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Home > MonaLisa News > 1st Studio-CD-Production - as of 01/2008 - Update 02/2009
 

Our first Studio-CD-Production

On the page 1st Live-CD-Production you learned how our first live CD has been produced. As next project we want to record a real studio CD, but this time before we play a concert. The reason: While recording the live CD we have learned so much that would have helped us very much for the concert. Therefore we will do it the other way round now. Your advantage is that you can buy your personal copy right at our next concert, if you want ;).

Why we want to make a Studio-CD this time?

Some people prefer listening to live recordings because they want to experience the audience's reactions and the live-feeling which a studio recording is lacking. But it has other advantages. At least you don't have to be nervous in the studio as no one except the audio engineer and the other musicians can hear you. We both also don't have such a time pressure as we luckily don't have to pay for studio time. We can re-play things as often as we or our Dad wants to. If we make mistakes or aren't in time we just do it once again. But most of the time we are working on the musical expression to fully transport the feeling of a song.

Now you might want to say, OK, that means that someone does not need to play very well. With music software you can work out everything so that it sounds good. Well, you have a point, and we are sure that some musicians wouldn't come off that well at a live show than in the studio. (Then they would have to sing playback at live concerts J.)

As far as we are concerned, we also aren't so good that we can play everything correctly the first time. Of course false notes are slipping in and sometimes we start to "run" for excitement although the music should only become louder, not faster. Or we "fall asleep", because we want to play something extra emotively. Many of such things we don't recognice while playing until we listen to the recordings.
 

That's Daddy's workplace with mixing console and software.

So we don't use music software for cheating but for making such mistakes visible. By that we learn to play more exactly. Then we realize what we still have to practice. So, when you are listening to our CDs you definitely can be sure that we have played and sang everything by ourselves. What would be in it for us if we would deceive ourselves? We know that we are in the process of learning. And the next live concert would anyway reveal the swindle.

Some songs we actually play on a degree of difficulty which overtops the things we have learned till now by far and away. But we yet want to do them because it sounds cool. Of course, we have to take such phrases more often till they really come properly. In so doing we are learning very much in a short time. We then also ask our music teachers to show us what we need to know, even if it doesn't totally comply with the curriculum. Sometimes it is just a little trick which simplifies everything (e.g. a different guitar tab that lightens playing a certain chord progression).

But there's another reason why we want to make a studio CD: On stage we just were four people. And if our parents don't play with us we even are only two. We will have a big band later, but we just yet want to play arrangements for more instruments or vocal parts than we are able to play at one go. There are e.g. some songs which become very feelingly with violins or with a choir in the background. Or you just need more guitars for a fuller sound. But as we only have four hands we have to find other ways.

And so it happens that e.g. all choirs of a CD are sung by us. Dad composed different voices but we sang them ourselves. Just as well as we coud record more guitars or we could have bass and keyboard instead of chosing one of it. So we can be creative also with the arrangements without being limited by the number of musicians.

Many great musicians have more than one live version and different studio versions of a song, depending in which line-up and at which place they perform. It's just fun not to play everything the same way all the time. For example we are very proud of our Ain't no sunshine version. It was our own idea to create some bar atmosphere before we slowely come into the groove (rhythm) and in the melody of the song (where you first will recognize it as "Ain't no sunshine"). We integrated a saxophone-solo (our Daddy's composition) as well as a keyboard- and a drum-solo to finally end with the famous tune.
 

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So, that's what we are doing right now. The result, namely the final CD you will find on this website as soon as work is finished. We will provide you with audio samples, and if you like, you will be able to buy the CD right at this place. Meanwhile you could listen to our live CD. Of course, we would be very proud if our music would get a place in your shelves resp. hopefully will "roar" out of your loudspeakers/earphones J.

Cheerio!

MonaLisa
 

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