Monday, January 16, 2006

Another update on the new CD

I guess my Friday blog is becoming my Monday blog instead. Friday I was on the road, performing at McKinley and Lincoln elementary schools in Norman. Thursday I performed and did a workshop in Elmore City, and Monday I was in Burns Flat for a day of performing and workshops.

You'll hear more about the workshops I've recently completed in my upcoming podcast.

Even with all that travel I managed to put some time in in the studio. "Eleanor Gerbil" is nearly done. All the parts are recorded, and all I need to do is the finer points of the mixing.

"Humming Bird Hum" gained some new parts this morning, including a vocal by my daughter, Evalyn. Anyone who's spent time with a four year old can imagine how tough it was to get her to sit still in front of a microphone and sing. Any other time she sings the song beautifully!! Well, I maybe got a useable take, or we may try it again later.

I've been learning how to use the pitch correction feature on Digital Performer, and it's fantastic!! It took some practice to figure out the controls, but basically I can see where the pitch is, grab a note and drag it to where I want it. It gives me a lot of control over how the pitch is changed, and it sounds very natural if you pay attention to details, and don't push it too far.

This is great for vocal harmonies. I used to spend a lot of time trying to get all four pitches "in the pocket" in a four part arrangement. Now it's easy! Last week I added some four-part vocal and kazoo harmonies to "Humming Bird" and they sound fantastic!

Working with the pitch correction is great ear training. I've gained a huge appreciation for those talented singers who know how to properly control their pitch!

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