Recording Guitars
Of Ash And Ember taken approximately eighteen months of half days to complete. It was written alongside ‘In Reverence To The Wolf’ Between the years of 2019 and 2025. Both albums make use of the electric guitar being the focal point throughout all of the songs.
All riffs were first written on a Gibson SG guitar, and recorded using a Marantz condenser microphone. The microphone was set up in front of a line 6 spider amplifier. From here it was fed Through Audacity recording software. No click tracks were used. There is some variation in tempo throughout all of the songs for an overall more organic sound.
Two harmonizing rhythm guitars were first recorded left and right into Audacity on two separate channels. Differing twin guitars melodies were played that complimented one another. A third guitar was later placed in the middle of the mix with chord based structures. The process was then repeated with all of the guitar parts played an octave higher. These were to be placed very low under the rest of the guitar parts.
Two bass lines were then recorded on the Gibson SG guitar. Once using the bridge pick up and the other time using the neck pickup. Each bass line was lowered in pitch on audacity and panned left and right. Once all of the guitar parts were recorded. They were imported as WAV files into the Fruity Loops mobile application downloaded on to a desktop computer.
Recording Drums, Keyboards And Vocals
Whilst not owning an electric drum kit. All of the drums were manually played over the completed guitar tracks with my fingers using samples on a musical midi keyboard. The Fruity Loops Mobile application on desktop was used to record the samples. First the double bass drum and snares were recorded, then the cymbals. Followed by the Toms. It had taken many weeks of practice sessions to get all of the drums to sound realistic and as accurate as possible.
Church organ and choir samples were also played using the musical midi keyboard. These were used for effect, rather than as a dominant instrument.
All of the lyrics were written over a number of years. The vocals layered in Audacity.. As was the case with ‘In Reverence To The Wolf’. All vocals were recorded as though spoken and shouted from a distance to add atmosphere and ambiance to the mix and not meant as the main focal point.
Meresburg 