A Very Long Process

How time flies. Looking back at the posts here adds some additional perspective to the protracted process that making this record has been (over 2.5 years by my count). I can happily report that I have finished mixing on the record, waiting only for a few tweaks from mixing engineer Nadim Issa before sending that sucker along for mastering. I'm pleased with how things have come out overall. We set out to make an expensive-sounding record for very little money, and though our goal was slightly quixotic, I think we more or less met it. The proof will be in the pudding--in this case what it sounds like after mastering is complete (mastering engineer TBD)--but I'm hopeful the finished product will serve as a fitting document of the blood, sweat, tears involved in writing these songs, rehearsing them, and committing them to tape.

Listening to the mixes from the new record aka "Self Portrait with Headphones and Toaster Oven"

Nadim at Let 'Em In Music did a remarkable job engineering and mixing the record, and I think the final product reflects his abilities and versatility. I think I also grew a bit as a producer, becoming more confident and forthcoming in my ideas and opinions and in doing so helping ensure that the recordings matched the broader vision of the songs. I think Nadim and I made a solid team in the control room, and I hope he would agree. There's a level of attention to detail in the mixing that I'm simply not capable of on my own, and when I had something in mind for the mix he often had an elegant solution at the ready, and if that one didn't work there was always another one at his disposal. At the same time, I felt that I brought a conceptual understanding of the material that allowed me to guide our decision making towards furthering each song's essence.

It's interesting how the recording process was very additive. AH&S is a trio and I like that our live show is lean and mean, but somehow I felt like getting the tracks to have the right emotional impact required doing a fair bit of layering on the record, in some cases adding second and even third guitar parts, harmonies, and a surprising number of keyboard parts. Hell, I even added a breakbeat in "Steal" during a pause that I found to be energy-deflating on the record. This is interesting phenomenon in music, where sometimes capturing the energy of the live show requires a different approach in the studio. We also weren't afraid to experiment with weird effects/approaches in the mix, and once I established that I was game for that sort of thing Nadim brought many of his own ideas to the table on that end, so it felt quite collaborative.

I have to say, I think I've become quite good at finding keyboard sounds that embellish the music while staying nearly hidden in the mix, I used a number of organ sounds to that end as well as some synths and effecty sounds. I first became interested in using keyboards in that way upon listening to one of my favorite records, "The Curtain Hits the Cast" by Low. In some ways their most minimal record (and that says a lot for a band like Low), it actually incorporates a surprising number of keyboards. I didn't even notice this until probably my fourth listen through!

It is my hope that the finished record will be the tool we need to raise awareness about our music and I'm brainstorming ideas about how best to get it out there. No matter what, it will surely involve more shows, hopefully in front of audiences both new and old.

Does it all add up to a good record? I'm too close to it to really know. Sometimes I listen to it and am incredibly proud of what we've created, other times I get a sickening feeling that we didn't quite "get there." All involved certainly did the best they could, and we've learned a great deal that will certainly make our next outing that much better, but here's hoping that our point comes across on this album artistically, whether or not anyone actually likes it.

-Terry