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navigation Waste summer finishing Waste I had originally planned to finish the EP by the middle of May, to be able to make the Soggy Bottom gig a release party. This could have been way better, and I had time, but I did not make the deadline and ended up uploading a whole month a half later..
I decided to get a Knuckles amp simulation for playing live and recording. It simulates a Mesa Boogie Dual Rectifier, the amp that Metallica, Alice in Chains and Linkin Park (among others) used. I spent too much time deciding whether I should re-record all the guitar tracks with this new sound, or simply use the ones I had recorded over the summer.
I was afraid of recording tests and comparing, because I feared coming up with the conclusion that in fact, I had to record everything again. I read somewhere that "avoiding is the fear of becoming true", which was completely the case here.
In the end, I kept all the of original guitar tracks. I only switched IRs and used new ones that simulate RB and SM57 mics on better cabinets.
PICWhat I regret by not releasing the EP earlier is missing out on promoting it at gigs. When songs are up before a show, people can listen to them to see if they like your sound, and then possibly attend the concert if they do. On the other hand, people who discover your music during the gig can then listen the songs later.
I decided to do the promotion post-release instead of teasing it earlier. I filmed a batch of Instagram reels, simply playing riffs from the EP. Content creation takes quite a lot of time, but I like showcasing cool sections from the songs.
This time, I tried working with the When You Die demo mix from ISAK. I always thought its production hit hard, so I wanted to replicate its sound. The bass tone is different, so I couldn't really get the same result. On the demo, it is recorded using a guitar amp instead of a bass amp, which gives it more presence. I might try recording it this way again in the future.
I was kind of afraid that the demo version would be better than the final one. In the end, I think the two are very similar but still hit different.
PICI recorded a few more vocals for When You Die and Chamber in early May. Here's a recap of the time taken to sort all of them:
| SONG | CHAMBER | SAVE ME | WHEN YOU DIE | SARDENED | [ TOTAL ] |
| SORTING VOCALS | 0:30 | 0:30 + 1:10 | 1:00 + 1:30 | 0:50 | 5:30 |
I decided to overthink less this time. Yes, maybe a few takes lacked technique and interpreation, but they had personality and worked just fine. I randomly picked 5 of them and listened to them in-mix, then got used to them and only fixed small details.
Originally, I wanted to record group vocals for the ending of Sardened. I ended up only doing them with Marceau. It's fun that he's in the song now.
I added a backing synth to Chamber's choruses. It's a little layer that adds fullness to the sound. I'm really glad with how the deep vocals turned out on that one.
One time when rehearsing at la Zøne, I decided to take a break by trying to learn a song on the piano. I then changed the piano part in When You Die, matching what a real person would play.
Next time, I'd like to actually train for vocals earlier on. I should also listen to the takes in-mix (with the other instruments) to check how it sounds and point out mistakes.
On a brighter note, rehearsing a few (4-5) songs from the set before recording vocals proved to be efficient and produced better takes. For some reason, pretending you have the guitar helps. I've seen James Hetfield strap his guitar on as if he was singing live when he records vocals for an album.
It feels good to finally be "free" from these songs and to be able to move on to recording the newer ones. I'm glad I could train myself and learn on these. Producing is truly something you learn by doing.
By the way, song facts can be found in this other diary entry.
south of France tour There were only about 10 people, but 4 of them were really into it. We had a 4-people wall of death!! I definitely prefer this to a crowd of 2000 people who don't care.
taking liberty with the live versions routine of preparing before the set: tie new knots around the wristbands, put nail polish, finish editing the setlist, write it down, change... doing this right before instead of preparingTwo guys were faking an epic fight, did pushups.. I did a moshpit with ONE guy at the end and it was super fun.
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