When you get into creative mode, you tend to let other things fall by the wayside. In this case, that would be letting my fans and friends know this project is still alive and kicking. And it is! But if you follow any of my other outlets like my Facebook Group or YouTube you already know what's been going on, as I've been posting pics and videos of gear, gear tests, and song preview videos. If you really want the day to day you should be following me on Facebook and Instagram. Or at the very least, Subscribing on YouTube. I'll do a little outline in the next section on all that stuff.
In the meantime I'd like to tell you that I have around 7 songs that are in various stages of production/composition. Enough to mark the beginnings of a new Album that I want to release this year! One of these songs I'm looking into releasing as a single at some point before the album is complete. I'd like to eventually complete at least 8 songs for this new album. The title of the album will be called, “Into The Broken Nothing.” I'll be honest, it's going to be a little darker and a little more emotional. Plus I'm going to stick my neck out on this next album by adding Vocals. But not just any vocals… they're going to be my vocals. Yes, I might be singing on this upcoming album. I use the word “might” because to be honest, I'm still on the fence. I'm no singer. But I can hold a pitch. But it's not like I ever wanted my stuff to be “Pop” style music anyway. So I'm not really looking for
that pristine top 40 style singing. I always envisioned vocals on my tracks to be like Bernard Sumner of New Order, or Ian Curtis of Joy Division (see pics). Not to exactly sound like them, but just the fact that they were far from perfect singers. They just did the job to get those lyrics across.
Taking on vocal chores myself isn't a matter of hubris (trust me, my singing tone sucks), it's just a matter of convenience. I have found that besides rare occasions where I bring an artist in to work on a track or a remix, or the exceptional case of Byron (who I work well with), I quite enjoy having complete control over my music. I really don't want another collaborator working on multiple songs at the creative stage. The creative stage for me is writing the music and laying down the tracks. And for this Masterjoda75 project, that has always been just me (except for the aforementioned cases). A singer adds a level of forced collaboration. They are going to bring in their own input and their own artistic interpretations. Which many times is really really good and you get creative surprises you never thought of. But I'm not looking for that. It's just where I'm at right now in my art. Not to mention the logistics of being able to set up a Mic whenever I have free time and just laying down some tracks and not having to wait for someone to show up, show up late, or not show up. Am I being stupid and pretentious about this? Leave me a comment.
That's my plan. I've done a couple of takes I'm satisfied with. But I want to see what Byron (my producer/engineer) can do with them sonically. If I'm not happy with it, I'm going to need to look into other solutions, take back everything I said, and see if anyone is willing to lay down some vocal tracks (especially after what I just wrote… Lol!). That, or find some robot AI to do it! Because the damage is done, the songs are being written, and the vocals are part of them. No vocals equals no track completion. And now that you all know about it, there's no turning back!!
The other tracks will be your standard instrumentals, and some will really go off the rails and maybe even not fit with the bleak theme of the album. But you know, I have to have some fun also! :-) One thing you will not hear though will be Lo-Fi Hip Hop. There will be some elements in there, but for the most part, that style will be put to rest and live forever with “Pandemic Blue.” Hope you stick around for this ride!
New Toys!
Electronic Music is a constantly evolving process. We find new ways to create unique music using our different electronic instruments and tools. My gear path has evolved into Eurorack Modular and In this case, I have been creating a custom super Sampler/Synthesizer, utilizing my mini modular setup here:
I'm basically piecing together an electronic instrument using different modules to suit my needs. I wanted to replace my aging sampler with a newer model that has more modern features. I found this cool little modular sampler called the BitBox Micro. Does all the sampling chores, and I'm able to patch it into the rest of my modular system for further sound shaping. I've already been using it on my latest tracks. Check out the preview I posted below. I took samples from a popular little “toy” keyboard/sampler from the 80's.. The Casio SK-1. The drums are so cheesy, they just work. This preview is for my upcoming single, “Next To You.”
If you would like to dive deeper into my modular journey, I did this cool little video showing my latest modular upgrades on the synth side.. It also gives a better understanding of what it takes to piece a system like this together. You can also enjoy a couple of my tracks playing in the background while I make my modifications!
If you've been following my Facebook page, you know I've been on the hunt for the proper tools to track vocals. My first challenge was dealing with a studio space (ie. my room) that wasn't treated, sound-proofed or set up for vocals. So I tried these contraptions…
The first two pics are the same device. What it basically does is encloses the Mic in its own “Vocal chamber," filtering out unwanted noise and reflections. After recording some vocal takes with it, I sent those samples over to Byron and my good friend Jack Gilpatrick for some professional, critical listening. They both felt the sound was too constrained compared to the sample I sent with the Mic recorded out in the open. It just seemed to dull the sound a bit. I feel the last filter pictured gives me a nice compromise. It does still affect the sound, but it is not as extreme as the other unit. And I feel it does do a good job at cutting down noise and minimizing reflections. Of course, I haven't sent that sample over to Byron. Curious to know how he feels about it when he gets my tracks in.
And finally I rounded off things with purchasing a slew of plugins from Universal Audio. They've had this massive sale that I am taking advantage of. I needed some good bread and butter Compressors and EQs…
Ok, this blog has been PACKED! But I had a lot to unpack! So I hope you got this far! If so, thanks for catching up with me! Keep your eyes out for a Single drop! We'll hopefully be getting that to mix stage real soon!
-Joda
Listen to and purchase my music here: https://jodaproductions.com/links
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