I'm on a bus, on the motorway right now. On a journey to work.
Before I had to head out, and make my way to work, I had a good chance for the first time in over a month, to sit and actually record. It was only an hour or so I had, but it was a good length of time. I logged onto the computer, and sat there in boxers and a dressing gown. Sexy image I know.
Once it started I thought what to do. I have two works in progress: 'Hacktivists (Welcome to the Anonymous)' and 'Klez the Conquerer'. I thought I'd work on Klez, but listening back to it I have decided when I get the chance, I'll rerecord it as it is all over the place and the effect on the bass sounds too tinny. Doesn't really sound like bass. So I decided to work on Hacktivists.
I considered doing the bass for the song, and this song at the moment is made of of a screeching tone, two dance beats, a reversed bass riff, and a messed up electric guitar riff that has been cut up. I wanted to add a bass riff, that sounded cool as fuck but was very simple. I had the bass out but then thought that maybe I should maybe record the vocals as I have the house to myself and the neighbours can't really complain as it was about 12pm.
Set the mic up and used an effect on the fx pedal, number 31. I added effects and took some away; changed tones and pitches, and got a really good sound. Very clear vocals with a good reverb. May start using the number '31' setting more often in songs. I tend to use number '34'.
I already have the Hactivist lyrics in my phone, written on the bus over time. I had one day on the bus listened to the music for the song but with no vocals, and worked out in my mind the melody over the music. So when it came to recording the vocals, I already knew the melody.
So after several attempts to record the vocals correctly, I eventually got there. I was originally singing it in a rapping style, in a Scottish accent, but it just was too flat. So added a little passion and sang the lyrics and it sounds much better.
The only part of the lyrics I didn't really have a set idea for was the lyric 'welcome to the anonymous' which I repeat over and over. I improvised a melody for this line and it is the catchiest part of the song. Totally done on the spot, but sounds great. And is excellent because it is the underlying theme to these songs.
So after editing the vocals volume levels, I duplicated it, put both at slightly different times, cut up the 'now' part in the chorus lyrics 'Act now', and repeated that and did the same as I did with the normal vocals. Also recorded a echoed shout of 'act now' which I put behind the sang part. Sounds great. Picks the chorus up quite a bit.
I then picked the bass up. I consider for a few minutes maybe putting the bass riff for 'Klez' in and seeing how it sounded. It sounded rubbish. So on the spot came up with a simple riff. The bass is drop-D, and it sounds great. Really quite dark and deep. It also has a kinda rough feel about it too. I really like it. The song is going to be worked on when I can, but I have so many ideas for the song. So many things I'd like to do to it. Maybe like to put a synth part in the middle of the song; and at chorus do a rhythm guitar part cut up with each strum coming out of different earphones (like Bloc Party do in many songs on 'Silent Alarm'). Also got a lot of editing to do, but I am very much looking forward to doing it. The song is still a blank canvas to me, and I can't wait to work on it.
I am listening to the version I have at the moment as I write this on the bus. I am dying to work on it.
Watch this space,
Wullae
www.soundcloud.com/wullaewright
Coming soon - webpages for 'Anonymous'.
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