Recording Vocals is the BEST Way to Celebrate Graduation

This is me doing vocals last year...I didn't take any photos today...

Yesterday was commencement and today each college had its own convocation.  You might wonder what I was doing during my convocation since I didn't walk?  Recording vocals, of course!

I've almost finished all the vocal tracks for my Jazzy Christmas to You III coming out this fall and vocal tracks for some future projects.  I love getting so much done!

So the next stage will be the mixing and mastering!

I realized today I've never highlighted the classic "Fly Me to The Moon" sung by Frank Sinatra.  Since the song lyrics talk about singing, I felt it was appropriate!

Masterclass from Bruce Leek the Mastering Master!

Erik, Bruce Leek, and Jordan

Me, Bruce Leek, and Erik

Last week Bruce Leek came to record the BYU Philharmonic Orchestra and, fortunately for us, he also taught not just one masterclass, but "mentored" students for three days! (Click for Photos.)

Bruce is one of the first mastering engineers having mastered Beach Boys, Pink Floyd, and many other artists.  He is a master at recording and mastering.  He shared with us so many lessons that are already invaluable as we are recording and mixing our next albums.

Erik's favorite thing he learned is Bruce Leek hates compression--so does Erik!  Unlike what many sound engineers like to believe, compression DOES change the sound.  Of course it does because compression makes the sound louder, so it's going to be changing things.  To quote Leek, "Compression sounds like crap!"

Erik learned that instead of using compression he can use a limiter and an expander.  That allows for individual control on the high end and the low end.

Working almost 20 hours besides his regular job at BYUB and going to school, Erik helped unpack and set up Leek's equipment.  Erik is an old hand at setting up and striking audio equipment--well, just about any equipment really!

I was able to go learn from Bruce on the Saturday morning when pick ups (sections of the music that are recorded to be spliced back in with the performance) were being recorded.  I learned so much by listening and observing!

I had to borrow Erik's work gloves...sensitive hands!

The funniest part of all this is I helped pack up his equipment.  Do you believe it?  Yes, me!

I am so grateful that Bruce Leek enjoys teaching the rising generation of audio engineers.  He gave us priceless gifts of knowledge that can only be gleaned from a master.

I Wonder As I Wander

I am almost bursting with excitement!

Jazzy Christmas To You II! is almost ready for mastering! We made a last-minute addition of I Wonder As I Wander to the album. I have always loved I Wonder As I Wander, but each time I've tried to perform or record it, it never came out the way I envisioned...until now!

Jesse Quebbeman-Turley and Zach Wiggins created a beautiful drums/piano/voice arrangement. Tonight I record my vocal overdubs and I am stoked! The arrangement is haunting yet fresh and has a decidedly Celtic flair.

Check out recording photos and stay tuned for more music!

Recording and All that Prep!

This is from recording in April...looking forward to tomorrow's session!

Tomorrow we switch gears from mixing to recording!

I've been getting charts ready for months. Tomorrow's session is going to be for a jazz standards album to be released in 2013. Haven't decided on a title yet...but rest assured it will be a good one.

Erik is getting the equipment ready, making sure all of it is in shape for tomorrow. He cleaned his Yamaha M406 mixer with 6 Class-A preamps it was modded and his Gallien-Krueger MB150E bass amp with DeoxIt D5. He also lubed the faders on his Mackie CR1604-BLZ Mixer with DeoxIt F5.

We will be trying out some new mics that Erik borrowed from a friend. Usually I use my Neumann KMS 105, but we thought we might try out the Shure KSM 9 tomorrow, too. I've used it in live performances that were multi-tracked, but never for this kind of recording. Other mics we are trying are the Audix SCX25A and the Audix D6!

Even though normally used for vocal overdubs in a large room or just an untreated room, we're going to try out in a "live" situation our new MXL RF-100 Reflection Filter tomorrow. It may not work, but it's worth a try to help isolate the vocal and drum mics from picking up sounds they shouldn't!

Jesse Quebbeman-Turley is coming by tonight to set up his drums so we are ready to start in the morning!

Zach Wiggins is back on keyboard and we have a new-comer on bass: Josh Larsen! James Archibald has been my loyal bassist for six years, but he is now in Texas after finishing his Master's in Physics. Going to miss you, James, but welcome Josh!

Stay tuned for pictures and audio!

The Joys of Being an Indie Artist, Shrink Wrap Included

I have a "To Do" list that stays the same length, no matter how many things I cross off. I guess that's part of being an Indie Artist. I get one thing done and in the process find another thing to put on the list.

I've been trying to replenish my stock of CDs. The CDs are labeled and have data, the inserts are printed and in the jewel cases. Last step? Shrink wrap!

Done.

Next, check and update all my social networking sites. This got way easier when I started using Hootsuite. I highly recommend it! I can even schedule a few posts to go up when I'm away from the computer.

Done.

Read books. I researched and bought a slew of new and used books on entertainment law, music publishing, rights management, artist management, contracts, music business, social networking, and anything else having to do with music production. Read from The Artist's Guide to Success in the Music Business by Loren Weisman, one of the many for an hour today.

Done. Learned more techniques for easy gigging, more functional practices and maximized recording sessions. Sweet!

Mixing. My brother and I are mixing our next CD Jazzy Christmas To You II! Getting back into the mixing groove after school started was a bit rough, but now we're really moving!

Done. Will do more mixing tomorrow.

Set up practices and recording times with band members. Thanks to technology, this is pretty easy.

Done.

All through that process, I found out I need to get more inserts printed, need to keep up with my social networking, need to read more books, need to research some new music sites, need to check on subscriptions, need to mix more songs, and get all the charts ready for practicing and recording.

Not Done. But that's okay. I love being an Indie Artist!

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" 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!

Recording and Meet the Band!

Recording success! After three days of intensive recording, we completed the remaining songs for three albums to be released this year.  Now we need a few vocals then we will be ready to mix, master, and release! See the photos here.


Meet the band, sound engineer, cinematographer, and songwriting partner:


James Archibald, bassist. James has been with the band for over six years and is always good for comic relief in addition to solid bass lines. He debuted his singing voice last year on "Baby, It's Cold Outside" and is back again for "Let it Snow, Let It Snow, Let It Snow" and "Let's Call the Whole Thing Off."


Zach Wiggins, pianist. Zach is new to the band and wows with his jazz chords! I am partial to his substitution chords. He astounds with mean Latin lines! His piano arrangement of "While Shepherds Watch Their Flocks by Night" is pure delight. He can take what may seem like a mundane chord progression and lift the accompaniment to soaring heights. You'll love Zach's talent for Latin the way it shimmers in "You'd Be So Nice to Come Home To."


Jesse Quebbeman-Turley, drummer. Jesse is also new and fortunately for me, is Zach's roommate. That's how I found him! Jesse's arrangements are fresh yet accessible. His understanding of melodic theory makes him a unique force as a jazz drummer. You will love his jaw-dropping soloing on "Dig That Crazy Santa Claus!" One of my favorite "Jesse" arrangements is "Santa Baby" as you've never heard it before!


Erik Chaston, sound engineer. Erik is a master of infinite skills. As my brother, he jokes that I'm lucky I have him to work for free. No joke though, Erik is the best! Without Erik, these days of recording would not have happened. He puts together old analog equipment with new digital technology so that my vocal recordings are lifelike and accurate.  He can fix just about any equipment and improve it!


Brett Bird, cinematographer. While Erik captures the sounds, Brett captures the movement. Thanks to Brett's skills, we will have music videos to post on YouTube of our recording sessions. Also, Brett takes great still pictures because he doubles as a photographer.


Justin Jensen, songwriting partner. Justin and I were paired in a songwriting class and our writing methods clicked! Our pop song, "The Moment You Came Into View," will be released as a single in the coming months. Our Christmas song, "Santa Blues," will be on the next Christmas album. We have other songs still in the writing stages.  We are very anxious to finish and release those songs as well.


Mixing and mastering of the tracks is slated for early summer while Erik and I intern at Cumulus radio in Iowa! 


I will keep you posted as the albums near completion!  Fun times ahead!

6 FREE Christmas Songs!

My gift to all my fans this year is a free Christmas sampler!

Download from Facebook by going to my Facebook band page www.facebook.com/jillainerecords and going to the "Free Songs" tab or by clicking here.

The FREE songs are:

Jingle Bells
Deck the Halls
Fum, Fum, Fum!
What Child is This?
Silent Night
I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day


Please download the songs and tell your friends so they can download, too!

Merry Christmas!

NEW Music Video "Back to You"

My genius brother, Erik, wrote this song. He recorded the audio! He filmed and produced the video!

Check out "Back to You" on YouTube. Tell me what you think! Keep checking back for updates on the upcoming album set for release March 2010.

New Pictures!

New photo albums on Facebook!

Friday, August 7 Gig

Chaston Anniversary Reunion Party

Family Jam Session 8 10 09

Recording August 12, 2009