Hello folks,

Been too busy to update this thing, but recording has been taking place. Another vocal is completed, another one has been sketched out. Another has been half completed! Another guitar has been put down... progress is still slow just due to the nature of musicians (hard to get hold of, even harder to get them to turn up on time...) but I am happy that this project probably has just crossed the halfway point in terms of total material needing to be recorded.

Soundproofing of a screaming singer. On a Budget

This is how you soundproof a screaming vocalist on a budget.

and yours truly with the cans.

I will return soon with some sound clips!

Benz.

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Hi folks,

just to let you know the project is not forgotten about. I've got another fellow working on some trumpet and I've had a fellow in who's recorded half of his vocal, so it's still progressing, just slowly. Will update more when there is another complete contribution added,

steplight,

Benz.

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Hi folks,

a quick update; my friend Jen came over and recorded piano for two of the songs on '...Samosas'.

have yourselves a listen.

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Hello again.

Long time and no action. But all that got changed when Owen and Gary from Almighty Me came around to record.

A good time was had. In the afternoon hours Own laid down two Trombone tracks and a nice bit o' trumpt. Later on Garry joined us and did several vocal takes which has provided me with many choices for mixing. Anyways, best thing to do is to let you have a listen. Two soundfiles below. First is Owen and Gary talking about the project, and the second is a snippet of what we recorded:

Enjoy,

Benz.

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Hello folks.

Over a month since the last update! You'd think I'd been slacking off! Well, truth being I have a bit, but work has been done. The main acoustic guitar has been recorded for another of the tracks, along with a will-it-stay-will-it-go take of the accompanying guitar.

There's a bit of news on the personnel front. Newly recruited into the '...Samosas' camp is Mr Robin Pringle of The Kick

Robin Kick

Originally, I was intending Robin to sing on the track I mentioned above, which I'd just finished getting the guitar recorded for. However, he was too sure if it was suiting to him. So he dropped by one day and we sifted through some stuff over a couple of beers, a pizza and settled on a different track for him, which has the working title of 'Difficult'. That leaves me with just 3 songs needing singers now...

For a re-cap, here's a list of everyone who has contributed/has agreed to contribute/who are currently working on stuff for the album. I can't thank these people enough for all their enthusiasm which they responded to my invitations with.

Alan McDonald of Afterlives and 99Confessions (vocals)
Michael Bret Klein (vocals, blues harp)
Kevin Stevenson of Silva (bass)
Scott Mitchel of  Bends and Boots and Drive A Tractor (vocals, guitar, drums)
Michael McCue of Slient Transmission (vocals)
Owen and Gary of Almighty Me (Brass, Vocals)
Mr Robin Pringle of The Kick (vocals)
Kenny the bassist with the funky green bass (bass)
Michael Thorpe of Dead Fly Buchowski and El Casio Immunitas.

Big thanks also goes to Alan Walsh of Q10 Studios, who recorded all the drums.

Hopefully there'll be more sound clips a month of two down the road,

Steplight,

Benz.

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Hello again folks,

There's not really been an update for a while, but I have been busy; more in the organisational way than recording though. Another 5 people have been contacted with regards to taking part in the recording project, and I also sat down with another vocalist and assisted in the writing of lyrics for another one of the tunes. Things are starting to take shape, however there is still the majority of the acoustic numbers without vocalists assigned to perform on them.

In my last post I put up a snippet of Alan singing 'Present Tense'. Well, tomorrow he's coming back to record different verses and a different bridge section! Seems he's up for improving on his previous melodies, and I'm delighted to be able to offer him the chance.

Other than '...Samosas' I've been roped into some other recording duties. Bret, who sings on one of the rockier tracks for the album came around and finished his '...Samosas' vocal, but then knuckled down and recorded three of his own songs; just vocals and acoustic guitar.

SoloBret

FluorescentCross

Michael Bret Klein

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Hello again all,

Well, my self and a Mr Alan McDonald had a very productive recording session. Plenty of lovely vocal got recorded with near mics, far away mics, big mics, little mics...! Vocals were recorded for the pop song on the album (now called Present Tense).

Apart from the vocals that were done today, this song only has a guitar and the drums recorded for it. Having the vocal recorded nice and early puts a lot of different ideas into the song. As well as doing some singing, Alan has also recorded a few minutes of him talking about the recording and the project as a whole. I hope to do this for everyone who participates from now on! So, I'll stop typing and let you listen.

Hope you enjoy, catch you next time,

Benz.

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Hello all,

There been a bit of a slow down on '...Samosas' due the need for repairs on my acoustic guitar (full refret, new nut and saddle). However another vocal is going to get recorded at the end of this week. In the meantime however, here's a  rough, one-take recording of a little ditty written by myself and the drummer for '...Samosas'.  It's one of the songs that we do when we play open mic acoustic sets under the name 'Drive A Tractor'.

Fuck The Orchestra

Drive A Tractor

Please note the song does have some bad words in it and a few sexual references. As such I've flagged it as possible offensive.

Scott Mitchell on acoustic guitar (left channel) and vocals
Myself on acoustic guitar (right channel). Apologies for the ropey improvised guitar solo at the end.

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You know, you're meant to kick back on bank holidays. Enjoy the day off work. Go to the theatre, or catch a film or something like that.

I have not! I've finally got my arse into gear. Today I've recorded the acoustic guitars for the Pop song (now to be called 'Present Tense') and also for the track with working title 'Was Once'. I started at about 10am, and I finished at about 8.30pm, having taken the appropriate food and ear/finger/patience breaks. There was a fair bit of mixing time added in, so it wasn't all spent playing/recording.

Recording acoustic guitar is quite a different game from recording an electric guitar. I won't bore you with details. Anyway; in the picture up above and to the left you'll see two microphones. A large diaphragm condenser for placing in front of the soundhole, and a small diaphragm condenser to point more at the 12th fret or end of the fretboard (depending how high up the neck you're playing). The small mic picks up the detail of the high frequencies and the big one catches the big midrangey acoustic brag of the guitar. The bit of kit in the picture above and to the right is a mic-preamp. It does a much better job of getting the levels up than the mixer does. In fact that entire bit of kit does the job of just 2 knobs on my mixer. When I shelled out all the cash for it, it seemed like quite an extravagance, however the results that it is helping me get mean that it was well worth it.

The guitars for 'Present Tense' sound big and full - just what I was hoping for. The guitars for 'Was Once' really bring a smile to my face. You can really hear the attack of the hard pick on the strings. In places the high-end sound like knives being dragged across each other.

What this progress means is that I can call on the vocalist for 'Present Tense'. He's booked in for a fortnight this weekend. I'm also very glad of getting the acoustic guitars done for 'Was Once'. That song is going to be quite a construction when it's done, and if feel really good to have broken the back of it, so to speak. I've got a vocalist in mind for 'Was Once'... he hasn't been told yet, but hopefully he'll take up the offer when it comes to him. In the meantime I will get the track sounding the best I can so that the bloke is more likely to come on board. I still have the bass to record for it, and it's one of my favourite basslines that I've written.

Anyways, this is dragging on. The only other thing to report is that I've had an idea to make this blog a bit more 'Web 2.0'. I'm going the get the people who come to record to talk about bit about what they've recorded and the project. I'll upload these recording to this here VOX, like mini-podcasts. Hopefully it'll be interesting.

Hope you're all stepping light,

Benz.

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Things have been busy.

First off, Mr Michael Thorpe of Dead Fly Buchowski fame came along and did some bass playing for the groove metal track on the album.

MichaelSnippet02

Michael&bass

Michael first performed bass for this song when he, Scott and I all embarked on 'The Metal Project Three'. As suggested by the name it was a project to record some metal, and it involved 3 people. It also involved 3 songs. One song was picked to from that project to take onto 'Samosas...' That tune now has the title 'Throw Down A Brandy... I'm Gonna Torch The Place'. When he came around to record he also agreed to add some more guitar to another track, with the working title 'Was Once'. Anyway, this tune doesn't really do much to show case anyone's musical prowess as it really is mostly a lot of basic heavy riffin', so just enjoy it for the blast.

Scott, drummer for the Metal Project Three (and drummer for the entirety of 'Samosas...') also came along to contribute to a song with the working title of 'Triangles'.

Scott recorded some guitar and squeeze-box for the song. Later on he will be returning to add vocals as well. Looks like this song will feature just myself and Scott, so it's no wonder it's starting to sound a little like a number that we could do in our acoustic sets when we play under the name of 'Drive A Tractor'.

ScottSnippet

Daniel Cumming & Friends

These two snippets show pretty clearly that there is going to be quite a broad range of music on this album.

So what is next for 'Samosas...'? I'm probably going to have to knuckle down and finish re-recording my guitar parts. I've recorded acoustic guitars a couple of times now, so I've got no excuses for not getting started. There are 4 vocalists assigned with songs to write and perform on, so there'll be plenty of recording on the horizon. I should get busy myself until they're ready to record. Before I go, here's a couple more pictures, just because Scott complained that the only pictures of myself on this thing feature me on crutches.

Later!

Benz.

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