"S" is for Stories - My Musical Alphabet

[Tom Hendricks]

“S” is for “Stories” – My Musical Alphabet
“S” is for “Stories”

http://music.hunkasaurus.com/stories.mp3

----------------
Stories (lyrics)

Stopped at a light behind a small truck
It turned green but there they’re stuck
I thought I’d honk, but instead I’d watch and wait

Up ahead the couple in the cab
Trying to save a love gone bad
Trying to save what was lost and will never return

Heaven help the man, who refuses to change
Heaven help the man, who refuses to change

There was a man who lived alone
Watching TV on his own
A fuse blew and the room turned totally dark

The TV light shrank to a dot
That went out and left a black spot
That he sat and watched till the break of dawn

Heaven help the man, who refuses to change

[Louise]

Tom Hendricks <tom-he...@att.net> wrote in news:6c136608-c136-478c-
a938-b85...@y5g2000yqy.googlegroups.com:

> �S� is for �Stories� � My Musical Alphabet

So depressing - any happy Vibe tunes? ;)

Ouisie

[Tom Hendricks]

> So depressing - any happy Vibe tunes? ;)
>
>
>
> Ouisie

How about this one, Don't Give Up On Love
http://music.hunkasaurus.com/onlove.mp3

[Louise]

Tom Hendricks <tom-he...@att.net> wrote in news:e0717445-d88a-40d8-
b1de-cb2...@googlegroups.com:

> How about this one, Don't Give Up On Love
> http://music.hunkasaurus.com/onlove.mp3

That's nice! It's got me thinking about a piano track ;)
Let me guess, you're a big Beatles fan ;) Right? Paul McCartney perhaps?
It sure sounds like something they would have done, at least it appears to
have that influence.
Did you use DAW software to record it?

Ouisie

[Tom Hendricks]

On May 13, 4:56 pm, Louise <oui...@ouisie.com> wrote:
> Tom Hendricks <tom-hendri...@att.net> wrote in news:e0717445-d88a-40d8-

Yes I'm a big fan of the Beatles for sure. Tomorrow I nope to record
the vocals for And I love Her at Crystal Clear Studios here in Dallas.

My guitar recordings are studio made. My engineer has a gold record
too. The latter ones are pro tools. I don't know about DAW/

Here's the list so far. http://music.hunkasaurus.com/songlist.html
There's a big mix of types of songs, with lots of Beatles. Thanks for
listening.

[Louise]

Tom Hendricks <tom-he...@att.net> wrote in

news:44a45675-e3e9-430f...@y5g2000yqy.googlegroups.com:

> Yes I'm a big fan of the Beatles for sure. Tomorrow I nope to record
> the vocals for And I love Her at Crystal Clear Studios here in Dallas.

I noticed a Beatles influence in "Don't Give Up On Love" and figured that
you're a Beatles fan. The first song on my first album has a Grace Slick
influence, in fact it's a sequel to her "White Rabbit". It's called
"Mirrorworld" while the second song, "Fly High", has a Peter Frampton
influence...although it sounds far too 'unplugged' the way I deom'd it.

> My guitar recordings are studio made. My engineer has a gold record
> too. The latter ones are pro tools. I don't know about DAW/

Pro Tools as far as I know is a DAW (Digital Audio Workstation) the vast
majority of which, if not all, are software based. The sound quality is
excellent and I'm starting to get somewhat envious because I'm using a
dedicated 4/8/12 track capable Fostex MR-8 Multitracker for demo-ing my
tunes, which really need to be done in a real studio, or at least something
better than what I'm currently using.

> Here's the list so far. http://music.hunkasaurus.com/songlist.html
> There's a big mix of types of songs, with lots of Beatles. Thanks for
> listening.

Thanks, I'll check it out.

Ouisie

[Gill Smith]

On 14 May, 04:06, Tom Hendricks <tom-hendri...@att.net> wrote:
> On May 13, 4:56 pm, Louise <oui...@ouisie.com> wrote:
>
> > Tom Hendricks <tom-hendri...@att.net> wrote in news:e0717445-d88a-40d8-
> > b1de-cb2...@googlegroups.com:
>
> > > How about this one, Don't Give Up On Love
> > >http://music.hunkasaurus.com/onlove.mp3
>
> > That's nice! It's got me thinking about a piano track ;)
> > Let me guess, you're a big Beatles fan ;) Right? Paul McCartney perhaps?
> > It sure sounds like something they would have done, at least it appears to
> > have that influence.
> > Did you use DAW software to record it?
>
> > Ouisie
>
> Yes I'm a big fan of the Beatles for sure. Tomorrow I nope to record
> the vocals for And I love Her at Crystal Clear Studios here in Dallas.
>
> My guitar recordings are studio made. My engineer has a gold record
> too.

wow

hope he doesn't read this but I always assumed your stuff was home
recordings

--
http://www.gillsmith999.plus.com/

[Louise]

Gill Smith <gill.sm...@googlemail.com> wrote in
news:b5ea4574-d23e-4471...@i9g2000vbc.googlegroups.com:

> wow
>
> hope he doesn't read this but I always assumed your stuff was home
> recordings
>
> --
> http://www.gillsmith999.plus.com/

When I heard it, I only knew that it was a better quality recording than
the ones I demo with nothing more than a little old Fostex MR-8
multitracker and just about as raw as raw can get.

Ouisie

[Tom Hendricks]

On May 15, 6:16 am, Louise <oui...@ouisie.com> wrote:

> Gill Smith <gill.smith....@googlemail.com> wrote innews:b5ea4574-d23e-4471...@i9g2000vbc.googlegroups.com:
>
> > wow
>
> > hope he doesn't read this but I always assumed your stuff was home
> > recordings
>
> > --
> >http://www.gillsmith999.plus.com/
>
> When I heard it, I only knew that it was a better quality recording than
> the ones I demo with nothing more than a little old Fostex MR-8
> multitracker and just about as raw as raw can get.
>
> Ouisie

Gill, no problem - the guitar and voice works are ALL studio made on
top line equipment with a great engineer, who not only has a gold
record on her wall, but actually teaches audio at college. Pam Irwin.
We purposely kept things simple, very little if any autotune, very
little special effects other than reverb, with only a few lite touches
etc. This was recorded on a 1964 Silvertone (that was perpetually out
of tune - which was an ongoing problem). So the guitar was old and not
expensive -though it gets a great brassy sound that I now LOVE. This
was all on purpose to get a back to basics, simple clear sound.
Now my piano recordings are ALL made in my apartment off of a
synthesizer - so they are NOT professional by any means.

[Louise]

Tom Hendricks <tom-he...@att.net> wrote in

news:b0faf18e-d3e4-477f...@w8g2000yqf.googlegroups.com:

> Gill, no problem - the guitar and voice works are ALL studio made on
> top line equipment with a great engineer, who not only has a gold
> record on her wall, but actually teaches audio at college. Pam Irwin.
> We purposely kept things simple, very little if any autotune, very
> little special effects other than reverb, with only a few lite touches
> etc. This was recorded on a 1964 Silvertone (that was perpetually out
> of tune - which was an ongoing problem). So the guitar was old and not
> expensive -though it gets a great brassy sound that I now LOVE. This
> was all on purpose to get a back to basics, simple clear sound.
> Now my piano recordings are ALL made in my apartment off of a
> synthesizer - so they are NOT professional by any means.

I was just thinking, longingly, of how nice my demos would sound if I'd
be able to afford something like that. Of course, my demos are all on
keyboards and I've been limiting them to 4 tracks, all done in the same
track order 2 piano, 1 vocal, 3 bass, on my DX7 synth, and 4 'guitar'
also on the synth. I've yet to add Hammond organ and other voices but
since I don't have a drum track (no drum machine) I figured these would
be real demos, that is real RAW demos, but I'd still Love to do some
'polished' versions ;)

Ouisie

[Tom Hendricks]

On May 16, 8:05 am, Louise <oui...@ouisie.com> wrote:

Big advantage is that the engineer does all the tech work, while I can
just play or sing.
That really makes a difference. With an engineer you can do so many
takes so much faster
That's something that comes in handy when you want to fix a vocal
line, do a guitar fix, or any small fix that takes a few tries.
With my, "This guitar is as good as a band" style, its just three
parts - guitar, lead vocal, 2 backgrounds. So it works best for me.
Ouisie, I hope you get a chance to try it and see if it works for
you.
If you do, do most of your preparation before the clock starts ticking
- because time is defintely money spent.

[Louise]

Tom Hendricks <tom-he...@att.net> wrote in

news:33a95e9a-b5bc-4bc4...@s18g2000yqg.googlegroups.com:

> Big advantage is that the engineer does all the tech work, while I can
> just play or sing.

I'd Definitely want to be in on that! I had a career as an
electroacoustics engineer designing loudspeakers, so I'd definitely want
to learn everything I need to know about recording since that's a field I
did not cover working with loudspeakers.

> That really makes a difference. With an engineer you can do so many
> takes so much faster
> That's something that comes in handy when you want to fix a vocal
> line, do a guitar fix, or any small fix that takes a few tries.
> With my, "This guitar is as good as a band" style, its just three
> parts - guitar, lead vocal, 2 backgrounds. So it works best for me.

I've GOT to find a way to afford getting into a studio.

> Ouisie, I hope you get a chance to try it and see if it works for
> you.
> If you do, do most of your preparation before the clock starts ticking
> - because time is defintely money spent.
>

I can't wait! What kind of preparation is needed? I've never been in a
studio so this'll all be new to me at first.

Ouisie

[Gill Smith]

On 16 May, 23:22, Louise <oui...@ouisie.com> wrote:

> Tom Hendricks <tom-hendri...@att.net> wrote innews:33a95e9a-b5bc-4bc4...@s18g2000yqg.googlegroups.com:
>
> > Big advantage is that the engineer does all the tech work, while I can
> > just play or sing.
>
> I'd Definitely want to be in on that! I had a career as an
> electroacoustics engineer designing loudspeakers, so I'd definitely want
> to learn everything I need to know about recording since that's a field I
> did not cover working with loudspeakers.
>
> > That really makes a difference. With an engineer you can do so many
> > takes so much faster
> > That's something that comes in handy when you want to fix a vocal
> > line, do a guitar fix, or any small fix that takes a few tries.
> > With my, "This guitar is as good as a band" style, its just three
> > parts - guitar, lead vocal, 2 backgrounds.  So it works best for me.
>
> I've GOT to find a way to afford getting into a studio.

why?

to pay somebody else to use Cubase/ProTools for you??

why???

I'm only going anywhere near a studio because I ******CANNOT********
sing

but ********I********** will be the one to work on the recorded audio
track

using Cubase/whatever

--
http://www.gillsmith999.plus.com/

[Antti]

Great!

Antti

[Louise]

Gill Smith <gill.sm...@googlemail.com> wrote in

news:def3571c-1eb8-4320...@gq1g2000vbb.googlegroups.com:

> why?
>
> to pay somebody else to use Cubase/ProTools for you??
>
> why???

I'd think they'd do more than that - otherwise there'd be no reason for
going to a studio.

> I'm only going anywhere near a studio because I ******CANNOT********
> sing

I'm not sure I understand how that's related to going to a studio. I used
to think that I couldn't sing either, because of a severe genetic
predisposition to extremely excessive mucus secretions in the throat, but
while writing my first album, I realized that there's no way that I'm not
going to sing, no matter what it takes. In a little over a year, my voice
has improved a lot, despite the nasty mucus condition, and I'm trying to
seek out a vocal coach, and if medical intervention can get rid of the
problem, I'll go that route too.

> but ********I********** will be the one to work on the recorded audio
> track
>
> using Cubase/whatever
>
> --
> http://www.gillsmith999.plus.com/
>

I still don't understand why a professional studio is necessary - better
acoustics?

Ouisie

[Gill Smith]

On 17 May, 15:56, Louise <oui...@ouisie.com> wrote:

I'm going to need a singer because I really, really, *really* cannot
sing

and if they've no home-recording setup, then we'll have to go to
someone who has

but I'm wondering about *your* need for a studio

I think the money better invested in buying something like Cubase

I've really started in earnest preparing tracks with the best possible
production techniques that I can manage

I spend a lot of time listing to pop through headphones these days

the backing on some of them sounds pretty poor to my ears

--
http://www.gillsmith999.plus.com/

[rakman]

On Monday, May 20, 2013 3:29:16 PM UTC+1, Gill Smith wrote:

> I spend a lot of time listing to pop through headphones these days
>
> the backing on some of them sounds pretty poor to my ears

Yeah a lot of it's pretty... basic. Can't compete with the big budgets and
good musicians of the 70s, for instance.
It's fairly fine-tuned, bright etc, but all the little nuances in the music
are gone.

[Louise]

Gill Smith <gill.sm...@googlemail.com> wrote in

news:3b704215-09b0-4122...@y5g2000vbg.googlegroups.com:

> I'm going to need a singer because I really, really, *really* cannot
> sing

I used to believe that about myself because like my mother, and it's
probably genetic, I also have a serious problem with extreme mucus
secretions in the throat. I'm constantly clearing my throat and my mother
did the same thing, we could 'audio beacon'-locate one another no matter
how crowded an area we were in by homing in on the sound of each other's
constant throat clearing - sometimes it's so bad that I gag and choke on
it - but once I started writing songs, my stubbornnes kicked in and I
said NO WAY am I Not going to sing! To my amazement, I'm actually doing
it, mostly because I'm That resolved to do it. Although I've sung backing
vocals in some of the bands I've been in, I always wanted to sing lead
vocals, but the excessive secretions make it a real challenge, as usual,
but also as usual, I'm rising to it - but I still get envious when I
listen to the singers on "The Voice" and "American Idol", how they're not
having to clear their throats - oh well, I'm Not letting stop me in any
case. I've been singing regularly now for about 14 months, doing the lead
vocals on my currently, as of yesterday 22 original tunes with only 2
more to go to finish the demo of my second album.

> and if they've no home-recording setup, then we'll have to go to
> someone who has

That's kind of where I'm at - just a living room to record in, absolutely
nothing special, no acoustic treatments whatsoever, so I really could use
a better place to record.

> but I'm wondering about *your* need for a studio

I'm looking for a thoroughly 'polished' professional sound, and I'm not
too sure I can get that with my present setup, or rather the lack of one.

> I think the money better invested in buying something like Cubase

I'll go for what works best for the money since that's the Severely
limiting factor.

> I've really started in earnest preparing tracks with the best possible
> production techniques that I can manage

Sounds promising.

> I spend a lot of time listing to pop through headphones these days

I'm mostly interested in the vocals in pop - I'm a rock & roller so If I
were ever to cover a pop tune, if I like it that much, I'd rock & roll it
;)

> the backing on some of them sounds pretty poor to my ears
>
> --
> http://www.gillsmith999.plus.com/

I never really bothered to concentrate on that as I'm more interested in
the lead vocals.

Ouisie

[Tom Hendricks]

On May 16, 5:22 pm, Louise <oui...@ouisie.com> wrote:

> (L)Ouisie

First of all that's Louise, sorry about that.
Preparation means that you know what you are going to play, the song,
the arrangement, and vocals; and you are prepared to go.
You know about how many tracks you'll need, you've practiced your
part, the other musicians are ready, and you are prepared to record.
The exciting part of recording is that things change in the studio,
and the best plans always seem to need to alter a little. But if you
prepare ahead of time then you have time during recording to
experiment when things don't work out as well as you planned.
When you are paying a dollar a minute or better, it's best to save a
lot of expense by getting the prep work done ahead of time.

[Louise]

Tom Hendricks <tom-he...@att.net> wrote in

news:c3ad71ce-8ba1-4a8e...@b2g2000yqe.googlegroups.com:

> First of all that's Louise, sorry about that.

That's okay, I also go by the name Ouisie - it might look like unusual
spelling but it's still pronounced "Wee-Zee".

> Preparation means that you know what you are going to play, the song,
> the arrangement, and vocals; and you are prepared to go.
> You know about how many tracks you'll need, you've practiced your
> part, the other musicians are ready, and you are prepared to record.
> The exciting part of recording is that things change in the studio,
> and the best plans always seem to need to alter a little. But if you
> prepare ahead of time then you have time during recording to
> experiment when things don't work out as well as you planned.

The planning part has to be in any case, or at least it should be,
particularly if the clock is running.

> When you are paying a dollar a minute or better, it's best to save a
> lot of expense by getting the prep work done ahead of time.

That's the unsettling part, being under the gun like that, who needs
stress? It'd be nice if they only charged for actually got recorded ;)

Ouisie

[Gill Smith]

On 21 May, 23:15, Louise <oui...@ouisie.com> wrote:

"hanging concentrates the mind"

he was one of those people who into a studio with the vaguest of
ideas,
often not even musical

but somehow the ticking clock kicked his thinking into gear and he'd
come up
with another hit

for me, unfortunately, it's having been hanged concentrates my mind

time and again I'd put stuff onto iTunes etc. and cancel it within 24
hours because
I'd spotted musical mistakes, often after months of not noticing

--
http://www.gillsmith999.plus.com/

[Tom Hendricks]

On May 21, 5:15 pm, Louise <oui...@ouisie.com> wrote:

Louise - ask at your studio. Some will give a package deal if you can
be flexible, and be bumped if a bigger payer needs the studio.
Then too if you can record at times when they aren't busy, they will
be more likely to work with you. In my case, because I allow them
to bump me if they need the studio b, I get a discount hourly rate!
That helps. But I can see where working on your own has advantages
too.
Good luck either way.

[Gill Smith]

On 22 May, 15:34, Gill Smith <gill.smith....@googlemail.com> wrote:
> On 21 May, 23:15, Louise <oui...@ouisie.com> wrote:
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> > Tom Hendricks <tom-hendri...@att.net> wrote innews:c3ad71ce-8ba1-4a8e...@b2g2000yqe.googlegroups.com:
>
> > > First of all that's Louise, sorry about that.
>
> > That's okay, I also go by the name Ouisie - it might look like unusual
> > spelling but it's still pronounced "Wee-Zee".
>
> > > Preparation means that you know what you are going to play, the song,
> > > the arrangement, and vocals; and you are prepared to go.
> > > You know about how many tracks you'll need, you've practiced your
> > > part, the other musicians are ready, and you are prepared to record.
> > > The exciting part of recording is that things change in the studio,
> > > and the best plans always seem to need to alter a little.  But if you
> > > prepare ahead of time then you have time during recording to
> > > experiment when things don't work out as well as you planned.
>
> > The planning part has to be in any case, or at least it should be,
> > particularly if the clock is running.
>
> > > When you are paying a dollar a minute or better, it's best to save a
> > > lot of expense by getting the prep work done ahead of time.
>
> > That's the unsettling part, being under the gun like that, who needs
> > stress? It'd be nice if they only charged for actually got recorded ;)
>
> > Ouisie
>
> "hanging concentrates the mind"
>
> he was one of those people who into a studio with the vaguest of

oops!

"he" is David Bowie

Modern Love was playing on the radio

that's what made me think of him

--
http://www.gillsmith999.plus.com/

[Louise]

Gill Smith <gill.sm...@googlemail.com> wrote in

news:02a94940-03b9-4aac...@q8g2000vbl.googlegroups.com:

> "hanging concentrates the mind"

Concentrates the stress!

> he was one of those people who into a studio with the vaguest of
> ideas,
> often not even musical
>
> but somehow the ticking clock kicked his thinking into gear and he'd
> come up
> with another hit

I call that "pressure cooker performance", like Germany being bombed
around the clock in WWII, and they came with some amazing designs -
didn't do 'em much good but they responded to the pressure anyway, but
I'd rather have the pressure turned OFF for once!

> for me, unfortunately, it's having been hanged concentrates my mind
>
> time and again I'd put stuff onto iTunes etc. and cancel it within 24
> hours because
> I'd spotted musical mistakes, often after months of not noticing
>
> --
> http://www.gillsmith999.plus.com/

I listen to my material almost every day just to see how my opinion of it
might change from day to day.

Ouisie

[Louise]

Tom Hendricks <tom-he...@att.net> wrote in

news:2ea9546d-3393-4c10...@s6g2000yqs.googlegroups.com:

> Louise - ask at your studio. Some will give a package deal if you can
> be flexible, and be bumped if a bigger payer needs the studio.
> Then too if you can record at times when they aren't busy, they will
> be more likely to work with you. In my case, because I allow them
> to bump me if they need the studio b, I get a discount hourly rate!
> That helps. But I can see where working on your own has advantages
> too.
> Good luck either way.

Thanks. I need as much 'luck', of the Good variety, as I can get. I guess
All I'm really looking for is the most polished production I can get, no
matter who does, and I'd also want to learn everything about the process
in any case.

Ouisie