As good as you remember?

Nostalgia. Ah, the good old days of... We were talking to a friend of ours recently about whether many famous things are well remembered because of nostalgia or because they're really that good? Specifically, we were discussing synthesizers like the Roland SH-101. There are synths like the SH-101 that are highly prized but don't seem to really be that great of an instrument. Sure, they have their good points but don't really live up to the hype. The gist of our conversation was about whether these well remembered pieces are really that great or do they just have a great(nostalgic) reputation. It's sort of like when an artist that you've been following for years comes out with something new and you say, "It's good, but not as good as their early stuff". Is the "early stuff" really better or do you just have nostalgia for it? It's really relevant nowadays with all these things from our childhood coming back.

As far as music gear goes, it's interesting to see people paying really inflated prices for certain famous pieces when there are often 'better'(cheaper) alternatives that just don't have the same name recognition. It's something to think about as things like The A-Team and GI-Joe continue to make comebacks. What do you think- are we living in the past too much or were things really that much better in '82?

A Unique Artist On A Fantastic Voyage!

Since many of you who are reading this are fans of electronic music, synthesizers, etc. we thought we'd talk about an artist who is doing some really cool things with a Moog Voyager. Roger O'Donnell has released a number of interesting recordings the past few years, many of them focusing on Moog synthesizers. In fact, two of his albums, "The Truth In Me" and "Songs From The Silver Box", were done entirely on the Voyager. Both are really interesting and highly recommended. "The Truth In Me" album was very inspirational for us as we initially planned our all-analog concept. His latest album, "Piano Formations", is equally well done focusing on "all-piano" pieces.

It's great to see an artist doing such great material, whether or not it's getting played on the radio or whatever. It's very encouraging to independent artist like us. We hope you'll check out his website or hit up iTunes for one of his albums!

Macbeth M5 Filter Demo

Please excuse the poor video quality- the audio sounds great, though!

Here a demo video of the different filter sounds available on the Macbeth M5. There's a wide range of sounds available between the Lowpass and Multi-mode filters.

The Original Little Fatty Strikes Back!

Less Is More?

Over the last few years, we've been trying to streamline our music more and more. We felt that the density and complexity of some of our early material clouded the good songs underneath. It seems like something that artists in all fields have to struggle with in todays computer age. The limitless options available in the digital realm means that anything is possible. Sounds good, so what's the problem? It always seems like limitations(either real or self-imposed) actually make you more creative and inventive. For example, just because Photoshop allows modern artists to do nearly anything doesn't mean that things like poster art, logos, advertising materials, etc. have actually gotten better. In fact, look back at classic poster art, vintage ads, etc. and see if todays art really is better just because 'anything' is possible or if, maybe, limitations helped produce more interesting work before(we thing so!).

We could go on for hours about all this but the point is, we're continually searching to find the right balance between using todays technology to our advantage without stifling our creativity. Like we said at the top of this, we're trying to focus on the pure elements of our songs and not muddy them up with unnecessary production. Hopefully, we've achieved that to some degree and we hope to even more in the future.

Let us know what you think about this idea and how it pertains to your own art, projects, etc. We'd love to hear how you deal with this 'issue'.(if you think it is one!)

Macbeth M5 Analog Synthesizer OSC Intro

This is a short video introducing the basic features of the M5's oscillator 'modules'.

For Better or Worse?

As we've spent the last few years trying to get our music out there, we've heard over and over again about how much better it is now for independent artists to get heard. Obviously, pre-internet there was no way you could reach such a worldwide audience without the help of a record label or promoter. You can post your music just about anywhere and people from all over can potentially discover you. That is an incredibly powerful tool that enables artists who would never have been heard to get their music to people in countries halfway around the world.

However, on the flip side, the internet is completely saturated with independent artists(us included!) and the chances of people finding you through all that, is not that great. Also, it's SO much easier(and cheaper!) to make music from home. Personally, we think it's great that the tools of music creation are available to so many. However, it's hard to distinguish yourself as a legitimate band vs. just a bedroom hobbyist. In a perfect world there would be a way for people looking for new bands to separate them out and find them AND a place for hobbyists to post their music. We're not saying going back to the record label era but, maybe, some kind of filtering that helps bands, and their potential fans, locate serious new artists. Obviously, a lot of it comes down to hard work and perseverance, which hasn't changed. It's just that we know a few hardworking artists who, like ourselves, have found the internet both a powerful tool and a completely flooded market.

Tell us what you think- has the internet music 'revolution' been a good thing or is there still a ways to go?

The man behind the Moog

As we, the members of Killing Thursby, are fans of Moog instruments, we thought we'd make mention of the recent anniversary of the passing of Bob Moog himself. He was truly one of the great innovators of the 20th Century. Chris and Kevin(aka SKAGGS) were fortunate enough to meet Bob not long before his passing. Not only was he a legendary electronic instrument inventor, but also an extremely nice and approachable guy. The legend lives on in the incredible instruments his company continues to produce. Check out a small article on the passing of Bob Moog here.

For all you iPhone users, there's a really cool Moog app you should check out here. Moog lives on into the 21st Century!

Chris talking to Bob Moog at NAMM 2005

Scott in the studio working on a sound

Originally uploaded by Killing Thursby

Here's a fun "in the studio" photo of Scott using the Moog Voyager to come up with a sound for KTs "Little Kingdom EP". The Voyager is one of the centerpieces of our studio and something we'll be talking about a lot in the future. For now, just enjoy the photo!

Scott laying down some vocals

Originally uploaded by Killing Thursby

Here's an action shot of Scott tracking some vocals for our "Little Kingdom EP" (the SE Reflection filter Scott's singing into makes a great portable vocal booth!).

A Remix Approaches!

Alert! We've got a really cool remix of Hole In The World in the works produced by SKAGGS(aka our old friend Kevin Skaggs!). It's really a whole new sound for HITW. We can't wait for you to hear it. Also, we're going to be doing a HITW Remix contest! More details to follow. For now, check out a short clip of the in-progress remix by SKAGGS:

Standing Out In A Crowd...

Although the internet is an incredibly powerful tool in getting your music or art out to a large audience, it's also so clogged with people doing just that that it's hard to stand out from the crowd. A lot of people have had success by being really funny or clever, but it's much harder when your 'art' is more serious. Now, we have a lot of energy and fun in our music but it's not really 'funny' like making jokes about celebrities or politicians with heavy doses of auto-tune. We've got to hope that if we continue putting ourselves 100% into our music, writing the best songs we can, we'll be able to stand out from the crowd a bit and find an audience who's looking for something a little more than just todays funniest video/photo/comic/etc. We feel like there's room out there for more than just gimmicks. What do you think? Let us know! (Leave comments below)

Why go all analog?

We've been asked enough times, "why go all analog?", that we figured we'd answer it here, on our blog. The short answer is, "because it sounds better", but there's more to it than that. To be honest, using virtual instruments on the computer is 'easier' and more cost effective but lacks something for us. The analog instruments and FX have a sound that's more 'alive' to us and much more inspiring to play. We feel that we play 'real' instruments, like any band- they just happen to be electronic. Like any traditional instrument, electronic instruments are capable of a wide range of sounds and emotions. Hopefully, through our blog posts and videos, it will become clear why we went 'analog'.

Doepfer MAQ 16/3 Intro

Deconstructing "Hole In The World" Pt.2

After the demos in Part 1, the long process of re-recording all the final parts started. Although the previous demo sounds similar to the final song, there was still a lot more to do to get it from there to the finished track. We create the final sounds using our analog synthesizers and drum samples from vintage drum machines. Also, a number of the drum sounds were created with our synthesizers. The main lead lines were created on the Macbeth M5 and the bass instrument came from the Moog Voyager. The pad sounds came from a DSI Tetra. Take a listen to how the song sounded with the final parts recorded:

"Hole In The World" Demo 3

After this demo was made, we moved onto recording the final vocals. We spent most of a week together in our studio tracking the vocal parts. Once that was done, the song went into the mixing phase. During mixing, the elements of the song are balanced, EQ is used to find harmonic space for everything, and effects(ie; reverb, delay, etc) are used to color parts and give things depth/space.

Once the songs were mixed we'd burn CDs of them and listen to them in the car, on our iPods, etc. and then go back and tweak the mixes to make them even better. As mentioned in a previous post, the album was then sent for mastering and finally released. The clip of the final version can be heard here.

We'll deconstruct some of our other songs in the future and talk more about other parts of the process.

"What's next?" and a Call to Arms!

Now that we've finished our album, Across The Wires, you may be wondering "what's next?" for Killing Thursby. Are we just going to do gear profiles and reviews? Although we will be doing a lot of that here on our blog, we also have the challenge of getting our music out there. Finishing the album was just the first step- now we have to get people to actually hear it! That's where you come in: we need help getting our music heard! If you know a place where our music could be featured (ie; blogs, podcasts, websites) or you just want to help get the word out about KT, let us know: email@killingthursby.com

On the new music front, we're just starting into writing material for our next album. We'll post entries throughout the whole process so you can see how we go about creating music. Check back often!

Deconstructing "Hole In The World" Pt.1

We thought it might be interesting to show how we go from initial song idea to demo and, eventually, to the finished track. First, take a listen to the finished song:

Hole in the World by Killing Thursby

Originally, Hole In The World started as just a title. That title then became the basis for the lyrics that followed. At that point, Scott worked out a melody and chord progression for the song. Below is the first demo version of Hole In The World. Most of our songs started off as simple demos like this one:

"Hole In The World" Demo 1

As you can hear, the basic idea of the song was the same but a lot changed between the demo and the final version. One of the big changes was to up the tempo; the finished song is much faster!

The demo above was then dumped into Logic Pro, a computer program for music creation. It was at this point that the tempo was raised and additional instrument parts were added to flesh out the song. The overall song structure also started to take shape. A middle or "change" section of the song was added. At this point, all of the instruments and vocals were just temporary. Take a listen to the song at this state:

"Hole In The World" Demo 2

At this point the song sounds pretty similar to the final track. Early in the creation process the songs change a lot from version to version but, once the song starts to take shape, the changes are more subtle. However, there's still a long way to go from the above version to the finished song!

Check back soon for Part 2! In a follow-up blog we'll show later incarnations and talk more about how the song continued to change.

The Journey is complete!

Well, after over a year of work, our album, Across The Wires, is finally released! It's hard to believe that the songs were written over a year ago but people are finally just hearing them now. While KT is a big focus for us, we still have day jobs, lives, etc. that take us away from doing music 24/7. Thankfully, all the time and hard work has paid off and the album is complete and is something we're very proud of.

For those of you who read our blog more for the gear info, you may still be interested in our album. All of the gear we've talked about so far was used on the album. The songs were recorded with only analog synthesizers and many of the drum sounds were also created with the synths. For instance, if you want to hear what the Macbeth M5 sounds like in a mix, just listen to any track on the album- it's featured heavily on every song. Also, many of the FX heard on the album were from things like MoogerFooger pedals instead of plugins. We also did quite a bit of step-sequencing with the Doepfer MAQ 16/3.

So, without further ado, go check out Killing Thursby's "Across The Wires" at CDBaby.com.

M5 Synthesizer Intro Video!

Here's a quick intro video on the Macbeth M5 analog synthesizer. We're going to go into much more detail in future videos, but here's a short overview to get things started.

Mastering? What's mastering?

We wanted to share the exciting news that Killing Thursby's new album, "Across The Wires", just came back from the mastering facility! Uh, okay, what does that mean? I'm sure there's a lot of you reading this that don't know what we mean when we say our music's been "mastered". Basically, mastering puts the final polish on your music and optimizes it for playback on the radio, in your car, etc. They apply careful equalization, compression, and volume normalization to make your music sound consistent across the whole album. It's done by a third party facility that uses a fine tuned listening environment, specialized equipment, and a trained engineer to get the best results. Every major album you buy has had this process done. It's a key element in making your music sound 'finished'. So, when we say our music's come back from mastering, we mean it's gone through the process and we've received a gold pressed master CD to use for duplication. We'll have the full album up to listen to soon so you can hear the mastering for yourself!

In the studio photo.

Going over the vocal takes for "Hole In The World"

A quick video tour of the KT studio!

Behind the scenes of "Hole in the World"!

Below is the finished track, but I've added a sneak peak of the vocal tracking session after! Can you pick out where Scott's harmony is in the final?!


Hole in the World by Killing Thursby

A Quick Tour of the KT Studio

Before we get into specific gear profiles, examples, etc., we thought we'd give you a quick overview of what we, KT, have in our studio. For synths, we're using a Moog Voyager and Macbeth M5 (much more to come on this crazy beast later!). We've also got a rack of MoogerFooger FX pedals, an analog step-sequencer, the DSI Tetra, and a vintage Moog Prodigy. For recording and sequencing, we're using both Logic and Pro Tools running on a Mac Pro tower through a Digi 003 control surface. Also, all the drum tracks we're programmed using an Akai MPD24 and the songs were mixed with Mackie studio monitors. So there's a brief overview of our setup; we'll get into much more detail in future posts so check back often!

3 - 2 - 1 -> Launch! Now starts the KT Fantasitc Voyage!

Hello!

Welcome to the Killing Thursby blog! Over time we will be posting information about our music projects, home studio tips and techniques, gear profiles / recommendations and more through multimedia examples with the members of Killing Thursby (KT)!

In addition to the two main members of KT, Chris Chappel and Scott Hinckley, Kevin Skaggs, although not actually "in" the band, will be posting, connecting, and responding along with us!

Kevin, (AKA "SKAGGS") is a producer, song writer, and audio editor based in Los Angeles, California. As opposed to KT's pop-oriented electronic music, he is involved in the house music scene with an emphasis on funky house under the label Golden State Recordings founded by Joshua Heath. Since the early 1990's, he has been heavily influenced by European electronic acts dating as far back as the 70's. Kevin has been friends with Chris and Scott (KT) since before the Internet. So think of him as a member of the band that you'll never see live, or in press photos!

Get to know the band! Introduction Q&A.

What are your names?

Chris Chappel
Scott Hinckley

What would you say you contribute to the band that is different from the other member?

CC: Well, we both contribute a lot of the same things but I'd say my unique contribution would be more on the technical side of things.

SH: Different songwriting style. Different melodic sensibility. Different voice. Different hairdo.


Could you two walk me through the process of writing a song?
Seeing as though you live in different states, how does this happen?

CC: We use Apple's iDisk to share ideas back and forth. When one of us has an idea for a song, they work up a basic demo on Pro Tools and then upload it to the iDisk for the other person to add to, expand on, etc. I then dump the song into Logic and start structuring it and adding additional layers. Once we get a little more complete version of the song up and running, we send ideas back and forth and continue refining it until we're both happy.

SH: We approach the writing of each song in a very organic way...there's no formula. Many of these newer songs have started with lyrics, a simple melody, and a basic chord progression. Some started as merely a concept: for example, a single sentence or song title, a melody line, and a "mood" we want to convey. We probably COULD write songs in a formulaic manner if we wanted to; I think we're comfortable enough with the songwriting process to do that, but we try to avoid being comfortable if at all possible. Some of our best music has been born from uncomfortable places.


I noticed both of you are singing on the album, does that mean
one of you is flying a lot? Or do you track the vocals separately and send
files back 'n forth?


SH: I'm the jet setter. Our vocal recording studio is in Burbank, CA. For this new album, and like with our recent EP, we worked the songs up to a point where we were satisfied with tempo, the overall sound, and the general "feel". At this point, I flew down to our studio and recorded all of my vocals in the space of a week, which had the added benefit of consistency across all the album's songs.



Scott, how much of any given track would you say "is yours"?

SH: Depends on the song. I write nearly all of our lyrics. More than half of the songs on the new album, including all of our singles were concepts of mine. I'm a good "polisher" too; I give a lot of input on those nit picky details that take a song from raw to refined. Honestly though, Chris does most of the heavy lifting; the assembly of the songs is almost entirely his domain, and for good reason...he's brilliant at it! My abilities shine in the inception and conclusion of a song, it's baby and adult years. Chris gets to handle those messy formative teenage years.


Same question for you, Chris?

CC: I don't know - that's a hard question. Mostly I think they're about 50/50 but once in a while Scott or I will write a more complete song where the other person isn't as involved in it. We really look at each song as a collaboration, though. This time around, many of the initial song ideas/demos came from Scott.


How did you two get started being so far apart? Wouldn't it be
easier to go on Craigslist and get a "writing buddy" that way? At
least they'd be local?

SH: Sure would! But Chris and I have been friends and writing partners since Junior High. We are irreplaceable to each other at this point. Honestly, the miles between us haven't impaired our ability to write songs at all. On the contrary: I think we're writing the best songs we've ever written right now. The only time the distance becomes a nuisance is when we need to record my vocals. In the future, we'd love to be neighbors again, but for now we're making it work.

CC: Scott and I met at school in Washington and formed a band, Mosaic, while we were in High School. We wrote a number of songs over the years and formed a great musical partnership. After Mosaic sort of fell apart, I tried doing music with a few other people but never found the same spark that Scott and I had. When the time was right, we got back together and we're feeling better than ever.


Stay tuned for the next installment of KT interviews! Coming up: In the studio with Chris Chappel! Chris gives us a walk through and explains the monstrously impressive bits of analog gear used on the album!