Their Master's Sound

Some things take time. A lot of time. This is one of those things. Blokade again visited the studio in october 2008, to record a plugged version of their song Wil je weten wie ik ben? We recorded an unplugged version of this song two months earlier. This time me and Rogier Mook plugged every piece of gear we could find in the mixing desk. The hell with unplugged; rock and roll!

Blokade live in de melkweg

Vele uren zijn er gestoken in het mixen van het nummer, maar het was steeds niet zoals het moest zijn. Uiteindelijk zijn alle probeersels via de prullenbak naar de eeuwige jachtvelden verdwenen om opnieuw en met een frisse blik aan de mix te beginnen. Met resultaat. Of zoals de band schrijft: “Top! Dit klinkt echt super. Alles duidelijk onscheidbaar [sic], Blokade sound erin, heerlijk.”

After many, many hours of mixing, I still wasn’t happy with the results. Finally it was decided to throw everything away and start all over again using only the original recording. That worked. Blokade wrote: “Great! This sounds superb. Clearly distinction, Blokade’s sound, lovely.”

Wil je weten wie ik ben? (translation: Do you wanna know who I am?) is driven by the hihat and floortom. During the break the floortom and the bass are working as one. Great guitars and a rough voice make Blokade complete. It still is a song about doubts, playing a waiting game, disappointments in people, and the struggle between your own safe space and a relationship.

The hell with unplugged. Rock & roll!

Het zou zomaar kunnen dat je Blokade dit jaar op een festival bij je in de buurt treft. In 2008 schopten ze het tot in de finale van Emergenza; de jury van BeachBattle omschreef de overwegend Rotterdamse rockers als “een band die op geen enkel festival zou misstaan” en in april 2009 gaan ze weer de studio in. Tot het zover is moeten jullie het even doen met de nummers op hun website. Deze nieuwe versie van Wil je weten wie ik ben? kun je hier ook beluisteren door op de mp3-box hieronder te klikken. Reacties, positief of negatief, worden zeer op prijs gesteld.

You might run across Blokade on a festival this year. In 2008 they made it to the final of Emergenza; the jury of BeachBattle described them as “a band that would fit any festival” and once again they will enter the studio in april 2009. Until that time you can enjoy yourself with the songs on their website. This new version of Wil je weten wie ik ben? can also be found on this website. Just click the mp3box below. Comments (positive or negative) are more then welcome!

Blokade – Wil je weten wie ik ben?

Blokade

Time for the next project. A few months ago I got in contact with Blokade. Five friends who rather rock then be subtle. No sweet lovesongs in 4/4 (or even worse: 3/4) time signature, but hard and rough and lyrics with a painly undertone.

When I suggest to them, after visiting a live concert, to record a song acousticly they first look dismayed. Acousticly? Subtle? Unplugged? It takes a while before I see that enthousiasm that I am looking for in a band.

Unplugged it is. We book the SSL studio in Rotterdam on august 20th. Unfortunatly Lorq, the drummer, and his cajón can’t make it. But when the only member of the band that can keep a beat can’t make it, these guys go nuts. The clicktrack is kindly being told to shut up after two bars, and off they go.

When take 8 has been recorded, most of us are satisfied. Pause. Time for nicotine and cafeine. And time for that beer that had to go earlier that evening, while entering the school building.

Blokade in Concert

Pause. Only Horvat (vocals) and Rubinho (guitar) wait a while and are jamming along. Fortunately that is also being recorded because Horvat now sings more relaxed and a bit lower. A bit to low for his voice, but still more appropiate for an unplugged version.

In the days that follow, I start mixing the recording, and the vocals are really giving me a hard time. I want to take the vocals of take 9 and merge them with the instruments of take 8, but without a clicktrack and thus with a very variable tempo, it’s very hard to do so. I try several digital programs and methods, but each time I find myself throwing away the result. Finally, I succeed in Logic to match the tempo in a way you don’t clearly hear that the voice is digitally manipulated.

An appointment to return to the studio is being made that same evening. We will then record a plugged version, and whether they like it or not, use a clicktrack For now Blokade can add a unplugged demo to their list, and you can click below for the result!

Wil je weten wie ik ben? is a song about doubts, playing a waiting game, disappointments in people, and the struggle between your own safe space and a relationship. That’s were the resemblance with a certain person ends. That is also were the lyrics ends by the way…

Blokade – Wil je weten wie ik ben? (unplugged, versie 2a)

In search for bands and artists in order to record something together in the studio (fun and educational for them as well as for me) I received an email on august 7th from Dennis van Eckeveld. He and his friend, Bettina Witteveen write songs together, and after a little conversation by email I receive a rough homerecording of a song. Definitely worth it to make a professional recording of.

Bettina @ SAE studio

Together they wrote a few more songs, and on august 19th we meet in SAE’s SSL studio in Rotterdam to record the song Caught. After three hours we recorded enough for me to mix in Logic.

I finished mixing ten days later, with a very nice result! 2 little errors in Dennis’ guitarplay, the perhaps a bit unsteady singing of Bettina in the beginning (no need to Bettina: you have a beautiful voice!) and a de-esser that I might have adjusted a bit better, but it’s hardly worth mentioning it.

Minor detail: the light in the vocalbooth was broken, and a spare lightbulb was nowhere to be found. Bettina did her job in shimmer, barely able to read the lyrics

:cool:

Afterall, it was a nice evening with two nice persons that are to modest of their music. I hope we’ll meet again in a studio!

The mix contains 4 tracks of 2 guitartakes (a AKG-414 and a Sennheiser MD421), and 5 tracks of 3 vocaltakes (AKG-414), combined with a few effects. You can listen to it by clicking on the mp3 box below.

BenD – Caught