from the storm to the sun

How we did it.

After a long labor (nearly two years of pre-production, tracking, overdubs, post-production, mixing and mastering), From the Storm to the Sun ( or, FTSTTS) has finally been born.

There were slight variations in the production process from song to song, but for the most part, here’s how we did it:

• Fall of 2007:

Fresh on the heels of the release of our debut album All Directions Forward, we began taking note of ideas for new compositions, re-working songs from the vault, and coming to a consensus of the process by which we would tackle our next recording.

• 2008/Early of 2009:

We began tracking rough acoustic demos of potential compositions in various stages of completion. Basically, if we felt it could be something, we laid it down to compact cassette. After listening back, we cobbled together what equipment we had and started planning the recording process. Our initial thoughts were to record to tape, then dump the tracks and mix digitally. At the same time, we worked some of the new approaches into our live shows, to gauge listener reaction. It was all good.

We tracked three songs to tape, but were not satisfied with the quality. We realized that we really didn’t have the gear to get everything down like we wanted, so we went back to the drawing board, all the while continuing to write and lay down acoustic demos on the back end.

Then, the shocker. Cory received an invitation to go on a worldwide tour for a nationally-known recording artist. This was indeed bittersweet, since we are genuinely in awe of Cory’s talents as a multi-instrumentalist, and are in full support of his musical growth. But, that left us without a drummer at perhaps the most crucial junction in our short life up to this point. We made the decision, with Cory’s blessing, to audition drummers with the goal of re-integrating Cory once he returned (either as a keyboardist or drummer). The auditions were interesting, with a few no-shows, a disaster or two, and some very talented potentials. Soon, however, thanks to corporate mismanagement, the tour disintegrated, and Cory returned to the fold, better than ever.

• Spring, Summer and Fall of 2009:

After doing all the research we could, we redoubled our efforts on the recording front. We obtained the gear we needed (a few SM57s, a couple of condenser mics, a digital multi-track recorder), and began tracking what we felt was the best of the demo material.

Our process was pretty much this:

1) Rehearse, rehearse, rehearse.

2) Record rhythm tracks (drum and bass) at Cory’s house, with Cory in the living room, and Anthony upstairs in the loft. This provided great separation, and allowed for all-important eye contact between the two. Cory changed the configuration of his drum set for nearly every song, varying the number and placement of crashes and the types of snares, kicks and toms. We also experimented with mic type and placement for each session.

3) Lay down guitars. This happened either in Anthony’s study, Lucas’ bonus room or Cory’s living room. We miked Ryan’s tube amp for the electric stuff. And either ran direct (through a pre-amp simulator) or miked the acoustic stuff (depending on the feel we wanted for the song). Ryan also used different tuning methods and changed his strings on a few songs to switch things up.

4 & 5) Percussion and vocals were then recorded (the order here varied). Percussion was done in Lucas’ bonus room, and we moved him around the room and experimented with mic type and placement from session to session. Vocals were done in Anthony’s study, with some re-recording done at 34th & Hudson Studios. We always laid the leads down first, then came back and overdubbed doubles and backs.

6) Other components like keys and stuff were done lastly, for the most part. Cory’s Yamaha Motif ES was our keyboard of choice, and the other instruments were tracked at 34th & Hudson.

7) Finally, we mixed down on the computer using a program than shall not be named for fear of ridicule, listening back to our progress to take note of things that needed tweaking and/or re-recording.

We also relegated a few songs to the vault mid-process for various reasons: either the energy wasn’t flowing well, the song didn’t feel like “us” or the composition just wasn’t ready for prime time. Our Creative Consultant, Joe Kuhlmann, chimed in along the way to offer “friendly suggestions” as to production elements, mixing tips & tricks and the like. He also mastered the whole thing.

And that, boys and girls, is how you self-produce an album, Soulganic style.