Months of Music

In February I wrote a post called 'Days of Music' (you can view it here) which was an insight into the recording process of making an album.


Now we're five months on, and a lot has advanced in that time. I'd thought I'd write another post, just to keep you all informed on the album's progress and give some insight on how its all done. Just to refresh - the album is called 'To Him Be The Glory', and has 12 congregational worship songs aimed as accessible and easy to pick up songs for churches.

Matters Sorted:
Since recording week, the album cover and booklet have been designed. A website that has all the resources for each of the songs has been made. Plans have been more firmly formed for a Church Tour next January/February where myself and a few more accompanying musicians will be hopping around the North Island in a van for three weeks, serving churches in whatever way we can and taking some of these songs out there for people to learn and be blessed by! Also just recently, someone to distribute of the CD to stores and ITunes has also been organised.

Mixing:
With the music itself - the songs have gone through a process called mixing. This is where some guy (in this case Tom Mepham, the album producer and designer) sits at a computer for long, long hours, going through each song - changing lots of levels in volume, sound, and feel for all the different instrument parts. After some time, the songs begin to sound much better - there's balance between the different instruments and the voice, and you can hear everything more clearly (so it's no longer just lots of 'noise'). At least as much time is spend mixing each song as recording it. Often more time actually. And tomorrow, yes tomorrow - the final mixes will be finished for these 12 congregational worship songs!

Mastering:
Then next week they will be sent for some mastering. This is the next step in a song's process. What happens here is that another guy (not Tom this time) will sit at a desk and work with the songs. He'll not so much be working with the songs individually, but with all of them together collectively. It'll be the final touch to help bring consistency and flow and balance between all the tracks.

Manufacturing:
Finally, at some point in the next month or two I'll send off the CD for some actual manufacturing. They'll be sent to a place who will replicate 500 copies of the album complete with booklet - ready to go out, and people in New Zealand to be blessed by it. I'll aim for releasing the album Mid-November this year.


So it's been very exciting and a really interesting and learning experience to see this project unfold. Prayer continues to be the foundation for every aspect, with a number of prayer supporters out there holding the project before the Lord and asking Him to use it for His purposes and receive the due glory from start to finish. And God has opened so many doors and answered prayers already! But above all it's just been a privilege, thrill, and joy to offer myself in surrender for God's service - and let Him do what He wants with these songs that He's given me the ability and passion to write.

Days of Music

This last week has been in one word – enjoyable. Though we’ve worked hard, for around or over 12 hours each day (went to bed around two this morning), you can’t exactly call what we’ve been up to “work”. 

The last week Tom and I have been recording an album of worship songs that’s been years in the planning and making. It’s exciting that’s it’s finally becoming a reality and happening. And already I’m excited about how the songs are sounding – in fact they’re already beyond my expectations.

So basically here’s how we did things.....

the Project:   an album of worship songs called ‘To Him Be The Glory’

the Location:   Creagh Cottage, on the front face of the Crown Terrace near Arrowtown, overlooking the beautiful mountainous landscape. Inspiration guaranteed. Breathtaking

the Vision:   to record and produce and make accessible songs of worship to our incredible God that declare His praise and nature – that are simple enough songs to be taken by churches, learned, taught, and used in congregational settings (so to help in this, the album will include chord sheets, lyrics, powerpoints, etc). This week was just the recording bit

the Gear:   masses of stuff. Two guys with musical creativity and adoration of God in their veins. Guitars of all types, speakers, laptops, keyboard, cables and leads, mixing gear, couches, mics, and so on. A studio space with great acoustics and even better surroundings to do it all. And a Bible. 

the Process:   (we had already laid down some scratch tracks – with the drums and piano, in December). This week it was recording in electric guitars, rythm and lead. Also acoustic guitar tracks, bass guitar, additional piano, synth and pads, a few backing vocals (utilising Jen and Amanda, the girls staying here this week), and of course those lead vocals! Some good hours mixing things as we go, and that was our long but extremely productive week’s work/play

the Additionals:   throw in a good photo shoot utilising the scenery all around, some fantastic meals cooked  by the girls including a brave but beautiful rabbit pie by lantern light at ten at night using bunnies I’d shot and skinned that morning, strong daily brews of freshly ground coffee to keep us charged through the day, a few doses of lying out in the sunshine and discussing life and the future and God and His goodness, some rugby passes, a BBQ on the patio in the sunshine, and late nights – and that’s a recording week for you

the Essentials:   good gear (which we had), a great producer/recorder/mixer (which we had, thanks Tom), good musicians and singers (which we hopefully had), some time reading and thinking about God’s Word, and lot’s of prayer 

And what’s ahead?

We continue up here in Central Otago this coming week, and will spend two to three days finishing the recording process off for the 12-track album. That includes some final guitars, lots of backing vocals to lift up the songs (including working out what most of them are!), and little details to fix.

All the production/mixing will take place later in the year – and the album will be released late this year or early next. Exciting. I just keep praying and praying that God would do what He wants with these songs, and really bring glory to Himself through them. 

Days of music 

It has been

(My heart is steadfast, O God! I will sing and make melody with all my being! - Psalm 108:1)

Closing In

Well presently I am immersed in study. But in only two weeks, exams, projects and lectures will be over for the year that is 2011. As other tertiary students know, once you get your head down and into the work, the weeks roll on by like golf balls down a dry green. I've shifted my base to the Hawkes Bay, but still home will always be home (I'll always have Otago blood in me and be a true southerner). And homewards is where I head in less than three weeks. I have enjoyed settling into life up here, finding it a very easy transition (well it's not like its a completely new culture!)

And I've come to see how lucky I am to be studying here at The Shepherds Bible College - excellent teachers, great opportunity to do ministry in a local church alongside the academic intake, fairly small so personal and friendly, and committed to remaining faithful to God and His Word in a world where His words of power and life are largely ignored or misinterpreted. I recommend and will continue to recommend Shepherds highly. And not just those headed towards a lifetime of ministry, but all Christians, no matter what their maturity or experience. Just taking a year out will deepen your love for Christ and the Scriptures hugely - I've seen that this year first hand with people who've decided to take some classes to just help them grow in their Christian walk. Check it out at http://www.tsbc.org.nz/. For me, the Scriptures have come alive this year more than ever before!

So page one of my Hawkes Bay chapter is almost complete. In December, January, and February, alongside some work, I'll be aiming to record a full length worship album project - called 'To Him Be the Glory'. Stay tuned on that one, more details and perhaps a sample or two are to come. But to share the vision of the project with you at least:

 ..... to produce and offer songs of worship for the wider body of
Christ in New Zealand, that have God-centered/glorifying, and
Scripturally-based lyrics, are quality songs, and yet are accessible
enough for all variety of different local churches to learn, teach,
and use in a congregational setting.

Looking forward to working on it over the summer with Tommo! But let's not get too far ahead. I had better flick down my laptop lid and delve back into the Greek vocab for the time being.....