Yes, I was supposed to release an LP in July- the actual album, all polished and pretty. But I didn’t come close to meeting that expectation, though I think you can probably conjure up some sympathy for my fail.

Ah, Logic. Learning my recording software, Logic Express, is rather time intensive for the creative mind, and frankly there weren’t enough ticks on the clock to fully immerse myself in education…while writing, recording, and producing a ten song LP. No Logic, no record….for now…

I also took a summer scamper down a different path, re-evaluating my ambitions and examining how I operate on a daily basis. I thought I’d return to blogging with an entirely new purpose, where the music was more of a chaser for the life philosophy I’d be shooting.

Yet again, the path dipped and I found myself sliding into the arms of writing, where I really needed to be. Discovering the depths of certain older lyrics (like Labyrinth and Like the Rain), I found myself tracking just for fun, and ended up reacquainting myself with the creative and technical process. After a love affair with my metronome that ended rather badly, I finally got the hang of what works for me in the studio.

Studio recording and playing live are night and day-completely different energies; but both require me to completely lose myself in the experience. My realization, personally and professionally, was this: There is great power in not thinking and just doing. So I wrote, played, recorded, re-recorded, and had a “preliminary” listening party to try out the roughs. Now posted for your critique (yes!), the roughs need further feedback before I record their final (ha, as if) versions. The next post will cover what you should listen for, as well as insight on each track. For now, your honest opinion is all I ask. And I’ll thank you for it!

Just as all manifestations of life are entwined, my endeavors are never really separate from any personal change I’m undergoing. Like lyrics, they serve as representations of myself at a particular moment.
Over the summer, I decided to allow the changes to unfold, rather resisting them in favor of what? …Stagnation?! Haha, never!

It’s only natural to change and grow, not to mention beneficial. Thus: my state of being has and will continue to permeate Motif Manifesto (our conversation here) as it does Motif Music. I hope you’ll consider the music deeply, reflecting on the lyrics and sharing your perspective. If that doesn’t work for you just yet, no sweat. Just listen. :)

Lookout for the next post! I’m getting back into the rhythm of blogging and something tells me I’ll be more consistent this time…Check out the tune-age! Leave the love! And do make your day remarkable!

:c:

~The Chelsie Way~

I did have a successful playtime with compression and reverb the other day. Playing with effects and settings is the only way to learn what you like and what’s best, when.

There’s a lot to know about sound, and thus a lot to learn about manipulating it, even in simple recording. Good sound being the objective, I find myself racking up information very similar to the outline of my college Recording Technology course, knowledge which time has steadily removed from my brain.

I’m nearly-not, but still without a vocal booth or any external sound-deadeners, so recording during say, thunderstorms, is a bit of a stretch. Since I very much love t’storms, I recorded a “thunder track” for the beginning of Randomly Beautiful.  It sounds awesome, like…you’ll never guess…distant thunder!! All jokes aside, it’s a fun effect for me at this point.

This week I’m posting a LOT of lyrics, hopefully to be accompanied by their respective Rough cuts. I’ll be absent from the world next week, on a long-awaited Honeymoon, so I’m trying to leave some sweet nectar & lunar light for Cg.com to enjoy.

Blogs are about community, so the authors and readers must learn how to take care of each other. It’s a dynamic relationship from all sides. How you feel about a song, how you like it, and if you’d enjoy more of a particular lyric or melody are essential to this blog and the recording process it documents.

Feedback is fodder for a writer-or should be-because every opinion is a possibility to explore. And writers need possibilities. When you visit a blog, make use of the comment boxes. If you’ve taken the time to read anything at all, that blog has made an impression. Share it! The author will thank you!

More to come from the studio when I return…Updating Cg.com on my learning/recording process is a way of keeping me on my toes, so stayed tuned for the next phases of my very first, and very firsthand LP.