First off, I converted the version of "The Wait" from Wednesday into mp3 and wav files. Soon I'll delete all the other files that were used in the making of it. Clear up some hard drive so I can do other stuff.
I tried to resolve the metronome and pick issues. As for the metronome, there must be something wrong with my program (or maybe I just don't know what I'm doing), but if you record a track with the metronome, any other track you may add to it will not be in sync with it. Even if you take the metronome out and just play with the bare track, it's still off kilter. I tried moving the envelopes. No luck. So that takes care of that.
Then there's the problem of learning how to play better with a guitar pick. I found that I am able to play nice adornment parts quite well using a pick. But I can't strum for shit. Never could. To be honest, I think this may be a case of not being able to teach an old dog new tricks. It wouldn't be a problem if I had an electric acoustic where I could tweak the EQ before it even goes into the board. That, and a nice, shiny, new set of strings. That would do the trick.
Anyway, I tried doing it the conventional way for a couple of hours before I realized I was getting nowhere. So I scrapped the idea of working up the song the way a "real" producer would have done it. I decided that I would just record the song straight into one track and if that was all that came out of it I would be satisfied. I figured that I'm only really doing this to get these songs onto a CD, to make mp3 files out of them to share with friends who aren't looking for sonic perfection. It's the song, I decided, and surely I could make this one microphone sound as good as the cheap-ass cassette recorders I used when I originally wrote them. So what if this method is limiting in many ways. I ain't turning it in to any record labels for distribution (not that I would be adverse to such a situation, but I'm realistic about what I do).
I recorded the song in the manner which I have described. I was actually quite pleased with the performance. Both the vocal part AND the guitar line were significantly better than the prior attempt. Though I tried to put some ornamental guitar work on the thing, I wasn't happy with it. I wound up only recording back-up vocals. They sound good, though. I took a lot of time adjusting levels on those tracks, but it was necessary, and well worth it. I also recorded some backing vocal "padding" for choruses. I spent a couple of hours on these, and thought they were going to be great. But the levels didn't sound right to me. I rendered them to a new track and tried to adjust the over-all volume. Still, I wasn't happy. So I buried them down very low into the mix. You can still hear them, and it does sound pretty good, but for the amount of work I invested in them...well, it should have been a lot better.
I uploaded the song to both MySpace and Soundclick. I was glad it wasn't so long that MySpace wouldn't let it through (the last few projects I've done are too lengthy to upload there). So, all who read this are welcome to listen. I think it's a good song, as far as lyrics and music go. I don't mind the vocal performance, though I admit I'm not too much of a singer. Whatever. Judge for yourselves. I'm pretty sure it will be the last you'll hear from me, in mp3 format, at least, in a long time.
Thanks!
I have waited patiently, of patience I am made
Many years have washed away the bitterness and hate
But I don't understand it yet
I can't forgive and just forget
Now nothing you can say or do could make up for the wait
The world has kept on turning since you burned mine to the ground
And I have stopped pretending what I've lost will ever be found
But I can't comprehend the fact
You are never coming back
It's something I've accepted but the wait still brings me down
You took away my sunny day and left me here
With the little things that kill
A paper bag of broken promise,
Some photographs
And a bottle of your pills
So I will wait patiently, of patience I am made
And if I never hear your voice again
I'll call it a fair trade
For the dreams I stole away from you
I squandered in a day or two
And wasted on a memory that's left me here to wait
Wasted on a memory that's left me here to wait
I'm wasted on a memory that's left me now to the wait
©2008 James Arthur Casey All Rights Reserved.
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