Completed finally, I'm really proud of this tune.

In The End (Rough Mix 28)

Song I wrote in 2005 by slicing and dicing loops found in the Apple Soundtrack library and building them into a coherent song. Exported the song using an old G4 Mac computer and re-imported into Logic Pro X for final mixing.

Dreamland

Recorded in 1981 at Ocean Sound Studios in Vancouver. Written by Robert Alan and Lee Douglas. Musicians that I can remember are Eddie Patterson (synth guitar), Darryl Burgess (drums), Tracey Marks (synth bass) and myself, vocals. Engineering was done by Doug McCann and Tracey Marks. Doug McCann also produced.

Tell Me What She Said

Recorded in 1983 at Ocean Sound Studios in Vancouver. Written by Robert Alan and Lee Douglas (aka Alan Douglas). Musicians that I remember are Darryl Burgess on drums, Tracy Marks doing backing vocals and myself on acoustic guitar and vocals. The names of the bass player and lead guitar player have escaped me now. Engineering was handled by Tracey Marks and the producer was Doug McCann.

Another Place, Another Time

Put this song together in 2003 by taking instrument loops from libraries, slicing and dicing them up and then putting them back together to form some interesting patterns. While it's electronic in nature it's structured as an out-and-out rock song. It was the beginning of a journey that led to the creation of Security Blanket and Dreamland, and together I feel that these 3 tunes form the peak of my creativity in this genre.

Crystal Clear Decisions

Decided to try something completely different with this tune. The last few songs I had written (back in the early 00’s) were all loop based, so I decided I would start from that and then build out. Found some good sounding samples in the Logic Loop Library and managed to cobble together the rough outline of the song. Added a few drum loops to give it a beat and some movement. I then figured out what the chords were and started laying in a few guitar idea around them. It was adding the bass that really brought it all to life.

I could have left it at that, but decided I would really push myself and take my first stab at writing lyrics. It took a few weeks, with an idea of what I was looking for, but no idea where to begin. Then the first line of the chorus hit me, out of the blue. Words started coming from there. No idea of a melody, but figured I would adjust things as I tried to sing it. And it all worked out nicely. What made it all especially memorable was that my studio was in pieces, so singing was a challenge. One that the neighbours on the 16th floor of the apartment right across from mine took great joy in laughing at.

Mixing it all was another challenge. I’ve never been a big fan of my voice, so I was meticulous in going over every nuance and making sure it was just right. Or as right as I could get it. Since it was primarily an electronic song I decided to embrace the digital advantages we now enjoy, and used Flex Pitch. A lot. Once it was all sounding just the way I wanted I decided to throw in one last curve ball. The outro was just the chorus repeating, and I felt it could be better. I wanted to add a lead guitar, but I wanted it to be simple and memorable. I re-arranged the vocals to open a hole. Sat down with my guitar and just let it loop. And gradually the part came out.

I’m really happy with the result. It’s long but workable. It contains a very naughty word (sorry if that offends you). In all it’s 62 tracks with 18 busses and 2 auxiliary sends - 82 tracks in total. With lots of plugins and tons of automation. So my 2011 iMac still has the power to handle an awful lot, which is an incredible story in itself.

Life Goes On

First experiment with Live Loops in Logic Pro X 10.5.0 has turned out much better than I anticipated. Added some guitars just to spice it up, but the bulk is built around the Apple Loops provided in Logic.

Hope Shines Through

A retired software engineer getting back to his roots and doing what he was really destined to do.

Alan Douglas

Popular tracks