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Whenever we start to record a new CD, there is a lot of
preparation that goes into it. For some of the tracks we will write all the parts for the instruments and then memorize
them from the sheet music.
For all three of our first CDs (And to all a Good Night, Now is the Hour and Daughters of Erin) we pretty much read all the music off the page at the studio after I arranged it on the computer.
However, fiddle music is not meant to be written and read
off of a page. The neat thing about fiddling is that it is always changing, and is never the same twice unless you do
it on purpose.
So for this CD, we did a lot more of the music writing and arranging just by playing around with different
ideas here and there and then stringing them together until they made sense.
Sometimes you can come up with much more interesting
ideas when you are just using your ears instead of thinking too much about how "musically correct" the idea is.
After practicing all the parts together, we recorded them
at home to see how they sounded, and then added the rest of the parts one at a time to make sure it sounded right.
After
we were totally satisfied with the finished track, we would listen to it a lot around the house and when we were driving in
the car to make sure we didn't want to change anything.
Then we wrote out all the parts for ourselves the way they
were in the recordings we made at home, so we could remember everything when went into the studio.
Once we got to the studio each time, we would put together
a list of all the parts to make sure we used them in the best way. We also decided who got to play each part.
Then
it's time to don the headphones and get started on our newest project.
Sometimes we'll come up with a lot of new ideas for the
songs even while we're in the studio.
Those are also most often the best ideas. ;)
After each take, we listen carefully to make sure that we
don't want to change anything. Sometimes it takes only 1-2 takes on something. Other times we have to do up to
20 takes in order to get the perfect one.
Come on guys, was it good enough? Should we do
another one?
Every track gets attention, even the small things like the
three different bells we played in "Paddy's Green Shamrock Shores." That part was really fun to record.
Finally, we've recorded all the tracks we need. But
the CD is far from finished! The next step is to listen very carefully to all the tracks and pick out any sounds like
cars or airplanes, pops or even the accidental sound like a bow hitting a music stand.
Then we have to help our
friend Kent mix the CD by telling him which part is the most important, for example usually in a song where there is singing,
the voice part is the most important and the guitar should be quieter.
When the mixing is done, it's time to design the image for
the album.
We take pictures with a white backdrop for the front cover, using many different poses in case we need one of
them.
To get the perfect picture for the back cover, we waited
for the sun to go down by the beach and got the perfect shot just as it disappeared.
When the pictures were all figured out, Greta sketched out
her rough idea for the front cover of the CD in order to show the design guys what we wanted. We also told them things
about the colors we wanted and then sat back and waited for the design to be finished.
The last step is to look through the finished designs from
the design guys, approve the proofs, and send the CDs off to be printed.
This is the proof we got for the disc inside the
CD case.
Finally, the day comes when we get the first box of our
finished CDs in the mail! Woohoo!
The album is finally done! Thanks for reading.
Now you can enjoy the CD for yourself!
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