EQ, Mixing, Miking

I talked to Christian, a sound engineer and friend of mine, about how the way the drums came out on the recordings were not all that great. He gave me some really good tips on how to better the issues we've been having.

What is EQ? If you didn't know, sound is pretty much moving air. It has a waveform. The longer it is, the lower pitch we hear it. Smaller waveforms have higher pitch. What EQ'in does is manipulating those frequencies, or pitch, in order to boost or cut the frequencies that we'd like to modify.

In our case, the drums had way too much unwanted rings that made the drums sound really dirty and low quality. Christian recommended to cut a specific range of frequencies, and it wasn't a surprise that after doing so, the drums sounded a whole lot better.

The way we had been recording the drums was using 6 different mics. One of the kick drum, one of the snare drum, one mic for toms 1 and 2, another for the floor tom, and two overhead mics, which are hung over the cymbals to get a 'overhead' capture of the drumset. All of those mics were plugged in a mixer, from which we sent a stereo mix out into Pro Tools, the software we use to record. It was critical getting the levels right, and EQ'in each mic in order to capture the best sound. The way we placed the mics also made a difference also.

It was a learning experience for all of us, especially Eddie and I, since we're taking care of all the recording aspects of the album. The best way to learn is to jump in the water and swim.

9pm Drum Recording

My bedroom was transformed into a drum recording room. We chose that room because the garage's acoustics were way too bad to record drums there.

Since there's 14 songs to record, we've been leaving everything in my room, the way it is, to maximize the chances of getting same sound each recording. You have no idea how moving a mic just a few inches can change the sound of a recording.

I'm personally not quite totally satisfied with the way the drums sound but we're trying our best. Little by little it gets better.

I'm surprised the neighbors haven't called the cops yet. We sometimes record until past 9pm. Let's cross fingers and hope none of that happens. I'm anxious to finish it all.

Future Gig Planning

Chris and I went over Alicia's house tonight. She's been supporting us ever since she got a hand on one of our CD's.

We went over to discuss what the plans for gigs are. Since we've been focusing on the album, we haven't played anywhere for a while, and she wants to give us a hand playing at different places.

The mall would be a cool place to play in. There's always a lot of people around, and who knows maybe enough to care to stop by and listen to the music if we ever were to play there. Since she works at the Santa Anita mall, that might happen.

Schedule conflicts are a big problem at this point. With school, our internships and other things, it seems it'll be a challenge getting gigs down. But we'll work something out, I'm sure.

Album Update: Drum Recording

After weeks of failed attempts to get recording sessions with other people with better equipment, we chose to stick to our own for the sake of saving time and money.

We wanted to be able to record drums and have control of every single mic used on the drum set inside the software we use to record; in this case Pro Tools.

Since our schedule and others' schedules always posed a conflict, we figured we had to change plans.

And we did. Tonight, we officially recorded drums for the album. So far, it had been rough recordings for the sake of the teasers. But now, we're talking album business.

What did we do? You shall find out on the next teaser.

All I will say is that we used the mixer I have. We miked everything and recorded a stereo track of drum set, and it didn't come out bad at all.

More to come!

Official Choir Recording Date

It's official. The 'choir' recording is happening on Saturday November 14.

If you haven't heard about it, we're trying to invite anyone who would like to join us to get together at my house to record a choral part on a couple tracks for the new album. The only requirement is that you can sing on pitch.

If you're interested, you can always email us at feu_band@yahoo.com

If you know any of our phone numbers, send us a txt or call us.

In the case you don't have our numbers, message us on Facebook or MySpace to get it.

It'll be a good chance to also hang out with everyone. Pizza will be provided for those who show up.

We want YOU to be on the album, don't miss out.

Business Cards

I've always seen freelance people, or businesses.

Never had I thought of bands having their own business cards. Until Eddie brought it up.

And now that I think about it, it makes total sense. A band is a business, which provides services, music entertainment in this case, and it needs to advertise itself in order to reach new clientèle.

So earlier today, Eddie handed me over a bunch of business cards, then I headed over Nelson's and Chris' so they can get their share. Thanks Eddie for the investment. The card is pretty funny too.

Hans Zimmer

I couldn't help but blogging about Hans Zimmer. Go figure why.

Who is Hans Zimmer? Probably the most in demand film composer of the moment. Some of the motion pictures he composed for: The Lion King, Mission Impossible, Shrek, Pirates of the Caribbean's, Kung Fu Panda, Madagascar, Angels and Demons, Spirit, The Gladiotar, Rain Man, The Dark Knight ... and the list goes on.

He's gotten several Academy Awards, Grammy Awards and Golden Globe Awards.

Since I've been interested in film composing for a number of years now, people like Hans Zimmer and John Williams caught my attention. About a year ago, I had found out Hans Zimmer had his own studio where he records and engineers his music, all of that with a team of engineers. Now, I can tell you his studio is amazing. I look back into my tiny garage and... well let's just say my little studio's not even the worth of a millionth of Hans'.

Every time I see a movie that Hans Zimmer worked on, I could tell right away. And I'm never disappointed.

Without music, movies wouldn't be the same. It's with the genius of composers that movies can have more impact.

Writing a rock song is one thing. Writing music to different scenes of a movie, making sure the emotion is felt through the music, making sure the timing is correct, and making sure that you meet a director's expectations, on the other hand, is much more intricate.

Broadway

A friend of mine invited me to a dress rehearsal of a Broadway last night at Citrus College.

I've been to plenty Broadways in Los Angeles, and even once in New York to see Wicked. So I know how it is.

And I have to admit, I was pretty impressed. Never had I expected a community college to pull off such a show. All performers were miked, there was lighting, there was a live band on stage. And well last but not least the performers weren't bad at all.

I remember when I used to do Broadway stuff at church, we didn't even get to do half of what they did, which is surprising for they have professional sound equipment.

So, if you've never seen Chicago, the Broadway, I suggest you go check it out at Citrus tonight or tomorrow night. It's funny, sexy and a good way to end the night.

Radio Play

I was talking to a friend earlier, and he is the lead singer of a band. Just like us, they had produced an album on their own this past year, with the help and a manager.

He told me they're recording a new EP now. The reason? Radios wouldn't let them play the songs they had on their album. Why? Because to details like time limit and EQ [in more simple words, sound]. So, it's definitely something we'll have to consider; maybe at least a tiny bit.

I never thought of it, but it is true that there are a lot of "radio edit" songs. This is explains why. Afterall, radio is a business, and there are guidelines to follow.

Good stuff to know at this stage. We learn everyday.

We Need Your Voice!

If you haven't heard our track from our EP "In Multi Colors" you probably wouldn't know that I actually recorded a choir for the track. It was an experiment, it was fun, and it turned out great.

If you haven't heard the track, go on www.myspace.com/feuband and the track is on there.

For this album, there are a couple songs I'd like to have a choir to sing in. For that, I'm trying to get people together to form a 'choir' which will be recorded at my house.

So, if you can sing, on pitch that is, or if you know anyone that can, spread the word. And email us at feu_band@yahoo.com regarding the choir recording.

All the plans and arrangements will be made through emails and nothing else; it'd be a fiasco having to reach some people through MySpace, others through Facebook, and the rest by phone. So please, as of now, email us there. Once a date of recording session is settled, we'll try to reach everyone personally by phone.

The songs in question have not yet been recorded, but a sample will be sent to those who will be on the album.

Thanks in advance!

Finishing Up Songs

Tonight, Eddie came over and we worked on a couple of our newest songs. After the whole computer fiasco, it was a good way to recollect ourselves.

One of our newest song is "Pictures and Goodbyes." We finalized the lyrics for the song and I'm really looking forward to putting everything together.

When I write songs, I usually start off with the music, and the lyrics just fill in what the music can't express. It's the first time I collaborate lyrics with Eddie and it sure was fun and constructive at the same time.

We also went over important such as drum recording sessions and the 'howabouts.' 'whatabouts' and whereabouts of it all. More info once everything is scheduled.

Technology Tricks

So, if you haven't read previous blog, my MacBook Pro chose not to turn on properly yesterday. After going to the Apple store, it was diagnosed as a dead hard drive.

After a day of letting it rest, I chose to give one last try before going anywhere else to get it fixed.

To my own surprise, it turned on as if nothing had happened yesterday. It worked just fine. As a measure of precaution, I chose to leave it aside until tomorrow; who knows more rest might do wonders.

I am no computer guru, but I sure am complexed at what happened. I do know that its intense use and hardly ever turning it off might have taken its toll on the hard drive. But why on earth would it work just fine the next day? I wonder if it's going to play tricks in the future.

So I am asking you, what should I do to prevent this happening again? If in the high possibility of having the hard drive to die for good, what is the cheapest way of me being able to have a computer working quickly?

The Price of Technology

Technology is amazing. What we can do with electronics, computers and much more in today's world is amazing. Without any of it, we wouldn't be able to accomplish a 16th of what we're doing now, as far as musicians, performers and recording artists. I am thankful to be able to have access to all of it and being able to do it all on my own.

But... technology has its price.

Though I had all my precautions, having an external hard drive to save all audio files, and another hard drive dedicated to backing up my MacBook Pro, I could not escape the actual computer's failure. As of tonight, my laptop's hard drive is dead, mort, muerte, caput.

Apparently, after a long year and a half of intense use, especially recording, and that on a daily basis, the hard drive could not take it anymore. Since I have all my backups, I am not too worried. It's just that, I don't have a working computer anymore, which means, no more recording.

Hopefully, I will be able to replace the hard drive soon, and will be able to recover all the softwares I use for recording. The price and time of it all, that's another story.

Technology can fail on you. And oh boy when that happens you realize how powerless you are; simply because you can't do any type of work whatsoever, in regards of the album for us.

So, recording is on halt until further notice... *Tear*

No Worries

Here's a preview of our new song "No Worries."

This time, we recorded [roughly] drums for the sake of having some kind of beats.
We will be tracking the drums in a couple weeks. How exciting.

More to come!

Amazing Pictures from Mute Math Concert

Beautiful pictures from Saturday's concert at the Club Nokia in LA.

Click!

If you look closely in some of the crowd pictures, you could see Christopher or Eddie.

New Artist Discovery: As Tall As Lions

Yesterday night, at the Club Nokia, it was As Tall As Lions who opened for Mute Math.

They're from New York City and very cool to listen to. I had never heard of them before. Drummer, bass player, lead guitar player, two keyboard/trumpet/other players, and lead singer/guitar.

Pretty cool group. The crowd got easily into them. It's cool to actually be able to see a good opening act. For some reason, the name of that band sounded familiar. I still have to figure out why it does.

In the meanwhile, here's a video of them I found.

Mute Math Concert

Amazing. Simply amazing. They didn't disappoint at all. A very unique and once again memorable performance that moved all of us.

Christopher, Eddie and I had the chance to buy the VIP package, which allowed us to get in first and get a really good spot on the floor. We were practically by the bar.

Sound engineers as we are, Eddie and I observed what was used on stage, as far as mics and other equipment. We were glad to see they were using the same exact mic we had just recently purchased. All of the musicians used in-ear wireless systems, just like us.

Back to Mute Math. They played songs from both albums. What was so cool about the performance were the miscellaneous intros for their songs which aren't found on CD's or their jam outs. Their energy is amazing on stage; you can't help moving your body.

They truly are inspiring, musically speaking and on a performing stand point. It's a band you have to see live once in your life.

Here are some pictures I took from my cell phone. The quality's mediocre, but I thought I'd post them up just in case you might find them enjoyable.








Did I mention that Chris, just like last time we went to see them, got the set list... again? That was awesome.

Getting Ready for Mute Math

Christopher, Eddie and I will have the privilege of going to a Mute Math concert Saturday night in LA. I have seen them before and their performance was extremely memorable; probably the most memorable in my opinion.

So, in order to get ready for their concert, here is some Mute Math for you. I greatly admire their drummer, Darren King Jr. And I personally love their originality; they remain true to their heart and passion for music.

Expect to get a concert review tomorrow night. I hope I won't get disappointed. But then how could I?

Craigslist; Update

Eddie, Chris and I took a trip to Downtown LA to buy a Shure Beta 52A. Not only did we enjoy the trip, we came home a practically brand new mic, saving a good 80 bucks. We yet have to test it out.

Since I'm getting into mics, I will go over the small collection of mics I have. You'll get to learn a bit more for your own curiosity if you'd like.

Here is the Beta 52A, a mic we really needed in order to record the drums. It is used on bass instruments, such as the bass drum/kick drum, low toms [drums] and even bass guitar.

Craigslist

It's been a long road. A long road to get everything single piece of equipment we own today. From working two jobs at a time, to saving up birthday and holiday money.

So far, I've only bought new equipment. But nothing says buying new is necessary.

This is where good old Craigslist comes in the play.

We were looking for a good mic to be able to record the drums. After browsing for it on sites like sweetwater.com or guitarcenter.com and checking the prices, we found a good deal on Craigslist. I've actually never made a purchase through it so I'll found out if this works out. Anyhow, if it is a good deal, we'll be saving.

We'll be posting up more previews of new songs in the upcoming week.

A Studio at Home

The advantage of having a studio at your own place is being to record at any time you want. Even up to 5am.

So, I put together a short video to show a small part of a new song we're working on. It's "Believe" and in the video is Eddie on bass, followed by the bridge of the song. For those who don't know what a bridge is, I'll go more in detail about it in a later blog, but for now I'll just explain it as the change in the part of the song. In other words, it's neither the verse or chorus.

The song has no drums yet, as the Nelson will come in and lay down his parts for the all songs all at once. So it will be a little while until he gets to record.

I wanted to experiment on this part of the song, and no in the band has heard what I've come up with yet. So you'll be discovering it all at the same time as the rest of the band. Enjoy.

Album Update

So far, we've had one day with full band recording session. Since then, everyone has been coming in whenever possible to lay down parts here and there. I'll go in more details this coming week about how we aboard the recording process. Here are some pictures for now.

A Look Back at the Old Days, Part V

Here's the last video we made before the 1 year hiatus in 2008. In there is our old drummer. He's part of the change and transition of the band's sound. Pretty amazing experience.

A Look Back at the Old Days, Part IV

Just finished editing and mixing the new song. Though drums still have to be recorded, Eddie and I figured we could win some time by working on it now.

Chris worked up a nice surprise of his own to the song. He came in a recorded a special treat that none of us had thought of before.

That's the part I love the best about recording and pre-producing; writing and arranging the songs, adding parts to them, and just making the song better in general.

Anyways, here's an instrumental song we had back in 2007.