Gomorrah EP - 171015

Sponsored by "Music (random)".

Here it is -  the final EP release to promote D(O)UB(T). Out now on Bandcamp...



Additional tracks are Is Everybody Happy Yet?, The Book Of Passwords and an instrumental demo version of Gomorrah.

Hope you enjoy it.

More news when I have it...

Regards,


djp

Gomorrah/Tracklisting - 280615

Sponsored by "Neu!"

GOMORRAH

Graphics done for a prospective October release.

TRACKLISTING

Made an MP3 file of Version 3b in AA3 for review purposes. Can't wait to listen to it over the car stereo and the setup in my lounge. There may be a few tweaks to be done on a few tracks, but more in the way of EQ adjustments. I'm certainly not messing around with crossfades again...;-).

Regards,


djp

FCA Boots/Gomorrah/Is Everybody Happy Yet? - 220515

Sponsored by "Music (random)".

FCA BOOTS

Sorted the glitch. Remixed/remastered in CE5/AA3. Sorted.

GOMORRAH

Had to do an emergency edit on the Ric bass/Squier Strat parts. Mixed/mastered in CE5/AA3. Three mixes. Taking the second.

IS EVERYBODY HAPPY YET?

What a nightmare of a track to mix. Had to edit the Squier Strat parts and do a huge amount of tweaking of the VST soft synth parts. Mixed/mastered in CE5/AA3/AA1.5. Not sure if I'm 100% happy with it. Made multiple mixes, too many to count. I picked the least worst one, if you follow me. I spent an awful lot of time on a track that won't actually feature on the finished album. Who'd be me, eh...?

In other news, my broadband was down all day. I was too busy to check it out during the day, but this evening I got on to my ISP. During the week, I'd ordered fibre broadband and was told that an engineer would be out in a few weeks to sort things out. However, it seems that they actually turned on my fiber broadband today and my router couldn't handle it, Luckily, I had a second router which could take fibre broadband, so I got on to the support guy and found that if I connected it to the test phone socket inside the master phone socket, everything worked fine. However, the support guy told me that this would disable my landline, so I had to disconnect my alarm, because it was beeping like mad.

Subsequently, I discovered that the landline could work if I connected it to the test socket through the filter. So it seems there may have been no need to disconnect the alarm at all. Tcheh! So now you know what I'll be up to for the rest of the evening.

Shtuff...

Regards,


djp

Gomorrah/Mare Nostrum/FCA Boots/Tropes and Memes/Everybody Calls Me Darren - 240415

Sponsored by "Music (random)".

GOMORRAH

Edited/dubbed-up the vocal/Squier Strat/MIDI drum parts in CE5. Everything goes so much more smoothly when the PC decides to behave itself - just sayin'...

The track is ready to mix/master and it's HUGE!!!. You're going to love it - or absolutely hate it...;-).

The track bears a very passing resemblance to this...

As for the other tracks, I've had to make a few executive decisions. I'm kinda running out of time and I have a lot of tracks to work on.The next few months could be a little difficult what with business travel, holidays and such, so I have to be realistic about what I can achieve.

So here goes...

• MARE NOSTRUM - I will record choral vocal parts for this track next week - definitely. I have a "window" which I plan to exploit to the full, and this track is window-shaped...
• FCA BOOTS - I'm not going to bother with vocals on this - just go straight to mix/master stage
• TROPES AND MEMES - ditto
• EVERYBODY CALLS ME DARREN - I'm going to abandon this track. It's a silly idea that doesn't actually add any value to the album. In fact, possibly quite the reverse..

So that leaves me with three tracks to work on over the next month. I plan to release an EP at some stage in June, so I will concentrate on the tracks for that initially. Stay tooned for further news...

Regards,


djp

Gomorrah - 230415

Sponsored by "Music (random)".

Pretty much finished editing/dubbing-up the vocal parts in CE5. Some small tweaks required, but nothing major.

Also edited the Squier Strat parts and started dubbing them up. Should be finished tomorrow.

Lots of trouble with the PC. I had fantasies of taking a sledgehammer to it when the new PC is in place and bedded down.

Must dream on for a while yet, though...;-).

Regards,


djp

Gomorrah - 220415

Sponsored by "Music (random)".

Edited the vocal parts in CE5. Almost fully satisfied with them - more work to do tomorrow.

I had a lot of tech-y issues with my PC, which are basically because the damn thing is ancient. I am negotiating the process of upgrading my PC for future projects, although I have some concerns re. the compatibility of OS with CE5. But I may be able to get around that.

A thing for the future...

Regards,


djp

Gomorrah - 170215

Sponsored by "80s Music".

Tracked 17 vocal parts on the Gulag Mobile via the Sennheiser e855 mic. Audio cleanup in AA3 and inserted into the relevant project file in CE5.

Sounds great so far. Some editing required.

Back to the real world tomorrow...

Regards,


djp

Gomorrah/My Troubles Are As Nothing Compared To Yours - 030215

Sponsored by "Nina Simone".

Well, I know I said I'd think about doing some vocals today. Well, I did think about it. Most of last night, in fact. I found looking myself for reasons (or excuses) not to sing today. And I found plenty of silly, trivial, moody reasons. But when I woke up this morning, I found the best reason of all - incipient manflu. So, no singing to day, just Lemsip...;-).

But I decided to use the time to do some work on lyrics and vocal nonsense. Over the last while I have been keeping notes of random phrases that have popped into my head, for use either as proper lyrics, or as words I can dub-up. In the latter category, I have material for six tracks, to which I will probably add material improvised while tracking. All good fun, no doubt...

But I also found time to write two sets of lyrics. And here they are...

 

GOMORRAH

 

 

Baby's going back to Gomorrah

 

She's leaving on the morning train

 

I'll take her to the station tomorrah

 

I wonder will I see her again?

 

 

Baby's going back to Gomorrah

 

Big city by a  different name

 

She's going back to where she came from

 

I wonder will I see her again?

 

 

(c)2015 Daniel Prendiville

 

 

MY TROUBLES ARE AS NOTHING COMPARED TO YOURS

 

 

Well my clothes are worn but the troubles I got

 

Are nothing compared to yours

 

And I feel forlorn but the troubles I got

 

Are nothing compared to yours

 

And my car won't start but the troubles I got

 

Are nothing compared to yours

 

I've a broken heart but the troubles I got

 

Are nothing compared to yours

 

 

Well the sky is grey but the troubles I got

 

Are nothing compared to yours

 

And it rains all day but the troubles I got

 

Are nothing compared to yours

 

And my muscles strain but the troubles I got

 

Are nothing compared to yours

 

But I feel no pain so the troubles I got

 

Are nothing compared to yours

 

 

And I feel the cold but the troubles I got

 

Are nothing compared to yours

 

And I'm getting old but the troubles I got

 

Are nothing compared to yours

 

And I struggle and strive but the troubles I got

 

Are nothing compared to yours

 

But I'm still alive so the troubles I got

 

Are nothing compared to yours

 

 

(c) 2015 Daniel Prendiville

 

 

I need to tidy out the arrangement for ...TROUBLES a bit, but nothing a bit of "editage" won't sort.

 

Real world intervenes tomorrow. Can't be having fun all the day, can I...?;-).

 

Regards,

 

 

 

djp

 



Gomorrah - 220314

Sponsored by "Cousin Silas".

Edited the various MIDI drum parts in CE5. Sounds great.

The track is ready for the next phase, but that'll be for a while yet...

Out forrin' for much of next week, but I hope I'll be able to do some work on the album on my return.

Regards,


djp

Gomorrah - 190314

Sponsored by "Colin Blake".

Difficult day today - plagued with technical problems.

My Roland Juno-D synth seems to have decided not to perform when certain keys are played. This isn't a major problem when programming MIDI drum parts, but God help you if you want to play a melody - so it's a good job I can't actually play keyboards then, innit? Probably needs someone to take a look at it - a good cleaning out, most likely.

I had to dig out the old Yamaha DX100 for programming a variety of synth parts in CE5. The DX is perfectly fine for what I was doing today, various VST plugin pad sounds.

A frustrating day, but I got a decent amount of work done. I just need to edit the hell out of the track and then it will be ready to really work on...;-).

Regards,


djp

Gomorrah - 180314

Sponsored by "Classical Music".

Programmed up a variety of MIDI drum and percussion parts in CE5 using the Roland Juno-D/Phonic Firefly/HALion One Jazzy Kit & Mixed Percussion/Kore Player Sky Kit.

A lot  of editing to be done here, but I won't be around for much of the next week or so. Off to Lisbon on a business trip - lucky moi. The editing will have to wait until I return. In the meantime, I'll have a go at tracking some bass parts tomorrow. It's been a while...;-).

Regards,


djp

Gomorrah - 050214

Sponsored by "Added 2009".

Edited the Strat parts in CE5. I also changed out one of the Ric bass parts. Things sound much better. The track is ready for the next phase.

Regards,


djp

Gomorrah - 270114

Sponsored by "60s Music".

Edited the Ric 4003 parts in CE5. Close enough for jazz. At least I have an idea of the track length now.

Hope to do some more editing on the track tomorrow.

Regards,


djp

Gomorrah - 200114

Sponsored by "Purchased".

Back in the game, somewhat...

...although I'm still feeling less than chipper, my health has improved sufficiently for me to contemplate tracking some audio, so I recorded 9 Squier Strat parts on the Tascam 2488 using the Pod 2.0. Audio cleanup in AA3 and inserted into the relevant project file in CE5. Some interesting stuff going on, particularly in relation to mad harmonics coming off the Ric bass part - possibly inspirational...

More tracking tomorrow if the old health holds out. New track, mayhaps...?

Regards,


djp

A Accident/Unwinnable Caption Competion - 160114

Sponsored by "Rollercoaster"

I've been suffering from a heavy bout of manflu since the weekend, and here's the mug of Lemsip to illustrate that fact...

A mug of Lemsip, today...

The last few days at work have been a tough old slog for me, and while I know I should have been tracking guitar for GOMORRAH today, I just didn't have the energy to set up the hardware'n'stuff...

So today I thought I'd try a few electronic tracks that I could just program up in CE5 using various VST plugins.

The first piece to escape from my addled brain was A ACCIDENT, which is meant to be an abstract piece of electronica (whatever that means) with some vocal elements and a lot of heavy-duty hard editing a la Holger Czukay. Essentially, what I have is an audio recording (via the Behringer Xenyx 1202 mixer) of 3 and a half minutes of the Sun Ra plugin ("Sun arriving to Earth"). The plugin starts without touching a keyboard, so I just recorded it on the fly. Audio cleanup in AA3 and inserted into the relevant project file in CE5. I can edit to taste. Seemples.

I also started work on UNWINNABLE CAPTION COMPETITION. This started off with two MIDI parts (STS-86 Double Pad) programmed in CE5, using the Roland Juno-D and the Phonic Firefly. I then took the MIDI parts and applied them to an arpeggiated tone from the Minimogue VA plugin (simsynth3). Had to record this to audio via the Behringer mixer (usual audio cleanup/insertion routine). I then programmed up some basic drum parts in HALion One (Electrokit 1). On reflection, and for various technical reasons, the Minmogue parts didn't work with the STS parts, so I muted the latter and went on to program two different (but similar) "floaty" synth parts in Prologue (Forum Romanum) and Majken's Chimera. The track works a lot better now and barring some tidying-up, there is nothing to add to the track. It certainly doesn't need bass or guitar.

So that was it. Can't wait to get better. Not sure what I'll do tomorrow, but I'll definitely do something...

Regards,

djp

Gomorrah - 070114

Sponsored by "Down Colorful Hill"

Change of plans. I remembered late yesterday evening that if I was to track guitar parts today, I'd need to restring the guitar. And give it a good cleaning too, to be honest. I didn't have time (was too lazy) to do those tasks last night, so I decided that I would track bass parts for Gomorrah today instead.

So that's what I did. 6 bass parts on the Ric 4003 via the Bass Pod XT and the Tascam 2488. Audio cleanup in AA3 and inserted into the relevant project file in CE5. The bass parts are very "busy", so it was difficult getting decent takes, but I managed it in the end. Some editing to be done, of course.

On a related issue, I was sitting so long in the same position this morning that I seem to have done something funny (as in not "ha ha") to my left hamstring. Painful to stand up/sit down/walk about. Self-inflicted.

More self-infliction tomorrow, after definitely having restrung/cleaned the guitar.

Regards,


djp

Stiltwalker In The Wind/Gomorrah - 050114

Sponsored by "XTC".

Busy morning today.


STILTWALKER

Prepared a rough stereo mix of the work to date in CE5 and copied it on to my Tascam 2488. All ready for tracking bass tomorrow...


GOMORRAH

A new track, and not one that I'd planned to do at all, but the other day the following quatrain(?) came to me by way of inspiration...

 

GOMORRAH (draft lyrics - excerpt)

 

 

Baby's going back to Gomorrah

She's leaving on the morning train

I'll take her to the station tomorrah

I wonder will I see her again?

 

 

(c) 2014 Daniel Prendiville

 

 

As I said, I wasn't planning on doing this track at all, and I certainly hadn't intended writing lyrics at this stage of the process, but when inspiration comes, it comes and should be welcomed.

 

As it happens, I'm jotting down whatever useful phrases I come across these days for potential use as lyrics. Even the odd phrase that might appear from time to time, totally by accident, in these blogposts. This is not how I usually approach lyric writing - normally I just start with a blank page and an equally blank mind, but I would then come up with the lyrics to a song in one go. Then again, D(O)UB(T) isn't about songs as such...

 

I recorded a metronome track (75 bpm) in CE5 using the Behringer Xenyx 1202 and transferred it onto the Tascam 2488.

 

I plan to recycle a bass line that I'd used on my track The Survivalists' Guide To Hardwood Flooring...

 

 ...which featured on my 2008 album, RAW MESH.

(Sorry I couldn't imbed the track properly in this post. Bloody Reverbnation...)

I hadn't liked what I'd done with the bass line at the time, and so I plan to make amends this time out. I hope to track the new bass line on Wednesday.

That's enough to be going on with for the moment.

Regards,

djp