Where Is The Wandering Album?
From Barbelith
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What is this?
It's an album, initiated by lekvar, with tracks for various songs contributed by members of the Barbelith Underground. It gets sent around from place to place so people in various remote locations can all add a little something to the song.
By sort of mob rule, the "band" is currently calling itself The Red Hot Lonely Loners and the album is calling itself Pure Bloodthirsty Booty
The first track is called "Libertine."
How does that work?
Nuts and bolts
- Export a WAV, AIFF, or MP3 out of Audacity (http://audacity.sourceforge.net/), an open source, cross-platform, free audio recording software package.
- Import the file into the program you're comfortable with
- Get down with your bad self
- Export your track(s) from the program you've chosen as WAV, AIFF, or MP3
- Import the file(s) into Audacity and fiddle it into place
- Use the "Save As..." option (this will render the imported file into Audacity-native audio track information rather than referencing an external file. This seems make for smaller file sizes and allows for exportability to other computers)
- Burn to CD and send to the next participant.
Why Audacity?
The way I see it, using something that is free and cross-platform is the easiest way for us to all work together. You may like Cakewalk. I like Logic (though I don't have a copy). Someone else may want to use GarageBand, etc etc etc. To top it all off, not all programs accept wav files (yeah, 98% do, but I'm trying to be inclusive). If you want to use your weapon of choice you could mix down a wav it import into your mulitrack, do your thang, then import your track to the Audacity mix.
Can I, can't I?
The following are suggestions about the possibilities and limitations of the Wandering Album, and what participants should and shouldn't be allowed to do. None of these are final rules, but they should be taken into consideration.
- Maybe cap contributions to twelve tracks per tune? Then the final is sent around again so the contributors can mix the resulting track to their liking.
- Contributors are allowed to add a track, rather than overwhelmingly restructuring the whole recording.
Otherwise, what's to stop someone from saving the whole piece as a *.bmp or *.txt file, and then reconverting the output into sound (see the tigerbeat6 Wrong Application (http://www.tigerbeat6.com/index.php?id=3_70) comp)?
- You can edit prior people's tracks -- only in the final mix stage.
I envision that once a tune reaches a certain number of tracks everybody who contributed will receive a copy so they can mix down a version for themselves.
First, I think comparing mixes at the end of this that could be as much fun as recording. That's where you'd be cutting and pasting.
Second, I think that each contributor's original track(s) should make it to the end in a clean state. I know I would be upset if my tracks were diced too early. That being said, I think that all's fair in love and the final mix.
- Until then, you can mute prior tracks without deleting them.
When you want to edit someone else's track, you can simply make a copy to edit, and mute the original... if someone objects to to your edit, they can choose to use the original version in their own final mixdown.
Can I get in on this action?
Yeah, probably. Check the thread here (http://www.barbelith.com/topic/19356/from/35#post415113) and toss your name in the hat.
Thus far, the contributors, in order of turn, are:
- lekvar (http://www.barbelith.com/profile/3657) (bass, electric & acoustic banjos)
- grant (http://www.barbelith.com/profile/213) (accordion, lyrics/rough vox)
- TeN (http://www.barbelith.com/profile/4548) (drum machine)
- Phex (http://www.barbelith.com/profile/1486)
- at the scarwash (http://www.barbelith.com/profile/1183)
- telyn (http://www.barbelith.com/profile/1238)
- Paleface (http://barbelith.com/profile/45)
- Withiel (http://barbelith.com/profile/5109)
Where is it now?
As of April 13, 2005, the first song has been started by lekvar, added to by grant, added to again by TeN, and is now on it's merry little way to Phex.
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