February 2021 | Somewhat Incognito

Status: Released – Check it on Spotify fools!

About the track

There are a lot of new things going on in Set Examples. New techniques, new process, new toys. Where do I even begin…. lets start with the process.

The new process (3 month test)

All of 2020 I consistently put out 2-4 tracks every month, doing most of the work in a 1-2 week period with daily focus on the writing and production. Each track went through several feedback rounds with rapid revisions over a few days.

I want to test a new flow for at least a few months of 2021. Spending 2-4 weeks on tracks instead of 1-2, with a similar level of daily focus. I still will post for feedback one time, but use it lightly and progress into the weeks longer after that one feedback round.

What happens when I spend more time on each track?
Is the output any better?
What happens if I go with my gut all the way through (less feedback)?
I want to explore these ideas and see where it goes – 3 months will run like this and then ill decide if I should change it up or go back.

Set Examples is the first track to get a 4 week treatment. I am very happy with the end result, but im still unsure how far that extra time got me. There are definitely a few touches that would not have made the 1-2 week version.

I recently got myself one of these. A Zoom h1n hand recorder. I got this with the idea that I could carry it around and record things to later lay into tracks or sequencers with. In the middle of the song there is a trippy section with slowed vocals. I used this recorder to work in a bouncing ball kids toy slowed down in that section.

Stoked about the bouncing ball sound it took a pic and posted to Discord.

LOL!

I also recently picked up one of those “All you need is this chord pack” chord packs. I wanted to have one of these to use as chord progression building blocks at times when im not sure where to start in on something.

Yup, i got this, the main chord progression of the song is from the pack. (the organs)

The way this works is just a bunch of midi files organized into folders:

This is what the pack looks like in my daw, its nice to have something like this around.

The Track is Dense AF

This strange giant tower is the zoomed out view of my reason rack instruments for the song. The blue box is what fits on my screen at a given time. This may be one of the tallest racks ive made to date! More Time = More stuff in this tracks case.

Lets break this down by section.

The chord pack organs

7 variations of pads and organs with varying pans, eq’s and effects. Mostly to get variations in the tones and sounds for sections of the track, and spread it out in the stereo field in interesting ways.

I did more guitars than usual, I think I like having more guitars.

I have a few layers of guitars, some with double takes, some with copy pasta parts. The synth sits in the middle of the solo section to create this mashed guitar and synth solo area that I thought sounded pretty cool.

A bunch of garnish synths and things ended up going in. I spent more time adding in layers of things. I also hit up LOHM and he got me the weezer synths for the outro section. I think they help make that last chorus shine a bit more for the finale.

Tinkering with the Master

Im trying some Left Right EQ Stuff for the first time. (left pictured)

Right

I thought this set up gave a cool vibeyness (is that a work?) to the master.

Isn’t this a Weezer song?

Well about half way into the production , I came to the realization built my way into something that pretty closely resembles Only in Dreams by weezer. I passed an early version around a bit and asked people if it sounded like any songs they knew. No onne said it, but once I told them it could not be unheard.

I think despite this the song stands well enough on its own. The overall vibe and progression are very similar but im OK with that.

What do you think?

On the Lyrics

Its really just about setting a good example in all things that you do, sometimes at your own expense.

I don’t have to be in love with you
To get along and say thanks to
What the hell am I supposed to do?
Set examples

Yeah, I set examples.
Yeah, I’m a damn fool

Do you think you could set examples
And I think I should set examples
Do you think we could set examples