When All Instruments Are Spoken For

I’m getting very close to having all the instruments recorded for Snapshots of the Shattered Soul. On Tuesday, I received all the audio files from Monday’s string session in Nashville (read previous blog). I’m very happy with the way the strings turned out! Thanks to David Davidson for playing violin and viola, John Catchings for playing cello, and thanks to Bobby Shin for engineering the session!

I still need to record piano and there are a few keyboard/synthesizer parts here and there that I’d like to tweak. Matt Meyer may also record a small electric guitar part at the beginning of one song (I didn’t get to this part while recording with Mike Payne). Otherwise, the instruments are pretty much ready to go.

I am currently saving up for East West Quantum Leap’s Piano Library (http://www.soundsonline.com/Pianos). Why am I now going with samples? Sounds like I’ve changed my tune, huh? Well, as opposed to recording a real piano, I won’t have to pay for piano tuning or studio time, and with this library, I’ll have access to four amazing pianos (including a Yamaha C7 and a Steinway, all with multiple mic positions)… and additionally, I’ll own these piano sounds for years to come - a great investment for future projects. Hopefully, I’ll be able to purchase these samples, finalize the piano parts, and wrap up the last bit of instrument tweaks by the middle of May. I will then start recording the final vocals (lead and background), and after that will come the mix stage.

It’s a funny feeling seeing the light at the end of the tunnel after about a year and a half of writing, recording and editing. What a blast it’s been to watch these songs come to life, from rough piano and vocal demos to complex arrangements!