"If I Didn't Care" semi-open collaboration project

[outteh]

Aaron, excellent vocal backing! Has great potential to fill in the song!

[freightgod]

Really wiped out tonight, so tired I'm afraid to listen to anything because I'm afraid my exhaustion will cloud my judgement. Couple things:

Maybe we should take all but personal chat here to the forum rather than the text file I set up.

Also, someone mentioned the project files are getting out of hand, so cleanup coming tomorrow. All I have to do if i remember correctly is open the project, save to a new location and only the in-use files will be there, then copy the new folder back. I'll be careful and work with a dupe folder just in case. There's a thread somewhere on the forums describing the process. Mixcraft is great about being able to roll back, but most of the files are just throw away takes. Wish Mixcraft had a 'cleanup the crap' button.

If someone has the energy to find the thread describing how to do this, please post a link here.

I will try to send a group email tomorrow and make a post here detailing all current members. We all have so damn many names it gets confusing who is doing what. One thought I had today is that we should probably include our initials to the titles of any tracks we add, so that we can figure out what's what.

Got to crash now. Looking forward to hearing everyone's work tomorrow. Please comment on these thoughts in the meantime.

LOL, it would be really interesting to see if any of the mods are following this project. I'm pretty sure all the 'regular' posters to the forums are on board already, I'd like to hear from some of the mods. They are probably laughing their asses off.

[freightgod]

I'll get some sort of mix up on Soundcloud tomorrow just for the lurkers, if there are any!

Thanks everyone, this is great fun.

Oh, one more suggestion: don't get hung up on final mixes and global effects yet, that will be a whole other learning process, which I'm looking forward to. Let's just track for a while. Experiment by all means, however! I just think at some point we should take each track and learn how to best treat each 'voice'.

[Mark Bliss]

We all have so damn many names

I have a fix for that..... LOL!

don't get hung up on final mixes and global effects yet, that will be a whole other learning process, which I'm looking forward to. Let's just track for a while.

Yeah, I was going to point out- any EQ or effects added before adding other tracks, while great fun and experimentation, is likely going to be 100% irrelevant once other tracks are added.

Jumping back a few comments, I have listened to a couple of cuts, but haven't had time to listen to all the content. I am having a hard time getting a feel for any other style than the vocal and acoustic guitar ballad as played. Unless willing to rethink the style as a whole. Haven't heard Toms addition of brushes yet, but had considered whether that would be a fit before he added that. The percussive "chunky" guitar might not fit at all with any additional percussion track. Or most any other tracks at all. So that might need a rethink. Is it considered a scratch/guide track or is this central to the direction you want to go?

Just watching and making observations at this point.......

[freightgod]

Hard to say, Mark. The song itself sprang from the guitar rhythm, so I think that's central to the feel, although who knows? I've got to try to be open minded. There are definitely more talented guitarists as well. I haven't listened to the brushes or harmony yet, and I'm looking forward to hearing what Markus comes up with. I can be persuaded Probably.

[outteh]

Actually, the chunk guitar is the strong backing rhythm. I'm going to take a quick poke that Marcus will probably come up with a finger style compliment. The brush percussive has potential, needs a little more work, but the intent is for it to be barely noticable. The vocal is going to be the highlight. I think it is super and Aaron's complimentary vocal can be phrased in to certain parts to bring out a phrase or two. The song has great potential! Just my "ambitious" take of course. I also think a bandolin or accordion would work in this!

[freightgod]

https://soundcloud.com/if-i-didntcare/if-i-didnt-care-2

OK, I couldn't wait until morning, glad I didn't! I muted the brush drums for now.

[outteh]

OUTSTANDING!!!!!!!!

[freightgod]

I think I'm going to have to hire Aaron to do backups on all my songs, lol. I often do my own but I think his voice meshes very well with mine but it's distinctive enough to provide a little contrast, which I find is helpful.

I like acoustic bass, but I think I'm going to try doubling it just a little with a little fuzz bass, we'll see. I'm also going to try to tighten up the timing in a few spots tomorrow.

[Mark Bliss]

Just my "ambitious" take of course.

Oh stop, it wasn't a criticism. Ya gotta know I would have never said that if I didn't think you knew where I was coming from after all this time. (Measured in years now.)

What I meant about the existing guitar is that it might be hard to work in anything very drum related. Hard fit unless some big changes were made.

I had a feeling a simple mandolin track might compliment.
It may be just my tastes, but going in an acoustic/Americana/hint of country direction would suite the song quite well. How do you feel about that?

[freightgod]

Yo, the PROJECT FILES folder just shed over 800 mbs just by saving to a new location then copying it back. Will have to do that once in a while.

[freightgod]

I love Americana sounds. Two things though. I have never heard a convincing mandolin or fiddle vst, and I have a feeling we will hear from Marcus soonish, I am eager to hear where that takes us.

Anybody got some mandolin chops?

[CRAZY6STRINGS]

You guys are pretty brave LOL

But I think, at the end you'll all be "healthier" for it.

I do think an executive producer is a must!!. And every one will need to check their egos at the front door and let the producer call the shots.

Maybe before investing energy and having an added part be nixed, the idea should be submitted with a brief description of what is being suggested...and it can be okayed or not accepted?!?

I'll be following along...not sure if I want to be a part of this and I do have a full plate with my own projects and my families.

[Mark Bliss]

I have never heard a convincing mandolin or fiddle vst

Neither have I, and I am not sure it is anything but impossible to do!

No, I was certainly not suggesting polluting the waters with anything of the sort.
And while I play a little mando, I doubt I could do justice to this, nor record anything new anytime soon.
And for the record, my fiddle playing makes the dog run and hide. Its the devils voice I tell you! I would love to play some basic riffs, but the bow technique as of yet eludes me.

But I have a sense that a simple, intimate/casual feel would work with this piece. Something along the lines of this style: (Love this girls voice, and this song.)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ln2riO8q8Rg
Perhaps the better sounding version:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hAma_LCuH80

Again, just observing and suggesting.

[freightgod]

this is off topic but I'd like to share something that happened while recording my last tune December and June, give a listen to the first few bars:

https://soundcloud.com/unknownartist-14 ... and-june-1

OK, I recorded the rhythm first, then the vocal. Then I did a little light picking, which repeats all the way through the song. For giggles I took that picking motif, copied it to two different tracks, transposed one up an octave and one down an octave and voila, that's the bass and 'banjo' sounds you hear, lol. It's all from one take which I chopped up a bit for variety sake now and again, but that's it. Serendipity or something.

Also, the weirdest thing happened with that recording. At 9 seconds in, you'll hear a little three note motif ta ta ta...those were completely accidental notes that I have no recollection playing, they are from part of the 'picking' take near the end of the song (listen carefully at 2:46), but it worked so well that I flew it into the intro, and decided to repeat that motif with what I call the 'satellite beacon' sound that 'calls out' at random times throughout the recording.

Sometimes magic happens when recording.