FFM in the studio, day 1

We're rerecording the Fleetfoot Mike demo this weekend, at Five Mile High Studios here in Peterborough with the amazing Andy Hawkins at the controls.

Yesterday started at 10, with micktim, Mal and I loading in the kit, and Andy getting a drum sound. The girls (Anne and stevieannie) eventually arrived around one, after Anne had been called out to a road accident with an animal (never did find out what). Basically we were doing backing tracks, and by 7pm we had tracks down for "Dreams", "Say You Love Me", "Go Your Own Way" and (after a brief flirtation with "Don't Stop" rejected on grounds of available time) "Rhiannon".

Hard work: Andy has amazing ears, and was picking out things we weren't even aware of and making us do retakes. It's not the biggest studio in the work - Tim's kit took up most of the main room, with my amp and cab tucked into a corner, Mal in another corner, a long lead through into the control room where I was sat with guitar and effects pedals, along with Anne and Annie. Cosy, and very hot: the portable a/c went on at every opportunity, as well as opening the outside doors to let in Real Air.

Today, we're doing vocals, and fixing a few guitar and keys parts: I'm off in for 9am to make a start. The whole thing should be done and mixed by 8 or so.

Can I at this point, though, nominate plaid_dragon for sainthood, for wrangling James, Ellie and Jared for the WHOLE DAY (aided by djbp)? You rock, Jess - we love you.

Analysis of hit albums...

...and why you shouldn't compress everything so it sounds LOUD.

http://www.airwindows.com/analysis/Dynamics.html

Quite the most awesome link. Thanks, redaxe!

FFM in the studio, day 2

FInished. Shyeah, riiiight.

Spent the morning tidying up guitar parts, mostly alone till stevieannie arrived, till about 1.30. Andy's a hard taskmaster, but it was worth it: I'm done with guitar barring the acoustic on 'Go Your Own Way'. Then handed over to Anne, who started in on the keys parts: "Dreams" is done, as is "Go Your Own Way". After which I went back with stevieannie to listen while she did the vocals on "Dreams" and "Rhiannon"...

And that's it for today.

Total time to date: 19 hours.

Tomorrow evening: Anne's finishing off her keys, and hopefully the vocals to "Say You Love Me", after which, if there's time, I'll do the lead vocals on "Go Your Own Way". And then we have an evening for backing vocals, and an evening to mix, and we're done.

Phew.