The Way Things Are

No, this not the new album cover! Just a quote I use very much these days... (update : almost finished with mixing, I really can't wait to let you in on a listening sesion, but I have to, over my dead like, ha ha!

Me Against....

2020

Selfreflected Dutchman

Hai Folks, have yourself a happy 2020! Time surely flies.
A little update about the music, I've got:
12 songs, one song needs some lyrics and then I'll mix them until I'm satisfied. I'm really surprised by the quality of the songs and arrangements, can't wait to let you inside my.....!
At the same time I've been busy choosing the right pictures for the covers. All designed and ready! I guess I couldn't help myself, but there are 3 videos in the can. All lyric based videos with a lot of colourful effects to stir the juices.
So, hum, I'm excited.

Mirror, mirror

In the Zone with Ozone

As I reach the finishing line with mixing and mastering my new tunes, I want to share the new Ozone series. Great insight in what sound really does and what you can do with it. So I have to get into this zone, I'm still learning you know. I'm using a lot of Ozone plugins these days, so great to find all of these tuturials on youtube.

Izotope Ozone mixing and mastering series

The shape I'm in...

The energy flow

The title refers to a lyric of one of my new songs: how to express oneself freely these days with all the social media that crawls around ya. The daily routine. Questions. Does it make me feel good or bad? I don't follow easy, you know, don't conform to the hype of the day. I kinda keep up with the news, without taking topics or VIPs even for one second serious. It's still fascinating to know what's the new hype though. I always think about  the words Frank Zappa used to say: "there's a song in this", after watching another stupid, motherf..king asshole making a fool of him/herself on TV. There you have it! Enough topics to write about without pointing the dirty finger directly. Swearing is easy, writing with wit and selfreflecting spirit will get you much further in the end, I dare say. Imagination. I'm not a storyteller though, like a, say Ray Davies. I too observe almost obsessively, but the words that I write on paper are mostly fragmentic stuff. Ironic one-liners. I just need to touch some keys or strings to get the energy flow going. What's the shape I am in? There's a sudden burst of absurd energy that makes me wanna run through the jungle strip-naked, do a John Bonham drumsolo on piano and get away with it. Or scream without making a sound. Or keep silent with an all well-known nod on my face. People gotta move. That's my kind of music man. I want to join the circus...in my mind. Shape it up!

Q & A 2018

Hello ladies and germs, I've got to get organised now. I'm still working my sorry ass off on those tunes, but hey....they sure give some grooves back to me! So many things to do, but I'm positive. As there's progress, here's what you can expect in the next few days, weeks, months (...?)

Before: Lazy Dutchman

Here's a little Q & A for ya: 

Q: Are you "The Vanished Dutchman"?
A: I'm here, ain't I? I'm more human now. The Vanished Human. Rather that than a chauvinistic nationalist.

Q: Do you like music?
A: No


Q: What are you doing then? 
A: Playing fiddle with a hammer

Q: What's on your mind these days?
A: Trying to be serious

Q: A new album, can we expect something different from the previous albums?
A: I dunno. I guess they all call it music.


Q: Well, what about a promo video?
A: Hey, I'm working on it! It's funky! But first I've got to finish the master of the chosen song, ok?

Q: Will it be you on the frontcover?
A: Well, it's a lucky shot that I've used. Yes, there's me and I've finished the covers already. But I've got to be really sure about the length and the sequence of the songs.

Q: What about a title?
A: Yes, I've got that figured out too. Won't tell you though. It's too shocking...I'll tell you all about it in the near future. It's a very simple one.

Q: Release date? Spring again?
A: Heeey, that's classified information! Gimme a break! Ok, well maybe...May 2018? If everything will go as planned, it will be around april that I'll sent it to AMAdea for distribution worldwide and that usually takes 3 to 4 weeks, so...

Q: The story about the songs?
A: Maaaan, I've got to work on those too! After the release I'll tell all my secrets. The whole world has got to listen first of course. Can you arrange that?

Yes it will happen folks. 

After: Lazy Dutchman

Focused monk

Hai there folks!
Today, as usual, I'm gonna work on my latest stuff again. Listening attentively like a lonely, but dedicated and focused monk minus the bald crown of course. Keep it cool, will ya?
I'd like to share some of that stuff which has helped me through years of struggling in my homestudio. For those who are looking desperately for those educational video's about mixing and mastering and of course there's absolutely much more. Give me those links and I'll add them.
Mostly presented by the professional audio nut and mostly done in Pro Tools with the basic stock plugins to enhance your audio a "little" to make it more "audible".

Vanished Monk

Pro Tools mixing/ mastering video playlist

Mastering it yourself

Mixed Up

So...I'm in the middle of these final mixes. Thoughts are racing all the time: "don't mess with a good thing!" The choices I've made are more or less definite. I mean, the intensity and the emotions (FEEL) of the "first take" makes it mostly the best one to go for. Both the organic energy and the freshness of a new song motivates that. Sure there are the unavoidable overdubs and edits to be done later (only in case if there are disruptive mistakes, all in the name of smoothing it all out).
I've got a lot of ideas while arranging and recording a song. Those filling intervals, melodies come from the piano mostly. Some even counterpoint perfectly with eachother. And sometimes you have to choose, wipe away what's getting in the way.
Every song has got its own personal handling of course. After a few weeks of self-imposed distance I've listened again with "new" ears. Aha. Yes, that distance helps to be more objective about the sound, especially if you work alone (!). Watched a few youtube tutorials of generous sound engineers again to learn more about their professional mixing methods. Let's get it on.

My method? The "meth" method.

 Ok, I need some more distance perhaps haha....CU!