Audio production in a nutshell Yesterday I made a web tutorial/explanation about the work that goes into making an album - in particular, the forthcoming Groanbox Boys album. It has pictures, sound clips, and short discussions about the various stages involved:

http://www.theamazingrolo.net/groanbox/  ¶ 5:00 PM 2 Comments

  An award! (sort of) I just learned that Don on the Farm, a short animated piece that I wrote original music for as a freelance job in February, has won a Telly Award! I don't get credit on the news release...grrr...but I feel really cool to have been a part of it.  ¶ 1:26 PM 2 Comments

  One from the vault.
Occasionally, while looking for something on my hard drive or in a closet or in a pile of old tapes, I will run across something I recorded a long time ago and be pleasantly surprised. This happened to me yesterday, and I thought I would share it with you all.

When I'm working on a song I tend to listen to it obsessively (like most composers, I imagine). I listen over and over, partially as a way to figure out how to make the song better, but also because it helps me understand myself. Even when a song is totally finished I like to listen to it nearly every day for a month or so...the birthing process of the song is still fresh in my head, so I feel a special connection to the sounds coming out of the speakers - I can still remember recording that guitar track, or programming that drum beat, and I can still remember everything I did to produce and mix the song.

There's a certain point, though, where that new song will get pushed off to one side and forgotten, stuck in a folder or on a CD and filed away. Usually by that time I've decided that I don't like the song after all, that what I'm working on now is way cooler and better and this one will take me to the top.

And then, as I already explained, I will rediscover it. I'm usually disappointed that it's not as good as I remember it being, but sometimes I end up thoroughly enjoying it...most often it's the songs that I paid the least attention to at the time that age the best! This one is a perfect example. I don't really remember recording it at all...I don't know if that's me playing the piano, or if it's something I sampled. I vaguely remember calling it "Street Robots" because it contained samples of a street band in Avignon as well as a robot fighting club I went to in Pittsburgh. The "file info" tells me that I started this song on June 29 2003 and finished it on August 2nd 2003 at 4:25 am. That means I wrote it in Avignon, in the little studio apartment I was renting for $200 a month in an 18th century mansion in the middle of the old town. What was I doing up at 4:25 am?

I guess I was writing weird dark electronic music, that's what! It's funny to hear something that I have a hard time believing I wrote. It's like looking at an old photograph and not recognizing yourself.

The Amazing Rolo - Street Robots  ¶ 11:00 PM 1 Comments

 
I took a lot of pictures today. Click here to see them. It's not the most exciting series in the world, but it will give you an idea of what I'm doing and what my surroundings are like!  ¶ 6:28 PM 1 Comments

  Willow Garden: the remix
Today my brother Cory recorded a charango track, as well as some backup vocals, for the version of "Down in the Willow Garden" that I recorded in January. Give it a listen, and you can compare it to the old version if you like!

The Seznec Brothers - Down in the Willow Garden  ¶ 6:19 PM 2 Comments

  My new abode.
The house in Tooting.  ¶ 12:05 AM 0 Comments

  Starting over.
I've arrived in London, and I'm starting to get settled. It will probably be a little while before I'm able to post any new music or sound stuff, but in the mean time I'll try and take a lot of pictures! More soon.  ¶ 10:26 PM 1 Comments