OK,.... I'm coming up for air. We have finished all of the vocals for Sarah Sharp's record, and now I get to do a bit of editing. Working on Sarah's vocal tracks is always really cool and pretty effortless because I'm not trying to make her sound good -- she already sounds great. Instead, I edit for content and vibe.... putting her best perfomances together in a way that maximizes the impact of the song.

On a tech note, we ended up using Kevin Ryan's Neumann TLM 103 mic, and his Pendulum mic pre/eq/compressor on Sarah's vocals. The combination sounded really warm, present, flattering, and 'up front'. Even more interesting is that we cut most of the lead vocals with no headphones. Instead, we set up small powered monitors in an equalateral triangle with the mike. By setting the monitors out of phase, much of the bleed that arrives at the back of the mic gets cancelled out, or at least significantly minimized. This enabled Sarah to really work the song instead of getting too interested in how she was sounding in the headphones. Sarah is quite capable in the phones, but this was really liberating. (Thanks for the suggestion, Kevin!).

Moving away from the technical information, I am forced back to the super uncomfortable subject de jure: How incredible this project sounds. Have I said that this CD is going to be incredible? Have I totally leached the meaning of the word 'incredible' away with my hyperbolic reports of how great it has been working on this project? Have I?!!!! Well, it's true. Ok. No more about that.

On other fronts, Eileen Faxas' CD is already getting attention from the Houston Press. Editor John Lomax is making inquiry as to her press info.

The Goddess recordings are almost ready to mix. Brittany and Sheryl sang some more last Sunday, and Al and I are going to have one more overdub day. Then we mix on 12/28.

Finally, I have been approached about doing some songs with The Southern Backtones in the spring. I am VERY pumped about this. I have had a lot of positive feedback about their song that I posted on the soundboard earlier this year ('Talk to Me'). Pale want to do a couple of more songs.....Logan tells me that they are headed to New York in February for a show. Finally, I am thinking about doing a song with a really cool young lady named Winter Roberts. She is a killer singer who has a knack for writing some really cool 'thinking man's lyrics'. I'm hoping to get Kevin on board for the job. I am talking with a rock band called 'Sound Breaking Ground' about doing a few songs. They are somewhat metalic in their sound, (Logan really likes them). I am also talking with a band named 'The Googe' (really), and a band named 'Three Left Standing'. I have rehearsals scheduled with both bands. Finally, I am still hoping to get to work with Laura Stephens, and Kevin Ryan has made a comment or two about my getting to work with him on some of his personal material (heck yeah!).

thelove,

Dan