Trial and Error

I can't record this new song right.

Just one good pass. That's all I need. A microphone, a guitar, a chair. Not much too it.

But I've been banging away in my little studio for a week now and the outcome is just dismal.

It's beyond dismal. Its outright depressing.

So how could this be? Yo? (I added the "Yo" so as to stay true to my inner city roots).

It's simple but its complicated.

First problem is my recording computer has become the family computer. My wife needs it for homework, my stepson needs it because his goes too slow. I tell him that it goes too slow because he's trying to run three different programs at the same time. Then he tells me that he's not. Then I ask him how he can be on his myspace, school website, and still have iTunes blasting the new Kelly Clarkson, but not have three programs running. He tells me that its Rhianna and not Kelly Clarkson. I process that for a moment, take a deep breath, and tell him to log out of myspace and iTunes and concentrate on his homework. Then he tells me he has to listen to music while working on his homework. I tell him to listen to his iPod, then he tells me that his ears hurt. I tell him to turn it down, he tells me its not too loud, then I tell him I can hear it from my room with the door closed and the TV blasting in the living room. He asks me if I can really hear it. Yes, I tell him. Yes I can.

So to negotiate around this little problem I've dragged an old recording machine out of the closet and started trying to use it again.

It's over a decade old and I can't remember how all the stuff works. I can't remember what presets I used to use that worked for my guitar and my voice and my microphones. The mixing board doesn't want to play nice either.

Also, it's an eight track machine. I'm so spoiled now with infinite track capability that I can eat up eight tracks just adding a little vocal harmony. Talk to my dad and he'll replay the good old days when you only had two, and two was good enough for anything. He may even go so far back as to remember when you have to record music with sticks etched into the dirt. Caveman Vinyl they called it.

When they had caves.

Problem number two is that something's wrong with Calvin in these last few days. He is jockeying for some serious attention all the time as if he senses my desire to sneak away. Ten minutes can't go by without his little voice saying "Daddy? Daddy?" which of course crescendos to a full on drag out temper tantrum. It worries me a bit because he gets like this just before he gets sick.

Problem three is that my guitar needs new strings. It sounds and feels dead.

So the moral of this blog today is really basic.

I'm just gonna keep trying.

I'm gonna give up getting crazy over the little failures. No matter how stupid.

I'm gonna concentrate on being patient and stop running in circles.

I'm gonna get new strings.

Tomorrow.