I learned a valuable lesson today: check your levels before hitting record! The first take of this recording, I had the volume too high, and when I started adding reverb, the bass part started horribly clipping. I didn’t really hear it in the headphones, but once I dropped the file into Ableton, it sounded awful. Actually, I learned a second lesson: don’t put too much reverb on a bass part because bass and reverb are meant to flirt, not hook up.
There is a trick I like to try every so often with the Zoia and grooveboxes. Since the Zoia only has a stereo input and the groovebox, in this case the Model:Cycles, only has a stereo output, I can pan the parts hard left and right and run two effects chains through the Zoia. Here I had the drums panned and sent through some overdrive. I tried bit crushing too, but it was painfully noisy, so I dropped that. The bass, arps, and lead went through a chain that had a ping-pong delay and reverb.
I also tried playing the lead part live because I always feel a little bad when I perform, but am just turning parts on and off. This wasn’t much of a performance, more some noodling down the scale, but whatever, I did it.
Last thought: My Sony NEX-6 is great for still photography. It really isn’t as good for video. In terms of my current capacity, I think my iPad Pro actually does the best job filming. Someday I’ll upgrade to a better video setup.
Song Imagery from Miss Bossy Cheeks
An aerial view of the medina in Morocco–it’s packed to the gills with animals, people are shouting, vibrant colors abound, and people rushing from activity to activity. Camera zooms into a specific merchant and he drops an item into a satchel and hands it to a little boy who nods solemnly, understanding the weight of this mission. The boy runs and zig zags expertly through the market, knowing all the shortcuts (which also annoys some of the shopkeepers) and stops at another stall. There is a young man waiting for him on a motorbike. The boy hops onto the back of the bike that is laden with chickens and rugs. The bike speeds through the crowded market deftly, narrowly missing people, but it almost seems like the sea of people part for them as they bike through crowds. The scenery slowly changes from the hectic city to a more serene countryside with rolling hills as they pass various cows and sheep on the road. The kid looks at the sun slowly setting and worries that they won’t arrive on time. The driver drops the kid off in front of a wooden gate and gives the kid a knowing wink. The wooden doors open for the kid and he starts to run down the path…but remembering where he is, he slows down to a hurried walk where he finds one last door that opens. The recipient of the satchel emerges, the kid bows, and hands it off.
