@sam-houston
So, I've officially caved. I believe I've gone as far as I can with the quality of my songs with what I've been working with for recording (outdated 32bit Windows XP computer and Audacity. I've gone to great lengths, in my opinion, to resolve recording issues and to improve quality. I now feel that I'm getting all I'm going to get with what I have. So, I officially caved, meaning I give up on attempting any further improvement with what I have. That being the case, I bought (at a pawn shop) a Tascam digital 8 track recorder with onboard effects, mix down capabilities, 40 gig internal hard drive, USB to computer hook up, CD burner, SD card slot, hi (1/4" plugs) and low impedance (2 XLR's with phantom power) inputs, faders-eq-punch in and out-effects send-gain-pan on all channels, multi-effects processor with guitar, bass, vocal and drum programs, stereo reverb processor with send/return controls for multichannel mixing, dedicated stereo master track for mixdown.
I have no idea how to use it and the owner's manual is 80 pages long. But I have it and will be attempting to record with it soon. We'll see how it goes. But hopefully this will resolve some of my quality issues....we'll see.
I uploaded a new song called "Waylon State Of Mind". Please give it a listen if you get a chance.
I just uploaded my version of Kris Kristofferson's song "Help Me Make It Through The Night". I've always loved this song and is one of my favorites. Please give it a listen if you get the chance.
I realize that Mix is geared more for other genres of music other than country. I don't understand it....but I realize it. So, since I seem to be the biggest advocate (I said "advocate" ) of country music on here, I have to ask. Why is it that the "Tag Cloud" box on the main screen has a bunch of genres in it but not country??
I just uploaded another cover. "House Of The Rising Sun".
Another Kentucky guy (Corey Holcomb from Glasgow, Kentucky) sent me his acoustic track of House Of The Rising Sun and I did all the rest. Check it out.
I uploaded a new song called "Aint' No Grave".
The song Ain’t No Grave is a gospel song that was originally done by a guy named Claude Ely back in 1934 but he re-recorded it in 1941 and it was a hit for him. Johnny Cash did a version of it and it was also a hit for him. I think it was on the second to last album he did before he died.
There’s a young country gospel singer named Colby Perry from Scottsville, Kentucky that has a really cool version of Ain’t No Grave that he did. He was an American Idol Season 12 qualifier and is trying again this year. He contacted me a couple of days ago and wanted to know if I would add harmonies to his version of Ain’t No Grave. He sent it to me and I sat down last night and added the harmonies you hear on it. Check it out.
I created a new album called "Cover Songs". I have also began uploading a couple of songs to it and also moved a song to it. Some recordings are ok, others aren't as ok. But, considering some the recordings are from 30 years ago....maybe they aren't so bad after all. My band back then was called Rebel Express, so if you see that name, that's what it is. But I'm also going to start recording some of my favorite covers and upload to this album. I haven't decided if it's just going to be acoustic or try to incorporate all the gadgets. But I'm thinking probably just acoustic.
Some of these cover songs are fairly close to the original. But most are MY interpretation of the song. So those are not intended to reflect the way the original artist recorded it. But I think that's how it should be. Everybody tries to emulate the original, but why? That "version" has already been done. Why duplicate it? Do something else. Be original. So that's what this album is.
I went ahead and uploaded "Butt Buzzin'". For those of you who failed, or refused, to come to Jim's show last night let me just say that YOU SUCK. And if you had been there you'd know what this song is about because Jim played it and I talked about it on air. But since you didn't....
I have MS (multiple schlerosis). It sucks but then so do a lot of things in life. We have a friend that also has MS. She recently developed this bizarre symptom where her butt would just vibrate or buzz. I admit it's a weird symptom but a symptom regardless. But if we can't laugh at ourselves then that makes us hypocrites. So, I wrote this stupid little song about her butt buzzing. And, it IS a stupid song. But take it in the spirit in which it was written, which is that we ALL have something and we ALL have issues. But we have to be able to laugh at ourselves and to do the best we can.