Setting up the video camera via my phone to capture one of the recording sessions…
AFTER an early guitar session with one of my online students I get back to album recording.
I’ve finally got a setup that I think is gonna work OK and let me record live – ie: guitar/banjo and vocals at the same time.
The instrument scratch tracks I already have down are OK, but overdubbing vocals never really sounds the same. The feel is completely different.
Mid-afternoon I take a break and take the wee chainsaw out to trim some trees that have shot up over the last year.
I need to do it before they start to bud which could be anytime in the next week or two.
When the chainsaw battery needs to go back on charge I fix the security light on the side of the house.…and then missed a 2pm Zoom meeting. Aaaaargh.
I’d set it up but then one of the participants did same and wanted to ‘stick with’ their scheduled meet…when I deleted mine it took it out the diary and I didn’t think to check the ‘new’ meeting had been entered.
I email everyone and offer my apologies then nip out for a quick walk before my 6pm guitar student rocks up.
He’s away just before Betty arrives for dinner and we have a grand evening catching up.
A LOVELY day when I get up to get my sourdough in the oven. I need to get some photos at the hydro turbine house and this might be a good day.
Still nice when I hit the studio for a Zoom session with one of my guitar students but once I’m done and head back to the house for a coffee it’s overcast and grey 🙁
Back in the studio I record some scratch tracks for tracks I’m thinking of including on the new album.
After lunch it’s brightened up a little so I get Margaret to drive me to the closest point up the farm track and I walk across the fields to the turbine house.
By good luck fellow director Roger is on-site and the place is open so I grab some internal images for the ‘content bank’ then take some pix of the exterior and location.
Alas too windy for the drone so I don’t bother trekking up tot he intake and enjoy the walk home.
Betty’s in having a coffee with Margaret when I get back. I say hello, grab a coffee and go back to the studio to work on the album tracks.
There’s a hydro society information session at the hall I need to go to then we get back home and have dinner.
STRAIGHT into the studio to get some computer and software updates done…I need to make sure the new Mac in the studio is at least able to handle tonight’s Wildcats’ livestream.
There’s two new bits of audio hardware from Softube in the studio – Console 1 mkIII and Fader mkIII – but I hadn;t been able to get them integrated properly.
A couple of posts in relevant Facebook groups threw up some suggestions and I manage to get everything working properly thanks to the advice 🙂
I’d hoped to get a walk after my later afternoon guitar student but livestream prep takes a little longer than I expect then I have an online seminar with Help Musicians.
I get everything working just in time for the livestream then back to the house for beef, butternut squash and ancho chilli.
Salt & chilli tofu at Boba Bakes before I go to see the film
I SPEND the morning in the studio trying to sort out the transfer of stuff from one Mac to another.
Louise comes to pick me up just after 1pm – I’m cadging a lift into Glasgow to for this evening’s premier of our pal Martyn’s Make it to Munich film.
We pick up film producer John Archer in Drymen then carry on into Glasgow.
I spend the afternoon catching up on stuff in town then stop at Boba Bakes in Cambridge Street for salt & chilli tofu before I go round the GFT for the film.
After bumping into various folks I know I get to my seat and enjoy the film.
There’s a stop off at the State Bar for the ‘afternoon party then Louise takes us home dropping John off then myself just after midnight.
FEELING like shit today – deffo picked up the lurgy…but no time to wallow in self-pity.
It’s the last day of my 30-day Kickstarter campaign and although we smashed it in under two weeks, I wanna do a final call for folks to grab exclusive backer-only rewards.
I make a quick video and edit it into various formats before posting round my socials.
Rather than send the same video out to my email list, I edit up Still Friends form Temperance on Wednesday night. I don’t wanna continually be asking folks for stuff – I offer up an exclusive video it makes things a little less ‘one way’. I do, of course, mention the last chance to grab the exclusive Kickstarter rewards!
All that takes me to mid-afternoon then I start trying to rewire the studio. Some stuff’s not working the way it should….
WE have a lazy morning catching up on some work in the hotel room and doing some last-minute promo for tonight’s show.
I have a Zoom meeting at lunchtime which last an hour or so then we make for Leamington.
We stop to pick up some snacks then head for the venue.
Booker/promoter Adrian meets us and helps get the gear in. I’m just finishing sound check when Andres and Siret arrive.
Temperance is a very cool basement venue. Small but with tight theatre-style seating and great sound…I’m a little concerned that there doesn’t seem to be any kind fit emergency exit or alternative way out should the wooden stairs be on fire. I put that thought to the back of my head.
There’s a full house when Andres opens the show and plays a great set then I follow…and we get together for the encore.
UP EARLY so we can take Auntie Glo to a hospital appointment.
I drive and drop Margaret and Auntie Glo off then go park up and take a short stroll.
They’re not long in the hospital and soon we’re back at Auntie Glo’s having a snack.
Soon after midday we have the car parked and head for Warwick. Margaret found a cheap hotel and booked us for two night’s. It’s not far from Leamington for tomorrow’s (Wednesday) show at Temperance.
The hotel is part of a motorway services complex and we planned to pick up some stuff for dinner at the Waitrose. Alas it’s temporarily closed for re-fitting so we end up taking Burger King and KFC back to the hotel room.
We have a video call with Bill and Dorothy in Florida then I get busy editing some video before chilling the rest of the evening.
