There is a point, when recording an album, that it all starts to come together. That is the point where you stop pulling out your hair. It is the point where you stop considering tossing instruments out the window in order to listen to the satisfying CRASH as they hit the pavement below. Sometimes this is the point where you have finally gotten organized in what needs to stay or go on an individual track. Sometimes it is more a matter of which tracks need to go away -- far, far away. Regardless, it is a satisfying feeling to suddenly come out into the clear and realize the record has come together.

While I was doing this [thanks to working for Gearwire] I was also thinking about what was being used to make the music and how. Mainly we were recording onto Logic using an Alesis 8 channel FireWire board.

I played my Gibson The Paul Firebrand on a couple of tracks but did not use my acoustic Takamine. The reason being that the Takamine is a small bodied guitar with a limited amount of bass. It just sounds too tinny and bright and happy. The sound I was looking for was better achieved using a borrowed Gibson Gospel. The Gibson Gospel was made for a few years in the early 70s and then again in the early to mid-90s. As I have heard it told, the idea behind the guitar was that it could be played with a group -- let's say a church choir -- and be loud enough to be heard. They are loud dreadnought guitars with a deep but still broad tone. I absolutely love them, but being too broke / cheap to buy one I opted for borrowing.

When it comes to borrowed electrics, I used a Les Paul Special 2003 [tv yellow]. It is probably the ugliest thing I have ever seen, but it is a super nice playing guitar. The neck on it feels wider and more substantial than the one on the The Paul and it certainly has a more rocking sound. There is a temptation to play complicated parts with this guitar. This is problematic because I cannot play such parts. My brain gets way ahead of my poor, sausage-like hands. The good thing is that you can use your brain to make sure you do not go crazy with the jamming. Some songs just do not need it. Not letting the gear dictate what you do is key in getting the most out of a recording session.

Keep in mind, I stare numbly at the screen when dealing with most software. I have a basic knowledge but you do not want me engineering [or actually touching] anything. There is one thing I learned that may be useful. There were two tracks that needed to be converted to WAVs and sent to to Florida for some added vocals [and possibly guitars]. What I didn't know was that any additional punched-in tracks, sounds that jump in later in the song or that are distributed piecemeal throughout the song will all move to "start" when you export the track. If you are not aware of this you might find the person on the other end of your communication to be perplexed. I was told a portable hard drive is the answer to this issue but I didn't have one handy. I will be looking into other suggestions from experienced folks on this front.

Disconnected tips? I would say that, before final mixing, take all your tracks and put them on a disc or on your iPod [or both]. Then ignore them. Do not listen to them for [if you have the time] a week or so. Put some distance between you and the totality of the project. And after that week, listen to the songs on different sound systems. Listen to them as mp3s, and as AIFs. I say this with some regret, but realize that many people are going to be listening to your music as mp3s on tiny little speakers. If you want them to hear your music or get what you are doing, you will need to take this into account. If you do not care about that aspect and are more concerned about art then you need not worry about this.

At the point you start listening I suggest you take detailed notes on each track about what you like and dislike. You SHOULD have been doing this already but if you are lazy like me you probably didn't. Then you are ready to get to mixing. I would also take some time before mastering to re-examine your mixes to be sure you like them. You really cannot fix something in mastering. That is all about fine tuning. If you can avoid it, do not master yourself -- especially not on the same equipment you recorded on. Get a friend with a good set of ears, and at least decent gear to do your mastering. If you can afford it, hire a pro.

Next I am going to talk about the pedals I used [and chose not to use], microphones and a little about doing a record deal on the low end of the music food chain.