# RPM Challenge 2009



## Guest (Feb 11, 2009)

Starting a thread for anyone working on RPM Challenge 2009.

Details you say? See: http://www.rpmchallenge.com/ -- one album in one month. No sweat, right?

I kind of fell off the wagon at the beginning of the month so I'm hauling butt to catch up (note time of this post...see?). First track is done...no guitars...all electronic. At 3:00 am ambient synths sound best to me.

http://ian.coastpedalboards.com/sounds/rpm2009/keepers.mp3


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## hollowbody (Jan 15, 2008)

Y'know Ian, last year when I first heard about this, I told myself that I should definitely make an attempt this year. As luck would have it, I actually was recording last weekend, but I really don't think I can pump out another few songs before the month is done. Maybe. We'll see.


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## bagpipe (Sep 19, 2006)

Same as Hollowbody, I'd like to try this, but I just don't have that kind of throughput. If it was "record 12 songs in a year" I might have a shot.

I enjoyed the Keepers tune Ian. It's great that you were able to get the Jonas Brothers to add guitar on there! kkjuw


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## hollowbody (Jan 15, 2008)

Hahaha

There's times when I go through creative outbursts (as I'm sure everyone does too) where I will get all proactive and motivated and lay down a bunch of tracks in a short span, but those moments are few and far between. Maybe I need to go buy a new mic to get me started :smile:


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## Guest (Feb 11, 2009)

Bwaahaha! Jonas Brothers. Nice.

You guys should try it. Nothing to lose. Without a deadline I find I never really get anything done. I start lots of songs, but I never finish them. This gives me a reason to put an end to things. I'm determined to do some vocals this year.


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## Guest (Feb 17, 2009)

Well now. This is just the second track I've been able to mix this year. I'm waaaaay behind. Just having a hard time finding the time this year. The kid is distracting in a very good way and I'm plodding along in Logic versus how I was working in Cubase SX 3 at this time last year. Software changes hurt. That's for sure.

Here's track number 2. If you're counting minutest I'm at about 9:00 now out of a required 35 (or 10 tracks). Could be a 10-track year. With some little 1:00 vamps to get me there.

So yea, without further ado, here's a song that screaming for vocals...and a better name:

http://ian.coastpedalboards.com/sounds/rpm2009/chilled.mp3


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## Rugburn (Jan 14, 2009)

Puts me in mind of the Beastie Boys and Parliament/Funkadelic (Eddie Hazel). That's a good thing.

:food-smiley-004:


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## bagpipe (Sep 19, 2006)

Sounds great Ian - excellent vibe. I really like the "trippy" outro solo from around 3:00. For me, it goes off the boil a little from around 4:15, but thats minor. I'm looking forward to hearing the whole thing.


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## Guest (Feb 17, 2009)

bagpipe said:


> Sounds great Ian - excellent vibe. I really like the "trippy" outro solo from around 3:00. For me, it goes off the boil a little from around 4:15, but thats minor. I'm looking forward to hearing the whole thing.


Thanks man. Is it the mix that kills the end or the playing? It gets damn bust in the last minute with the panning, the delays, the loud playing. I have a tendency to get _too_ studio tricky some times.


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## Guest (Feb 17, 2009)

Rugburn said:


> Puts me in mind of the Beastie Boys and Parliament/Funkadelic (Eddie Hazel). That's a good thing.


A big thanks. I'll take a comparison to Eddie Hazel any day of the week!


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## bagpipe (Sep 19, 2006)

iaresee said:


> Thanks man. Is it the mix that kills the end or the playing? It gets damn bust in the last minute with the panning, the delays, the loud playing. I have a tendency to get _too_ studio tricky some times.


I think its the note choice. I just listened to it all the way through again, and it picks up again nearer the end. Maybe its just the length of the solo - thats a long time to try and keep things interesting?

Anyway, its a very minor criticism. I'm still enjoying the tune.


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## Guest (Feb 17, 2009)

bagpipe said:


> I think its the note choice. I just listened to it all the way through again, and it picks up again nearer the end. Maybe its just the length of the solo - thats a long time to try and keep things interesting?
> 
> Anyway, its a very minor criticism. I'm still enjoying the tune.


Ahh cool. Thanks. Yea, the first rule of RPM Challenge is "streeeeeeeeeeetch it out". :smile:


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## Rugburn (Jan 14, 2009)

I like the B Boys groove it starts out on,but I was kinda waiting for something to happen guitar wise. This is due in part, to other posts by iaresee that were guitar heavy content wise. For me the solo is where the song really picks-up, but as iaresee said "the song is screaming for some vocals". Listening to it again I'll draw another comparison.....Pete Cosey. He's the guy who's snarling around on Miles Davis' Agharta and Pangaea. He has a great funk/jazz/rock sound.

Shawn.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pete_Cosey


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## Groovious (Nov 2, 2008)

That sounds pretty awesome. Keep it up dude. evilGuitar:


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## Guest (Feb 23, 2009)

Third. Track. Done.

It's killing me this year. Family and work are just too much. I'm not very hopeful I'll have the 35 minutes or 10 tracks down by next Saturday. I'll keep plugging away but this is looking dire folks.

Right, so this track features a little more of Mr. Mark Hammer's pedal genius on it. The "lead" is his take on a Green Ringer -- another awesome pedal from Mark that gives you something left-of-center. I like that.

It features my new bass (yea!) which let me put down a bass line (Derek: my mantra was keep it simple the entire time...) in record time. It's all drenched in far too much reverb because I'm in a My Bloody Valentine kind of mood today. And it goes on waaaaaay too long because it's an RPM Challenge track. 

Try not to choke on the name.

Dawn rises at Temple Kiyomizudera while a young monk reflects on life, eternity, past and future loves

(Come on, it's 1:30 in the morning...what do you expect?) sdsre


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## Budda (May 29, 2007)

i expect shorter, funnier names haha.

good luck! I was supposed to record vocals for an audition last week, i havent come up with lyrics yet


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## Guest (Mar 1, 2009)

*Fail*

Two hours past the deadline for RPM Challenge 2009 and I'm just mixing my 15 - 19th minutes of material. Technically it's all over. We get a grace day thanks to March 1 falling on a Sunday -- I could spend tomorrow trying to come up with another 16 minutes. But in all honesty: I'm tapped out. February was a hard, hard month this year.

Oh well. The best part is: there's always next year. And I always have a good time trying.

So in no particular order here are the 4 tracks I actually finished. The latest track, Machinehead, features another mhammer effect. His take on the MXR Blue Box -- an infinitely more predictable version of the square wave effect than MXR produces. I like it.



Keepers
Chilled
Dawn rises at Temple Kiyomizudera while a young monk reflects on life, eternity, past and future loves
Machinehead

Chilled is definitely my favourite of the bunch.


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