Learning from the professionals.

I went in with a few songs I wanted to "have a crack at" but in the end only Let Me Love You Tonight got the treatment. I wasn't that surprised really given the arrangement I've had in my head for that one since I wrote it. I wrote that one afternoon back in Jan/Feb time whilst at "working at home" - I was on a long long telecon where I was listening not talking so I was on mute and noodling on my acoustic - suddenly I was playing a great little riff which stuck. After the call was over I played it again and had one of those moments when a chord sequence just sort of fell in to place. Later that day or the day after was looking over some ideas for lyrics scribbled in a notebook and came over one that leaped up. The riff became the intro and I was off honing the song. It needed something else though - it felt a bit repetitive so I searched for a move somewhere else. Anyway it was all written and I liked it but already I could hear the riff at the start on a bass and a solo at the end etc. I played it live for the first time at the acoustic RTYD gig last Valentine's Day. That version is up on my reverbnation player as I recorded that set via the BR600.

So into the studio and a chance to get the "band" sound. It all came together really well and I learnt so much from working with Nick the engineer / producer / string arranger. It made me realise I've not been getting the most out of my little Boss BR600 so I decided to record the other song I'd prepared for the studio session Running in the Shadows myself and push the BR600 - well actually push myself to use it better :-)

This is a slightly more rockier number than my usual stuff but still written on the acoustic originally but then with an arrangement in my head. So ...

Lesson 1 - get your bpm right! I used a metronome to get me in the ball park and set up just a pattern playing on the BR600. I laid down the acoustic guitar first. Now I could see how you could use the bars to determine where you were - something I've never realised was so useful... I know it's obvious - I'm an idiot!

Electric guitar on next then bass. I fluffed up the bass line so finally having seen the value of punch ins from Nick got a punch in to work - and that is so much easy with the bars all lining up properly! So the little fluff was quickly fixed. I then bounced those three tracks to a stereo mix on tracks 5 and 6. Solo next - I had an idea for the solo but used the loop feature - again thanks to Nick showing the value of that to get it nailed.

Then it was lead and backing vocals. I then fixed up the full drum arrangement and did a final mix. I'm really pleased with it given my limited abilities.

So if you go over to reverbnation you can listen to the raw Let Me Love You Tonight Live (just acoustic and vocal) then the studio mix version and also Running In The Shadows which was all me on the BR600.

Many of you are no doubt already far more clued up on this nonsense than me but I this post was to shared with those who have wondered about shelling out £200 on an all-in-one digital recorder or have got one and it is gathering dust like mine did for a year or so when I first got it as I was daunted by it all a bit.