Mon 20 Nov 2017: I start work on the album version of Killing Light. I start by copying the MIDI sequences and patches from the demo and tidying them up. It's easier than I expect and I have the demo music to use as a starting point in no time. I turn to the beats. The intention was to use Maschine for designing them but then program them in Battery 4. After a little playing around I realize that's going to be a lot of work so I consider using Maschine throughout. Makes sense and will probably be better. I must do some experimenting tomorrow night to see how best to integrate it into Reaper.
Tue 21 Nov 2017: After a bit of playing and research I work out how to integrate Machine into Reaper. I will use that tool for all my beats.
Wed 22 Nov 2017: I start breaking the beats for Killing Light into sections so I can start expanding and diversifying them.
Thu 23 Nov 2017: I work some more on the beats. Not for long though. It's been a long day.
Fri 24 Nov 2017: A number of the demos have used the arpeggiator on the Komplete Kontrol plug-in. It's great but the sequences sometimes get out of sync and they don't always align properly with the keys of the songs. In the morning I get the idea of rendering the sequences and analysing them using Melodyne. This allows me to work out the notes and rhythm being generated by the arpeggiator. Melodyne also allows me to export the sequences as MIDI that I can load them back into Reaper and do away with the arpeggiator. It allows me to fine tune the sequences and improve them. It's a big improvement.
Sat 25 Nov 2017: I work on the music for Killing Light. I get the beats and the music done. I'm sure there will be tweaking for a while and a few extra additions but this is good for now. The hats bother me a bit though. They're kryptonite to me. Maybe less is more?
Sun 26 Nov 2017: I start by refining the beats a bit more. I was struggling with fills but get inspiration in the morning and they turn out better than expected. Next I try recording the final vocals. I add extra sound panels to the room to improve the acoustics so I can keep the mic near the PC. It makes it easier to record short sequences. Some of the parts are difficult but it only takes about an hour to record the song. I'm having trouble with the audio card though. For some reason, it keeps stopping and I have to keep restarting it. It's a pain but it doesn't stop me. I spend most of the afternoon editing my vocals. I'm getting better at using Melodyne and manage to fix most of the problems, though I must say the vocals were quite clean to start with. I'm even using Melodyne to fix some minor timing. By the evening I have a final mix of the song. That means it's only taken a week to produce the song from start to finish. I'm sure there will be minor tweaking for some time, but that's good and hopefully it means the entire album isn't going to take as long as I had originally thought. It's been a long weekend but I'm really surprised and pleased with the results. 1 track done and I feel optimistic.
Mon 27 Nov 2017: I listen to my work on Killing Light first thing in the morning. I identify a few minor tweaks but still so pleased. If I can develop the other demos as much as this track I'll be really happy. I listen to the track a few more times during the day and build up a list of minor tweaks that I make when I get home from work. I should leave it there until mastering.