13

52:13 by ChristianLeBlanc

A tribute to that fuzzy hero, Space Bat (http://www.space-bat.com/). Sorry this was all I had in me, Space Bat.

"Don't laugh when I tell you how I feel
Don't tell me it's a joke when these tears are real

Space Bat
How could you face that?
We'll try not to be sad
Though you won't be back

Maybe we pretend
Like an imaginary friend
But every now and then
We need something to believe in

How can we not identify?
How can we not be inspired to try?
By digging in and holding tight,
You showed the earth how dreams take flight

(Space Bat)
You're much more than an internet meme
(How could you face that?)
You've achieved an impossible dream
(We'll try not to be sad)
You've reached the stars
(Though you won't be back)
You belong to the stars"

12

52:12 by ChristianLeBlanc

Click here for "12 Matrix"*

Again, I recorded two versions; one mixed straight off the computer, the other played through a filter on my mp3 player.

So it's been a while, but I finally have the guitar back at the apartment :) I've gotten EXTREMELY spoiled by how polished my QY-70 (and most of my keyboards in general) make everything sound. In terms of mixing my songs, it almost feels like I'm starting this project from scratch again. I think I need to study up a bit on compression, noise reduction (to get rid of guitar hum), etc.

Although the reverb makes the vocals quite hard to distinguish, I really like how they sound, especially some parts of the harmonization towards the end. Form over function, I guess!

I got really lazy with the drums on this one. I have no shame!

Lyrically, a trick I like to use is to take the words I start out with and just write the opposite instead, in the hopes of turning a cliché into something a little bit fresher. Here, I like to think it creates some tension between what the words are saying and the mood of the song. Not sure if it actually does, but I like to think that.

"In my life,
In my dreams,
What is right?
Everything.

In my life,
So it seems,
Daylight breaks
Constantly."

*Editor's note: because I needed to find a new site to host these songs on, and space was at a premium, I've decided not to bother re-uploading 'matrix' versions.

11

52:11 by ChristianLeBlanc

Something different this time. Thought I'd try my hand at remixing. The really really hard part: taking a completed mp3 of a song somebody did and trying to separate all the separate sounds through EQ alone. Let me tell you, it was all kinds of no fun. There were always leftover drums I didn't want, and the resulting vocals always lost whatever frequency they shared with the drum bits I was trying to get rid of. If I ever try something like this again, it'll be when I have access to individual .wav files so that I can actually remix things properly.

The only instrumentation I added was the strings and the extra drum track. I like how the reverse guitar part sounds, however, I couldn't really drop more samples into it without the leftover drum beat in the sample throwing off the tempo.

The original song, by the way, is by The Gear, and is called "Reckless Reasoning"; for the time being, you can listen to it here: http://www.aaapop.com/downloads.php

10

52:10 by ChristianLeBlanc

Stupid busy this week, so I let Vinnie take over on vocals for me. I'm rather pleased with the job he did, even if he doesn't really seem to get the point of crowd control.

I meant to fade this one out at the end, but I forgot. Maybe when things quiet down next week, I'll post this 'as it was meant to be heard.'

"Ladies and gentlemen,
Please do not panic but SCREAM! Scream for your lives! The Tingler is in this theatre! Scream! Scream! Keep screaming! Scream for your lives!

The walls.......The Walls......THE WALLS!

Ladies and gentlemen, the Tingler has been paralyzed by your screaming! There is no more danger. We will now resume the showing of the movie."

http://www.amazon.com/Tingler-Vincent-Price/dp/B00000K3U3/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=dvd&qid=1236519554&sr=8-1

09

52:09 by ChristianLeBlanc

Click here for "09 matrix"*


Ok, my vocals took a backslide. Maybe I'm more of a 'sprinter' than a 'long-distance runner' right now. Whatever it is, it sounds like the kids from Azrael's Abyss taking their first shot at the mic :) Tried singing the vocals twice, but each take was too different from the other, leaving things rather muddled and amateurish-sounding (not trying to be hurtful, yo! I'm just saying, is all.) Also (briefly) tried a bit of sampling at the end; since I was just playing, threw some reverb, flange and phase into it.

Two 'versions' of the song I uploaded: the first is normal, and the next one is just played from my mp3 player into the computer again, with the 'matrix' surround sound setting on. All my music sounds better to me through this filter, so I thought I'd see what happens when I'd cheat and try this out. Tell me what you think!

*Editor's note: because I needed to find a new site to host these songs on, and space was at a premium, I've decided not to bother re-uploading 'matrix' versions.

Nine?

Finished it by the appointed time. Put it on my flash drive to bring in to work Monday. Arrived at work and forgot the flash drive. Tomorrow, then.