robgalpin.com

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Check out how PHAT this audio file is – but yet never going above 0.0.

I’m so proud.

There is a compressor that magically “appeared” in PT called MAXIM. I hear it doing the thing that the DBX always did – bubble wrap sheeeen. No matter how hard I crush with my other compressors I cannot make that sound happen. So, of course I have to put it on everything!!

It’s on the main mix. But more coolly it’s on the vocal and its making it have that THING that I like to hear. You can really hear it when I say “GIVE” in the chorus – it goes – “and forever and ever I GIVE my praises to you.”

Hey – this song actually has a guitar solo!!

Think the BASS is LOUD enough? LOL! <– ~~

This song has a killer PRE CHORUS. The secret is the old RUSH F# chord that lets the 3rd and the 4th create that patented RUSH texture – then the bass raises up a step to G# and now the same pattern that was creating coolness against the F# is now relationally the 2nd and the minor 3rd – creates a great atmosphere – lush with the lead guitar supplying some major 7ths against an E that remind us that remind us that B is still “home” – and then a nice melody over top that grinds perfectly to lead into the release of the chorus.

Don’t know who wrote the song originally – but this version is based on the Hillsong version – and they did a great job with it.

The songs called Complete. I got a strat. Well… I made a strat. Can ya tell? This clip is like a conglomeration of every strat tone I’ve ever admired on record – from Trower to SRV to Gilmoure…

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The guitar’s electronics and pickups came from a US Highway 1 strat. It has a standard 6 screw Fender bridge. And a Warmoth conversion neck that is actually Les Paul scale – 24 3/4 in length vs the usual strat length of 25 1/2.

mark and i have been passing this song back and forth adding finishing touches to it one single brush stroke at a time – so much patience – very uncharacteristic for me – but i guess this patience stuff is for real because the result is pretty good – i mean, you know… ok. cuz as the song states, “if there’s anything GOOD in me… it’s YOU.”

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My Eventide H3000 Harmonizer made its way into the mix today. I should have been working on additional tracks for the service but found myself trying harmonizer effects on everything from guitars to vocals to the chicken we had roasting on the oven – “Here hun, let’s just try a little harmonizer on that and see what we get.”

So this has a couple layers of harmonizer on the guitar and one layer of it under the lead vocal. I use presets 101 and 232 pretty much exclusively – never tried anything else.

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This of course sounds best at hypmotizingly loud volumes in the headphones.

I took the electric guitar track and ran it through a Fender Bassman – so this is a real amp now – not an amp simulator plugin thing. Nothing like REAL IRON!

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Here’s a song I’m working up for the group. This song just washes over me – and I’m gone.

This is drum loops and MIDI piano that I put together in ProTools and then I put the guitars and vocals on to complete it. But when we use it in the service we just use the drums and piano – the rest is done live.

This arrangement is from a band named KUTLESS. I think they wrote the tune but I’m not sure.

Drum loops! Who knew how wonderful such a thing could be? I’ll never program another MIDI drum track as long as I can find loops like these to use.

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-Rob

i’ve been putting together backing tracks for the band we have at my church. it’s a blast. we have bass and 2 guitars and 2 vocalists and i put the rest of the instruments together in ProTools and at the worship service we do it’s like having a whole band there – keys, strings, flutes, you name it.

so, tonight i was working on a drum part for a tune called “All Who are Thirsty.” it’s coming together pretty well. i’ll start posting some audio clips of that stuff.

i have taken a break from writing the material for the Home Away from Home collection. i’ll get back to it when the time is right. this music i’m working on right now is taking a priority because the time is right for it – the other stuff can wait.

that said… i am still working with Mark on getting a final mix for SLEEP! and It’s You – and when they are ready they’ll be posted on here for all you wonderful music lovers out there!

til next!
-rob

HOT GLASS!!

mark and i had a great time lighting up the tubes on an array of amps – the usual suspects – my cascaded marshall super lead – my bassman (a newcomer @ mark’s) – the budda – and my early 70’s super lead spec slaved into mark’s plexi reissue with a metroamp ptp board in it and last but not least (or anywhere near it) mark’s hiwatt.

this tune is a big production number – with thunder and sound effects – grand piano – acoustic guitars – crunching marshalls – a hip hop drum loop – and an orchestral climax.

here’s a clip of the mix so far – we’re not done tweaking but it’s pretty darn close.

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enjoy!!

y’all think i’m asleep at the switch over here – but i revamped the layout of the web site, added categories that allow the posts to be grouped by song, missed the bus, drove to school, bought the toy truck loader with a bucket that doesn’t frustrate, purchased the much needed toilet paper, made the afternoon school bus drop off, raked the yard, answered a work email even though i’m on a vacation day, bottle, book, nap (not me silly – jack), loaded the kids and cameras for the game, weathered the rain, ditched the game too much rain, went to ice cream instead, watched the CARS movie with the kids again, bottle more books night night, and lastly but not leastly recorded this song:

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GOOD NIGHT NOW SLEEP!!

ok – i’m starting to groove on this little tune.

this version is just a little tighter and i’m starting to hone in on something. i just love this with the vocals cranked up through the ceiling. it almost starts to turn into FILTER at verse 2 – i love that FILTER tune – don’t even know the title right now.

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funny how when verse 2 comes in and it says “DON’T WORRY…” again, i don’t mind it – a lot of times i just copy verse 1 into the verse 2 spot to see how the song feels going into another verse. later i change the lyrics if all else is in order and i haven’t been overtaken by another idea before i get the chance to get back and finish – finishing is not always my strong suit.

with verse 2 working the way it is, i might have a really weird lyric approach on this where the only thing that changes is the PRE CHORUS…

we’ll see… you’ll see…