Back to Reality
Wednesday, July 5th, 2023 12:25 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
snoozefestaudio88F today, and humid as hell. I really need to step up my weatherproofing game around here this week!
The whole house is more hot and humid than it should be, for as much as I'm running the air, and the window units.
But it's especially trued upstairs, and in the back room, where the window AC units ran all day and night and... are barely making a difference.
With the back room, the issue is that... now that both mulberry trees are gone, it gets no shade, and the back windows only have these flimsy see through blinds.
So the sun just blasts in, and heats up that room, which heats up the kitchen as well.
Upstairs, I do have to block off one west window with cardboard to keep out sun heating, but I also never caulked around the cat door panel I installed back in February, so it's just letting humid air right in.
The cat doors themselves are another issue, but... I have to get on top of this stuff.
--<>--
It's a wednesday that feels like a Monday, and I have to take the garbage out and pay the bills tonight after I get back from work... for which I'm leaving in 20 minutes.
------------{=0=}------------
7:35PM
Okay!.. well, we had a huge downpour with high winds just as I was driving home tonight, and when I got back I sat out on the porch to listen to the rain and thunder.
It's still going now, but it's more of a light rain.
I'll take out the garbage when it's over.
Yvette's still waiting for a walk too.
--<>--
I've taken care of most of the bills.
I paid all of the credit cards, and the car payment, and I Zelled money into Dad's BMO account for the mortgage.
Made my first payments on the E-Commerce card, and the Home Depot card... paid them both down to zero.
There was a small balance on Discover this month, so I paid that to zero.
AmEx, which catches all the bills, was paid to zero.
The only card with a balance is Wells Fargo... which is just over $1,000.00, but that's the card I've chosen to just auto pay a minimum for a while, and ignore it. It's up to date though.
All I have to do is double check the homeowners insurance later, when the back room WIFI stabilizes.
And of course, the HELOC remains in limbo, but... otherwise, I'm good for July.
------------{=0=}------------
In other news, I did a bit of research and experimentation regarding the situation with FL Studio.
Upgrading to, Producer Edition would cost $110.00... which feels a bit steep, but I'd pay it... if it were that simple.
But research suggests that if I did so, there's no guarantee I could get it to recognize my USB microphone.
ImageLine suggests using a standard studio grade XLR mike plugged in through an interface box.
And that's almost another $500.00 when it's all said and done... bringing the total price to record vocals in FL Studio up to $610.00!
And I'm not comfortable blowing that much more on what is essentially a vanity project.
--<>--
But I did also do some research about Audacity, and then experimented briefly at home.
And it's not only possible, but pretty easy, to take several mono tracks with different vocal clips on them, and just merge them all into a single track.
And that's necessary, because as I said the other day, I was recording multiple takes of each line of the lyrics, and only keeping the best takes... but that leaves me with three or four tracks with little clips on all of them.
And those little clips cannot be cut and pasted around, without getting out of synch with the muscial track.
However, by merging them all into a single track, they stay in synch, and I can then apply effects to that single vocal track as a whole.
So, for exaple, I can add reverb, or EQ the sound quality.
But I can also double that vocal track, and clip half a second off the beginning of one, to offset them slightly and create a slight delay effect.
So... if one is panned right, and the other left... the vocal track kinda fills the space, with a hint of delay from one side to the other.
I did all this with the exisiting AUP file for the song today after work!.. though I didn't save it, because it was just a test.
--<>--
But, in a nutshell... I can do a lot more with a vocal track, in Audacity, than I first thought!
So it's wiser to just keep going down that road for a while, rather than blowing six hundred bucks to do vocals in FL Studio.
--<>--
As for my mix monitoring issue... I found and ordered a little, USB to speaker jack, dongle, that's got thousands of 4.5 star reviews on Amazon.
It was only twelve dollars, but... in theory it should let me plug in the speaker system to the computer again, and listen normally... without buying a new sound card.
If this works, then I can mix the music out loud, and get a good sense of how much low end there is, for the vocals to cut through.
I can then also monitor the vocal versions out loud and make sure the final mix is working.
If not... it will be a bit of a hassle to re-mix the music, and/or the vocals, but... it won't be impossible. And it won't cost six hundred dollars!
--<>--
This leaves me with the single problem of being able to hear myself in the headphones while I'm singing the vocals.
I'm gonna do a bit more research about that.
It's possible? there's a way to make Audacity do this, maybe?
But if not, I could always use my smaller earphones, instead of headphones to hear the music as I sing along... and it might be easier for me to hear myself... or just move one earphone slightly off my ear or something.
I dunno yet... but that appears to be the final issue to resolve.
--<>--
I've also noticed that the bass line for the refrain of, Closer to You on the original tape is different, and better, than what I programmed into FL Studio.
So I think I'm gonna change the bass line for those parts... which may require altering all the other music going on in those parts as well.
But it'll probably end up being a catchier, more listenable song, in the end.
--<>--
So... this whole recording studio journey is still just beginning.
And the first test song is still a long way from being finalized.
But with any luck, I can figure out how to crank out a good, final product, using the equipment I currently have.
If so, then great!
------------{=0=}------------
8:52PM
Okay!.. all the garbage and recyclables are out, and all the can liners in the house have been changed.
So now we're more or less full steam ahead thorugh July... which will be another full month still working part time.
I did get a start yesterday on preping the side yard area for grass seed, but before I can start watering, I need to figure out what to do with the remaining pile of topsoil... which is still considerable.
There are also the weatherproofing issues to take care of... additional blinds or shades for the back room... caulk upstairs... gotta check that laundry closet window, and make sure it's taped off well.
I'm kinda wondering if I should stick a window AC unit in the kitchen window that opens to the side porch! I dunno!
--<>--
There's also the fence fix to do.
And the basement hatch door... which again puts my focus on the side porch, because it'll need to be cleared out so I can prep the new plywood.
Oh, and I still need to get the oil and trans fluid changed in the RAV4!.. that's a biggie!
And don't forget replacing the fuse panel with a breaker box!
Damn!
I have a lot to take care of this month... or at least get into motion!
No more lazing around after work, or wasting days off sleeping!
°¦}
https://soundcloud.com/snoozefestaudio
The whole house is more hot and humid than it should be, for as much as I'm running the air, and the window units.
But it's especially trued upstairs, and in the back room, where the window AC units ran all day and night and... are barely making a difference.
With the back room, the issue is that... now that both mulberry trees are gone, it gets no shade, and the back windows only have these flimsy see through blinds.
So the sun just blasts in, and heats up that room, which heats up the kitchen as well.
Upstairs, I do have to block off one west window with cardboard to keep out sun heating, but I also never caulked around the cat door panel I installed back in February, so it's just letting humid air right in.
The cat doors themselves are another issue, but... I have to get on top of this stuff.
It's a wednesday that feels like a Monday, and I have to take the garbage out and pay the bills tonight after I get back from work... for which I'm leaving in 20 minutes.
Okay!.. well, we had a huge downpour with high winds just as I was driving home tonight, and when I got back I sat out on the porch to listen to the rain and thunder.
It's still going now, but it's more of a light rain.
I'll take out the garbage when it's over.
Yvette's still waiting for a walk too.
I've taken care of most of the bills.
I paid all of the credit cards, and the car payment, and I Zelled money into Dad's BMO account for the mortgage.
Made my first payments on the E-Commerce card, and the Home Depot card... paid them both down to zero.
There was a small balance on Discover this month, so I paid that to zero.
AmEx, which catches all the bills, was paid to zero.
The only card with a balance is Wells Fargo... which is just over $1,000.00, but that's the card I've chosen to just auto pay a minimum for a while, and ignore it. It's up to date though.
All I have to do is double check the homeowners insurance later, when the back room WIFI stabilizes.
And of course, the HELOC remains in limbo, but... otherwise, I'm good for July.
In other news, I did a bit of research and experimentation regarding the situation with FL Studio.
Upgrading to, Producer Edition would cost $110.00... which feels a bit steep, but I'd pay it... if it were that simple.
But research suggests that if I did so, there's no guarantee I could get it to recognize my USB microphone.
ImageLine suggests using a standard studio grade XLR mike plugged in through an interface box.
And that's almost another $500.00 when it's all said and done... bringing the total price to record vocals in FL Studio up to $610.00!
And I'm not comfortable blowing that much more on what is essentially a vanity project.
But I did also do some research about Audacity, and then experimented briefly at home.
And it's not only possible, but pretty easy, to take several mono tracks with different vocal clips on them, and just merge them all into a single track.
And that's necessary, because as I said the other day, I was recording multiple takes of each line of the lyrics, and only keeping the best takes... but that leaves me with three or four tracks with little clips on all of them.
And those little clips cannot be cut and pasted around, without getting out of synch with the muscial track.
However, by merging them all into a single track, they stay in synch, and I can then apply effects to that single vocal track as a whole.
So, for exaple, I can add reverb, or EQ the sound quality.
But I can also double that vocal track, and clip half a second off the beginning of one, to offset them slightly and create a slight delay effect.
So... if one is panned right, and the other left... the vocal track kinda fills the space, with a hint of delay from one side to the other.
I did all this with the exisiting AUP file for the song today after work!.. though I didn't save it, because it was just a test.
But, in a nutshell... I can do a lot more with a vocal track, in Audacity, than I first thought!
So it's wiser to just keep going down that road for a while, rather than blowing six hundred bucks to do vocals in FL Studio.
As for my mix monitoring issue... I found and ordered a little, USB to speaker jack, dongle, that's got thousands of 4.5 star reviews on Amazon.
It was only twelve dollars, but... in theory it should let me plug in the speaker system to the computer again, and listen normally... without buying a new sound card.
If this works, then I can mix the music out loud, and get a good sense of how much low end there is, for the vocals to cut through.
I can then also monitor the vocal versions out loud and make sure the final mix is working.
If not... it will be a bit of a hassle to re-mix the music, and/or the vocals, but... it won't be impossible. And it won't cost six hundred dollars!
This leaves me with the single problem of being able to hear myself in the headphones while I'm singing the vocals.
I'm gonna do a bit more research about that.
It's possible? there's a way to make Audacity do this, maybe?
But if not, I could always use my smaller earphones, instead of headphones to hear the music as I sing along... and it might be easier for me to hear myself... or just move one earphone slightly off my ear or something.
I dunno yet... but that appears to be the final issue to resolve.
I've also noticed that the bass line for the refrain of, Closer to You on the original tape is different, and better, than what I programmed into FL Studio.
So I think I'm gonna change the bass line for those parts... which may require altering all the other music going on in those parts as well.
But it'll probably end up being a catchier, more listenable song, in the end.
So... this whole recording studio journey is still just beginning.
And the first test song is still a long way from being finalized.
But with any luck, I can figure out how to crank out a good, final product, using the equipment I currently have.
If so, then great!
Okay!.. all the garbage and recyclables are out, and all the can liners in the house have been changed.
So now we're more or less full steam ahead thorugh July... which will be another full month still working part time.
I did get a start yesterday on preping the side yard area for grass seed, but before I can start watering, I need to figure out what to do with the remaining pile of topsoil... which is still considerable.
There are also the weatherproofing issues to take care of... additional blinds or shades for the back room... caulk upstairs... gotta check that laundry closet window, and make sure it's taped off well.
I'm kinda wondering if I should stick a window AC unit in the kitchen window that opens to the side porch! I dunno!
There's also the fence fix to do.
And the basement hatch door... which again puts my focus on the side porch, because it'll need to be cleared out so I can prep the new plywood.
Oh, and I still need to get the oil and trans fluid changed in the RAV4!.. that's a biggie!
And don't forget replacing the fuse panel with a breaker box!
Damn!
I have a lot to take care of this month... or at least get into motion!
No more lazing around after work, or wasting days off sleeping!
°¦}
