Jeremy Larson

Day 4

More drum tracks with Darren today.  In case any of you are as nerdy as me about gear, here's our very simple setup:

Many of the drum tracks we've been working on are set up like this.  A snare, floor tom, and rack tom mic'd up with a Neumann M-149.  We moved the drums out into the hall to catch a little bit of natural reverb.  Another upside to this approach, is that it keeps Darren from having to work in the drum room- which gets really hot.  There is actually no AC up on the second floor, and it's a little rough.  Neither Darren nor Stacy have complained at all since we've started, and I appreciate that.  Last time they were here, it was the middle of winter and you could almost see your breath up there- which is why we have pictures of Stacy recording with an electric blanket on.  Nothing but positive vibes from these two fine friends!  Once again, Stacy is doing daily blogs about this process as well.  You can read her blog here.

Thanks for reading.

Jeremy

Day 3

I'm starting to get my days confused, since I'm blogging daily about the day before...  But yesterday was a good one.  LOTS more vocal tracking with Stacy.  Working with her and Darren is a very humbling thing.  They put more thought into 10 seconds of music, than I put into a whole song at times.  As much as I like to gush about Stacy, I could say the same about Darren regarding rhythm.  He is extremely mathematical in his approach.  I know that should go without saying for a drummer, but this is pretty rare.  Ideas must be perfectly executed before they are given the thumbs up or down.  Next time you listen to a MuteMath song, think about the fact that before the final drum track was recorded, there were probably hundreds of other ideas that were slaved over, and fought over, before deciding on the one that is heard- and that goes for every intro, verse, chorus and bridge.  I'm so thankful that my friends work so hard at what they do.  I need to be challenged in this way.  Special thanks to my brother Jonathan, for letting us borrow this keyboard.  Having tons of fun with it already.

Thanks for reading.

Jeremy

Day 2

We've been doing things in a bit of a different order these past couple of days.  Darren has had other homework that's been keeping him busy, so we've just been recording vocals.  This has been a challenge, but in a very good way.  The thing is, Stacy does not cheat in her vocal performances.  She does not let me copy and paste to different parts of the song, and she does not settle for something she doesn't love.  Stacy is by far the most musical singer I've ever produced.  Each vocal line is a hand crafted work of art.  There is a lesson to be learned here.  Saying that Stacy is a gifted singer is an insult.  She has been gifted with an amazing work ethic which makes her work endlessly to be a better singer.  That is why- even as amazing as she is now- in several years, she will be even better. By the way, Stacy is keeping up with her own blog on this creative process.  You can read about it here:

http://ladiesandgentswalkonby.tumblr.com/

Thanks for reading.

Jeremy

Day 1

Stacy sang her heart out yesterday.  That's all I can say.

Day 2 starts now.

Jeremy

Toys

Since I am such a novice at guitar, I find it only fitting that I use the equivalent of a "toy" guitar when recording parts.  It keeps me in my place.  So, these are the guitars I used today while working on one of Stacy's tracks.

Perfect for me, or any 8 year old wanting to learn.  Thanks for reading.

Jeremy