official website also lists a few recommended plugins in various categories.
  • The operating system determines which plugins work best:
    • In OS X, you can use AudioUnit, LADSPA and LV2 plugins. AU plugins with Cocoa or Carbon GUIs are both supported. As of Ardour 2.8.5, Ardour provides tempo and meter information to AU plugins.
    • In Linux, as of Ardour 2.5, you can use LADSPA and LV2 plugins. In the current version of Ardour (beginning with version 2.8.3) plugins that use the LV2 external GUI extension get their own custom GUI displayed, rather than the generic one offered by Ardour itself. Some Windows VST plugins work in Linux, though not all will function correctly and they can make Ardour unstable.  It is, after all, software created for a different operating system so you cannot depend on it.

MIDI:

  • Ardour 2 is not a MIDI sequencer (although that function is implemented in Ardour 3, which is currently in beta testing.)
  • For both OS X and Linux, there are free-of-charge tools for making connections between MIDI hardware and “virtual” MIDI ports like the ones that Ardour creates and uses.
    • On OS X, Ardour developers recommend Pete Yandell’s MIDI Patchbay.
    • On Linux, a wide variety of tools are available including QJackctl, aconnect, Patchage, and more.

Audio Interfaces:

  • Ardour is closely integrated with JACK, a computer sound system which is a hub for all of your audio hardware and software. It can even connect to other computers. JACK lets numerous audio programs run simultaneously, and even exchange information, while still operating at a low latency. This functionality is a major advantage of using Ardour.
  • In Linux, JACK uses ALSA to interface with audio hardware (and FFADO for FireWire audio hardware).  In Mac OS X, it uses CoreAudio.

Latency:

  • JACK is designed to operate at a low latency and this can be fine-tuned in the JACK configuration. A new Ardour session will automatically use the current JACK configuration for its settings.
  • Choosing the correct latency setting depends on several factors: your computer hardware, the audio driver you are using, the sample rate you are using, and the amount of audio data being processed.
  • In addition, Ardour offers automatic latency compensation for plugins.

Mastering:

  • Ardour offers three forms of dither: Rectangular, Shaped, and Triangular.
  • In addition to its other features, Ardour can be used in mastering a project because its use of JACK allows you to connect to free open source programs such as JAMin (JACK Audio Mastering interface).

If Only Ardour Came in a Box

Posted: January 20, 2012 | Author: | Filed under: Music, Recording Studio, School | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

I tweeted the other day that I will be doing a presentation for my DAW (Digital Audio Workstation) class about Ardour, and that I plan to put all of that info right here on this blog.

The professor put up a list of DAWs to choose from, and of course, Ardour was not on there… and he had never heard of it… he asked how to spell it.  Ardour is what I have in my Linux-based home studio, and becasue I am not super familiar with it yet, I figured this assignment would be a great excuse to spend hours looking this stuff up.

So, I need to find some solid information on this product. I have a list in my head of all the statistics I will need to do a side-by-side comparison with ProTools, the DAW we use at school.

Sure, I will admit it: part of me just wants to be able to stand in front of the class and gloat about how my free software is superior, but Ardour does not make this easy! I mean, in some ways, that is much to my home studio’s benefit, because Ardour claims to be able to handle whatever you give it as long as the hardware can support it.

But how do I present this information? I am going to look like a used car saleswoman. “Oh yeah? ProTools 10 finally records at 32 bit? Well Ardour can record at 160 bits… if your computer could handle it!” At least I can say Ardour supported a 32 bit floating format long before ProTools.

And because there is no box to flip over and read, I am having a hard time finding other stats. Can you really record an unlimited number of tracks at a time? Can I individually mic an orchestra and say “GO!”? Again, depending on your hardware… blah blah.

This is what I NEED

Oh Ardour, you are making this a difficult assignment! I am a musician, NOT a computer nerd. Well I guess I am a computer nerd-lite by necessity, but I just want to play my piano and sing and get a nice recording of it.

The assignment is due Thursday. I will try to have it posted shortly there after.

Slow and Not Very Steady… (Chapter 3 of Setting up a Linux-Based Recording Studio)

Posted: July 1, 2011 | Author: | Filed under: Recording Studio | Tags: , , , , , , | 2 Comments

I started this blog to chronicle my adventures in Linux-based recording software and I have hardly posted. There has not been much to post about…

Partly, it is becasue life has gotten in the way – good stuff like shows, deciding to go back to school and having to do all the leg work to get that going, friends and family coming to visit, etc. However, setting up the studio has not been smooth either. Just when it seems we make a huge leap forward, something else goes wiggy. There are so many variables. We stared with an older CPU that we added memory to. Maybe this is a problem? We get tons of Xruns. Ardour sometimes freezes up or randomly closes. Now, at random, a buzzing sound has shown up when I record my keyboard. That was not there to start. I would guess it was the cord if it hadn’t recorded crisp and clean to start with.

What is going on?!? I feel like we are doing everything blind and that we create a new problem as soon as we fix one.

It has gotten to the point where I dread going in there to work on it. I have not recorded anything in months. Many months. Many many months.  Which means I have hardly written anything because I like to record my tinkering and build on it. My husband suggests I play around with the tutorials and I feel like a parent is telling me to do my homework. Ugh. I do not feel excitement anymore. I just dread having to do my homework.

I have been assured that Linux gives me way more options than Garage Band, but there is something to be said for it working right out of the box. Also, which is superior: Less options but yields a recorded song, or more options but sits there untouched? Seriously?!?

Wow, Life Kinda Got Busy There!

Posted: May 17, 2011 | Author: | Filed under: Recording Studio | Tags: , , , | Leave a comment

So the studio took a temporary back seat to a very time-sensitive situation. What is happening? I am going back to school!  I am going to learn Audio Production for real! This will be interesting because, between my home studio and the school’s equipment, I will have three Operating Systems covered.  I shall be well versed!

One funny thing did happen with the studio last week, though. I ordered a MIDI cable from Amazon and, though the packing invoice did indeed say “MIDI cable,” I got this in its place:

This is NOT a MIDI cable

This is in fact, some very scary facial hair removal system. The kind folks at Amazon said I may keep this lovely item.  I think it may surface around the Holidays if I am invited to a white elephant gift exchange. You have been warned.  😉

Setting Up a Linux-Based Recording Studio (Chapter 2)

Posted: April 23, 2011 | Author: | Filed under: Recording Studio | Tags: , , , , , | 4 Comments

Chapter 2: Back From the Grave

So the Layla 3G is out of the box and plugged into the computer. The MIDI cable is on its way (minor oversight.) The mini tour is behind me. The house guests had a lovely time visiting and have returned home. Time to get this studio running.

Meanwhile, across the country in Portland, OR a handful of DJs have listened to my Mandala at Twilight music (thanks to a dear friend I have who is active in the Goth scene there.) Turns out, they all really like it. Many have said they want to play select tracks in their sets.  This is the break I have been waiting for. The tracks need a little tweaking for club play – mostly boosting the bass a bit and toning down the dominant vocals. Only problem is… the tracks are on that Mac that died a few months back.  It was time to fork out some money to have the thing looked at/repaired/files extracted.

Minutes before leaving the house to go to the repair place, I thought I would plug him in and hit the power button – you know, just to amuse myself.

Wouldn’t you know it:

“Gong”

He started up.

“Hello? Hello! I am not dead yet. I heard you were replacing me and so I thought I would give it another go.”

(So what. I can make my computer talk in my story if I want to, and apparently he is British.)

So… I have spent the last 24 hours backing everything up and rendering each individual track of the songs I recorded for the Mandala at Twilight CD “The Soundtrack to Your Demise.” This has been quite tedious, but could be worse. The MaT songs seem to average 15 or 16 tracks per song whereas my Witherwings songs average double that due to all the live instruments I record on them. I have even remixed a few of the songs already (on the Mac) but will now be able to work with them on either system with all the rendered tracks.  This has been quite a little miracle for me. I am so glad that I will be able to deliver club-ready tracks in a timely manner and with out the cost of repairing the laptop.

I figure I will spend the rest of today and most of tomorrow getting what I need out of the Mac.  My MIDI cable should be here by Tuesday or Wednesday and I will be free to start playing with the new toys. I am looking forward to Chapter 3 in which I actually DO something on the aforementioned Linux-based recording studio.

My New Toy (in 3-5 business days)

Posted: April 17, 2011 | Author: | Filed under: Recording Studio | Tags: , , , , | Leave a comment
The Layla3G multitrack digital audio recorder

The Layla3G multitrack digital audio recorder.

Layla3G

Layla3G is the third generation of our flagship PCI-based multitrack digital audio recorder. The original Layla premiered in 2000 to critical acclaim, including a TEC award nomination. Since then we’ve been perfecting the art of making high quality digital audio recording products at affordable prices. Now you can get all of the features of the Layla24 for a new low price, and with dual mic preamps.

Layla3G is the perfect center piece for any professional digital audio recording studio. It has 2 universal inputs with mic preamps, 6 balanced analog inputs, 8 balanced analog outputs, and a stereo headphone output. ADAT lightpipe I/O, optical and coaxial S/PDIF I/O, and MIDI I/O are also included. Layla3G comes with a 15′ cable and PCI card that connects to the audio interface. Layla3G is compatible with PCI and PCI-X (3.3 or 5 volt) motherboards.

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