This is the first part of the story arc that involves Frame, Village of Ruin and A Garden, Grey. 

I've come to accept that my voice is simply not strong enough to support such thick-bodied songs. If you want to take a crack at it, send me a message.


Things used in this recording: 
• POD HD
• POD X3 (for bass and acoustic)
• FMR RNP / RNC
• MAudio Firestudio Mobile
• RODE NT1-A
• Yamaha DTExpress IV
• Addictive Drums
• Yamaha BB415
• Yamaha APX500
• Ibanez RG7321

paperbed - Frame (2013) (Instrumental)

This is the second part of the story arc that involves Frame, Village of Ruin and A Garden, Grey. 

I've come to accept that my voice is simply not strong enough to support such thick-bodied songs. If you want to take a crack at it, send me a message.

Things used in this recording: 
• POD HD
• POD X3 (for bass and acoustic)
• FMR RNP / RNC
• MAudio Firestudio Mobile
• RODE NT1-A
• Yamaha DTExpress IV
• Addictive Drums
• Yamaha BB415
• Yamaha APX500
• Ibanez RG7321

paperbed - Village of Ruin (2013) (Instrumental)

Now more than ever, I feel like I have to keep reminding myself to continue treading water; not to stop. Existence is just a never-ending battle between what we want, and what we can have. 

I've come to accept that my voice is simply not strong enough to support such thick-bodied songs. If you want to take a crack at it, send me a message.

paperbed - The Freezing Tide (Instrumental)

paperbed - DEMON'S STRATION I

PAZ LENCHANTIN FANS: Get your pitchforks, overalls and flaming rags on the end of sticks ready cause by the end of this video you'll likely be ready for a lynching. 

A decade ago, I first heard songs from Paz Lenchantin's solo album, "Yellow mY skYcaptain". To date it's one of the most unique albums I've ever heard. Such innovative uses of tones, effects and whatever was going on in "Lil' Tree" with the slowly detuning bass. 

One song definitely stood out for me: "She Can Soup" had a dream-like, sad magic to it combined with a catchy yet simple hook that I found myself humming for the next ten years. The result was this cover.

Unfortunately, I feel like I threw innovation and "feeling" into the crapper with my cover, but I had fun doing it nonetheless.

This was the first time I built a vocal booth out of old, dusty blankets that had me sneezing up a hurricane. Might be placebo, but I feel like the vocals were easier to cram into the mix this time around.

Things used in this recording: 
• POD HD 
• POD X3 (for bass and acoustic)
• FMR RNP / RNC
• MAudio Firestudio Mobile
• AT4040
• Yamaha DTExpress IV
• Addictive Drums
• Yamaha BB415
• Ibanez RG7321
• Yamaha APX500

paperbed - She Can Soup (Paz Lenchantin)

0:00 - AXIS7 - TREADPLATE 
0:46 - HZ7 - TREADPLATE
1:33 - AXIS7 - F-BALL
2:20 - HZ7 - F-BALL
3:06 - AXIS7 - UBER
3:53 - HZ7 - UBER

For those of you who don't know what an HZ7 is, HZ is EMG's passive pickup line.

I bought (ordered should be the word... These things are uncommon, apparently) an EMG HZ7 pickup way back in the day. I used it for "Perpetual Nimbus Sky", then swapped it out for my stock AXIS7 because I heard someone get some sick tones out of the AXIS7. However, now that I'm a bit more comfortable around the POD HD, I thought I'd reinstall the HZ7 and give it a shot. This was the end result.

In the end, you'll notice that there's barely ANY difference between the two, except the HZ7 is a tiny bit brighter and sharper. For those wondering, YES - they're the exact same POD HD settings, and YES - it's the same set of strings... Took a hell of a lot of luthier-acrobatics but I managed to swap pickups with the strings still on.

Things used in this recording: 
• POD HD
• POD X3 (for bass and acoustic)
• MAudio Firestudio Mobile
• Yamaha DTExpress IV
• Addictive Drums
• Yamaha BB415
• Ibanez RG7321

paperbed [tests] - Demon's Stration III AXIS7 vs EMG-HZ7 192

In "Frame", we witnessed a person obsess over the object of their misplaced affection; in "Village of Ruin", the reality set in, and we watched their world disintegrate like cardboard boxes in the rain. 

In "A Garden, Grey", the world has now become nothing but a grey, barren landscape where paper-pulp flutters down from the sky like snow. A dense, stratus layer is suspended for eternity, never granting even a sliver of sunlight to the desperate ground below. This is where we find our protagonist. They spend their lonely days sweeping the grey pulp around, making sure that the landscape remains as monochromatic as they feel. 

"To feel nothing is better than to feel even a flicker of pain." 

But nature cannot be stopped. A sprout manages to break through the ground and grows so rapidly it tears a hole in the dark sky; sunlight pours in like liquid fire, searing darkness and retinas. Our poor protagonist cannot let this continue. They attempt to put and end to this sudden burst of life in their world and succeeds temporarily. That is, until a tiny, winged interloper arrives and single-handedly sets the world ablaze with life.

==========

Image from picturesocial.com

This recording took slightly longer than usual due the insanely DENSE mix. People... This is one of the reasons why I hate synths / programming. All the punching in of numbers and selecting samples... It's a nightmare !

"Frame", "Village of Ruin", and now "A Garden, Grey" make up parts 1-3 of a (currently) 8-part series of songs that examine the hopelessly-human idea of "true love". 

Things used in this recording: 
• POD HD
• POD X3 (for bass and acoustic)
• FMR RNP / RNC
• MAudio Firestudio Mobile
• AT4040
• Yamaha DTExpress IV
• Addictive Drums
• Yamaha BB415
• Ibanez RG7321

paperbed - A Garden, Grey

sparrow (pt. 1)

Here it finally is. I'm going to make damn sure I never spend this much time on a song ever again.

The story behind this song is of a world where the Rapture actually occurs, except in this place, Heaven doesn't care if you've been good, it only cares if 

you're beautiful. The story is told from the point of view of someone who has been left behind and can't come to grips with that fact. He sees all of the 

disgusting filth surrounding him and realizes that he is a part of it. He does whatever he can to trick his way into Heaven, but to no avail. Finally out 

of desperation, he begins to tear apart his face and body in an attempt to become something beautiful...

==========

Image from deviantart user "Questa_Durron" 

This is the first time I've used the RODE NT1-A since my disastrous demo, but I'm glad to say I'm enjoying it more than the AT4040. The AT4040 wasn't BAD, 

it was just unusually sharp and dry-sounding.

This was also the first time I tested out my new "melodic-growl" singing style, seeing as how the first set of tracks I did for this (with my pre-pubescent 

voice) sounded absolutely awful. Not to say that this is significantly better, but at least it matches the overall tone of the song. One unexpected but 

very welcome consequence of singing like this for hours: my speaking voice has gotten deeper and doesn't break up. Time for some shockingly depraved 

phone-sex.

To continue the tradition of "firsts", I also used a dual-input recording technique for the acoustic guitar: RODE NT1-A + the pickups on the electric-

acoustic. I'm liking the result.

Things used in this recording: 
• POD HD
• POD X3 (for bass and acoustic)
• FMR RNP / RNC
• MAudio Firestudio Mobile
• RODE NT1-A
• Yamaha DTExpress IV
• Addictive Drums
• Yamaha BB415
• Yamaha APX500
• Ibanez RG7321

paperbed - Mutimorphosis

Every version of "The Kids Aren't Alright (Island Version)" I found on YouTube seemed to have the same comments -- slow, boring.

I can't say I've done anything to the tempo of the song, but I've added a few layers here and there to spice it up. (Spoiler: I've over-saturated the mix to the point where the original is barely audible.)

paperbed

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