16th of July - Watchoowafry (197th Song)

Another great day at the studio, I was free to try all the equipment that I wanted as usual and I was alone. What would be better to do than making a song while trying different combinations?

Thoughts: I could spend the day doing whatever as my boss just told me that he preferred me to try things to improve the sound of the recording rather than composing for him or recording a session for clients. I tried firstly different combinations with the mic against the track, like levels,distances from me to the mic, dynamics, low-cut filter, -10db option, etc... I understood that is better not to turn up the gain much to have the better sound, sing from a distance of around two hands length (I'm not very good with measures), with the low-cut filter on, the antipop on, and the -10db off; at least with that mic which is a sE2000.

Then I tried the dbx266xl, a compressor/gate device that is connected to the input of the mic. I did a looooot of tests for it, first with the gate. I recorded so many takes, and I saw the differences between the ratio and the threshold. I learned also that depending of the amount of signal is coming you must set the threshold. The ratio is like an attack/release parameter in one knob, if it's down you get slow opening and closure of the gate, if it's high it's too fast and the sound is very messy. Thanx to it I fined my ear because I realized how the super low sounds where there until I turned the gate on.

After the gate I went to the compressor, but I didn't try a lot. I just thought that it'd be cooler if I could connect it to the track in the mix rather than in the imput signal. An then with everything that I learned I started to compose. They have an e-drum kit there so I just messed around for a while and started to have ideas. Then I grabbed a good bass that they have there. I'm not sure but I think it's a fender precission. Then a cool guitar with just 3 strings, because the rest are broken, and made some funky variations. Everything was sounding cool, the Mackie 24-8 tracks preamps must be great, mucho better thatn my MOTU interface. Definitely the vocals sounded 1000 times better than at my home, even when the mic is cheaper, but the room is cooler, quieter and sound treated.

While playing guitar the melody came to my mind but, I didn't have much time now in the studio before I leave!!! I had to sing making up a new language pretending to be english maybe. It sounds a little bit like RHCP and I like it very much, I think I've never made a song like this one before, it doesn't sound like me but it's like if anyone else would use my talent to make it. Ahh, I forgot the keyboard, it's very smooth and it was easy to play, I like it.

Enjoy it!