MoG/music - Revision history

Woozle: /* Fix My Car */ MP3 encoder fun

2011-05-31T23:32:56Z

Fix My Car: MP3 encoder fun

← Older revision		Revision as of 23:32, 31 May 2011
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	* '''Lead guitar''': Brian Morris		* '''Lead guitar''': Brian Morris

	Oy, sorry about the EQ. It sounded passable before encoding. I keep meaning to send this song to [http://www.cartalk.com/ The Car Guys] to use as interstitial music on their show, but after listening to it closely I think I'll hold off.		Oy, sorry about the EQ. It sounded passable before encoding. I keep meaning to send this song to [http://www.cartalk.com/ The Car Guys] to use as interstitial music on their show, but after listening to it closely I think I'll hold off. (2011 note: tentatively, this is an MP3 encoding problem, not a problem with the mix; I need to find the mix and re-encode it. I was using a crappy MP3 encoder for quite awhile before discovering how crappy it was.)

	This song was actually the proximate cause of MoG's final dissolution. Dan was playing back his		This song was actually the proximate cause of MoG's final dissolution. Dan was playing back his

Woozle: /* Electron Emotion */ no more RealMedia (or mono versions), yay

2011-05-31T23:31:28Z

Electron Emotion: no more RealMedia (or mono versions), yay

← Older revision		Revision as of 23:31, 31 May 2011
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	The drums have been time-corrected (by hand) within an inch of their lives -- twice, actually; I		The drums have been time-corrected (by hand) within an inch of their lives -- twice, actually; I
	ran the original track through a delay with a convenient knob for adjusting the delay in real-time		ran the original track through a delay with a convenient knob for adjusting the delay in real-time
	and recorded the results on another track. The best two takes became the left and right drums ~~(though~~		and recorded the results on another track. The best two takes became the left and right drums. Then I did more digital finagling. And I didn't have an S/PDIF port for my PC at the time, so this went out analog from the DAT into the PC at 48KHz and then was resampled to 44.1 when I discovered that RealProducer (RealAudio encoder application) didn't speak 48KHz.
	~~of course you can't hear that in the RM mono version)~~. Then I did more digital finagling. And I didn't
	have an S/PDIF port for my PC at the time, so this went out analog from the DAT into the PC at 48KHz and then
	was resampled to 44.1 when I discovered ~~the~~ RealProducer ~~app~~ didn't speak 48KHz.
	===Fix My Car===		===Fix My Car===
	* '''Type''': studio recording		* '''Type''': studio recording

Woozle: /* News */ removed linebreak

2010-03-15T00:02:03Z

News: removed linebreak

← Older revision		Revision as of 00:02, 15 March 2010
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	==News==		==News==
	* '''2004.06.20''': 2004 digital re-remix of "Brain On Drugs" now available – the 2003 remix wasn't quite right.		* '''2004.06.20''': 2004 digital re-remix of "Brain On Drugs" now available – the 2003 remix wasn't quite right. This one probably isn't quite right either, and I'm sure Dan will hate it, but it's better and it's listenable and nothing important is missing.
	This one probably isn't quite right either, and I'm sure Dan will hate it, but it's better and it's listenable and nothing important is missing.
	* '''2003.06.04''' Bringing this stuff into the digital domain for remix and eventual CD, I hope... First project: 2003 digital remix of "Brain On Drugs" (original mixes all disappeared from my DAT tapes under suspicious circumstances...)		* '''2003.06.04''' Bringing this stuff into the digital domain for remix and eventual CD, I hope... First project: 2003 digital remix of "Brain On Drugs" (original mixes all disappeared from my DAT tapes under suspicious circumstances...)
	* '''1999.05.03''' ''Yes, it's here!'' Starting today, the long-ignored MoG studio tracks relinquish the obscurity of benign neglect and take their rightful place among the deliberately ignored. All I can offer by way of consolation is to think of these tracks as demos for the recordings we really wanted to do but didn't have the time or equipment for.		* '''1999.05.03''' ''Yes, it's here!'' Starting today, the long-ignored MoG studio tracks relinquish the obscurity of benign neglect and take their rightful place among the deliberately ignored. All I can offer by way of consolation is to think of these tracks as demos for the recordings we really wanted to do but didn't have the time or equipment for.

	==The Recordings==		==The Recordings==
	These are recordings we made using multitrack analog equipment owned by Dan and/or me.		These are recordings we made using multitrack analog equipment owned by Dan and/or me.

Woozle: added link to Dana's review; totally reformatted song listing and combined "making of" notes

2010-03-15T00:01:10Z

added link to Dana's review; totally reformatted song listing and combined "making of" notes

Show changes

Woozle: /* Live Performance: Self-Review */ linebreak fix

2010-03-14T22:46:37Z

Live Performance: Self-Review: linebreak fix

← Older revision		Revision as of 22:46, 14 March 2010
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	"sound" or "feel" for each song without really having		"sound" or "feel" for each song without really having
	the equipment or personnel to maintain the sound quality overall. There's also		the equipment or personnel to maintain the sound quality overall. There's also
	always the possibility that it might have something to do with musicianship,		always the possibility that it might have something to do with musicianship, but for obvious reasons I can't really be objective about that.
	but for obvious reasons I can't really be objective about that.

Woozle: further reformatting to be done at a later date

2010-03-14T22:45:51Z

further reformatting to be done at a later date

New page

==News==
* '''2004.06.20''': 2004 digital re-remix of "Brain On Drugs" now available – the 2003 remix wasn't quite right.
This one probably isn't quite right either, and I'm sure Dan will hate it, but it's better and it's listenable and nothing important is missing.
* '''2003.06.04''' Bringing this stuff into the digital domain for remix and eventual CD, I hope... First project: 2003 digital remix of "Brain On Drugs" (original mixes all disappeared from my DAT tapes under suspicious circumstances...)
* '''1999.05.03''' ''Yes, it's here!'' Starting today, the long-ignored MoG studio tracks relinquish the obscurity of benign neglect and take their rightful place among the deliberately ignored. All I can offer by way of consolation is to think of these tracks as demos for the recordings we really wanted to do but didn't have the time or equipment for.
==The Recordings==
These are recordings we made using multitrack analog equipment owned by Dan and/or me.
<center>
<table>
<tr>
<td>1.</td>
<td>
===Electron Emotion===
</td>
<td><i>studio</i></td>
<td align=right><tt>5:08</tt></td>
<td>(Tim Kunkle)</td>
<td>
{{files/mog|mog-ee.mp3|MP3}} (160 kb/s, 44.1 kHz, 6MB)
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>2.</td>
<td>
===Fix My Car===
</td>
<td><i>studio</i></td>
<td align=right><tt>2:34</tt></td>
<td>(Tim Kunkle)</td>
<td>
{{files/mog|mog-fmc.mp3|MP3}} (160 kb/s, 48 kHz, 3 MB)
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>3.</td>
<td>
===Dysfunctional Family Blues===
<td><i>studio</i></td>
<td align=right><tt>4:37</tt></td>
<td>(N. Staddon)</td>
<td>
{{files/mog|mog-dfb.mp3|MP3}} (160 kb/s, 48 kHz, 5 MB)
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>4.</td>
<td>
===The Cult Song===
</td>
<td><i>practice</i></td>
<td align=right><tt>3:49</tt></td>
<td>(Tim Kunkle)</td>
<td> {{files/mog|mog-cult.ram|RM28}}
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>5.</td>
<td>
===This Is Your Brain On Drugs===
</td>
<td><i>studio</i></td>
<td align=right><tt>2:19</tt></td>
<td>(Dan Dudley)</td>
<td>
* {{files/mog|mog-bod-2004.vbr-hi.mp3|MP3}} vbr-hi, 44.1 kHz, 3 MB
* {{files/mog|mog-bod-2004.q05.ogg|OGG}} OGG Vorbis, q=5, 44.1 kHz, 2.5 MB
</td>
</tr>
</table>
</center>
==The Making Of...==
<table align=left><tr><td>
<font size=5 color=aaaaff>1</font>
</td></tr></table>
"Electron Emotion", one of Tim's songs, was probably the first song MoG attempted to put on tape.
The compromises that went into this recording are symptomatic of the general tensions in the band --
I don't think any of us were really happy with our own "takes" or those of anybody else, but they
were the only ones we could agree on.

Part of the ongoing problem was the combination of working with very few tracks (so that often
each new take erased the previous one, which might have been better but you never know until you
do the next take) and the dreaded "tired fingers" syndrome in which you can never quite seem
to recover the quality of an early take, subsequent attempts getting progressively worse and worse.

For example: Tim's vocals. I much preferred the laid-back style of his first take, but later when
we were remixing/overdubbing on the 8-track he decided to go for a more dynamic style. Unfortunately,
both takes have moments of being annoyingly out of tune, and parts of my preferred take are inaudible
in the bounce mix on the master 4-track.

The drums have been time-corrected (by hand) within an inch of their lives -- twice, actually; I
ran the original track through a delay with a convenient knob for adjusting the delay in real-time
and recorded the results on another track. The best two takes became the left and right drums (though
of course you can't hear that in the RM mono version). Then I did more digital finagling. And I didn't
have an S/PDIF port for my PC at the time, so this went out analog from the DAT into the PC at 48KHz and then
was resampled to 44.1 when I discovered the RealProducer app didn't speak 48KHz.

<table align=left><tr><td>
<font size=5 color=aaaaff>2</font>
</td></tr></table>
<b>[Lead guitar: Brian Morris]</b> Oy, sorry about the EQ. It sounded passable before encoding.
I keep meaning to send this song to [http://www.cartalk.com/ The Car Guys] to use as interstitial music on their show, but after listening to it closely I think I'll hold off.

This song was actually the proximate cause of MoG's final dissolution. Dan was playing back his
mix, Tim thought he heard something funny in the vocals and wanted to hear the vocal track isolated.
Dan couldn't deal with rewiring everything to satisfy Tim's curiosity, and Tim couldn't deal with
just taking Dan's and my word for it that we hadn't added anything to the vocals. (Why it would
have been necessary to rewire everything just to hear a track by itself, I don't know; seems to
me Dan could have either unplugged the RCA jacks temporarily, or pushed "record" buttons to disable
track playback, or pressed "mute" buttons on the mixer... then again, Tim could have chilled a bit.)

<table align=left><tr><td>
<font size=5 color=aaaaff>3</font>
</td></tr></table>
<b>[Female vocal: Livia]</b> Livia apologizes for the vocals. (I apologize for everything else.) There is a version which I
digitally slowed down a bit to get closer to the tempo I had in mind, but it still sounds a
bit like someone left it in the driveway all winter... and I'm not sure this is that version, anyway. (2010: this needs to be remixed digitally anyway.)
<p>
<table align=left><tr><td>
<font size=5 color=aaaaff>4</font>
</td></tr></table>
<b>[Indian percussion: me on keyboards]</b> This is one of Tim's songs I really wish we'd gotten
around to recording properly. This rehearsal version gives a pretty good idea of how it probably
would have sounded, though hopefully we would have been able to do better in the vocal department
and my e-tabla (etc.) would have been more on time.

==Live Performance: Self-Review==
For the most part, we sucked on stage. This can be attributed at least
in part to the bad mixes we always seemed to get when playing live -- which in turn
might be attributed to the engineers being unfamiliar with mixing
keyboards in a guitar-centric town, the fact that some of my sounds were louder than others and
I didn't have a compressor to even things out, or the engineer just being
generally ticked off at us for any number of reasons. It could also have
something to do with being overambitious as far as trying to get a different
"sound" or "feel" for each song without really having
the equipment or personnel to maintain the sound quality overall. There's also
always the possibility that it might have something to do with musicianship,
but for obvious reasons I can't really be objective about that.