Three months later and still no singer.
*Impatient sigh*
Well, it has come to the worst case scenario, which means that I will have to sing the lyrics for the TE album. I really didn't want to do that because I'm not good at singing, but I need to move forward. The search for a singer has made me put all other things on hold, and if I don't get this done, I'll never be able to complete the other albums I have planned for TE, or any of the other projects that I have in mind.
I decided that I'll just finish the album with my vocals and continue writing. Once it's out there, I hope that someone who likes the songs will ask me to sing on the final version of the album. I'll look at it like other bands did, in the sense that once they did an album and gained some fans, they re-release it at a later time with better sound quality.
I hope to finish this by the end of the year, but if not, at least within the next 2 months.
Friday, November 23, 2012
Wednesday, August 22, 2012
Chronicles of an Up-and-Coming Band Ch. 8
Long time since the last update.
Well, the truth is, even with the lyrics done, I have had a hard time so far getting a chance to record the songs all over again, not to mention that the search for a singer has proven fruitless yet again.
With that in mind, I decided to let other ideas come out. I'm not talking about the second Tainted album, which is still getting worked on, but right now, I decided to work on instrumental stuff. I figured that I would work on that album after I finish the first one all the way through because the TE project was causing all these other ideas to go to waste.
I did some electronic stuff, which I called Nebula 1, which turned out OK. I will continue to work on that later, because that project is not a priority.
I am focusing on another progressive project, called Dissonant Configuration. I decided that it will be synth driven because I have always been drawn to that sort of thing, even though I don't actively listen to artists that focus on that style. I have to go and do some homework about that. Anyways, I just thought that the songs would be done a lot faster because all I would have to do is program the songs like I already knew how and just run the MIDIs through VST plugins. So far, I've completed two songs, and I think they are awesome.
There's only one problem.
I have limited technical ability, in the sense that I can only play so fast for so long. In layman's terms, I can't shred properly, at least, not the way I would like to. The issue is, I still hear all these shred runs in my mind, but I can't play them the way I hear them. The solos on the TE project are an approximation of what I hear in my head, at best. If I could shred better, the solos would be somewhat different. With DC though, I can program everything that I hear the way I want, and the VST will take care of the rest.
The only thing that could give me trouble would be if people have a negative reaction to that and not give the music a chance for that reason. After all, I'm not really playing the songs myself, I'm just letting a computer play the music for me. My reasoning is that if you were to suddenly become deaf or mute, would you stop communicating your ideas? You'd still have thoughts in your mind, and you would try to find a way to express them. My situation is the same. I am not able to play the sounds I hear because of my limited ability as a guitarist. With the TE project, I am still playing all the guitar parts, so that is somewhat different.
At best, I could be compared to a classical music composer, which, even though they are truly gifted way beyond anything I could aspire to be, can't play ALL the things they hear for ALL the instruments. At least, I think they are limited like that. At worst, I could be called a hack and be compared to a horrible DJ, just someone who lets technology take over the creative process.
Either way, I'm still going to pursue that path. I'll share the results later on, when a couple other songs are finished.
As far as TE goes, well, as the Dos Equis Man says, "stay thirsty, my friends." Those albums WILL get done, and I am still keeping track of all those ideas as well.
It's only a matter of time.
Well, the truth is, even with the lyrics done, I have had a hard time so far getting a chance to record the songs all over again, not to mention that the search for a singer has proven fruitless yet again.
With that in mind, I decided to let other ideas come out. I'm not talking about the second Tainted album, which is still getting worked on, but right now, I decided to work on instrumental stuff. I figured that I would work on that album after I finish the first one all the way through because the TE project was causing all these other ideas to go to waste.
I did some electronic stuff, which I called Nebula 1, which turned out OK. I will continue to work on that later, because that project is not a priority.
I am focusing on another progressive project, called Dissonant Configuration. I decided that it will be synth driven because I have always been drawn to that sort of thing, even though I don't actively listen to artists that focus on that style. I have to go and do some homework about that. Anyways, I just thought that the songs would be done a lot faster because all I would have to do is program the songs like I already knew how and just run the MIDIs through VST plugins. So far, I've completed two songs, and I think they are awesome.
There's only one problem.
I have limited technical ability, in the sense that I can only play so fast for so long. In layman's terms, I can't shred properly, at least, not the way I would like to. The issue is, I still hear all these shred runs in my mind, but I can't play them the way I hear them. The solos on the TE project are an approximation of what I hear in my head, at best. If I could shred better, the solos would be somewhat different. With DC though, I can program everything that I hear the way I want, and the VST will take care of the rest.
The only thing that could give me trouble would be if people have a negative reaction to that and not give the music a chance for that reason. After all, I'm not really playing the songs myself, I'm just letting a computer play the music for me. My reasoning is that if you were to suddenly become deaf or mute, would you stop communicating your ideas? You'd still have thoughts in your mind, and you would try to find a way to express them. My situation is the same. I am not able to play the sounds I hear because of my limited ability as a guitarist. With the TE project, I am still playing all the guitar parts, so that is somewhat different.
At best, I could be compared to a classical music composer, which, even though they are truly gifted way beyond anything I could aspire to be, can't play ALL the things they hear for ALL the instruments. At least, I think they are limited like that. At worst, I could be called a hack and be compared to a horrible DJ, just someone who lets technology take over the creative process.
Either way, I'm still going to pursue that path. I'll share the results later on, when a couple other songs are finished.
As far as TE goes, well, as the Dos Equis Man says, "stay thirsty, my friends." Those albums WILL get done, and I am still keeping track of all those ideas as well.
It's only a matter of time.
Monday, July 2, 2012
Chronicles of an Up-and-Coming Band Ch. 7
The album is close to being done, at least as far as the music and lyrics go. I just need to get two more songs done, and I plan on doing that in the next few days. After that, there will be a new recording that will make everything sound a lot better.
When it finally gets done, it will be a huge cathartic experience. I've been wanting to do this since I started to play guitar, so many years ago, and it's finally just around the corner. I've been kicking around some of these song ideas for over 6 years now, and I am really proud of what I've done.
Not to sound like an egotistical douche, but I really think the songs I came up with are pretty good. I really believe in these songs. It would be pointless to write songs that don't make you feel good and proud. It seems some bands just write for the fans and stuff like that, and some of them are quite successful, which is commendable. However, I could never write with that mindset.
I don't have a fanbase to speak of, and I probably never will have a large enough fanbase to compete with other bands. The point I'm trying to make is that, I'd rather keep writing the songs that I want and that make me feel like I accomplished something good, than writing songs for other people, even if that means not being famous or popular. Granted, I would like for a lot of people to think that the album is enjoyable, but even if nobody does, I'll keep writing music.
I don't know how to explain this, really. People will have their opinions, and once they form one, very rarely do they change their mind. I can respect that. It's just that I could never write a song thinking about how other people would perceive it, or thinking something like "man, this riff will really make people bang their heads," or something like that. So, in a way, the way I create music is a very selfish process. It's what I know best, and it's what I'll keep on doing.
When I was looking for people to form a band with, most of them just said that the songs I had were too dated, or too complicated, or not heavy enough or . . . insert musical criticism here. It did make me feel a little bad about it at first, but I quickly realized that I hadn't written these songs for them, so instead of dwelling in a negative space, I just became more motivated.
It's finally about to pay off :D
When it finally gets done, it will be a huge cathartic experience. I've been wanting to do this since I started to play guitar, so many years ago, and it's finally just around the corner. I've been kicking around some of these song ideas for over 6 years now, and I am really proud of what I've done.
Not to sound like an egotistical douche, but I really think the songs I came up with are pretty good. I really believe in these songs. It would be pointless to write songs that don't make you feel good and proud. It seems some bands just write for the fans and stuff like that, and some of them are quite successful, which is commendable. However, I could never write with that mindset.
I don't have a fanbase to speak of, and I probably never will have a large enough fanbase to compete with other bands. The point I'm trying to make is that, I'd rather keep writing the songs that I want and that make me feel like I accomplished something good, than writing songs for other people, even if that means not being famous or popular. Granted, I would like for a lot of people to think that the album is enjoyable, but even if nobody does, I'll keep writing music.
I don't know how to explain this, really. People will have their opinions, and once they form one, very rarely do they change their mind. I can respect that. It's just that I could never write a song thinking about how other people would perceive it, or thinking something like "man, this riff will really make people bang their heads," or something like that. So, in a way, the way I create music is a very selfish process. It's what I know best, and it's what I'll keep on doing.
When I was looking for people to form a band with, most of them just said that the songs I had were too dated, or too complicated, or not heavy enough or . . . insert musical criticism here. It did make me feel a little bad about it at first, but I quickly realized that I hadn't written these songs for them, so instead of dwelling in a negative space, I just became more motivated.
It's finally about to pay off :D
Monday, June 18, 2012
Choices
So, after trying to write lyrics for a certain song called The Limits of Infinity, I have decided to just leave the song as an instrumental. I was having some trouble coming up with melodies due to the nature of the riffs, but I feel the song works as it is because the music serves the purpose I intended the song to have. Namely, I wanted something that went in cycles, representing the infinity symbol. The music repeats quite a few times, but there are certain variations that keep it from being overly simple.
That being said, I will continue to write lyrics for the rest of the songs. I don't think there will be any more instrumentals because I already have ideas for them, so I hope to be done with the lyrics very soon.
That being said, I will continue to write lyrics for the rest of the songs. I don't think there will be any more instrumentals because I already have ideas for them, so I hope to be done with the lyrics very soon.
Tuesday, June 5, 2012
Lyrics
It's been a while since the last update, and I thought I'd let everyone know that there are already 3 songs with lyrics. The fourth one should be done soon. I expected to have everything done by now, but I have had some other things to take care of. Also, I'm having some problems coming up with melodies that I think will fit the songs. The fact that I'm not a singer is making this more difficult than I thought, but now that I'm off work for a while, things should be finished within the next couple of weeks. After that, the recording process will begin, so the final product should be out by sometime in the fall or winter :)
Sunday, May 6, 2012
Album Update
So, I have decided that one of the 10 songs, The Siren Song of Madness, will be an instrumental. I had thought about it before because the riffs are a little too crazy on that one, but I made the final decision a couple of days ago.
Darkness Beckons is the first song to officially have lyrics as of today. That means only 8 more to go! I wrote the lyrics in about an hour or so, and, this being a concept album, the lyrics have some references to other songs in the album.
I'm really excited about the fact that the lyrics are already being done! :D
Darkness Beckons is the first song to officially have lyrics as of today. That means only 8 more to go! I wrote the lyrics in about an hour or so, and, this being a concept album, the lyrics have some references to other songs in the album.
I'm really excited about the fact that the lyrics are already being done! :D
Sunday, April 29, 2012
Blog Update
I decided to add a tab on the Blog where I talk a little bit about the bands that influenced me as a musician. I mention how it was that I discovered the band, some personal thoughts about their albums, and other stuff like that. Make sure to check it out if you're interested in finding out how Tainted Equilibrium came to be.
Saturday, April 14, 2012
Chronicles of an Up-and-Coming Band Ch. 6
I uploaded the instrumental demos to the Soundcloud Channel after all. I guess that will give the songs more exposure, but I'm worried that once I add the vocals, the songs won't be as fresh anymore. Well, it's out of my hands now. So far, the plays are few and far between, so I guess it's still possible to get more people to follow the band
Speaking of Soundcloud, I'd like to thank any of you who are following the band and have found this blog in the links section of the Channel. I hope you like the material, and know that there are already a few ideas for a second album :)
The odd thing is, many of the followers are Death-Metal bands, which I think is quite ironic given that I'm not really a fan of that style. Musically, I respect those types of bands because they write awesome songs with cool and inventive arrangements, but the vocals kill it for me (no pun intended). I would love to be a fan of bands like Death, Opeth, and many others like them, but . . . I just can't get over those growls and screams. My apologies if anyone is offended.
As far as progress in writing the lyrics goes, I have yet to write a single word. Honestly, I have not been able to sit down and think of melodies for the vocals yet, but I should be able to come up with lyrics in the next few weeks.
Patience is a virtue. Remember that.
Speaking of Soundcloud, I'd like to thank any of you who are following the band and have found this blog in the links section of the Channel. I hope you like the material, and know that there are already a few ideas for a second album :)
The odd thing is, many of the followers are Death-Metal bands, which I think is quite ironic given that I'm not really a fan of that style. Musically, I respect those types of bands because they write awesome songs with cool and inventive arrangements, but the vocals kill it for me (no pun intended). I would love to be a fan of bands like Death, Opeth, and many others like them, but . . . I just can't get over those growls and screams. My apologies if anyone is offended.
As far as progress in writing the lyrics goes, I have yet to write a single word. Honestly, I have not been able to sit down and think of melodies for the vocals yet, but I should be able to come up with lyrics in the next few weeks.
Patience is a virtue. Remember that.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)