"Speaking of Regret"... I have no chorus yet

Above in quotes: the title of an unfinished song. Had I been sufficiently on task, the song would have been completed by the end of February. Now it's March and I have two songs to write before the first of April comes to pass (am I in Rivendell? wha?). In fact, I am blogging right now in part to procrastinate on finishing the song currently known as "Speaking of Regret," which has a misleading title; I think I will have to change it.

I also write in part to report that the excellent Matt V came over to my house tonight to help me figure out my recording stuff. Even with all his expertise we were not able to get the Cubase program to do everything it says it can do. Rather, we discovered how to do most everything on the software he took with him. Huh, so much for that. But he is going to do a little research and come back to help me again. In the meantime, I CAN RECORD!!! Seems I cannot do piano and vocal together - at this point - but can record the tracks separately. Double hooray.

And finally, speaking of the OPPOSITE of regret... good collaborative gigs are in the works. I won't say anything more than that, just that I look forward to the opportunities it appears I may have in the next several months to share the stage with some quality, quality artists.

Recording was never my strong suit

Alright, so the latest is that I sent out a mass email to musician friends in New York seeing if anyone knows anyone who could give me lessons on how to use all the expensive junk I just bought. I'm in good spirits, despite not getting any sound out of my keyboard yet, when it is plugged into the interface. Hopefully I will be logging sound engineering lessons very soon.

Sound engineering is something I've never been excited about, especially when I spent four months studying it (along with songwriting, and performing) in a program on Martha's Vineyard during college. I really, really do not understand it, and only by necessity am I struggling to. I wish someone made a program that was like using a Fisher Price tape recorder, except digitized. Instead, I look at the Cubase screen and am overwhelmed by all the pull-out tabs, clickable buttons, pop-up tool bars, and dozens upon dozens of EQ and reverb options. Give me Record, Stop, Play, Fast Forward, and Rewind. Give me a "Reverb or No Reverb?" button. I'm good to go with that. That's all I want.

Karl wants to know the brands of the stuff I got. I'm a little hesitant to share this info because buying it was a big step and now I'm stuck with it. I dread hearing something like, "Oh, man, you got (X) brand of interface?? Daaaang... you should have bought (Y), which is the professional standard, much easier to use, and costs half as much on (insert discount electronics store URL here)." So just bear with me. Help me think positive. :) That said, here's the line-up:

Omega Desktop Recording Studio including:

• Steinberg Cubase LE multi-track recording software
• Lexicon Omega interface - 8 Input x 4 Bus (what's a Bus again?) x 2 Output USB I/O Mixer
• Lexicon Pantheon world class VST reverb plug-in

ATH-M40fs Audio-Technica studio headphones

GT55 Groove Tube condenser microphone

ProLine boom microphone stand

Raxxess pop filter

Monster 12-foot 1/4" cables (two)

Mogami microphone cable

The end.

Home Recording Studio

Yesterday, after several tedious, wary visits to the only Guitar Center in town (with "town" being NYC, "only" does seem a bit unreal), I plunked down a good sum of money and a minor piece of my spirit in exchange for

a condenser mic
an interface
recording software
various cables
a boom mic stand
crazy fancy headphones

which, all together, in conjunction with my trusty Yamaha keyboard and silly Dell laptop, constitute "Rachel's home recording studio." Last night I got so far as installing the software without causing my system to crash, and with sticking cables into the right holes - nevermind actually getting to test the sound. Yeah, yeah, I'm not using proper terminology... let it be common knowledge that I have, truly, about one slim children's "I-Can-Read" volume above Zero Knowledge of the science of sound recording...
unlike friends of mine, who are (I say this admirably) walking encyclopedias on the subject. And, sadly, live too far away from me for me to recruit to help with my new pet project.

Let the fumbling around with quarterinch cables begin! I'm a real indy now.

I FINALLY SENT A COLLEGE MAILING

Well, big news item #1 reads above. After months of talk, I started to walk in the form of 17 hand-addressed promotional flyers to various midwestern schools, aiming for fall show dates.
Sent: This Morning.

Ironically, I also just took a salaried position at the company I've been temping at for the last year. It interesting how motivating this has been for my music pursuits. Now I have the addition of financial stability (and health insurance) in my life. I can afford to by recording equipment, and maybe even pay someone to rehaul my website. The catch is that I can no longer take time off (unpaid time, but time nevertheless) whenever I want. I have ten days of vacation time. TEN DAYS. Paid vacation - sure, that's great!! But will my bosses allow me to take unpaid days from time to time, if needed? How does that work when you're no longer paid by the hour?

And if anyone is concerned for me that I've abandoned my mild, God-fearing version of a bohemian lifestyle for the coporate fast track - fear not. First, to be sure, it's not fast. Second, I haven't embraced it, nor will I. Taking a 9-5er was as much about music goals as it is about stability. Some of you know that the corporation where I work may also provide me with some musical boosts, in the form of friendships with co-workers and special employee events. heh. Just call me a future Fergie of the Black-Eyed Peas. No, no, please don't. Just kidding.