The Jambros

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Night Will Fall

Experiments in Delay (post by Mike)

Experimenting in delay seems like a perfect description of our music process. We seem to be easily sidetracked with new ideas and put the songs we are wanting to develop on simmer. This song is an example of our sidetrack ways. It is a 2 part experiment using the delay effect. This song was developed utilizing the delay effect on our Fostex MR-8 digital recorder, but due to the way I am editing and mixing songs a second experiment was born. When I transfer the tracks to my computer the effects created by our recorder are not transferred. This is my chosen method of transfer because I feel more in control of the song. Being a novice at editing and mixing, I decided to challenge myself in recreating the same delay effect using the program Audacity. It took some time to adjust the delay effect to the hundredth of a second, but I am pleased with the results. This song also offers a glimpse into our creation process. The song in general is just a sketch. The title comes from the first phrase of the sketch lyrics sung by John. Due to the fact that this is just a sketch, the lyrics were recorded on the same track as another instrument and really only serve as a lyrical pattern for further development if we choose to take it to the next level. In general, this is the basic system used to create all of our songs. We would have been happy with this being our final product 10 years ago, but technology allows us to take our music to a new level. After the sketch recording is complete, I transfer it to the computer and basically play with it to see what new direction we can take it in. This is the current state that Night will Fall is presented to you. Besides the delay effect, I edited the beginning using a fade in effect, reversed a track to create an effect during the “bridge” of the song, and edited the ending of the song. Instrumentation on this song is as follows: 2 guitar parts both played by John, and Mike played the bass and Wurlitzer. This song was recorded in late summer of 2008, and if you listen closely, you can hear our devoted fans, the crickets, that invaded the studio for a few weeks.

Enjoy!
(post by Mike K.)