Thought I’d give you a little update on the new album. Currently I have two tracks nearing completion in the mixing stage (Dueling Banjos and Guitar Tango), and I am busy recording bass and guitar for Sunset Road and also programming the drum loops. We’re going to the studio on sunday to record banjo for Sunset Road, and electric guitar the following week. So far we have only had time for three tunes, but I hope I can squeeze in another Shadows track before Christmas arrives…

I am a long time Mac user and up until recently I have based all my audio productions on a very stable Logic system (currently Logic Stuido 9 with MOTU 828 mk3 and Snow Leopard). Some of the projects I’m currently undertaking however, required me to take the plunge and buy my first digidesign interface (Mbox 2 Mini) with Pro Tools 8 LE (post production and studio work that requires cross platform compatibility for collaboration). The first thing that struck me was how many different codes and serial numbers I had to obtain from the user manual and various different sheets of paper that came with the box. When I finally got the damned thing installed and registered I discovered that the version that came with the interface naturally didn’t support Snow Leopard, so I had to download a “pre-release” version from the digidesign homepage. That’s right, “pre-release” as in “not supported by digidesign, and if you fuck up your system you are on your own”… When I finally found the damned link, some obscure Java applet has to be loaded in order to download, and then I discover the filesize of the update; staggeringly 1,25GB! So I start the download and leave my computer to eat dinner. A few hours later the download is complete, and I start installing the update. I soon discover that the installer nearly maxes out both of my processor cores, and what’s more is that it was sitting there for hours without any visible progress whatsoever, just this picture:

It’s almost like I’m being tossed back into the world of Microsoft and Windows! This is the exact reason why I converted to Mac and never looked back. After a long time I got sick of waiting and decided to try a new install, so I uninstalled every trace of Pro Tools and started over. It appears that I couldn’t have made a poorer choice, ’cause now I’m sitting here staring at the exact same picture as above, my processor fan going wild and the percentage meters hitting the roof. There are a few words of profanity not far away from being pronounced, but I shall try to constrain myself. I have decided to let the installer continue through the night, so I guess we’ll see in the morning wheter or not I end up with getting Pro Tools installed or an overheated MacBook Pro. As for the future, this Mac user will try his best not to ever purchase antoher product from digidesign.

UPDATE!
After sitting there all night and getting no further I started to investigate why Pro Tools wouldn’t install. A quick look in a few system log files in the console application I discovered that the installer had been trying to remove the Pro Tools dock icon, unsuccessfully throughout the night. After removing the dock icon and starting the installation process over it seems to be doing fine… How stupid is this? Very…

I’ve been to the studio today recording both rythm and solo parts for “Guitar Tango” (by The Shadows) on my acoustic guitar, after recording the bass at home yesterday. Using bass on a track is new to me, but it really assisted in removing the “rubato feel” that have been inherent in my previous recordings. I still have to stitch together a few solo tracks before creating a rough mix though, but I’ll post it here as soon as it’s ready. I’m returning to the studio on Sunday to record some electric guitar (to replace a part of the solo on acoustic) and hopefully violin overdubs. I’m not yet sure wether or not I’ll use the electric guitar solo parts, but I’ve figured I’ll give it a go and see if it fits.

We are finished recording the “Dueling Banjos” track. I have made a rough mix of it available under the music section of my site. I’m not by far finished mixing the track, I even have to replace a few chords here and there to “polish it up”, and add a bit of EQ, compressor and reverb. You’ll get the general idea listening to the rough mix though. We had a great time in the studio recording the track, and we’ll be back soon with “Blackberry Blossom”. I’ll hopefully be able to record the bass track for “Guitar Tango” tomorrow, and the acoustic guitar tracks on friday. I’ve also booked studio time on sunday to add the electric guitar solo and violin overdubs.

“Downpour” by Brandi Carlile is a no go as for now. I forgot to mention that Teddy and I will also record “Sunset Road” by Belá Fleck. I have also started making arrangements to record a few violin tracks with my sister (with myself on guitar), which will hopefully also be featured on the album. The aim is to have the album finished in time for Christmas. So far the track list looks something like this (the final order of the tracks hasn’t been decided yet):

• Dueling Banjos
• Blackberry Blossom
• Foggy Mountain Breakdown
• Sunset Road
• Guitar Tango
• Rohan Theme (from The Lord of the Rings)
• Concerning Hobbits (from The Lord of the Rings – this one is not certain)

We might spice it up with a few classical pieces aswell, although if we have the time for enough tracks I might consider seperating the project into two halves, one bluegrass project (“Dueling Banjos” through “Sunset Road”) and one guitar/violin project (“Guitar Tango” and down).

I’m currently in the process of planning and arranging the recording a new album, along with a few select members of my family and friends. I will do most of the instruments myself along with arranging, editing and producing in general. Teddy and I have started discussing a name for our string duo, and so far we have decided on “Strings on Speed” (or SOS if you will). The album will probably be named “Strings on Speed – with guests” or something along those lines.
So far I have decided to do a version of “Guitar Tango” (by The Shadows) using acoustic guitar and violin (the latter instrument not played by me personally) and perhaps electric guitar and bass aswell. We will also be doing a version of “Dueling Banjos” (a long time “favorite”), possibly “Blackberry Blossom”, and an acoustic version of “Foggy Mountain Breakdown”. I have also been contacted by a member of my family that wants to do “Downpour” by Brandi Carlile, which we’ll probably have to adapt to some sort of “string band” or bluegrass version.
All in all a very “bluegrassy” album with a touch of flamenco inspired guitar (Guitar Tango), and acoustic sound.

Pictures taken at Rygge Airshow 2009 in Østfold province, Norway. All pictures are taken with my Nikon dSLR and mostly my 70-300mm VR Nikkor lens.

Rygge Airshow 2009 – Day 1

Rygge Airshow 2009 – Day 2

I recently recorded a demo version of a song I’m entitleing “The CANJAC Blues” using my portable Zoom H2 recorder. It’s a tune designed to go with a song we sang when I was at CANJAC (Canadian Junior Achievement Conference). The demo sports me on acoustic guitar, both rythm and some improvised blues soloing. Since I’m not much of a singer the demo lacks vocals. I’m sure most people who ever went to CANJAC will recognize the melody, but I’ll throw in some sample lyrics below.

• “The CANJAC Blues” demo

The recording is also available via the Music page in the sidebar.

I’m planning to record this song with vocals, electric guitar, bass and drums sometime in the future. Needless it will be extended with more verses, and maybe even a bridge.

Sample lyrics (sung between the two guitar solo parts)

From kitchen to kitchen
CANJAC is really bitchin’

From kitchen to kitchen
CANJAC is really bitchin’

Frome east to west
CANJAC is the best

Alternatively one can change “From kitchen to kitchen, CANJAC is really bitchin’” with “From coast to coast, CANJAC is the most” and so on.
It is entirely possible that it was my team leader who came up with the kitchen stuff actually…

I apologize for not posting in a while, but my creative endeavours (aside from guitar playing) have been subject to neglect up until recently. Since my last post I have been in the Philippines, gotten my new guitar and I have even been able to take start taking pictures on my spare time again. Some of the pictures I take will be published in my Picasa web gallery for all to see! You can access the gallery through the link in the sidebar, conveniently placed under the “My sites” category.

From From Jeløya and Moss

I have just ordered a new acoustic guitar at the local instruments dealer. It’s from a brand called “Norman” which comes from the lovely country of Canada, more specifically Quebec. It’s my first “solid top” acoustic, and due to this and an overall quality improvement over my previous acoustics it costs quite a bit more. The “solid top” is made from canadian cedar which has already fallen, and as such it is a very dry wood which makes it excellent for guitar production. Seing as Canada also has a very similar climate to Norway a Canadian made guitar is perfectly suited for the norwegian climate. Before ordereing the guitar I tried a similar one in the shop by Norman’s sister brand “Art Lutherie”, which is basically the same guitar without a built-in pickup for recording/amplifying the guitar. In my experience the guitar sounded exceptionally well, and it was also quite easy to play (at least by comparing it to my current acoustic where the strings are too high). I don’t know for sure what kind of guitar finish I am getting, although I believe the one they showed me in the catalog is quite similar to the one I tried (showed below).