RISE is coming along quite nicely. Last week we finished up lead vocals, laid down some harmonies, trumpet, organ, and spent a day with a fantastic guitarist Michael Papenburg who created some beautiful, driving, and spacious layers to add to a bunch of tunes. I am amazed at how these songs keep sounding better and better.
We’ve just got a few more odds and ends to record and concurrently we’ll be diving into mixing next week. Mixing is the final stage of the project, when you take all the elements that you’ve recorded and make sure that everything is sounding it’s best, and all the different pieces are balanced and placed properly. The quality of the mix can make or break an album. Luckily, I’ve got a magician of an engineer doing my mixing, and Julie Wolf at the helm to guide and watch over the process. This is a very good thing, because honestly, there is a great deal that goes into mixing that is just over my head at this point. It takes a certain kind of ear and very fine tuned and specific listening to do it right, and while I’m sure by the end of this process I will be closer to having that kind of ear, it’s not something that comes naturally to me. That’s why I am so glad I’ve got the dream team in my corner, and I trust them completely to make this record sound fabulous.
Julie Wolf and Adam Muñoz (aka The Magician)
I know there is still a lot to be done, and we won’t officially be finished for another couple weeks, but I am already starting to feel a bit sad that this project is coming to a close. I knew that it would go by fast, and I have been careful to thoroughly enjoy every bit of it. But like all good things, it must come to an end, and it’s going to be hard to let go. It’s been such a dream come true to work with so many talented people in one of the finest studios in the world. I am so thankful. SO THANKFUL!
I hope that you all have a great Thanksgiving. Thanks for following along with me as I walk this path, and thanks, as always, for listening. I am thankful for each of you. I am thankful for all the factors that synched up so that this project could come to fruition in such a wonderful form. I am thankful that there is yet work to be done and that I get to spend some more time with the wonderful people I’ve had the privilege of working with. I am thankful that after this project is over I will get to share the result with you and that there will be many new musical adventures to be had…