Year of the River

Fret End Dressing - Smoothing down a sharp fretboard for a vintage feel

2009-05-25T14:30:00.007-04:00

I recently purchased an Agile AL-2000 guitar. I was very happy with the tone of the guitar but it did need some minor modifications to give the feel of a custom built guitar. One problem I had was the fret ends were a bit sharp. This is usually one of the things that distinguishes a higher-end guitar from less expensive factory built ones. This is an extra time-consuming process that is usually foregone to save cost.

I'm outlining the steps I performed on my guitar. For less then $30 worth of tools from Stew-Mac and about an hours worth of time, you can make a big difference in the feel of your guitar. WARNING: If you decide to try this, be very careful with this process...it IS irreversible!

Tools used:
- Stewart-MacDonald Fret End Dressing File - Link
- Stewart-MacDonald Fret Dressing Stick - Link
- Stewart-Macdonald String Action Gauge - Link
- Sharpie Marker
- Low-Tack Blue Painters Tape
- Block Sander (Wet-Dry Sandpaper)

1) Make sure to tape the fingerboard using low-tack painters tape

Start with the sides....

Then the top...

2) Use a marker (sharpie) to measure out how far from the edge of the fret board you want to file. Remember this is an irreversible process. Make sure you don't go too far!!!

3) Follow up with a fret dressing stick sander (from Stew Mac)

4) To ensure consistent feel across the board, lightly sand with a block sander

5) Finish up with some .0000 steel wool

Again, be careful! But for a small investment in tools you can give you guitar a more comfortable feel, increasing playability. It also helps to reference a high-end guitar to see the exact shape of some well rounded fret ends. Take the time to visit a guitar shop and locate a guitar the feels "just right" in your hands and look at how the fret ends have been shaped. You will find that this fine bit of finishing work plays a big part in giving a guitar that vintage worn-in feel!

Agile AL-2000 Guitar Review (Root Beer)

2009-05-25T00:26:00.003-04:00

Just posted to YouTube and officially added to the gear section of the site is my review of the Agile AL-2000 Les Paul copy.

I'm really happy with the tone and feel of this guitar. The craftsmanship is impressive for the price range. Even though they are on the low-end of the price range, the wax potted ceramic humbucker pickups, actually pump out some great sounds. Not exactly a P.A.F.s or a Gibson Burstbuckers, but a decent enough set of tones to work with live or recorded.

The YouTube hosted video has a review and sound demos of each pickup position played through a Marshall AVT50 (Clean and Overdrive). I'm using my Voodoo Labs Sparkle Drive (for the overdrive) and a MXR Super Comp Compressor effects pedals through the clean channel on my amp.

Just Arrived...my new Agile AL-2000 "Les Paul"

2009-05-02T00:12:00.004-04:00

I've included a more detailed review of my Agile AL-2000 on the site. You can see it here gear section of the site.

I wanted to get a quick review out of my most recent guitar acquisition an Agile AL-2000 "Les Paul" copy. I purchased it online at Rondomusic.com for US$219. Right out of the box it was in tune and quite playable. I did my own set up to fine tune the intonation and to put my preferred string gauges on in .10-.52's (Heavy top, light bottoms) My next order of business was to round the fret ends off and smooth the neck edges on the binding to give the guitar a more worn-in feel | See post.

Initial soundchecks are coming back hot! This guitar rocks. The pick-up are definitely not PAFs (Classic '57 Gibson Humbuckers) but they will do for now.

Agile AL-2000 Video Review

Fret End Dressing - Smoothing down a sharp fretboard for a vintage feel

The Songwriting Process

2008-11-15T19:04:00.000-05:00

The song ideas are always floating around the atmosphere seeking out a writer. I try to grab a few out of the air wherever I'm lucky enough to be in the right spot at the right time.

But what do you do now that you've come up with a great idea for a song and want to turn it into something?

Here's a few things I discovered along the way about the songwriting process. One thing that helped me out the most was realizing that there are two main phases of the songwriting process, the initial creative rush and the editing phase.

Phase One: The Creative Rush
Always be ready for a song. You never know when one will find you! Keep small notebooks handy. Keep one in the car, in your laptop bag, by your bed. When and whereever you mind wonders. Be ready for it!

I have a Google Documents account which allows me to access my directory of documents from any computer that has internet access. Plus, no fear of loosing your ideas due to a hard drive crash!

Develop a simple song structure for your idea
Once you have an idea or hook that's motivating you, jot it down. Then, before writing any more lyrics, create a basic song structure or outline. Simply describe what you want to have happen in each verse. Then focus your writing around that outline. It's like setting a goal for each verse. You can get as creative as you want with each verse, but in the end, it needs to convey to the listener the "goal" you set in your outline.

For example your outline could be as simple as this:

Simple as that. Now you have some structure to write within. Of course, this can always change...it often does. This is your guidepost to remind you of what you wanted to achieve in each verse, as well as the entire song, when you get into the editing phase.

Check in on your old ideas from time to time
Finally, don't forget to go back and read your old ideas from time to time too that you've captured in your notebooks! You never know what might spark a new song.

Phase Two: Editing
After the initial idea is captured and you feel it's worth pursuing, You most often will enter into the editing phase for your song. Get your idea and outline into a document on a computer and save it in a safe place. Again, Google Documents to is a huge help in this case. Edit when you feel like it, from any machine.

Often editing can be a very tedious process. But to me, I enjoy it. The thrill of constantly massaging the flow and wordsmithing sometimes can be very therapeutic, especially when you have an idea that you feel you really passionate about expressing. But sometimes the more you work an idea, the less you feel you are accomplishing. If you feel you are not making progress, don't be afraid to move away from it before it turns into something you are not happy with.

Don't become too sentimental to any idea
If it's not working, drop it. Move on to another idea for a while. I find so much joy in returning back to an idea, even years later, and approaching it with new perspectives and new life experiences.

"Mark Twain was quoted talking about his writing process, he mentioned that he always stopped writing for the day at the peak of his inspiration, as opposed to writing until the ideas were no longer flowing. The reason for this was, it was so much easier to pick up the next day from a previous high point, then to try and start digging out from an uninspired low spot."

Set it to music
Once I have a good grasp of the concept and where I want to go with it, I try to match it up to a chord progression, just enough to capture the right mood and feel. Sometimes the process of picking up your instrument helps move the songwriting process along further. Sometimes even switching instruments sparks more creativity. Switch from guitar to piano, or vice versa. The different chord structures help you look at your song from different perspectives.

Listen to your idea
Do a rough recording of your initial song idea before you get to far and listen to it. Critique it and go back and make your edits.

I'll capture rough musical ideas in Garage Band which I use as my "audio sketchpad." This is a great tool to capture ideas without any commitments. If I have more complex rhythm ideas or more complex song structures, I'll move into my studio where I can start blending in a rhythm track (bass & drums) in ProTools to help move the song further along.

How do I know my song is working?
I do have one rule before I start the final recording process...the song has to hold up completely with just vocals and an acoustic guitar before I start making the commitment to lay down the final tracks. It proves to me that the song is "real"

What's your songwriting process?

Tips for Mastering Your Final Mix

2008-10-11T23:49:00.000-04:00

Ok, I so you have a great mix of your new tune, but from a volume and tonal perspective you may find yourself asking, "Why does it not stand up to my favorite songs from other professional artists?" Chances are, you're ready for a few pointers on mastering audio!

Before I get too far, IMHO, this is a process that's best left for engineers who specialize in Mastering. If there was one part of the process I'd give in and involve someone else, it would be the mastering process. But like most DYI'ers...such as me...you either have a budget (you've spent all your money already on guitars and recording gear!) or you just have a desire to do it all!

I wanted to share a few "non-technical" tips from my recent learnings mastering the audio for songs I posted this month on this website

What is Mastering?
Mastering is the final step in the recording process, to sweeten the sonic tonality and volume of your final mix so its ready for retail. Mastering is about your entire final mix...not individual tracks. The pros have a lot of personal tricks and tools to get songs to sound clearer and better. But mostly it's equalization, compression, limiting, and cross fading to give your song a more polished "commercial" sound.

This image illustrates a typical wav form from a final mix. Note the dynamic nature of the file. There are loud and quiet spots throughout the mix

This image illustrates a typical Mastered audio file. Note how the entire mix seems to hover around the same volume. This is the result of the compression that's typically applied to an audio file during the mastering process. This creates a full, even volume throughout the song.

Tip #1 - Create a playlist (or CD) of favorite tunes you think your song should fit in with
Ask yourself, "What do I want my songs to sound like?" This was actually the fun part. I plowed through my iTunes library and located about five (5) or six(6) songs that closely represented how I wanted my songs to sound. Use these songs to set a bar. Every mix you make, burn it to a CD or make a playlist and place your songs right into the middle of that list. Listen to it often. You will quickly hear the shortcomings of your mix...as well as other things about your song. But don't be too harsh on yourself. You didn't want to sound exactly like them anyway!

Tip #2- Listen to your mastered mix on various systems
Take your CD or playlist and play it in your car, on your computer, your home stereo system, upload it to your website and stream it. Note the differences in those systems and account for it in your critique. (e.g. Car Stereos tend to be very bassy, computers can be very "tinny") Unless you are specifically targeting a particular audio system (chances are you aren't) make a holistic assessment of your mix and determine what further work needs to be done.

Tip #3- Take the time to mix your audio just right...and then be prepared to remix it again after you master it
Once you do your first pass mastering your audio, you will probibly start identifying some issues with your mix, since you can now hear more. Factor this into your process. You will probably have to return to your original mix to rebalance some of your tracks to compensate for the clarity your mastering will be bringing out in your songs.

Tip #4- Leave plenty of headroom in your final mix
Your final "pre-mastered" mix should not be spiking the meter. The mastering process will most likely add more volume through equalization and compression. Allow for this. Keep your mix centered on the meter and avoid going into the red whenever possible.

Tip #5- Save the fades for the Master
Don't attempt to create your fade-outs (or fade-ins) during your final track mix. Just let the instrument tracks run out. Save it for the mastering process. You will end up with a smoother, more professional sounding fade-out if you concentrate your efforts on this during the mastering process. You'll be surprised how much effort goes into creating a pro sounding fade-out...it's an art!

Tip #6- Refresh your ears
Wait a few days or weeks minimum after you have finished the mixdown to let your ears get refreshed, and listen to the track and find out what's wrong with it before getting frustrated. It's easy to get into an endless cycle of reaching for any plugins and/or outboard gear trying to fix your mix only to find out that its only getting worse...not better.

Tip #7-Less is more
Again, avoid over saturating your mix with plugins or effects. In the end, mastering should be very transparent. Only put on what your track needs, if you can't hear anything that's wrong or you don't know how to fix it then don't do a thing and send it to someone else with more experience to master.

I mix my audio using Digidesigns ProTools 7.4 and do my mastering in Adobe Soundbooth CS3. I found Soundbooth to be a very basic application with a good array of mastering tools/setting. But not too much to get myself in trouble with. It keeps me in a good place!

Have fun!

What has your experience been mastering audio on your own? Let me know!