So the problems with the drums are not so much sorted as I have decided I can live with them, and maybe they are not as bad as I thought. If I take the MIDI track recorded and chop it into smaller sections this gives me some artificial "note off" events which helps, and it wasn't as quiet as i thought.
So this is where I wondered about how much of the secrets to reveal, and thought, "hey, if I'm blogging I might as well be honest, it's not like anyone is reading it anyway". I might do it in different ways in different sub-sections but for 1.1.3 which I have been working on I have a compromise between programmed drums and performed drums. I programmed the bass and snare, and performed the hi-hat, ride and cymbals, and fills. This means it's tight but loose at the same time, giving it a more live feel. I think. I hope. I doubt a drummer would be fooled. I'm quite liking the drums, they are slightly trippy, slightly shuffly.
So at this point I have pretty much planned about the first half of 1.1.3, with enough drums to cover the second half, but I might not use them all. I'm not really sure where it's going next. One of the problems I have now is that I'm trying to imagine what it will sound like, but don't have the guitars in. this is because a) I haven't had time to do them yet, but also b) because experience has taught me that once you pick up a guitar you should do all the guitar that you want to have the same sound. When you come back another time the settings are never quite the same. It's a chicken and egg situation though, because I feel like I want to hear the guitar to see where it feels like it might go next.
I'm going to end on a more general note, which is that I intend to put even more thought into BMS than the previous albums, I think about 50% more care is needed to get it sounding more professional (I am my own worst critic). This means I will have to "give it 150%". Simon Cowell would like the effort.
