OP
Ok,
Here is the final re-mastered recording, and here's the 'behind the scenes' backstory:
I originally recorded this song on 02/19/2017, with my drummer friend and colleague Ffej Rednil. At the time, I wanted a vintage style and tone for the drum tracks. I also played the guitar tracks on a Fender Stratocaster. When we uploaded it to SoundCloud, we got a message that this version was so close to the original, that they pulled the version down. Same thing happened to my friend Fil "Solo Dallas" Oliveri with one of his AC/DC covers.
At that point, I decided to truly deviate from a Hendrix cover and make this song my own. My desire was to create an underlying urgency in the song, as if it was my final performance. I wanted to take the listener on a musical journey, as opposed to just listening to a song.
Keeping the original drum tracks that we recorded on 02/19/2017, I began to re-track the guitars. The main rhythm tracks consist of (4) separate tracks. Two are played in a higher register and two in a lower register. The left tracks are panned to 40% and 80% respectively. The right tracks are panned 60% and 90% respectively. The rhythm tracks were recorded on my 2016 Gibson Les Paul with a 498T in the bridge. There is a recurring phrase on the rhythm guitar parts that are harmonized an octave apart.
Throughout the song, there are tracks of supplemental guitars that were added for depth. Some of these tracks only contain 4 or 5 seconds of guitar work, but they impart depth and vibrancy to the overall production.
Additionally, two acoustic rhythm tracks were recorded (and doubled) on a Ovation thinline acoustic. They are panned left and right at 40% and 60% respectively to add depth and engage the listener.
All guitar sections were recorded on a Blackstar ID-Core 100 watt Solid State Combo, Direct-Out into Audacity.
Guitar solo parts were doubled. This required rewinding the "tape" and re-playing each track as accurately as possible. This process is daunting and took several re-takes to get it right. The effect is subtle, but you are actually hearing two guitarists, playing together in unison.
The famous Hendrix slide parts:
The slide section was recorded on my 1987 Fender Squire Stratocaster with a 1992 DiMarzio DP404 in the bridge. The guitar was tuned to open 'G' for this passage. The main guitar passage originates in the right speaker, with the delay tails in the left.
The Wah passages were played on my home-made black Gibson Les Paul Replica with Epiphone H8BN in the bridge. A Dunlop Cry Baby was used for this section. The guitar parts mimic the Hendrix arrangement in that they travel from one speaker to the next - left and right - as the song progresses.
All the ascending sections were recorded on my black "Faux Paul." These passages appear at 2:27 and 2:48 respectively.
The descending chord progressions, beginning at 2:36, were recorded on my 1987 Fender Squire Stratocaster in the 'Number 2' position, playing the 1992 DiMarzio Virtual Vintage Solo (DP404) and 1981 DiMarzio HS-3 simultaneously. The chorusy/phaserish effect was actually created by leaving the Wah pedal about 3/4 of the way depressed and combining that with the phaser effect in the Blackstar ID-Core 100.
A gust of wind appears in the sonic spectrum at 3:23, panned left and right at 80%. This gust was recorded in my backyard one morning when I created a cell phone video for my parents to show them how violent some of our windstorms here can be. It was reduced to an audio file and mixed into the song to coincide with the vocal line "and the wind, began to howl..."
The drums were the next summit that need to be conquered.
After listening to the track over and over again, I realized that the "vintage" style drum tone and arrangement actually clashed with the more modern tone and character of my version of this song. I listened to a lot of Watchtower covers, and none of the drum sections really grabbed me. For this song, I wanted something totally unique and decidedly different.
Nashville Session Drummer Chris Brush was tasked with coming up with a unique arrangement for the drums. I wanted to deviate from the typical "Mitch Mitchell" arrangement and tone. I told Chris that he had complete creative control over the drum tracks. I gave him free reign to come up with something that he would be proud of and something that was a unique representation of his own personal style. My only request was that the drum tracks impart an urgency to the song that would give the listener the impression that the drum heads would need replacement after the session was over.
The results were jaw dropping.
The drums were recorded primarily on a Ludwig Blonde Natural ’80s Rocker Custom (9×13 tom, 16×16 floor, 16×22 kick) and required a full 20 microphones to capture. That's a full 20 tracks of drums alone, with each drum and symbol having its own dedicated mic, sometimes doubled microphones, to include 4 tracks of ambient room mikes. The drum tracks are panned as "drummer's perspective" and are placed at varying percentages across the tonal spectrum to give the listener a more submersive experience.
@Sp8ctre was tasked with sonically evaluating the initial mixdown and his discerning ear helped to bring some instruments forward and give a better overall balance to the song. 4 ears are better than two in these situations.
After final mixing and mastering here in my home studio, I rendered a copy to a 32 Bit Float WAV file and uploaded it to SoundCloud. The result is a 54 track monster weighing in at 93.1MB.
I am posting the final version here for you to enjoy. headphones and a quiet place is really required to full take in the experience. I recommend listening in the dark with your favorite drug or beverage.
All the best,
- Rob
Here is the final re-mastered recording, and here's the 'behind the scenes' backstory:
I originally recorded this song on 02/19/2017, with my drummer friend and colleague Ffej Rednil. At the time, I wanted a vintage style and tone for the drum tracks. I also played the guitar tracks on a Fender Stratocaster. When we uploaded it to SoundCloud, we got a message that this version was so close to the original, that they pulled the version down. Same thing happened to my friend Fil "Solo Dallas" Oliveri with one of his AC/DC covers.
At that point, I decided to truly deviate from a Hendrix cover and make this song my own. My desire was to create an underlying urgency in the song, as if it was my final performance. I wanted to take the listener on a musical journey, as opposed to just listening to a song.
Keeping the original drum tracks that we recorded on 02/19/2017, I began to re-track the guitars. The main rhythm tracks consist of (4) separate tracks. Two are played in a higher register and two in a lower register. The left tracks are panned to 40% and 80% respectively. The right tracks are panned 60% and 90% respectively. The rhythm tracks were recorded on my 2016 Gibson Les Paul with a 498T in the bridge. There is a recurring phrase on the rhythm guitar parts that are harmonized an octave apart.
Throughout the song, there are tracks of supplemental guitars that were added for depth. Some of these tracks only contain 4 or 5 seconds of guitar work, but they impart depth and vibrancy to the overall production.
Additionally, two acoustic rhythm tracks were recorded (and doubled) on a Ovation thinline acoustic. They are panned left and right at 40% and 60% respectively to add depth and engage the listener.
All guitar sections were recorded on a Blackstar ID-Core 100 watt Solid State Combo, Direct-Out into Audacity.
Guitar solo parts were doubled. This required rewinding the "tape" and re-playing each track as accurately as possible. This process is daunting and took several re-takes to get it right. The effect is subtle, but you are actually hearing two guitarists, playing together in unison.
The famous Hendrix slide parts:
The slide section was recorded on my 1987 Fender Squire Stratocaster with a 1992 DiMarzio DP404 in the bridge. The guitar was tuned to open 'G' for this passage. The main guitar passage originates in the right speaker, with the delay tails in the left.
The Wah passages were played on my home-made black Gibson Les Paul Replica with Epiphone H8BN in the bridge. A Dunlop Cry Baby was used for this section. The guitar parts mimic the Hendrix arrangement in that they travel from one speaker to the next - left and right - as the song progresses.
All the ascending sections were recorded on my black "Faux Paul." These passages appear at 2:27 and 2:48 respectively.
The descending chord progressions, beginning at 2:36, were recorded on my 1987 Fender Squire Stratocaster in the 'Number 2' position, playing the 1992 DiMarzio Virtual Vintage Solo (DP404) and 1981 DiMarzio HS-3 simultaneously. The chorusy/phaserish effect was actually created by leaving the Wah pedal about 3/4 of the way depressed and combining that with the phaser effect in the Blackstar ID-Core 100.
A gust of wind appears in the sonic spectrum at 3:23, panned left and right at 80%. This gust was recorded in my backyard one morning when I created a cell phone video for my parents to show them how violent some of our windstorms here can be. It was reduced to an audio file and mixed into the song to coincide with the vocal line "and the wind, began to howl..."
The drums were the next summit that need to be conquered.
After listening to the track over and over again, I realized that the "vintage" style drum tone and arrangement actually clashed with the more modern tone and character of my version of this song. I listened to a lot of Watchtower covers, and none of the drum sections really grabbed me. For this song, I wanted something totally unique and decidedly different.
Nashville Session Drummer Chris Brush was tasked with coming up with a unique arrangement for the drums. I wanted to deviate from the typical "Mitch Mitchell" arrangement and tone. I told Chris that he had complete creative control over the drum tracks. I gave him free reign to come up with something that he would be proud of and something that was a unique representation of his own personal style. My only request was that the drum tracks impart an urgency to the song that would give the listener the impression that the drum heads would need replacement after the session was over.
The results were jaw dropping.
The drums were recorded primarily on a Ludwig Blonde Natural ’80s Rocker Custom (9×13 tom, 16×16 floor, 16×22 kick) and required a full 20 microphones to capture. That's a full 20 tracks of drums alone, with each drum and symbol having its own dedicated mic, sometimes doubled microphones, to include 4 tracks of ambient room mikes. The drum tracks are panned as "drummer's perspective" and are placed at varying percentages across the tonal spectrum to give the listener a more submersive experience.
@Sp8ctre was tasked with sonically evaluating the initial mixdown and his discerning ear helped to bring some instruments forward and give a better overall balance to the song. 4 ears are better than two in these situations.
After final mixing and mastering here in my home studio, I rendered a copy to a 32 Bit Float WAV file and uploaded it to SoundCloud. The result is a 54 track monster weighing in at 93.1MB.
I am posting the final version here for you to enjoy. headphones and a quiet place is really required to full take in the experience. I recommend listening in the dark with your favorite drug or beverage.
All the best,
- Rob
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