Check out this recent cover I recorded and mixed for Nashville cellist, Josh Dent! Also be sure to check out his kickstarter and help him realize his dream in making an album! 

The most recent music project to come my way was another song written by Ali Fry (and once again arranged by THE Jody Jackson).  I was able to mix the song for them, and as always, I loved every second of it.  The song is a transcendent, metaphorical adventure with vivid imagery that leaves you yearning to run Where the Wild Things Are.  It features a unique arrangement of vocals, ukulele, string quartet, guitar, piano, and…stomping!  It all comes together very nicely in a way you might not expect.  The song seems to ebb and flow like an amoeba and explores the entire dynamic range from start to finish and manages to satisfy your ears’ full frequency apetite.

Anyways, I’ll shutup, check it out!

Last night I was lucky enough to be able to work with two good friends once again, Jody Jackson and Ali Fry.  Two talented artists out of Tallahassee, FL who got together and laid down a great version of the classic tune “How Deep the Father’s Love.”  Ali is on vocals, Jody arranged/recorded and is also on piano, trumpet, guitar and backup vocals.  Also prepare yourself for some epic choir work towards the end.

One fun snippet of info during the recording process (which I was not apart of) was that one mic was used for all of the tracks, including the choir which was recorded in mono, 3 separate takes (I panned the 3 takes together to get a stereo effect).  That one mic was an MXL tube mic of some sort, I’ll have to ask Jody what it was specifically.

The mix was a blast, it’s always easier when you enjoy the piece of music you are working on.  It took me around 4 hours to do with some tweaks here and there but overall I’m very pleased with how it turned out.  If you have any questions on the mix or the process, don’t hesitate to ask.

Lately I have been collaborating with Nashville cellist and fellow FSU alum, Joshua Dent.  We are collaborating on a piece for choreography (Bethany Miller) that is set to be performed sometime in August here in Nashville.  The piece will be around 10 minutes+ and is written in a minimalistic approach, focusing on horizontal movement and rhythm more-so than vertical harmonic or melodic structure.  Broadly, the piece is finished, all that needs to be done is the small details; i.e. transitions, cues for the dancer, etc.  The piece will be performed with both cellist and dancer on stage, nothing more — again appealing to the minimalist ideology.  Recording and finishing touches will be put on next Tuesday so expect some excerpts (You’ll have to wait til August for the full piece)!

However, here’s a video of Josh playing to hold you over:

Recently I was lucky enough to work with fellow FSU alum and current elementary school teacher, Angela Moretti.  Angela is a music teacher at a middle school in Florida that, to be politically correct, might be classified as “high needs.”  Children come from a rough background and aren’t necessarily the most enthused students, especially when it comes to music.  Having known Angela for about 6 years now, I am not surprised that she went above and beyond her role as a teacher to help fulfill her students’ education and experience.  She has always been a top notch person.

Angela recorded 10 songs, 1 for each of her 10 classes, with the children singing, accompanied by herself on guitar.  She let the kids choose the topic and lyrics, the results are hilarious and heart-warming; my favorite being about a tiger named Alexander.  Angela recruited me to compose and arrange music around these 10 songs, each in a unique style and genre.  It sure wasn’t easy, and required a lot of patience on my end (think timing and tuning!), but in the end it wound up being one of my favorite projects, ever.

Here’s my favorite of the bunch:

Currently working with Nashville choreographer, Bethany Miller on an upcoming track she will be performing in New York in February.  Details to come!

I found this great article by Sound on Sound that discusses the logical process of mixing into a compressor.  I myself have very rarely mixed into a compressor; until recently.  The more I think about this process the more it makes sense and flows with with other concepts of mixing.  Mixing in essence is as much about preparation as it is about work.  The more you can plan ahead, the more hassle you can eliminate in the future.  Same can be said about a lot of things in life.  Even if you are a seasoned mix engineer, why risk the chance of a compressor throwing everything off at the end?  What if it doesn’t glue everything as you had imagined?  What if it pumps too much or what if the low end isn’t coming across nearly as you imagined? Of course, you can tweak and experiment with different settings and compressors themselves after the thought, but why not know exactly how the compressor is affecting the tracks in real time?  This way you can mix into your preferred compressor settings, hear the ebb and flow, and adjust accordingly.

Check out the article here at http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/jun99/articles/mixcomp.htm if you missed the link above.  Great insight to think about.

Fjord

New EP by Eric Rivera!

As many of you remember, I posted about the recording of this album a good while ago. Well, I just now got around to mixing it so have at it and take a listen!

This was a picture I took a few days ago, while still setting it up.  I’ll upload more pictures this week of the studio in all of it’s glory as well as specs on all of the equipment I use.  Cya then!

Fjord

Here’s a remix of an old song my friend Drawdy wrote a couple of years ago.  Enjoy it!