Introduction to Wanderer Awakening Posts

People have asked me to write some behind-the-scenes notes about some of the production techniques done on Wanderer Awakening.

For those that do not know what this is, a little explanation might be in order.

Wanderer Awakening is a two and a half hour musical consisting of 50 titles - twenty-five traditional ’songs’ and twenty-five narrations with underscoring.

It is the followup project to David Wilcock and my original collaboration entitled The Science of Peace.

Since information about production techniques is a little over the top of most people who visit David’s site, it seemed logical to start a category here on my studio blog to post these notes.

This way only those who truly are interested will come here and read about it. And those who could care less won’t be bothered with it cluttering up David’s site.

I hope to post notes about every song in the project over the next few months. But I can guarantee that I will only be doing this when I have spare time to do it.

Enjoy!

Larry

The Importance of Intelligibility

When mixing speech, it is best to ensure intelligibility by using compression and EQ on the vocal.

This can be done using an EQ that is adjusted for a clearer sounding voice by increasing the gain at around 3k.

Generally, I like to filter the low frequencies of the microphone out of the signal by using a high pass filter to remove any ‘bumps’ or other noises that don’t belong there also.

Once the EQ sounds clear and clean on the vocal, I will add some fairly substantial compression to the vocal in order to ’smooth out’ the EQ that was put on for intelligibility.

I usually choose several compressors set to a very smooth setting and place them sequentially one after the other, or since I own a NeoDynium compressor from Roger Nichols Digital (now called the D4), I use one instead of several.

The NeoDynium compressor was originally made by Brandon Ware at Elemental Audio but was sold/Licensed to RN Digital in 2006.

I never saw a reason to upgrade from the Elemental Audio versions, so I still use those.

At any rate, by using this compressor I am able to compress the vocal in such a way that it does not sound ‘compressed’ but instead has a very smooth sound to it.

However, having added high frequency EQ, and filtering the low end down via the hi pass filter, then compressing the vocal, sometimes it needs a tad of low end bump to give the vocal some body.

A little bump around 220 hz does the trick.

Cut and Level Mixing

I received a question from Flash at Flashpoint Studios regarding the differences between adjusting levels in Nuendo.

One way is to use the objects in the arrangement window and raise and lower them there… the other is to use the mixer and raise and lower the levels in the mixer.

Here is the difference:

If you raise/lower the level in the arrangement window (i.e. the objects) you are increasing/decreasing the level BEFORE it hits the mixer and the plugins. The advantage of doing this is that you can smooth out the levels before they hit a compressor… in effect making the compressor not work so hard and also making it less likely to hear the compressor work. If you are wanting to NOT hear a compressor work, then this is the best choice.

If you raise/lower the level in the mixer, you are changing the levels AFTER the plugins. The advantage of doing this is that you can keep the effect of a compressor working but adjust the level of the sound lower/higher while keeping the compressor effect. If you are WANTING to hear the compressor work, then this is the best choice.

FWIW I always adjust levels in the arrangement window for constant level… then I use the mixer as a simple overall level control.

This generally makes my projects sound like I didn’t use plugins… Which is always a good thing.

Merry Larry Christmas (Thanks for the Memories!)

During the 2008 Christmas season, I offered my “Merry Larry Christmas” CD as a free download to everyone who was interested in downloading it.

Over 4000 copies of the CD were downloaded and given as presents to all those who enjoy traditional instrumental Christmas music.

The CD’s worth of instrumental MP3 files received numerous praises from the many varied people who took the the time to download and listen to the music.

In addition to being offered here on the Electric LarryLand site, it was also offered as a free download on my friend David Wilcock’s site entitled Divine Cosmos.

Some of the comments reflect their thanks to both David (for allowing the CD to be posted there) and myself.

Here are a few of the selected quotes from people who have downloaded, then spoken highly of “Merry Larry Christmas”:

• Written by Barb, on 12-24-2008
  I just listened to this and it is by far one of the best holiday compilations I have ever heard! It is now on my list of favorite Christmas music, and I will definitely be sharing this with my family and friends. Thank you both for sharing such a beautiful musical collection. I love it! Merry Christmas/Happy Holidays to both of you and all you love.
• Written by deadfoot, on 12-30-2008
  Wow, the production rules… I need his rig!!!
• Written by Anne Nguyen, on 12-24-2008
  Very nice! The music sounds so clean, clear and crisp! What a generous Christmas Present! Thank you for sharing!
• Written by Maria from Spain, on 12-28-2008
  Muchisimas gracias, es fantastico
• Written by KassandraLoves, on 12-26-2008
  THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU!!! I thoroughly enjoyed this CD! What a great christmas gift! Love and light!!
• Written by Carissa, on 12-26-2008
  Thank you so much for making this album available online, I really enjoyed it. I am not usually into Christmas music because it is the same old thing every year, but Larry’s music is wonderful. It put me in a spirit of graditude and happiness to share Christmas with my family this year. Thanks!!
• Written by Farwuq, on 12-26-2008
  Thank you very much, from Farwuq in Sweden. Merry Christmas!
• Written by Nancy in Wisconsin, on 12-26-2008
  … thank you very much, … It’s beautiful, probably the best Christmas gift I received this year. We listened as we ate our Christmas dinner. Hope you are having peaceful and restorative holidays.
• Written by Hugo, on 12-25-2008
  Thanks guys. The songs are well appreciated. Happy Holidays to all. One Love.
• Written by Taylor Dearman, on 12-25-2008
  Thank you Larry and David! I set the album on repeat and listened to it continuously throughout the day with varying sets of family, and each time was more pleasurable than the one before. I must say that this is the first download from DivineCosmos that my family members have readily devoured without scoffing- at times I feel I am casting pearls before swine (figuratively) as I have tried to introduce the Law of One material to my family members with little results. Very frustrating. However, thsi one is a beauty! Larry, your guitar work is so damn good! Thanks again, and Feliz Navidad!!!
• Written by Rich, on 12-25-2008
  Thanks to you, David and to Larry for this great CD. It is truly a blessing to be able to enjoy this season with family and friends. Looking forward to 2009 and beyond with ALL of you. Peace and Love Rich, in Louisiana.
• Written by My Name Is Billy Jack, on 12-25-2008
  Thanks gents, Our family certainly enjoyed this album! xx MNIBJ
• Written by Liliane transiten, on 12-24-2008
  Thank you Larry! The arrangements and your way of playing take me back to the 70:ties; feels very genuine.
• Written by Brian, on 12-24-2008
  Classy. Very nice and well done. Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to the both of you.
• Written by Linda, on 12-24-2008
  This touches the depths of my soul. Wonderful!!
• Written by Jason, on 12-24-2008
  This music is of the highest quality. What a fantastic pairing you and Larry…I am very exited to hear wanderer awakening David. Have a happy Christmastide everyone!

And thank you goes out to all of you too!

It has been a pleasure to offer this CD for everyone to listen to and enjoy.

The 2008 Christmas season marks the largest number of people so far who have downloaded and listened to “Merry Larry Christmas”.

However, as of Jan 1st, 2008 it will no longer be offered as a free download. Instead, it will not be available again until Christmas 2009. At that time, it will offered for sale at standard CD prices from various retail music sites.

Merry Christmas Everyone!

Larry

Jingle Jangle Christmas

When I was younger (many years ago and more than likely before many of you were even born) I used to dream of being able to play all of the musical parts that I heard in my head onto some kind of mechanism that would play them back as I heard them.

I used to dream about doing this while I lived at my parents house in Missouri.

Sitting in my bedroom, I would listen to the sounds in my head and imagine them being playing all together at once.

It was a dream that would not be realized until many years later when my friend Gary Powell installed a complete MIDI studio in his home and invited me to use it.

Gary let me use his MIDI studio to compose and arrange the sounds that I heard in my head starting in 1986. In fact, I recorded my very first complete MIDI CD at his studio and titled it “Family Portrait”. His generosity is something that I will always be grateful to him for. Words cannot express what that experience did for me and my musical growth.

Armed with this knowledge about the capabilities of MIDI and bursting with a desire to own my own MIDI studio, I purchased tons of my own MIDI gear for my use here at Electric LarryLand.

It didn’t take much for me to be inspired enough to write and record songs at my newly equipped MIDI capable studio. I wrote many many tunes during those days.

In 1999, I was inspired to write a Christmas song entitled “Jingle Jangle”. The tune was loosely based on a style similar to Mannheim Steamroller. However, it doesn’t really sound like them at all.

I’ll let you be the judge of what you think it sounds like.

Enjoy!

Cut That EQ!

EQ is an essential part of mixing used in professional audio work.

Most engineers will grab an EQ knob and start turning until it sounds right. And there is nothing wrong with that approach.

Generally, an inexperienced engineer will ‘add’ frequencies in an EQ device in order to make the track sound ‘brighter’ or give it more ‘body’ or any of about 10,000 terms people use to describe what they are wanting.

However, an experienced engineer knows that the first place to start with EQ is to ‘cut’ frequencies.

The reason for this is that generally modern tracks are very ‘thick’ sounding and there is too much audio data for the amount of sonic space available. Cutting frequencies tends to ‘clean up’ a mix to allow for tracks to live together in harmony instead of fighting each other for space.

Another good practice is to roll off sub-bass frequencies in order to clean up the low end and make room for the Kick Drum or Bass Guitar.

I do this almost always for anything that might have sub-sonic frequencies that do not really need to be there for the track to sound right.

An example would be a vocal track… rarely (if ever) does the voice produce anything that is usable or necessary in that range. So using a ‘Hi Pass’ filter for vocal tracks is very common practice.

Finally, when cutting background vocals, it is a good idea to run them through a common group channel and EQ that group channel so that you conserve the amount of processing done by the audio computer and to place the background vocal parts in an area of the mix that does not compete with the lead vocal or backing tracks.

Notice that I have chosen to use both a ‘Hi Pass’ filter and also a ‘Hi Frequency Shelving’ EQ for the background vocals.

This has the effect of making the background vocals sound very ‘airy’ and keeps them out of the way of the lead vocal and other instruments.

Background Vocals and Tracks

It is not unusual to record 24 tracks of instruments when doing a typical pop song.

But it is unusual to record 24 additional tracks of just background vocals. This is what was required for a song that I am currently working on.

In fact, there was so many tracks used on this song, that even when they were minimized in size to their smallest setting, and even keeping them in their respective folders, they would all not fit onto my 1600 x 1200 screen that I am using.

Here is a screen capture of my Nuendo machine with the song loaded. There are tons of tracks.

This simply could not have been done without spending tons of money to go along with the tracks before the advent of digital recording.

Thank goodness for digital!

And to top it all off, everything is being done on one computer. It’s my AMD 64 computer that I got from AMD as an endorsement.

Of course, it’s a very very fast computer, but the fact that it can even be done on one computer now simply amazes me.

I remember when you could only get 24 tracks on a 2 inch tape… and each tape cost $150 and you only got 15 minutes worth of recording on it.

Times have sure changed.

Transfer Progress

The transfer from cassettes to computer is going very well.

I’m using an RME MultiFace audio interface to convert the audio into digital form and an older version of Samplitude to record the data onto my laptop computer.

It has come as a complete surprise to me as to how much data I actually have to transfer.

In my mind, I was thinking it was a few cassettes that had original material on them… but so far it has turned out to be over 35 cassettes and there are still more that have not been transferred.

For many years, I recorded ideas onto tape. Sometimes waking up in the middle of the night with an idea and then turning on the cassette recorder to document the idea I had heard in my mind.

Somewhere in the back of my mind I must have known that my writing efforts would have been heard by someone eventually… but my conscious mind did not think about it much. I just recorded whatever the idea was and basically forgot about it once it was on tape.

But thankfully, my years of ideas recordings are starting to pay off. I am using the ideas stored on these tapes as foundations for the songs that David Wilcock and I are using in our new project “Wanderer Awakening”.

It appears that there is enough material to make three or four completely new projects from these ideas. As I stated in an earlier post, this is a gold mine of song ideas on these cassettes.

I can’t wait for you to hear these songs. The chord structures are unique, the rhythms feel good, and the lyrics are embedded with concepts most people do not bother to think about.

This is truly my life’s calling. But I had not realized this until I started this transfer process. Everything leading up to this process has been about the preparation of these song ideas and their integration into structure that can inspire the listener into inevitable action.

This is a mouthful… I know. But an explanation will be coming.

More to come…

The Funkerater

Last Friday I played a gig with Karan Chavis at the Pebble Creek Country Club in Bryan Texas.

The gig was great and I met a bunch of great musicians whom I had never played with before.

After the gig, Karan told me she had a Christmas present for me but she had forgotten to bring it along to the gig. So I followed her and her husband Craig to their home to receive it.

Keep in mind that I have just about everything anyone would ever want when it comes to audio and video production here at my studio, but she assured me that I probably didn’t have this particular piece of gear.

I was curious, so I waited with anticipation as she went into her home and returned with a small thin metal object in her hand.

As she handed it to me I busted out laughing. It was a Funk Logic Funkerator.

Why would I laugh about this?

Well, ever since 99.999% of all work done on audio and video has been handed to computers, the need for external processing gear has slowly and steadily shrunk to near zero.

This process has had the inevitable result of producing a bunch of blank spaces in the many racks that I have here at the studio. In fact, I have so many blank spaces in my racks now, that I actually make excuses for them.

But now I need not make excuses for at least one of the blank spaces in my racks thanks to Karan.

For those who don’t know, Funk Logic is a company that makes nothing but fancy blank panels. They look really really cool, but do absolutely nothing.

The knobs are labeled as seemingly meaningful names like “The Brady’s” or “Thumb poppin good” or “suck less” or similar. But the knobs do absolutely nothing…

And that’s the cool part!

Now, I don’t have to worry any more about at least one of the many blank spaces in my racks here at Electric LarryLand. I have something that looks cool and covers up all of the miles of wires that I have here.

Thanks Karan!

Goodbye Nakamichi

In 1990, when I had more money than common sense, I bought a top-of-the-line cassette deck from Nakamichi for around $1000.

Don’t get me wrong, it is a fantastic and great sounding cassette deck. In fact, in critical listening tests more people could not tell the difference between masters and cassette copies on most common listening environments. (you could using studio monitors, but not in cars)

Since I have found essentially a gold mine worth of original material recently on cassettes, I have been transferring the material onto a computer while David and I have been working on other things.

Unfortunately, yesterday during one of the transfers, the Nakamichi stopped working. I had barely gotten 5 cassettes done and it was to be no more.

So I called my friend Stan Ginsel and asked to borrow his TASCAM 122 cassette deck.

Today, we’re gonna hook the TASCAM up and continue the transfers onto the computer.

We’re also writing a new song and will probably be the final full tune for the Wanderer Awakening project.

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