Exit Signs - Week #25
By Matthew Flook on June 22, 2014 9:14 pm
Some weeks are better than others, and this one was certainly off to a rocky start. The demands of work seemingly doubled as I tried to plan for a momentous weekend, set to begin with a friend's wedding on Friday and wrap up with a relaxing getaway to the family cabin by Mt. Hood. I endured, and made it to the cabin with a near-final version of this song on the laptop, holding a crazy idea in my head that it would assist me greatly in proposing to my girlfriend Michelle.
And so it did! Let me explain: At the end of each week that I record one of these songs, I ask Michelle to review it before publishing to the world. Generally, this yields a thumbs up and I move on to the next one... but this week was special. This song would be rigged with a surprise interruption at the halfway mark, and with Michelle listening along on headphones - sitting next to me in the cabin's cozy living room - the recording of my voice asking her to marry me would take over as the song's melody faded to silence.
It worked. Despite her initial response - "Shut the hell up!" - she then said "yes", and gave the song two enthusiastic thumbs up. The rest is history, as they say, and the technical aspects of this track just don't feel as important to discuss this time around. I am very happy with the sonic (and nuptial!) results, particularly the blend of dry and vocoded vocals. A recording of the lovely Henry Creek flowing right beside the cabin was the final touch this song needed, and a Sunday trip to the Timberline Lodge for wifi access brings it to your ears!
Key equipment/software used for production:
- Native Instruments Maschine Studio
- Steinberg Retrologue synth plug-in
- Psychic Modulation Phonec synth plug-in
- iPad Alchemy Mobile synth app
- Tascam DR-2d digital recorder
- Studio Projects C1 condenser mic
- Native Instruments The Mouth Reaktor effect
- TAL-Vocoder 2 effect plug-in
- ValhallaDSP ValhallaRoom effect plug-in
Key: Bb Major
BPM: 120
Time Signature: 3/4
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Audio works licensed by author under:
CC Attribution Noncommercial Share Alike (BY-NC-SA)
