New Notes on the New Notes (experimental home-recording project).

Archive footage of the boat saloon.
(As I couldn't be bothered to tidy up for a photo).

In my experimental home recording, I'm noticing some key differences in approach and objectives to my previous recordings, which I thought I'd note here. These are merely a personal experience, as a beginner in home-recording, and are certainly not meant to be prescriptive in any way.

So here are some of the main differences, for me, so far;

1. There are no set-days. My previous recording diaries if you look back through this blog have been labelled things like 'Day 4 - Guitars' and the like. Well, as I've not booked a professional studio, this project is very much carried on with on an 'as and when' basis. It might be going back to a song a little bit (which often turns into a lot) every day. There is no 'day 1, day 2' etc as it's on-going and always.

2. I'm a paranoid perfectionist. The lack of trust in my own recording/production abilities has perhaps contributed, conversely,  into my becoming something of a perfectionist when it comes to how individual tracks are sounding. While I still like to go for the raw emotion of 1 take wherever possible, once that track is done, I find myself going back to it again and again to tinker with it during the editing/sound production process. In the past, I was able to entirely trust the ears of a great producer. Not now! Though having said that, I have sent a version of the first track I attempted to my friend and excellent home producer/songwriter Tim (Lee) for his kind suggestions, comments and, it turned out, encouragement. Thanks Tim!

3. There's no overall plan. Studio time is very expensive, and has necessitated being thoroughly planned as to what will happen during every part of each studio session I have booked. This project has the disadvantage perhaps of not needing the guidance of an overall 'end-goal' or ongoing plan for each session, which can certainly keep you highly focussed. This might also turn into an advantage. I don't know what this project will sound like, overall. I am not sure which songs I might keep or discard or even know how I might perform/record them, perhaps overall artistic objectives will begin to crystallise over a longer time frame, during the process itself?

4. I have an overwhelming desire (so far) to do one track at a time. Perhaps because of the relative looseness of this project, I feel the need to maintain some semblance of being on solid ground by wanting to complete one track at a time. At least then, if I decide the whole thing is a bit of a disaster, I will have a couple (or more) completed tracks to consider. I also think that as this is all a bit of an experiment for me, and am learning a lot as I go along, each track may well end up having a considerably different kind of sound or approach. Maybe that will be a good thing?

I'm currently working on a second track with a kind of driving, rock sound very different to the first one. I'm finding it a difficult challenge to get all the sounds working together well without being too muddy.... we'll see...

I'm toying with the idea of releasing two tracks for a temporary period, then at a later date another two, again for a limited time, before the entire project (not something I can even envisage at the moment) may be eventually released. I'd be pleased if you could let me know what you think of this idea?