It's been a long time since I made one of these.  Enjoy!  12 layers (SATB), recorded through a Røde NT2 and a MOTU Traveler MK3—on a Mac, of course.

If Ye Love Me (Tallis)

An a capella multitrack / overdub with 24 voices.  No artificial sweeteners or auto-tuning.

SATB: Os Justi (Anton Bruckner)

This is a work-in-progress recording of Swedish composer Thomas Jennefelt's "Musik till en stor kyrka: att vila till" ("Music for a big church: for tranquiility"), up to measure 44.

Jennefelt composed 'Musik' in 1990 for SSAATTBBB; it has a final performance length of approximately 8 minutes. I performed this with the LA Master Chorale in 2011 for the opening night concert.

I am recording this multitrack project in Logic Pro 9.  There are 27 voice layers all recorded by myself through an AKG Perfection 110 microphone.  Except for the voluptuous reverb intended to simulate the ambiance of a church, what you hear is 100% natural, with no auto-tuning.

SATB: Music for a big church, for tranquility (Thomas Jennefelt) (work in progress)

This is a work in progress multitrack of "Midnight Clear" by Matthew D. Nielsen with 36 voices.  I recorded this at home, layer by layer, with ZERO auto-tuning.  You are hearing the raw voices with only reverb and mild compression in the output stage.

SATB: Midnight Clear (Matt Nielsen) (work in progress)

A multitrack of Eric Whitacre's "Sleep" with lyrics by Charles Anthony Silvestri.  Recorded with 40 voices.

SATB: Sleep (Eric Whitacre)

A 24-track SATB multitrack recording of "Lost" by Jeremy Howard Beck, a new composition with text from Carl Sandburg's poem of the same name.

SATB: Lost (Jeremy Howard Beck)

A 24-track SATB a capella recording of "Quietude" by Manhattan Transfer.  I don't have the whole band at my disposal.

SATB: Quietude (Manhattan Transfer)

My tribute to The EDLOS, one of the best male jazz quartets that California ever knew.

Quartet: EDLOS - The Story

A 16-track recording (plus solo) of Billy Joel's "The Longest Time," all voices and snapping by me.

The Longest Time (Billy Joel) (work in progress)

A 24-track recording of the first 17 bars of "Crucifixus a 8 voci" by Antonio Lotti.  Recorded this in about 45 minutes as a test.  Only after finishing did I realize that I had recorded it at nearly twice the recommended speed!

Legend has it that Lotti composed this piece as a way to settle a bet with a friend to see how many suspensions they could create in a piece, and still make it sound beautiful.  If this is true, and if the piece is to be judged by time and popularity, then Lotti clearly walked out of the gentleman's parlor a wealthier man.

Brad T. Chapman

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