A busy enough day. I started by updating Prometheus again. I'm now on version 2.64, so 64 revisions since it was first complete. Today I added icons to precalculate the music to the Sequencer Window; next to Play where they will be more useful. Actual changes to the program are getting less common, I'm tending to improve what is there already.
Last night I listened to the first CD Master of Apocalypse of Clowns. It was generally fine. Two tracks needed minor changes to the stereo space - I rarely listen to the music though headphones when woking on a tune now, it always harms the mix compared to listening through my fantastic Samson Resolv monitors, but of course it sounds far better though headphones so is my preferred way to listen to music for pleasure. The lack of headphones when mixing means that tiny details can be missed though, like those stereo issues, so I've fixed them today. I also added a tail to the final chord in Dead Hand. The piano there is completely dry, but the last chord sounded too flat.
The next issue was volume; Jabberwocky at the end was too quiet compared to the rest of the album - this is partly because it's a very dyanamic song; the peaks are loud enough but most of the song (well, poem) is not at peak. I've turned down the vocals so can afford to turn it all up anyway. In the end I could boost the volume by 10% without clipping. I also made the prior track, and others on the album, quieter. In the old days I used to like albums that were loud, but now I prefer to turn up the volume on my amp; this is the correct way, I've probably evolved into this by listening to classical music. I get really annoyed by music that is compressed in the master and sounds solidly noisy like a log of sound all the way through. It sounds like distorted noise. I refuse to compress when mastering or ever compress a whole track of anything - it only serves to kill drama and emotional dynamism.
My big problem with Apocalypse v1.00 was Lost at the Fair, one of the early tracks for February. It had a meandering organ solo with limited melody and it generally felt emotionless and noisy at the same time. Today I decided to remake a new version, using Deb's orginal vocal recordings (how blessed I am to be able to do this! If this were a song I could hardly rewrite it and still use the same vocals!) I'm much happier with the result. In many ways it is simpler; a simple descending chord sequence, in 7-time to give it a slightly strange feeling of being lost or confused. I added some gentle chords, like a memory... the poem is about losing one's mother so needs poignancy... the simple chords help with this, it far better than the old version; that was noisy and chaotic, like a busy and loud fairground; this version has a bit of everything.
I also made a wooden surround for the fireplace downstairs (like a tiny picket fence of pine) and cut some plasterboard for the hole in my wall.
I must work on new art, new ambitions, new plans. I have an idea for the Jabberwocky video and need props for that. I'm getting frustrated at these little jobs, the wall etc. This frustration is good, it's energy for pushing on when these things are out of the way.
Jobs to do; finalise the story structure for my next album which will be a dystopian concept album. I must also write something on Covid-19 for a Crewe Creative Writer's competition, and type up a script for the Cheshire Prize for Literature. As yet, this script, a half hour existentialist dialogue, is my only idea. I hope to come up with a few so that I can choose the best (whatever that means, I tend to like the ones that the judges don't and dislike the ones they like - such are contests). Plays are limited to 15 minutes so I'll have to edit this script anyway.
