tkdunning

[tkdunning]

(111)

Attached my audio interface to my pedalboard for a streamlined DI recording chain. Tried out a free cab sim VST to great effect. It really does handily deal with the flat DI sound. The only issue with this current effect chain is that I feel my reverb pedal is not in the perfect spot. I think ideally I'd want to run something conceptually like: base sound > cab sim amp > {reverb/delay/chorus/etc. effect loop} > cab sim out (IR) > compressor > EQ > Interface to get a true-to-life sound. But then again... not really sure if this matters at all since the reverb here functions as part of the base sound and internally I'd do spatial reverb return tracks post audio interface anyways. It's hard to say without actually trying it out but I think any difference in sound caused by the existence of an effect loop. I also think a pre-interface EQ might be foolish for the purposes of recording. A compressor may be fine, but EQ will almost always need to be adjusted in the mixing process. Honestly the best modern signal flow is raw DI input > interface > everything else as VST so that you don't have to re-record the perfect take if anything at all about the sound needs adjusting/reshaping in the mixing stage. However, I want a good live sound as well as useful pedals for recording so I think what I have is nearly the perfect halfway point (I'd rather have the cab sim pre-interface to be useable in silent stage setups). If you think about it, this DI setup is basically the equivalent of actually traditionally recording an amp but in a sterile, perfect environment. With these new discoveries I've concluded that the most useful pedal additions would be:

cab sim/IR loader

drive pedal #2

delay

chorus or EQ

Even though I think an EQ pedal is absolutely busted in terms of actual soundshaping, it's really hard to say how useful it actually is. I've heard it's insane for high gain metal sounds (useful) but I'd have to test it out to really understand.

I find chorus and delay are both super useful for leads when placed in a electronic context. It becomes the lead synth this way.

[tkdunning]

(110) Been taking guitar private lessons. The journey goes well on that front. The pieces are beginning to come together.

Have been super inspired by the soundtrack for Clair Obscur: Expedition 33. Makes me want to start practicing piano again and to try and write moving, cathartic pieces of music instead of "fun stuff". Also made me realize how barren and dead my soundcloud feels in terms of material I actually want to share/present as a body of work. Too much throwaway thoughtless quick pieces and not enough of my soul on there, if that makes sense. I think since I've been improving a lot on the instrumentation side it would be good to return to songwriting. Soon (for personally sad reasons) I'll have a lot more physical space to do that. I've decided I shouldn't totally remove myself from my past experience in electronic, but rather use it in conjunction, interchangeably, and thoughtfully to create something immersive and compelling.

[tkdunning]

(109) Finally finished writing the first song today, which means it's time to practice it to perfection and then think about how I'm going to record it. I could either do the traditional mic'd amp route (to possibly learn a thing or two/gain experience with my setup) or I could try and get an IR pedal to do silent recording/pedal usage. An IR pedal could also be really useful in a amp-less performance setup or if the amp has issues. The main problem is that I'm really trying to save as much money as possible and the IR I want is a $300+ strymon iridium... Being able to use my pedals while practicing through a headphone would be a really nice quality of life upgrade, but I already have a mustang micro amp for that purpose. I do have some cab sim vsts that 'might' work similarly but I get the impression that there's a big difference between putting this before and after the audio interface's preamp.

[tkdunning]

(108)

Haven't been updating but have been learning more theory via blues guitar workshops. Will hopefully be taking private lessons after since the experience has shown me just how lacking I am in guitar theory. Learning these things will make me a much more effective songwriter (and player).

[tkdunning]

(107)

Practiced "for real" for the first time in forever since I'm trying to clean up my lifestyle and good lord I sucked at playing while standing up.

[tkdunning]

(106)

Super tired today, but still decent progress on Lenny. Continuing to iron out small mistakes. Fixing a lot of picking patterns since I was overusing downstrokes out of laziness.

[tkdunning]

(105)

All of Lenny committed to memory. There are a few spots where I learned things incorrectly but most of them are pretty simple fixes. From this point onwards it's really about cleaning everything up and then slowly building up to full speed. Getting to full speed is the lowest priority task that should come naturally with enough refinement.

[tkdunning]

(104)

Finally learning the last phrase of Lenny, after like months of not doing it for absolutely no reason. It's not even difficult. Signed up for some blues guitar workshops a couple weeks from now so I'm gonna do improv practice again. Focusing on theory will help as well. Not that I need to since it's a beginner class, but the anxiety about "underperforming" will help motivate me to learn.

[tkdunning]

(103)

Beginning to learn O.D. - Polyphia. Ngl I really really hate songs with tapping and Polyphia sprinkles them in a lot of their songs. Still... gotta learn the stuff that sucks ig. Tapping is "modern" and honestly probably super useful in songwriting for single guitar too.

[tkdunning]

(102)

Reinvigorated and practicing with intent again. The days feel better when my fingers are raw from playing.

[tkdunning]

(101)

Not much to say other than that I've been doing vocal drills in the car. This process will take a long time, but I'm starting to have a good baseline of understanding. I wanted to write a good ending for the first instrumental song on the album but I feel like the way I had it ending before makes more sense. Adding additional phrases makes it feel like I'm dragging things out. Also, there are sections (namely the chromatic bridge section) that I'm not really satisfied with but I'm not really sure how to fix. It's possible I'm overthinking it. I'm also considering not including the song on the album at all because while it's decent songwriting, I'm not sure if it's really what I want. Maybe it could be an interlude? It makes the most sense as an intro, but I don't want the intro to an album to be weak and this song feels kinda weak to me right now.

[tkdunning]

(100)

Going to try and self-learn how to sing. I think that's what I want, since it opens up the avenue to "true songwriting". I really want to be able to put my own lyrics into songs. I will keep my expectations low since I know I have never done this before, but:

My pitch is very accurate I think bc I played violin at a very early age, so the hardest battle has already been fought. That's a comforting thought.

I've noticed from recording and just trying out that my issue really is in steadiness and delivery of the voice. It's hard to stay exactly on a note because my voice is oscillating and I think that's something that can be corrected with singing technique.

I think my lyrics are pretty basic at the moment so that will be another thing to learn. I am capable of writing pretty compelling poem-esque thoughts. As in I'm able to convey a meaning decently well in a poetic way, keeping things from being too wordy or descriptive or specific. I think that will be useful once I get a sense of how to fit words into songwriting/a melody.

Keeping my expectations realistic - I don't have to be a fucking opera singer or band frontman type singer. It just needs to be good enough to convey the song messages effectively. Obviously better singing will help the emotional delivery, but, as I learned from vocal production, those two factors can be entirely different things. A mediocre singer might deliver an emotional line better in a take than a really gifted singer.

I think it's a good time to dive back into studying the theory/method books. I think practicing songs can take the sideline for a while. Guitar theory will help me write way more than perfecting songs. Reading a bit of theory each morning will grow me much faster than doing the same old honing of guitar playing.

[tkdunning]

(99) I am writing it all down This is my only way of keeping this alive My soul is breaking

[tkdunning]

(98) Doing absolute psychotic behavior right now recording my emotional breakdowns so I can use them for my album I know that it's the best way of using this pain I'm feeling right now. I don't care about being vulnerable anymore. Everything hurts beyond belief but I will create something beautiful and timeless out of it. And it is in this way that I will immortalize the most precious essence of what we had.

[tkdunning]

(97)

Thinking about making a short instrumental album and just releasing it into the wild

[tkdunning]

(96)

I need to get some fret files because the cold weather is making the frets stick out like knives and my left index finger just keeps getting shredded while playing.

[tkdunning]

(95)

Making progress on memorizing major triads. I'm finding it easier to think of them in their cross-string shapes and then memorizing up each set of 3 strings.

These should be somewhat similar to scales/modes in that once the major scale shapes are familiar, all the other types become easier to find. In this case, all I have to do is move the 3rd or the 5th for minor, dim, aug chords