Donna

Hey - I remember that Apollo thing you're talking about! It was exciting, yes I remember. It's like cowboys for a child only it's spacemen.

But wouldn't the Scot sound more like "DIE uh's"? It's not quite right that, either. The children and I (even the cynical teen) actually sit around sometimes and analyze the...dipthong I think it's called: is the Celt saying "ai" or "au" or what! Better than playing cribbage. On this subject have you seen the movie My Fair Lady? It's funny, that Apollo stuff - them talking, I think it's a part of everyone's subconscious. Interesting you like the moon landing so much you used it in a recording and wrote quite a bit about that on your page.

...and the song ends with the middle eight. That's a nice part, btw. And needed, it's a heavy deal - still chuckling re: yours and john's comments in the Chritmas song thread about this one: ]john: I was listening carefully for something to do with Christmas. i was thinking "Shit! Thats the heaviest, most depressing Christmas song ever!" Prometheus: Yes, I don't think that Jennifer May, the lyric writer, is exactly brimming with joi de vivre... If you go to the site http://www.geocities.com/thetrueprometheus/ you should get a link to the song (Night) on there... I'm listening to it as I write, and went over the lyric, etc; Ya know, I can hear the harmony on the choruses, esp. the one right before the bass-bridge. Sounds good to me, will you be singing on any stuff in the future? Hey, it is such a good description you gave that I have no questions at all, except how and why were 30 tracks done. The lyric sounds like a TERRIBLE experience. Probably in the wiriter's head? Maybe like that Laura Nyro song: It's not love I'm a running from/Just the heartbreak I know will come/ Cause I know you're no good for me/ But you've become a part of me . Once I wondered if she really meant God: God, don't make me love YOU - even with the imagery about a flesh-person. Maybe it's about both...Great line: I'd free myself and cure your want. On an older note about losing innosense in even listening to music: It reminds me of, one day I was studying a face closely. Well, the eyes had bags under them; and there was stuff imperfect on each part of the face - but taken together, when I stopped intensly analyzing/focusing on little parts, the face was beautiful. Really beautiful! The whole was also reality - the little parts such as eyes, were not the whole, not reality if you know what I mean. I would've missed REALITY if I hadn't stopped looking at the specks. Some of us may appear incapable of seeing the whole. But I think ppl can be re-trained. Er - a disjointed post tonight, all over the map mea culpa.

Hari, spoken like a true guitarist Maybe also you saw somewhere else I'd been thinking lately how great it'd be to have a bass (and electric guitar)? What has happened! I used to have ALL of them. Atom, I'm going to that link as soon as I shut up! Johnny B. thanks for your opinion. I know you guys are right. Hey - I'm touched at all the feedback + it helps.

That's right, John Nightwolf - music first. It's keyboard I'm pretty sure , john, on both respects. But it is a bit trickier, when we must think about engineering as well. I guess I'll need a stand then, too.

Plus, I LOVE basslines, they make me swoon. I wish a had an upright, like I used to play as a child - German bow, the whole thing. With the keyboard, I can have bass which sounds like bass, and play it better than basslines-on-guitar, unless I stand the axe upright. Shutting up now...

I'd like opinions from any who've heard Last Train: should I next get: a keyboard? Or monitors? All's we need to do is for me to decide, then go to the store! The reason I ask opinions from ppl who've heard my mp3 is that they'd have some idea of how much I'm hurting re: mixing - like do they think it's crucial I get monitors first? I do want them - but I'm dang bored writing on just guitar - I want to do keyboard songs again. Been thinking about this whole thing in conjunction w/ an artist page where it asks "description of music". For the life of me, I've no idea on how to answer that. Seems to me, I'm at least two different writers (or players??). The keyboard songs to me sound quite different than the guitar-written ones - the recordings anyway. I get bored VERY easily, it is one thing I cannot stand re: sounds and recordings of songs. Y'all haven't heard the keyboard songs, but there's a fair amt in the archives. It lets one orchestrate even they cannot play keys. Anyway - I really miss doing keyboard songs, it's been 10 years and I was doing alright writing/recording-wise on that instrument. So there's my bias. I appreciate your thoughts.

Thanks you guys. As you can see I'm edit-ed and the 2nd thing I did was crop down a picture for the avatar.

OK - will do, thank ye!

Hey - So I'm trying to get a couple photos re-sized for my artist page, but apparently what I need is an editor. Need extremely cheap easy editing program, any help? We have Windows. Thanks from Donna the sea hag

holy cow, the things we do when that manual is lost.

How have I missed these two threads? Happened to you, too I guess. OK, I want to dicscuss these things (and that lyric) but now it's too late and I cannot comment specifically - I mean to hear it with all the liner notes in mind which I like to do. Ha ha, shoulda stayed silent. But I wish to hear the track again - 30 tracks! Wow! I Like the explanation of the middle eight - while I only have the acoustic, I plan to from now on play the bass lines (if I can) on IT. "Utterly abominable - glottal stops" - that's too fun! Your Auntie's must be more colorful than mine even, the language you use. Ya won't like this, but I thought the accent may have been enhanced purposely (speaking part). Good we're just writing here - I'd be lost in a pub with ALL y'all (save John . Now WHY do people with accents [from my American view ] SING in American but speak w/ their native accent? Also, I wonder about American singers who seem to have no accent whatsoever speaking, sound sometimes like they're southern or something when they sing. But that first question, I've wondered about that for a long time. Finn and john and you and Hari Ossa et al sound American English when singing.

Oh dear - I'd better stop listening to The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald in order to reply. Is this what you mean? If it isn't maybe someone else can use it sometime...and this is per the 246. ____________________ CHANNEL 1 ASSIGN L/1 * (square button) R/2 * 3 * 4 * ____________________ 0 (Pan) odd even _______________________________________ OK, so that's channel 1, imagaine the vertical strip on the right of the assign box, etc; the strip ends after Pan with a channel fader. Channel strips 2-4 with the assign/pan/faders would be to the right of channel 1, in succession. There might be an extra strip or two (5 & 6) for effects. But to the right of THAT last channel strip is one last one called RECORD FUNCTION, like this: RECORD FUNCTION 1 * (square button) 2 * 3 * 4 * ______________________ The parts highlighted in red are what you'd depress (or PRESS - or PAN for the panning) in order to record on track number one. At the very top of the machine, below the meters are a mic/line/off switch for each channel. Have it to mic/line to record. When recording even channels 2 and 4, the pan should be all the way right (even), opposite for odd channels. Whichever jack your mic or insturment is plugged into, it shouldn't matter - you can be plugged into the jack for channel # 1 (cause that's a jack which hasn't worn out), and still depress and record onto assign switch #2 or whatever. (But whichever JACK you're using to record into, use THAT channel's fader which should be well into 7-8 area (I think this is what you call unity gain). Hope that makes sense. Also, the master faders, use L/ (at unity gain) for odd tracks, R/ for even - the other fader should be completely off. OK, so after all prepping all this: a)channel fader 2)master fader 3)pan 4) assign # pressed 5) corresponding record function # pressed 6) mic/line switch on for corresponding JACK in channel number used then press play and record at same time.

Hey, thanks for that reply, jtb, all of it. I will look further into GASC because of the experience you've had in being taken seriously with curteousy and professionalism. Is there a link to your award-winning song? That's totally cool, congrats! And I like the part about judges may contact privately if something clicks. That to me says a certain respect (wrong word) right off the bat.

hee hee. I've thought more about contests than entered (songwriting or otherwise). I'd had really bad experiences w/ a couple when a youngster. It messed w/ my head esp. when this one didn't choose a little be-bop quartet who absolutely smoked the outfit I was in...I couldn't believe the judges, it made me certain it wasn't about talent at all, but about the most commercial thing which could be shoved down everyman's throat. Maybe like other things, it must be entered into w/ detachment. I was never so happy to see that Songstuff had a contest right when I needed some reason beyond myself to start again - write and record something new. I don't mind competeing, either. I had that feeling like - it'd be considered seriously which is the best one can realistically hope for. It was the BEST experience! Regardless of outcome. I kinda thought the G Am. Contest could be OK, too, but maybe it was only that I figured I should be grown up enough to accept a "professional" critique (and pay for it via the entrance fee). I don't know. I've seen weird things even in my children's school talent auditions reminiscent of the be-bop guys getting tanked. I guess if one's counting on the exposure a contest can give, well CAN it really give exposure number one, but number two, it'll probably not turn out like that. Yet I do think that auditioning (so to speak) in new situations can be valuable.

Not even Songstuff's?

Thanks for answering, john.

Yeah and how much, ATom?

Fascinating - I've heard all this before, I guess I'm hooked. More homework...

Wow - that's a big sea change for you re: no engineering for now. Go for it! Your brother's wrong, I noticed it, too...but, getting some space from the vivid stress portrait you paint, might give a bit more innocence - or detachment. Or just plain fun.

Gentlemen, the MP3 is up for the contest. If the below links haven't pasted right, go to song review board under the Christmas Contest thread. Last Train To Bethlehem © Donna Fellows 2005 http://forums.songstuff.com/index.php?showtopic=5447 Wow! I couldn't have done it - with this deadline - without y'all. Thank you!

Do you mean a recording of someone famous? Or could it be someone local whose stuff I know (production less professional than commercial Sony label artist or whoever putting it out).

Yeah, good advice. My beloved's Christmas gift to me shall be monitors! But I need to figure out how to hook them up (studying the portastudio manual...for the life of me, I don't think I EVER hooked speakers up to it.) (Hmmph: if anyone should be drinking and shopping, it is I)!

Yes, that's what I need: the truth from flat monitors. Re: the 4 yr old: either it's a great idea or I lapsed into a moment of insanity.

Funny, I can only imagaine people jumping at the chance to produce. Your view on it is reality, I think. Gives me something new to consider. I would really like to see a poll about the side effect you mention. Been there! Trying not to be there...