[Music] I Made A Thing

Technically, I finished a thing.

September 23, 2012. That's the date of creation stamped on the project file for the original concept for this song. A broken heart and a free afternoon found me sitting in my dorm room recording guitar tracks at random. A few hours later, I had the makings of what could become a fairly decent song. What I didn't know is how much that song would mean to me down the road. I don't really have recorded anywhere the full song that this concept eventually turned into, but I did find a video (I don't remember where it is) of me playing a good chunk of it. If I still had electric guitar equipment, I would gladly re-record and actually flesh out the whole concept "Invisible Year". Perhaps someday.

Anyway, today (or yesterday, I can't particularly remember) I dug up the project file for this song and looked at it, mostly for my own amusement. I realized the guitar tracks were pretty spot on to the metronome track, and realized that I now have software with which I can map out virtual instruments. So, I opened up my copy of Ignite by Air, mapped out a bass line, played with the instrument parameters until I found a sound I halfway liked, exported it to a .wav, and imported it into the original project. Well, I couldn't stop there, so I also mapped out a rough drum idea. Then I erased it, created several tracks, and mapped out each individual drum element  some separately. From there, I exported each element as its own .wav, imported those tracks into the project, did some general mixing work (EQ, reverb, levels, etc.) on those tracks, did a little more work on the original guitar tracks, mixed it all together, and mastered it out. 

I've been listening to it on repeat all night. 

It's strange to think of where I was at when I first recorded the guitar tracks vs. where I'm at now, and how much I (and times in general) have changed. It's almost surreal to think that I actually finished this thing (for what it was originally). Now I really want to map out the full thing (or as much as I can remember of it). Maybe I'll downtune my acoustic and just map it out for myself, so I don't lose it. Hey, a musician's gotta do what a musician's gotta do.

Re-Vamped!

Yesterday, my roommate and I revamped our music room. I'll let the pictures do the talking.

Before:

We had some equipment. We even had a big stack of acoustic foam panels (40 square feet of it) in the upstairs bedroom waiting to go up. But the room was a logistical nightmare, a deathtrap zone, a catastrophic natural disaster waiting to happen. We didn't have a proper desk but were just using a couple TV trays (which roommate number 3 wanted to be put back on the rack in the living room). So we gutted the room, planned a new layout, cleaned up, and affixed the foam to cardboard panels which were hung on the walls (so that they can come down later when I move out, since they're actually mine). Then, we acquired an old retail display platform from our landlord (which we set on top of a pair of Peavey PV115 PA mains) to serve as our work station. Found a psychedelic blue cloth and put it over the window, and we were done!

The result:

As for now, the space functions and sounds much better than before. There is less acoustic reflection off the walls. I may order a little more foam to attach to the ceiling at certain points, and also so we can make a mic isolation shield for vocals, and we need to affix the corner foam to, well, the corners, but as for now I'm remarkably pleased with how well it turned out.

So what's the next step (after the few things I mentioned)? Well, some rack equipment that I want to acquire include a 2-channel tube mic preamp, noisegate, and EQ. Unfortunately, that means another $1000-1200, which I simply don't have at the moment. But, when I do purchase said items, it will probably be in the order of gate, preamp, and then EQ. I also want to upgrade my free Pro Tools Express to Pro Tools 11. That will be another $200, but it's worth it for beat detective and auto tune. I also got the new SoundToys Little Alter Boy plugin. Luckily, I found the website during a light traffic period and was able to download it during the "free before April 1st" window. As for now, I'm only going to record things for school (because academics, and because the semester is winding down and I'm running out of time).

Anyway, speaking of academics, I should get back to some homework. Peace out.

Oh, and if you want a cool 360 panorama of the room, click here. Maybe I need to put a link to my Flikr in my new social media launch page, epitome of toast?

Oh, Claire (New Song Release)

A couple days ago I released an acoustic cover of my friends' song, which they released just a year ago. It was recorded and edited over several months, and it shows... The guitar sounds like garbage, tracks were recorded in different locations, and when I first started working on it I had just gotten my Sampson Go Mic. Also, I was sick the day I recorded the vocals... Frustrating, I know, but I was halfway through processing them when I realized that my voice sounded ill, and didn't want to go back through and re-record them. Perhaps a little more patience would have paid off in the end with this, but then again, I started this project back in October and just wanted to get things done.

That cheapo home "studio", though

Anyway, I've ordered a new recording interface which should be here sometime late this week or early next week. This should solve the component noise problem that I was getting with the Tapco (you can see it in the picture laying on the floor). Hopefully in the near future I'll be able to look into getting a new (better) vocal mic as well. I'd love to get an Avantone CV-12, but that's $500. Likely, the best I'll be able to go for is the Rode NT1a at $229, and even that will have to wait a month or two at minimim. Between now and then, though, I'll try to go ahead and start doing some acoustic treatment to the recording room here in the house so that when the time comes, I'll be ready to start recording my EP (which will include re-recording this cover).

Merch

I love going to concerts, but I enjoy working them even more. If I can plug in and help, I will. Usually this happens in the form of manning a merch table. Tonight is no exception. There's a  concert happing right now at my college. Seventh Day Slumber, Nine Lashes, and Ilia. I'm especially excited to see Ilia again, since it's been since 2010 and they survived a temporary hiatus and oh man, does their comeback sound good! Though I feel pretty bad about the turnout for the show being pitifully small compared to the size of this gym.

Also cool about tonight is the fact that I got to hear a little bit of a freshman's story. The girl manning the table with me is new to the college this year and though I've seen her around campus, I didn't really know anything about her until now. A guy came up to the table earlier and I swear he was sent by God. He volunteers his time and heart to a youth group at a local church and came to the show looking for music that these teens he works with might be able to get into. His story struck me close, because not only do I love people and music, but so does this guy. I asked him for his email and I hope to help him by sending his way a little of what he's looking for: music and musicians.

I have so much to be grateful for today, including a lesson learned in humility and silence, even if it hurt. This mood tracking app is giving me a lot of incentive toward consistency, even if right now that just means tracking my mood at consistent intervals throughout the day. Sitting here soaking in the sound of the music, with the bass pounding in my chest, calms me down and helps ease some of my anxiety. It's weird to say that music is an antianxiety med for me, but it is. Whenever I need it most, God connects me to music and people.

Tonight, that's enough to get me by.

Open Mic Night

CCCB Open Mic Night, September 27, 2013

I really, really love open mic night.

I remember the first time I performed at an open mic event. I didn't actually sing a song, but rather played an instrumental electric guitar piece I had been working on. It wasn't my first time playing in front of people, but it was different. The normal barrier felt between performer and audience was not there. I was also playing original material, which to me felt like pouring out the contents of my heart. It was nerve-wracking to say the least, but the feeling (yes, I say feeling) that accompanied finishing my piece was something surreal. Finally, I had taken something that I had created and shared it with others. I had found an audience for my artistic outlet.

I cannot express how much I love open mic events. Maybe it's the part of me that grew up in Wisconsin around laid-back "bar" culture, or maybe it's my insatiable love for music, but I think open mic events are the "bee's knees." It's like a concert, but smaller and less formal. There's a closer sense of intimacy between the performer and the audience; often times, the two personally know each other and a particular bond of trust is formed when the performer shares his or her heart with their friends through art.

I've also found that open mic events are a great way to build community through active participation. If there's one thing I've learned during my time as an open mic coordinator (August 2013 until now), it's that no two open mic events are ever the same. In internet-lingo, this is because open mic events work based on "user-generated content". In other words, open mic is only as good as the acts performed by those willing to participate. It lends an element of unpredictability, which brings with it a degree of anticipation that leaves people (like me) wanting to come and see what's going to happen each time.

When my friend Derek started the open mic event in 2012, it certainly accomplished the hope he had of building community on campus. It was my favorite thing to look forward to. When he told me that he wouldn't be returning in the fall of 2013, I was super bummed out. Open mic had given myself and several other students such a great outlet, and I really wanted to see that continue. When student development granted me permission to continue open mic in Derek's stead, I could not have felt any happier. I also could not have felt more helpless.

I had been involved in all aspects of chapel (from music and leading to sound and tech) during my first two years on campus, so I had a general handle on the technical logistics of things. I knew what size of sound system would be appropriate for open mic. I knew how to set it up, how to mix sound, and how to tear it all down without breaking anything. However, I didn't know how to organize or promote an event, and I had no idea how to get people to want to come. To be honest, I was a little scared and nervous.

I owe the current success of CCCB's open mic events to performers who were willing to share their talents in front of an audience, the harvest house manager for offering the venue for use, and numerous volunteers who have stepped up to help. I'm astonished to see how far open mic has come from the first event that Derek hosted in 2012 until now. Still, I see things at almost every open mic night that could be improved or changed to make the next a little better, and passionately strive to give my best to this thing. Even now as I write this, I'm drawing up plans for things that could not only help improve this event, but the venue itself for future events.

But, my time as coordinator will end. I'm a little bittersweet right now, knowing this is my senior year and thus the last year I'll be able to coordinate open mic nights here on campus. Part of me is honestly nervous with anticipation of what may happen after I leave. I don't think open mic would cease to be an event. This being the third year of open mic night, I'm confident that somebody would step up and take it over. However, what direction will it go? I've always feared the day it might be absorbed by student council and become over-regulated. Personally, I'd rather pass it off to the venue that has so kindly hosted it. But I know that once this year is up, I'll need to step back and let someone else step in.

So I want to leave open mic in as good of a state as I can for the next person. 

Ideally, I'd like to see open mic become something that the right person could come along and easily take over. I've been making small steps toward that end goal. A few things I have done include getting approval from the chapel coordinator and Harvest House manager to keep a sound system in the venue for a faster and easier setup/teardown, instituting open sign-ups, video announcements, scheduling the event dates at the beginning of the semester, and recording videos of all the acts to upload select ones to YouTube. Of course, there are more things I'm trying to do, but I prefer not to reveal my plans until a certain time.

One thing I consistently do is keep my eyes and ears open (literally) for things that could make open mic better. Since open mic night is for the students, my best source of ideas for improving the event is the student body. If somebody voices an idea (either directly to me, or something I simply overhear in passing), or if I see something that could be visually improved, I'll tuck it away in the back of my mind and ponder it. With any idea I consider, I think of how it can be done efficiently and consistently from one open mic night to the next. And, of course, one thing I'm keeping my eyes and ears open for is a person who would be a capable and willing fit to take over my role as coordinator of this event.

I'm grateful for this event and the incredible opportunity I've had to coordinate it. I've learned so much as I went along with it, and grown in community with others through it. I'm excited to see what this year's freshman class will bring to the event and how it's going to change and morph over the next few months. 

Mostly, I'm excited to see where it'll go after my time is up. 

Now Playing

I love listening to music.

I own two stereos; one is my room with speakers that stand waist-high while the other, smaller system currently resides in a friend's dorm room. I also own two sets of headphones, have invested hundreds of dollars into physical CDs (call me old-fashioned, but I like them in the car), and love going to local music shows (because without local talent, there would be no music industry). The internet has become a very useful tool in discovering new artists and in expanding my taste in music. Even as I write this, I've got my Marleys on while listening to my playlist on—you probably guessed it—Spotify. 

Since acquiring a Sony Walkman CD player at 12 years old, I've immersed myself into the world of music. My taste has changed over time, and my involvement in music has gone from being a passive spectator to being an active participant, but music has been, is, and will probably continue to be a prominent part of my life. I'm even social about music; if I find a song that I like, I'll share it on Facebook or Twitter. Here's what I'm listening to right now as I write this sentence. That round, orange icon at the top of this page will take you to a magical place where you can listen to some of own recordings. The green Spotify icon will open my Spotify profile where you can listen to my playlists; I also have some of my playlists listed to the side of this post. I could go on and on about this, but I think you get the general idea.

I really enjoy listening to music.

Music is a beautiful thing, and I believe it reflects God's creative nature. The world would be a pretty boring place without art, and Western culture is rather Athenian in how much art plays into our everyday lives. Do you even know how many different genres and subgenres of music there are? Even using 12-point font, I could cover every square inch of wall, ceiling, and floor space in my dorm room attempting to list artists, from famous to unknown, from 1900 until now and probably still fall pitifully short. Think of how many songs each artist or band has put out. A 2011 estimate states there are approximately 97 million (and counting) recorded and published songs out there. That's a lot of music. It's all part of our culture, and we're all a part of it.

If you're reading this, odds are you probably enjoy listening to music a great deal as well. If so, that's great; comment below this post with some of your favorite artists and we'll compare tastes! I'm always looking for more artists and styles to color my musical canvas. But still, if the odds are true and you enjoy listening to music like I do, then I have a very important question to ask that will set the tone of the rest of this blog post.

What's in your 'Now Playing'?

Put another way, what are you listening to? There's a phrase I've acquired from my mom: garbage in, garbage out. Though I'm sure she wasn't the first to coin it, it's incredibly true. What you take in greatly affects what you put out. This is scientifically shown when it comes to music. The tone and feel of music does have an impact on your thinking depending on where you are in a moment of time. There's a reason why we each have our favorite styles of music, while saving other kinds for rarer occasions. It's important to be mindful of how various styles and tones of music will affect you during different moods.

Here is how this presents itself personally. There are times where a certain kind of music will spur me toward Christ, while there are other times where that same type of music just irritates me and makes it difficult to focus on Christ. Some people over-spiritualize this and say that if you're not "feeling Jesus" (or something to that effect) while hearing/singing "worship" music, there's something wrong in your relationship with Christ. Fortunately, this is not true. The fact is, this is a psychological phenomenon that is normal. Even if little is known as to why, your mood affects your taste in music, and thus music affects you differently depending on your mood. This is why I enjoy a wide taste in music. Also, if I might confess, I sometimes find "worship" music a bit off-putting. Stone me.

Lyrics also play a very (and, I might argue, more) important role in how music affects your thinking. This much I can tell from personal experience: lyrics have a substantial impact on your thinking. If you're pumping messages into your ears that aren't pointing you toward Christ, guess what: they're pointing you somewhere else. No matter how innocent a song may seem, if the message is not pointing you toward Christ, then it's time for it to go. I used to make excuses for this all the time. "Well, really, any song can point you toward Christ in some way…" Yes, but is it really pointing you toward Christ, or are you justifying compromise? "But this song fuels me and gets me going."  Music will definitely fuel you, but what is it fueling? Ask yourself: Is this fueling my passion for Christ, or is it fueling my flesh?

The same could be said for movies, TV, video games, etc.

There is no one-size-fits-all solution to this. Each person is wired differently and it is important to spend time figuring out how music affects you personally. On the one hand, don't let anybody tell you that you shouldn't listen to something just because they don't like it (I've even had pastors try to pull this on me); on the other hand, be sure that what you're listening to isn't actually distracting you from Christ. If you're just not sure, try silence. God often speaks in whispers, and sometimes what is needed most to be able to hear Him is silence.

We live in a noise-saturated culture, and we're willingly pumping it into our ears. Admittedly, I am no exception; on Friday I exhausted a 9-hour playlist as I spent the day sitting in my room while working on designing my blog and doing assignments for class. However, I'm very meticulous in censoring what I'll purposefully put into my ears because I know that it will eventually make its way into my heart and, little by little, shape who I become. It doesn't happen overnight; the journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step, and each willful step will leave an imprint on your heart, whether good or bad.

It comes down to what you're willing to intentionally take in. Exposure for the sake of understanding is one thing; I frequently check out all sorts of music so I can understand the messages that teens are pumping into their ears. However, intentional repeated exposure, purposefully subjecting yourself to it over and over and over, continually pumping it into your ears, is going to have an influence on your thinking and leave a lasting impact on your heart. As Proverbs 4:23 says, "Above all else guard your heart, because everything you do flows from it."

I may not be the most "churchy" Christian; I hang out with a lot of people that some 'churchgoers' might scoff at, and I hang around a lot of places that some folks might not approve of. I greatly enjoy attending (and performing) open mics at bars, and some of what I sing is 'secular' for the sake of connecting with people in a way that they can understand. Admittedly, I still listen to music that I probably shouldn't be listening to, and it's something that I'm still wrestling with and trying to understand for myself. I don't know if this is something I will ever master.

A pastor of a church I used to attend would frequently say, "If you don't like what you're growing, then change what you're sowing." The music you purposefully listen to on a daily basis is packed full of seeds which you are willingly sowing into your own heart. Eventually, and inevitably, it will bear its fruit. Suddenly, 'innocent' doesn't appear so innocent after all. So, again, I will ask (to you, and to myself).

What's in your 'Now Playing'?