Olympic Moments on Y105!

Until the end of the Olympics I will be doing an "Olympic Moments" segment on Y105 at 9:50 a.m. CST!

I'll cover highlights from the previous day and other Olympic oriented news!

I'm excited for tomorrow's edition...I don't want to give anything away since the NBC Olympic coverage still goes for another hour...

Enjoy and tune in for the whole morning show. I'm on with Chris Farber 7:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m.

Joy of Olympics!

I always marvel that people from different countries do come together for the Olympics. There are countries who know their athletes have very little chance of bringing home a medal yet they still send representatives who express great joy just to participate.

Since it was Sunday, I didn't watch the Olympics because my family and I reserve Sundays for church and service. I did read the news though. And reading about the rower from Niger, I felt great admiration for him. His zeal for the sport for which he had trained only a short time is inspiring. With joy, he participated knowing he wasn't capable of winning. He came in last long after everyone else.  His joy was in participating in the race and finishing it.

That is a noble goal to achieve for anyone in any field at any time in life.

Remember, I have a new single I will be releasing this week!

Swimming and Gymnastics!

Like I said yesterday, I am a musician but I love the Olympics! Swimming and gymnastics are two of my favorite events, so it was sweet they were on the same day!

I was disappointed that Michael Phelps didn't medal (my family and I have loved watching him for the past three Olympics), but excited that Ryan Lochte won gold! I have to be honest. I don't remember Lochte from the previous Olympics--probably because it would have been hard to notice him next to Phelps.

I am awed by what the human body can handle when it is conditioned. Gymnastics has always mystified me. The strength required is astounding. I will probably never be "Olympic" physically strong or healthy, but I do try to be "Olympic" mentally and emotionally strong.

This surprised me: I never noticed before that there is no music in men's gymnastics on the floor exercise like in the women's event. Usually, I cue in when anything and everything associated with music comes into view!  Those male gymnasts have to time their floor exercise to not go over 70 seconds without music to keep them on track.  They must have to have internal timing.

I understand this a little bit because when I record voice over for commercials or ads, I have learned to pace myself to keep within the time frame!

Corgis and Rowan Atkinson in the Olympics!

Just because I'm a musician doesn't mean I don't like sports...and when it comes to the Olympics...I'm a fanatic!

So, I'm in the middle of watching the Olympic Opening Ceremony on NBC.

I loved the Queen and her corgis. My little corgi, Deno, looks just like hers...if not a little thinner.

Deno watching the Olympics with us!

My absolute favorite "music moment" of the opening ceremonies was Rowan Atkinson "playing" the pedal point of the Chariots of Fire theme with the London Symphony Orchestra. I wish I could find it online (it's not on NBC's website). I did DVR it though, so I've already re-watched it a couple times! Seriously, though, I've never laughed so hard in my life. And the dream sequence is hilarious because who hasn't dreamed of qualifying for Olympic participation?'

Normally, I would have been put off by the parody of Chariots of Fire. I love the message of the movie and it is my older brother's absolute favorite theme song. It has a lot of meaning in our family. But Rowan Atkinson was so absolutely, knock-down funny and the parody was done with (I think) respect for the message...so I loved it!

Seriously, you have to see it for a memorable Olympic 2012 experience!

Recording and Mixing the Next Single

Today Erik and I finished mixing the newest single. I'm still holding back on the name...it's a good one! 

I already revealed I co-wrote it with Justin Jensen, my new songwriting partner, and that Justin plays piano and sings with me on the track in this original duet.

The recording was a story in itself and it's a miracle it even came about!

Several months ago on the Monday before Justin had an early morning wake-up call for a trip to Africa, he made time to record! We originally were supposed to record the Saturday before, but a family member was in the emergency room. It is completely acceptable (and advisable) to cancel recording sessions when this happens! But fortunately, he made it to record on the following Monday! 

At times it seemed as if it just wasn't going to come off then as if knowing we only had a few more minutes, it came together.  

After Justin and his wife got back from Africa, we touched base to figure out how to collaborate from a distance.  Stay tuned for more songs written with Justin...there is one on the upcoming Christmas album, sweet stuff!

The mixing came together very quickly, which was a nice surprise! Unfortunately, a tube in our Pro VLA II compressor went bad, so we had to use just our UREI LA-12 compressor instead of both. So we had to adjust, but it all worked out in the end!

More tomorrow!

Radio Jingle and Virtual Instruments

Today Erik and I orchestrated and produced a radio jingle!

The tune was basically written as were the lyrics, though we did change both slightly.  We were given carte blanche!

First, we recorded a simple piano part, then a syncopated bass line. We did this on a small MIDI controller. Then we pulled out EZ Drummer and that's when the jingle really started shaping up!

We got EZ Drummer as part of a deal through Sweetwater last November and haven't ever used it--we've always had the "real deal" drum tracks for songs. But we didn't have the luxury or the time to have a drummer get all miced and play the track for us. (Erik is actually a drummer, but we were in a time crunch.)

I am so pleased with how "easy" EZ Drummer is to use! I plan to find more opportunities to use it in the future on other projects.

Now, don't get too worked up. I still prefer having a drummer lay down "human" tracks. There is no substitute for developed talent in human skill, ideas, and feeling. But for this situation, EZ Drummer was a life saver!

After the drum tracks were finished, we automated the sustains on the piano track. Then we changed the piano patch to a guitar patch.

Next we recorded my vocals. We did a few different kinds of jingles (the entire jingle, just the phone number, etc.) to give the company options for the commercial.

Then we added reverb, compression, then mastering compression (hello, sound wars!) and bounced the tracks.

Not a bad day's work in three hours, eh?

Stay tuned for more sound and recording adventures!

"My World" is finally on iTunes AND the Next Single...

What a great surprise to hear my new single, "My World," playing again on Y105 in Iowa this morning! And the long version is finally up on iTunes...just took a bit longer than expected!

Between co-hosting the morning show on Y105, arranging for recording sessions in August, pitching to do a charity gig, operating the board for radio remotes, Erik and I mixed a new single today.  

Now this song has a story!  I don't want to give away too many details, but it is the first non-angry/hurt song I've ever written.  I co-wrote it with my new songwriting partner, Justin Jensen, who plays piano and sings on the recording (okay, so I CAN tell you it is a duet).  

More details tomorrow!

My Take on "My World"

Jillaine released her "My World" single today!  I never get tired of the song and let me tell you I have heard it at least 100+ times.  Okay, that is an exaggeration but I have heard it a lot in the last week.  With most songs you would feel inclined to cut your ears off when you cannot stand to listen to them one more time.  This is by no means the case with "My World."  In fact, it is just the opposite.  

Every time I hear it, I connect even more with not just the orchestration but the deep meaning of the words.  "My World" simply envelopes--it pierces the soul.  It really is hard to express the effect it has had on me.  This morning it was played on KLYV 105.  It took all the muster I could conjure up to not get emotionally choked up--not the kind of choked up because it is my sister, Jillaine, I am hearing on the radio, but because the song is just that powerful in connecting with the listener.  It is simply something you have to experience for yourself.

"My World" on iTunes!!! (FREE download on Facebook)

Today, my first single is...RELEASED! "My World" is definitely an invitation into, well, my world! (That pun was TOTALLY intended!)

Get the FREE "My World" (Radio Edit) on my Facebook band page. Hurry, it will only be around for a limited time!

Fortunately, though, a blog is forever!

Yesterday, I blogged about how the lyrics of "My World" came to be. And, as promised, today is all about the mixing!

After fixing timing issues (we wanted it to be perfect for slow dancing), we set about creating the sound of the song. Not just the sound of each track, but really how we wanted to whole song to blend together.

We experimented with Antares Harmony efx on the lead vocal to add back-up vocals, but the sound wasn't quite right for this song. Though we did like the effect itself and plan to use it on future releases.

Next we tried chorusing within Pro Tools. We knew we wanted that effect, but the plug-in was giving a metallic sound to the vocal so we looked further. Little did we know we had a wealth of chorusing effects within our Kurzweil KSP8 outboard effects processor. After some experimenting with different kinds of chorusing, we settled on one that added just the right amount of depth. Then Erik programmed the delay to correspond with the tempo and triplet feel. We were making headway!

We applied a similar chorusing effect on the instruments, but something was still missing. We thought it was in the synth, so we searched for the right synth patch and found it in Synergy. Unfortunately, there was still something missing.

Erik then had a brilliant idea...I should play a harp part! I was a little bit wary of his idea, but decided I should give it a try. This isn't an ordinary harp you hear.  It is electric.

So Erik got my Camac Big Blue all plugged in and we literally composed an additional track.  Yes, Erik would sing what he wanted while I played what I heard him sing!  Frankly, it was hilarious! I play harp on the choruses and bridge. The upper registers on the harp add just the right scintillating touch to the song!  Harp will be included in upcoming releases!

And that's our mix down of the process we used to bring you "My World."

Until next time!

Writing "My World"

My first single! Who would've thought?

The single is up on iTunes tomorrow and the radio edit is free (for a limited time) on my Facebook page (also tomorrow).

Amazingly, "My World" has taken a long road to get where it is. It was originally recorded in the summer of 2009 with only temp lyrics. The final lyrics didn't happen until March 2010. Since that time, it has been catalogued under...well, "not ready to release!"

The temp title was "Rock Love Ballad" so I kept trying to write lyrics for a love song.  After countless hours, endless scribbled note paper, and quite a few headaches, I decided the love song angle just wasn't working out. New direction: hmm...?

Still stymied, I just wrote down what I was feeling at the time. I was...frustrated. However, I knew I could finish the song, so I was still hopeful. I continued to write in an almost stream of consciousness fashion until I began discovering some good ideas. Then I quit for the day and ate some ice cream. (Tip: ice cream always helps in songwriting. Not sure why, but I think someone should do a study on it and get the figures down. I'd volunteer for the study! My current favorite is Breyer's Butter Almond!)

Over the next few days, I hammered out the rest of the lyrics and got the song structure to fit with the recorded tracks.

Next objective...recording vocals...in a make-shift vocal booth made of air mattresses poised and balanced in the hallway. Being a college student is so awesome!

Tomorrow I'll update on the mixing, which was actually the most fun I've ever had mixing! After doing jazz that requires a mostly natural room, clarity in the vocals, and instrumental sounds, doing a pop song allowed Erik (my brother and all-around genius music engineer) to experiment with some pretty sweet plug ins and outboard gear.

Until tomorrow!