Tag: behind the scenes music production

  • Why Digital Music Needs Liner Notes Now More Than Ever

    Why Digital Music Needs Liner Notes Now More Than Ever

    Adding Liner Notes

    Moving forward with the digital age a vital part of the recording process got lost along the way. The part was the whole thing with who did what. Sadly it’s likely the easiest thing to add and it got left behind. There is now a strong push by NARAS a.k.a. Grammys to bring this into the future. Yes, adding liner notes is getting a nice lift to go digital.

    I took some time yesterday to go through all my music and lyric pages to update them with some simple liner note information. Thus now you can learn who wrote what, who played what, who mixed what, and who mastered what on all my released recordings.

    Beyond the simple liner notes I added a couple of extra bits of information for fun. The extra bits are also to answer some of the questions I’ve been asked about particular songs.

    As the actual standard for liner note information gets finalized, I’ll likely add additional bits of information to keep it current. Right now there is no standard, thus it’s what I currently imagine it to be.

    Why?

    For future recordings my liner notes will get much more detailed. Detailed to the point of geekdom. Which means I will include things like what guitar I used. What kind of strings, pickups, etc. Same with vocal mics, DAW, drums, bass, synths, etc. Essentially I may include the whole darn shebang into the liner notes. Plus I’ll add thank you’s and other acknowledgements. Much like you would see on printed materials that used to accompany Vinyl and CDs. Of course they’ll likely get split between liner notes that are specific to a song, and those that are general to the release. Details, details, details. All to satisfy the ubër fan and of course myself. I love to read about the who, the what, the where and the when of recordings.

    Head on over to the music pages and delve a little further if you dare!

    Grammys Liner Notes

    – Jody

  • From Good to Great: How One Lyric Rewrite Changed Everything

    From Good to Great: How One Lyric Rewrite Changed Everything

    Bing, bang, boom. Been an interesting few days with a bunch of requests for some music to fit a few commercials. Fingers crossed that at least one of them get’s pics for some of the opportunities. Yesterday I got to put the final touches on to a song that got a bit of a major rewrite lyrically. Now I have song fifteen done before the Super Bowl.

    This latest in the quest for the final 18 songs is now called “Brighter Side of Success.” The original title was “Imagine Life.” Fortunately that has changed. Changed in to a much better song lyrically. Stronger. More cohesive. Also, more positive. That’s a plus. It was good to reexamine the nature of the tune and what it should have been from a lyric standpoint.

    Musically, I didn’t have to change much of it at all. In fact, there were only some very minor melody/rhythm of vocals tweaks to accommodate the new lyrics. I think it was pretty darn strong musically. Though I do think I will add some stuff in the studio once all the bed tracks are tracked. Maybe a synth or two here or there. But otherwise, it’s to remain a solid uptempo pop rock style tune that stays in the bass, drum, guitar, vocal realm.

    Now I can sit for a day and take in the mother of all football games – The Super Bowl. Interestingly enough on iTunes my versions of San Francisco 49’s and Baltimore Ravens “Do You Want To Play” are hot on the popular meter right now. I’m making an educated guess that fans of both teams are picking up their respective versions to pump themselves up for the big showdown!

    Which team you rootin’ for? 49’s? Ravens? I’m actually more interested in the commercials and seeing huge plays. My team isn’t there, crud.

    Enjoy the Super Bowl, and stay tuned for next week should see at least two of the last three, if not all three of the tunes to complete the 18 to be finalized for the recording process. Remember “Brighter Side of Success” is song fifteen done and it’s right before the Super Bowl! Hell Yeah.

  • Why “American Mayhem” Feels Like the Start of Something Big

    Why “American Mayhem” Feels Like the Start of Something Big

    The tweaks are beginning to flow. My first song finalized is American Mayhem. So far I’m going in alphabetical order. No rhyme or reason it was the first on the list.

    I got the verses tightened up and made some changes to the lyrics in the chorus as well. I recut the vocals on the demo to closer represent my final goal and to have the new lyrical version around for practice. I’ve added some elements to the music part of the mix as well. I’m looking forward to getting into the studio to cut the final vocal and get the mix completed. It’s gonna be a nice slammin track.

    Stay tuned as more songs are getting tweaked. Which one will be next on the list? Check back and find out. For now, you know the first song finalized is American Mayhem.

    — Jody