johnvelghe.com » recording projects

Metallurgy Trumps Torque – Every Time

johnv — Mon, 12 Apr 2010 14:26:45 +0000

When working on my motorbike I have this guiding maxim: metallurgy trumps torque – every time. This means that when you have two parts that you’re having a hard time fitting together, the laws of physics and thermodynamics say that rather than pounding, compressing, and calling them “motherf*cker” the best thing to do is heat one, or cool another and the two parts will slide together as gracefully as a heron landing on a lake.

Working on this recording this weekend I was reminded of a guiding maxim for recording drums: feel trumps tone – every time. This is sort of the opposite of physics or thermo dynamics. It basically says that when you are trying to marry two or more instruments together in a song, you should always choose the instruments with the best feel; even if that means sacrificing the version with the best aural recording quality.

I won’t bore you with the particulars because it gets into all kinds of boring, mic technique engineering garbage that doesn’t really matter. I think the overall lesson is the important thing.

When we listen back to some of the greatest recorded works ever – Robert Johnson, John Bonham, Frank Sinatra – it’s seldom those with the best sonic fidelity that send us over the edge with delight. In fact, some of my recording engineer pals would say that these performances sound lousy. Yeah, friends, but they feel great.

People don’t feel sonic fidelity, engineers do. People feel performance, they feel passion; people feel feel.

Go with the best feel.

Clyfford Still

johnv — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 23:54:26 +0000

This instrumental composition, Clyfford Still, was used in the documentary film “The Next American Dream” and a few other places. I started writing this song on my birthday. It was built around the piano line that sort of mimicked the sound of my dog, walking across the wooden floor above my head. He was 14 years old at the time. I lost him not too long after this track was done, so it stands as not only a memory of him, but a work of some emotional importance for me.

John Velghe - Clyfford Still

Please enjoy it. Please don’t steal it.

Recording The Mendoza Lie

johnv — Sun, 28 Jun 2009 16:33:00 +0000

So my rock-band, side project, experiment in extended adolescence is a band called The Mendoza Lie. The band includes Dan Dumit on drums, Bob Parks on Bass and Chris Wagner on guitar.

This week we begin tracking for a new recording. Of fourteen songs we’ve written over the past year we’re recording eight. That’s mostly because I’m pretty quick to punt a song if I don’t like it. That’s not to say that the songs of the Mendoza Lie are supposed to be musical masterpieces. Quite the opposite. The Mendoza Lie is mostly about abandon, hook, and id; in short, a departure from the whole music composing thing.

Imagine Wipe Out versus I Guess I just wasn’t Made for these Times.

So when we first set about recording these songs we were sort of limp about it. Things weren’t tight, or confident, or even deliberate. That was about six months ago. With this recording we’re a lot more deliberate, and concise. The tempos are a bit faster. The tones a bit more brash.

Every recording project is a new experiment. Whether it’s with the technical aspects of micing technique, and placement, or the more artistic aspects of songwriting and arranging, or the craft elements of instrumentation. In addition to being an experiment, it’s also a fluid process. So, things don’t always come out the way you might have expected. Hopefully, that’s a good thing.

In the upcoming weeks I’ll hopefully have time to write about this process. Please stay tuned.