Zero, now Blood in the Sand, with Scratch Vocal
by admin on May.03, 2009, under Music
This is a biggie folks, this is the first time I have ever posted anything with ME singing in it. The words are almost finished and this is the first take at the vocals so I am sure it will get re-recorded a dozen times before I say it’s done, but it’s starting to take shape.
I have updated the track and consider it a pretty solid mix. Some thoughts on the song itself. Coming from a pretty traditional Republican background, and having been in the military myself, it’s probably a pretty odd sentiment to put into a song. It’s not really where I intended to go with it. The original title was Zero and was loosely based on a quote about the only efficient human population being zero. When I started actually trying to write some lyrics for it, the first line kept going through my head and it just took me somewhere else entirely. The first heavy guitar riff came first, I added the clean intro second and really was going for that huge plucky sound from Metallica’s Wherever I May Roam. Then I started breaking it up a bit, added some break pieces, the solo bed, a basic arrangement.
It had a few parts pretty long, so once I had some vocals in I started to chop out a bit, make the arrangement more concise. I added the haunting “You’ll die for honor” parts last, trimmed the arrangement a bit more, about 10 measures total were cut out, and then took it into Soundtrack Pro to add a little mastering touches to it.
I consider it pretty close to finished and all of the positive feedback I have gotten has really inspired me to try more with me singing. Thanks for all of the compliments!
Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.
A few people have asked for a copy of the MP3, so here it is. Download
Some recording notes:
- Logic Studio 8 on an 8-Core Mac Pro
- Guitars direct into M-Audio ProFire 2626
- Guitars: Ibanez RG, Ibanez Soundgear Bass and Schecter Omen 6
- Rode NT-1a Mic direct into M-Audio ProFire 2626
- Guitar Tones by Guitar Rig 3, custom preset
- Drums partially played on Roland TD3 kit, partially sequenced, sounds by ToonTrack EZ-Drummer with DrumKit from Hell
- 5 Tracks of Guitar, 1 Track of Bass, 3 Tracks of vocals and 1 Synth Track
- Mixed on Yamaha HSM-80 Monitors
May 3rd, 2009 on 6:46 pm
Wow J, amazing job at taking a kick ass tune and integrating some very cohesive vocals. You have more grit then I imagined
Very nice texture Dude.
May 3rd, 2009 on 8:02 pm
Wow. I’m extremely impressed. All around great work.
May 3rd, 2009 on 8:09 pm
I knew you had it in you. Great Job!!!
May 3rd, 2009 on 8:19 pm
Great! Thanks for sharing your initial trax with us. I’m always amazed at the different things you can MASTER! Now add singing and mixing to the growing list.
May 3rd, 2009 on 8:47 pm
Very cool! When will we hear this on the radio?
May 3rd, 2009 on 9:34 pm
Wow! I am left speechless. Absolutely amazing. Can’t wait to hear more!
May 5th, 2009 on 8:14 pm
I LOVE this new mix! I love the changes to the vocals and the tighter arrangement – very cool! Love love love it!! When are we making a music video?
May 5th, 2009 on 8:57 pm
You behind the vocals and instrumental, Jason? Wow, great going! Nice.
May 6th, 2009 on 10:50 am
WOW! That is really good. A little heavy for my taste bu very good. You should do more with your singing. Are all of the intstruments electronic or did you play each and mix them together?
Great job!
Andy
May 7th, 2009 on 10:58 am
I love it! It has a really great low end for only one bass track…and the guitar work is incredible, as are the vocals. I just bought Guitar Rig 3, but haven’t got to play around with it, yet (can’t wait). I always enjoy hearing constructive feedback as much as praise, so here’s my thought – no fade on the end…perhaps a big cliche rock ending or maybe just have the guitars get progressively louder and then a clean cut to silence. My two cents. It’s fantastic as is.
May 7th, 2009 on 4:34 pm
Sounds like James Hetfield back in the day…would have never guessed this was you…did you use a pitch shifter on your vocal track???
May 8th, 2009 on 5:53 pm
Well, let me articulate that I thought the track was very good, and very similar to James Hetfield in sound…I thought the arrangement and guitar work was great and also had a Metallica-esque sound, but definitely not an imitation…job well done…keep it coming and you shouldn’t be shy to showcase that voice…
June 20th, 2009 on 11:50 pm
Otstanding! To me this sounds like a mix of early Metallica and current Therion, which of course means it is fantastic. (Anyone who sounds like a young James Hetfield is a singing stud in my book.)