Yesterday I finished copying all my “worktapes” (which became digital files about 8 or 9 years ago, when I switched from 5-minute cassettes to minidiscs) to my laptop. I had to buy a new Hi-MD machine for $320 but it was worth it; it allowed me to copy the digital files via a USB cable, which was fast and also kept the separate tracks. Had I used the old style MiniDisc player/recorder, I would have had to stream the entire disc in real time and then be forced to go back and chop up each disc’s worth into separate tracks. A nightmare, because as it turns out there are over 500 “songs”! These go back maybe 20 years or so, and include a lot from my Nashville days. Most of these are song ideas/snippets, works-in-process, etc., although there are also a good number of completed songs in there, too. It’s interesting to go back and listen to them; often I’ll hear a development over time where I’m clearly working thru a new chord progression or melodic idea, that eventually reaches full expression in a later song snippet.
So that’s my first task in Mexico, i.e., to audition all of these 500+ songs and pick out the best ones to for phase two, which will be recording a proper CD (or two) once I move all my recording equipment down there, assuming I am happy with my decision to relocate to San Miguel de Allende. If it turns out some of the best ones are in need of more work, then I will promptly complete them, adding lyrics, a new chorus, a bridge, or tightening up the melody, etc.
I am taking my laptop loaded up with Cubase recording software, a couple of mics, mic stands, headphone amplifier, Tascam US-144 (interface between the mics and the computer), headphones, my Lowden guitar, my ESP “strat” guitar, and my new Oxygen 60-note keyboard controller (which will allow me to enter keyboard parts via MIDI into the software; I can then make it sound like a piano, organ, synth, etc.). I also will copy over my drum program into the laptop. So that’s my main focus for the next four months!
Music, Travels, and Life 