Punch-Up Music

A music site featuring Chicago based musician Lorin M Klugman.

Stand Outside -- August 26, 2021

Song's lyrics reflect on a dystopian neoliberal nightmare.

Regarding the recording. I put a lot more time into sound engineering and mixing. The result is a well balanced recording. The idea is to make sure you can hear each of the musical parts (vocals, guitars, bass, drums). You test with both headphones and speakers.

I used several techniques to get a well balanced recording.

First, I spent lots of time choosing bass voicings. You can play the same note on different strings and neck positions. One position may sound sharp and percussive, another may sounds really smooth. There is no electronic process for converting a percussive bass voice to a smooth voice. Thus, how the bass line is played can either help or hinder the mixing process.

Next, I used equalization ((EQ) adjusting bass and treble) and panning ( moving sounds to the left, middle or right) to separate the different musical parts. I used compression and limiters to make sure all the musical parts are in the same volume range.

Finally, the latest versions of Ardour (the digital audio workstation (DAW) used for recording and mixing) have been an incredible help. When you are ready to release a mix, you need to create a master audio file. Creating the master audio file has been a huge struggle for me. The latest versions of Ardour have made that process so much easier ( and better)! A real game changer for me.


 
Recording
All software used is Free and Open Source (FOSS).

 
Lyrics

Stand outside, on the edge, on my own
Nothing is left, it’s all on the road
We sit outside, in tents and in board
Once we were safe, now gone to hell

Sing to the lonely, Sing to the tired
Look down the road, look down the time
Once they had, but now, no more
Once your neighbors, now just the poor

Gave them a bill that they could not pay
You gave them a rhyme that leads down the steps
Something for nothing, a sign with no words
It sounded like something but no voices were heard

[ Chorus ]
I was looking for a quick escape
I was followed by a ghost parade


 
Attributions

Written and performed by Lorin M Klugman, August 26, 2021
Composition: Copyright Owned by Lorin M Klugman, all rights reserved.
Performance: is licensed CC BY NC SA 4.0.

Cover Art
Note! Image only (embedded)
Enhanced Infrared Thermal Images
by NASA/Langley Research Center
1991
https://archive.org/details/1991-L-01526