Well the mixes are done and Jason and I are listening to them in different places over and over. This is important because what sounds great in the studio might not sound great in the car or at home. The mixes can then be adjusted to accommodate these differences. When I played Amanda through my home stereo, the Wurlitzer piano about knocked me over yet it was very balanced in the studio. This can be worked out. 

After we're satisfied with the mixes, then off they go to the mastering studio. 

Today, Jason is doing the mixing on Amanda. What this means is we're listening to segments of the song over....and over.....and over....and over...  Jason has an incredible ear. He hears sounds that I struggle to identify. I just know that when he'd through with the mix, it always sounds great.

On a different subject, being in the studio inspires creativity not only for the song being recorded but also for new material. This morning I went in the piano room for a while to work out a melody that kept me up last night. Fortunately I used the voice recorder app on my phone to record the melody so I could go to sleep. We'll see what happens.

It's a beautiful thing when a song gets out of your head and into the world. The Picture which has great emotional elements for me personally is coming out nicely. To my rhythm guitar, we've added piano, bass, lead guitar, slide guitar - played by Jason. I then "doubled" my rhythm guitar part on a Telecaster. Vocals this afternoon.

On Thursday Jason bounced what we had up to then on Amanda to a CD for me to take home and listen to. We are through with the song but mixing and comping my vocals still has to be done. Jason likes to give a song a rest before doing the mixing. I've been listening to the bounce recording and am very pleased. I hear a thing or two that needs to be adjusted in the mixing process but all in all it sounds great.

I had to book two more days in the studio to have time to complete The Picture. We still have some layers to add - we're coming up with the plan as we go. On Thursday we added a piano track (performed by Jason) to my guitar and percussion. We'll be back at it on Monday and Tuesday. Hopefully I'll be able to post these two songs on my site within a couple of weeks after mastering is done.

Yes I'm here and below is a photo of me when I'm about to record the guitar part for The Picture. I'm using double drop D tuning on my Guild D-50. Jason is a master of finding the right microphone for the job. Here is the Manley he used on my Guild - along with a Neumann mic. The sound is coming out really well. 

Yesterday was the first time I've ever used the trumpet in a song. Jason definitely found the right man for the job. Eleazar Shafer came up with some really good parts. In a number of cases he layered harmonies. This is really sounding good. 

We made great progress yesterday on my song Amanda. All drum tracks, percussion and my rhythm guitar were finished. Today I've added a layer using a sweet Guild classical guitar. Jason has add an organ layer in the chorus that sounds really good.

Today I am about to begin what has become one of the most rewarding parts of my life. I am back at CHP Audio ready to start recording two songs: Amanda and The Picture. I am once again working with my producer Jason Scavone who is by far one of the most talented musicians I know. We work together well, we communicate well. We are starting to map out the percussion for Amanda with the help of session drummer Jonathan Erikson.