Okay, the time finally came when I would get to hear my lyrics transformed into a finished product. We already had a draft – scratch demo – so I knew what the song was going to sound like. But this meeting was going to put the “polish” on it.
I arrived at G.T.’s a little after 6, and his cozy office/studio was already abuzz with guitar sounds as the musicians were getting ready and warming up. Two accomplished musicians, I might add, but I wouldn’t know that until I heard the magic that they made.
Tom Buckman (r.) on the bass and Aaron Hipple on guitar. Both of these guys have been in the music business for long time, and both have played in a variety of bands of varied genres. G.T. Albright, directed the operations from behind his computer. My dog Toby and I watched and listened from the opposite side of the small room.
The initial part of the session was the prep time for adjusting each of the player’s sound levels and getting familiar with the song via the scratch demo that G.T. played for them. You might be wondering why not more musicians for this session? The answer is that this song requires a simple, straightforward approach that can be accomplished with a few players. Of course, more can be added if needed.
Once the preliminaries were completed, it was time to get down to business. Headphones on, eyes on the sheets of music that stood before them, game faces on. Thus started a series of play-throughs as the players listened to the demo and added their contributions. Discussion followed and notes were written on the sheet music.
One of their mics was embedded and the other live, so it was important that no extra sounds be made. Of course, Toby didn’t understand that so that when he shook and rattled his tags, G.T. called out “Cut!” and everyone chuckled. I took off Toby’s collar (and ended up leaving it there) so it wouldn’t happen again. Time is money!
While the song was not finished by the time I had to leave for my three hour drive home, I was greatly impressed at the work those guys did. G.T. has a really high standard so if there was a missing note or a wrong tone, they started over. Again and again, each time getting better. Listening through the headphones, I was amazed at the dimensions these two players added to the song. Subtle, but meaningful.
My first experience of a recording session will definitely not be my last!
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