Originally posted July 15, 2012

In this episode, I discuss a rock song I originally wrote in 1996 that still has no lyrics, along with some recording techniques and new tools I’ve been exploring. I also briefly cover Apple’s new Podcasts app and announce a new podcast about NBC’s upcoming show Revolution.

I open with a short, fun drum piece created with my son Logan, ending with his voice saying “Ow!”

Most music I’ve shared so far has been jazz or new age, so this is my first rock track. It’s currently titled Untitled Pop Rock Song 1 since it has no lyrics. I wrote it in late 1996 while playing in a modern rock/punk band, They Eat Their Young. After gaining studio experience with that band, I wanted to try writing my own rock material and pursue my long-time goal of charting on the Billboard Hot 100.

I tend to focus more on music than lyrics when listening, which has made lyric writing a challenge for me. For now, I’m releasing this as an instrumental demo and inviting collaboration—if you’re a lyricist and like the track, feel free to reach out.

I was able to import the original 1996 sequence into Cubase and rebuild the arrangement using Halion One. Because of that, I didn’t apply a newer technique I learned—using partial quantization (around 50%) to keep performances more natural instead of perfectly mechanical.

I’ve also been studying songwriting and production through Gary Ewer’s Essential Secrets of Songwriting and The Home Recording Show podcast. From that, I applied a song structure tweak—doubling the first verse and shortening the first chorus.

On the production side, I experimented with several plugins:

• AmpSimulator (included with Cubase) to shape guitar tones. I layered two guitar tracks with different amp settings and panned them left and right for a fuller sound.
• Auto-Tune, not for the “Cher effect,” but for subtle pitch correction. I tested it on both vocals and sax and found it made a slight but noticeable improvement.
• Compression, applied to vocals, sax, and the final mix to reduce dynamic range and make the track more consistent in volume.

The arrangement features piano and clean guitar in the verse, adds distorted guitar in the chorus, and shifts to heavier guitars in the bridge. I used a “Voice Pad” sound for vocals and added background harmonies in the chorus—one of my favorite elements in pop/rock. I also recorded alto sax for the intro and later sections.

Since this is a demo, the final direction could change depending on lyrics—leaning more pop (less distortion) or more rock (possibly replacing sax with a guitar solo).

I then play the track.

I also discuss Apple’s new Podcasts app, which aims to simplify podcast discovery but is currently slow and buggy. I recommend subscribing to the show regardless of platform to stay updated, as my release schedule varies.

Finally, I announce a new project: the Revolution Fan Podcast, based on NBC’s upcoming series Revolution created by J.J. Abrams. Set 15 years after a global blackout, the show looks promising. I’m currently looking for co-hosts interested in discussing the series weekly.