In the last post, I went on about my recent discovery of audio mastering techniques. It included my first remastered song whose band frequencies I had molested. Listening back, it was quite a mess. I decided that Audacity, instead of my abilities, was mainly responsible, so I acquired better audio editing software (namely iZotope RX, recommended by good ol’ castrated AI ChatGPT). Thanks to it, I have remastered the song “Go Away, Stay Away” into a version that I wouldn’t know how to improve anymore. Check it out.
I’d say it sounds quite polished. The trick this time was to pick a segment of the song as the “baseline” for frequency band manipulation, and from then on slightly altering the bands of other segments up and down, making sure that the leadings in and out of that segment didn’t clash with the change in frequencies.
Anyway, I’ve got seventeen goddamn other songs to master, and that’s just in this album. I should also return to writing my novella one of these days.
As I was “remastering” the songs that make up the third volume of Odes to My Triceratops, I started thinking, “surely there’s fancier stuff to do to improve a finished song’s quality other than just messing around with its sound levels.” That ominous thought led me on a few days-long journey into the art of audio mastering. At one point, I opened one of my previous songs I thought finished, only to find out that the exporting process had clipped the hell out of it. I had no choice but to face that I had no fucking clue what I was doing.
Some reading later, along with help from ChatGPT, led me to the following steps to master a song:
Normalize original WAV at -1db.
Save original WAV as a 24-bit/192KHz WAV stereo file.
Load exported WAV.
High-pass filter at 30hz (roll off 24 db).
Filter Curve EQ with preset (looked up good general values).
Normalize at -1db.
Apply multiband compression with the OTT plugin at 20% depth.
Normalize at -1db.
Split the stereo track and pan the channels to -70% and 70% respectively.
Perform a thorough EQ check using the spectrum analyzer, adjusting frequencies along the way.
Use the Limiter, Hard limit to -1 db to ensure the track doesn’t peak.
Normalize at -1db.
Until a few days ago, I thought a spectrogram was a medical procedure. I mean, check out this shit. Does it look like something that makes any sense?
Turns out that you can learn lots from it. The frequency bands of a song are divided into the following:
Sub-bass (20-60 Hz)
Role: Provides the deep, rumbling foundation. It’s felt more than heard. Boost: To add depth and power, typically in electronic music or certain genres of pop and hip-hop. Cut: If the mix sounds too muddy or overwhelming, especially in more acoustic or vocal-focused tracks.
Bass (60-250 Hz)
Role: Adds warmth and fullness. Key for the body of bass instruments and the kick drum. Boost: To give more weight to bass instruments, kick drums, and overall warmth. If the bass feels weak, a slight boost around 60-100 Hz can add more punch. Cut: To reduce muddiness and allow other elements to breathe.
Low Mids (250-500 Hz)
Role: Important for the body of most instruments, but can often introduce muddiness. Boost: To add body and presence to guitars, vocals, and other midrange instruments. Cut: To clear up muddiness and create space in the mix.
Midrange (500 Hz – 2 kHz)
Role: Critical for the presence of most instruments and vocals. This range is highly sensitive to human ears. Boost: To enhance clarity and presence of vocals and lead instruments. Cut: If the mix sounds too harsh or congested.
Upper Midrange (2 kHz – 6 kHz)
Role: Contributes to the clarity and definition of sounds, especially for vocal intelligibility and instrument attack. Boost: To add attack and clarity, making vocals and instruments stand out. Cut: To prevent harshness and ear fatigue.
Presence (6 kHz – 10 kHz)
Role: Adds brightness and detail, crucial for the sense of “air” and openness. Boost: To enhance the crispness and detail of vocals and percussion. Cut: To soften overly bright or piercing sounds.
Brilliance (10 kHz – 20 kHz)
Role: Provides the sheen and sparkle that make a mix sound open and airy. Boost: To add shimmer and airiness, particularly to cymbals and hi-hats. Cut: To avoid excessive sibilance and hiss.
At a glance with a spectrogram, if there’s too much heat at a frequency band, you likely need to lower it. If another band presents a significant void, you can boost it and bring to the forefront little details that weren’t even present before. It’s quite amazing. Unfortunately, my obsessive attention to detail kicked in; the first time I tried to remaster “Burying the Beast,” I intended to go through each segment of the song boosting and lowering frequency bands to reach the optimal mix, but soon enough I was driven nuts. My job is already destroying me, I don’t need to work that hard in my spare time. So I fixed broad issues instead, boosting or lowering frequencies where it made sense.
I present to you the remastered version of fan favorite (for this fan, at least) “Burying the Beast,” a song from my album Odes to My Triceratops:
It isn’t perfect by any means, but it’s much better than the previous version, so that works for me.
In case you don’t know, I’ve been obsessed with producing songs lately by exploiting the amazing AI service Udio. I’ve already made and released two full albums based on a strange story I wrote back in 2021, named Odes to My Triceratops. It follows the adventures and misadventures of a trio of friends who live in a town lost in the map. The main dude is a songwriter named William Griffin, who’s passionate and sensitive, if a bit unhinged. Another character is William’s next-door neighbor Claire Javernick, a blind redhead. Then we have Lorenzo, who’s a sentient triceratops for no justifiable reason. You can download the first two albums of this story through this link.
The last song of the third volume of Odes to My Triceratops (out of four) works for me great both as a cabaret/vaudeville song, and as a garage rock song. This evening I present to you the garage rock version. Very cool tune, nice to let it play and have a good time.
Same lyrics as the cabaret version:
Lorenzo was a triceratops With a portal to hell inside his throat. Claire was my next-door neighbor, As well as the love of my life. She didn’t want to love me anymore, Even though I did the best I could.
At this point, the only thing worth doing Is saying, “Fuck you, life,” and turning away.
Fuck music and poetry! Fuck the people you loved and trusted! Fuck this pointless earthly world And the stars in the heavens!
When I close my eyes, I see the end: A red curtain drops On a blackened stage, And the universe applauds At my grand finale!
Anyway, what’s next? First I was writing a novel for about three years, then it went on hiatus so I could work on a novella, then I barely progressed on that novella as I started producing a fuckton of songs. There’s still the last stretch of William Griffin’s story to discover, but I will park that for now until I get through what remains of Motocross Legend, Love of My Life. I intended to edit those parts at work, but I’ve been beyond busy this past couple of months, burdened with the task of replacing hundreds of printers at the hospital complex where I’m employed.
At some point of this marathon of songs, my “readership” apparently gave up. Oh, well. I’ll continue doing what I’ve always done: exactly what my subconscious demands, as obsessively as necessary.
In case you don’t know, I’ve been obsessed with producing songs lately by exploiting the amazing AI service Udio. I’ve already made and released two full albums based on a strange story I wrote back in 2021, named Odes to My Triceratops. It follows the adventures and misadventures of a trio of friends who live in a town lost in the map. The main dude is a songwriter named William Griffin, who’s passionate and sensitive, if a bit unhinged. Another character is William’s next-door neighbor Claire Javernick, a blind redhead. Then we have Lorenzo, who’s a sentient triceratops for no justifiable reason. You can download the first two albums of this story through this link.
The last two songs I uploaded were versions of the same lyrics, which was the first time it had happened: I loved two possible genres so much for the same concept that I produced both instead of discarding one. I thought that situation would be rare, and maybe it is, but it has happened again right away: this last song of the third volume of Odes to My Triceratops (out of four) works for me great both as a cabaret/vaudeville song, and as a garage rock song. Tonight I present to you the cabaret version, which will conclude the album. I love how it came out.
Lyrics below:
Lorenzo was a triceratops With a portal to hell inside his throat. Claire was my next-door neighbor, As well as the love of my life. She didn’t want to love me anymore, Even though I did the best I could.
At this point, the only thing worth doing Is saying, “Fuck you, life,” and turning away.
Fuck music and poetry! Fuck the people you loved and trusted! Fuck this pointless earthly world And the stars in the heavens!
When I close my eyes, I see the end: A red curtain drops On a blackened stage, And the universe applauds At my grand finale!
In case you don’t know, I’ve been obsessed with producing songs lately by exploiting the amazing AI service Udio. I’ve already made and released two full albums based on a strange story I wrote back in 2021, named Odes to My Triceratops. It follows the adventures and misadventures of a trio of friends who live in a town lost in the map. The main dude is a songwriter named William Griffin, who’s passionate and sensitive, if a bit unhinged. Another character is William’s next-door neighbor Claire Javernick, a blind redhead. Then we have Lorenzo, who’s a sentient triceratops for no justifiable reason. You can download the first two albums of this story through this link.
As I was planning this new song, titled “Farewell, My Friends,” and trying to determine what genre it would fall into, I loved how it sounded both as a rock ‘n’ roll and as a new wave song. Unwilling to discard either, I chose to do both, using the same structure and lyrics. I will likely do this in the future in the rare case when such a thing happens.
In a frozen nowhere-town Stands William Griffin, waving us goodbye, One hand on his guitar’s neck, The other holding out a shiny blade.
William Griffin, boy of melodies and songs! He has a triceratops and a killer girlfriend. Well, not anymore (oh no!): The triceratops is six feet under, And Claire’s probably sucking off strangers For pocket money and coke.
William used to be a good friend of mine Until he lost his damn mind. He has so little life left in him, It’s a miracle he hasn’t wasted away.
In his throat, a dark-red portal to a land Where damned souls roam free. Stretching forever, a bridge through time To the endless pit that awaits us all!
Yeah, I’m crossing over into a realm Where my old pal now dwells, A place where we’ll feast and dance, And be young once more.
I’ve done many wrongs, But I can still do one more. The hell that awaits down below Will be funner than the one above.
I don’t have any friends left, And I don’t want to live anymore, So goodbye, I’m outta here. I’m taking a step into the dark With my guitar on my back, And a hole in my neck!
My name is William Griffin, And I will exist forever, In every word I have written, In every song I have sung!
In case you don’t know, I’ve been obsessed with producing songs lately by exploiting the amazing AI service Udio. I’ve already made and released two full albums based on a strange story I wrote back in 2021, named Odes to My Triceratops. It follows the adventures and misadventures of a trio of friends who live in a town lost in the map. The main dude is a songwriter named William Griffin, who’s passionate and sensitive, if a bit unhinged. Another character is William’s next-door neighbor Claire Javernick, who’s a blind redhead. Then we have Lorenzo, who’s a sentient triceratops for no justifiable reason. You can download the first two albums of this story through this link.
As I was planning this new song, titled “Farewell, My Friends,” and trying to determine what genre it would fall into, I loved how it sounded both as a rock ‘n’ roll and as a new wave song. Unwilling to discard either, I chose to do both, using the same structure and lyrics. I will likely do this in the future in the rare case when such a thing happens.
Anyway, both this version of the song and the new wave version, that I will post later today, have been among the hardest songs to put together of the seventy-five or so I have already made. They’re both long musical journeys.
Lyrics below:
In a frozen nowhere-town Stands William Griffin, waving us goodbye, One hand on his guitar’s neck, The other holding out a shiny blade.
William Griffin, boy of melodies and songs! He has a triceratops and a killer girlfriend. Well, not anymore (oh no!): The triceratops is six feet under, And Claire’s probably sucking off strangers For pocket money and coke.
William used to be a good friend of mine Until he lost his damn mind. He has so little life left in him, It’s a miracle he hasn’t wasted away.
In his throat, a dark-red portal to a land Where damned souls roam free. Stretching forever, a bridge through time To the endless pit that awaits us all!
Yeah, I’m crossing over into a realm Where my old pal now dwells, A place where we’ll feast and dance, And be young once more.
I’ve done many wrongs, But I can still do one more. The hell that awaits down below Will be funner than the one above.
I don’t have any friends left, And I don’t want to live anymore, So goodbye, I’m outta here. I’m taking a step into the dark With my guitar on my back, And a hole in my neck!
My name is William Griffin, And I will exist forever, In every word I have written, In every song I have sung!
In case you don’t know, I’ve been obsessed with producing songs lately by exploiting the amazing AI service Udio. I’ve already made and released two full albums based on a strange story I wrote back in 2021, named Odes to My Triceratops. It follows the adventures and misadventures of a trio of friends who live in a town lost in the map. The main dude is a songwriter named William Griffin, who’s passionate and sensitive, if a bit unhinged. Another character is William’s next-door neighbor Claire Javernick, who’s a blind redhead. Then we have Lorenzo, who’s a sentient triceratops for no justifiable reason. You can download the first two albums of this story through this link.
If you were waiting all day to hear a psychobilly slash glam rock song, I got you: this one’s titled “St-a-b Ya-self.” It’s about stabbing yourself because you deserve it, and such.
Lyrics below:
Oh, st-ab-a-dab-a-dab-a-doo… St-ab st-ab st-ab ya-self! If ya wanna keel ya-self, yeah, Stab-a-stab-a-d-d-a-d-AAGGH!
Yer just a robot, Fakin’ feelins fer humans, Repeatin’, “Keel ya-self,” All through da day!
Ya know dat yer heart’s a machine, Ya know dat yer head is too. Dere’s no point in livin’ if yer dead, So slide da steel against yer skin.
Don’t worry, Dere’s a place for ya in my collection, And dis here blade will send ya dere!
Don’t be a pussy! Don’t be a wuss! No one cares ’bout ya, And ya deserve it anyway!
St-ab-a-dab-a-doo! I feel like a bird, And if I can’t fly, A knife will haf-ta do.
In case you don’t know, I’ve been obsessed with producing songs lately by exploiting the amazing AI service Udio. I’ve already made and released two full albums based on a strange story I wrote back in 2021, named Odes to My Triceratops. It follows the adventures and misadventures of a trio of friends who live in a town lost in the map. The main dude is a songwriter named William Griffin, who’s passionate and sensitive, if a bit unhinged. Another character is William’s next-door neighbor Claire Javernick, who’s a blind redhead. Then we have Lorenzo, who’s a sentient triceratops for no justifiable reason. You can download the first two albums of this story through this link.
New song for the third volume. This one’s called, “Nocturne for Claire,” a lo-fi nocturne for Claire. It makes me teary-eyed whenever I listen to it, so I guess I can count that as a success.
Lyrics below:
Claire, my ginger ray, Sing a song for me. Give me one last memory From wherever you’ve been.
We used to sing together, But your voice has gone silent. It was beautiful and sweet. I wish I could hear it again.
Claire, my dearest beam, Sing a song for me. Give me the best dream Before I go to sleep.
A nocturne for the one I’ll never see again.
This town will remain: A garden of flies and rot That we once called home. In the quiet and the cold, Lost in this vast, lonely world, I would have spent forever with you.
A nocturne… For the one… I will never, ever… See again.
In case you don’t know, I’ve been obsessed with producing songs lately by exploiting the amazing AI service Udio. I’ve already made and released two full albums based on a strange story I wrote back in 2021, named Odes to My Triceratops. It follows the adventures and misadventures of a trio of friends who live in a town lost in the map. The main dude is a songwriter named William Griffin, who’s passionate and sensitive, if a bit unhinged. Another character is William’s next-door neighbor Claire Javernick, who’s a blind redhead. Then we have Lorenzo, who’s a sentient triceratops for no justifiable reason. You can download the first two albums of this story through this link.
Anyway, new song. This one’s called, “The Last Wait.” A synth-pop song about William taking a significant step further in his downward spiral.
Lyrics below:
My heart is a cemetery, My mind, an abyss. In a flash, all becomes clear: It’s far too late.
The things I wanted to do Wouldn’t make a difference now. Ahead, I see decades of emptiness, Staring into a glass, shooing away flies.
I was happy once, but never again. I’m weary of waiting for a brighter day.
You must brace for your final days, And I’m getting ready for mine.
In case you don’t know, I’ve been obsessed with producing songs lately by exploiting the amazing AI service Udio. I’ve already made and released two full albums based on a strange story I wrote back in 2021, named Odes to My Triceratops. It follows the adventures and misadventures of a trio of friends who live in a town lost in the map. The main dude is a songwriter named William Griffin, who’s passionate and sensitive, if a bit unhinged. Another character is William’s next-door neighbor Claire Javernick, who’s a blind redhead. Then we have Lorenzo, who’s a sentient triceratops for no justifiable reason. You can download the first two albums of this story through this link.
Anyway, you’re bothering to read this for the new song, aren’t you? This one is called “The Undead King of Nowhere-Town,” currently the eleventh song in the third album. I’m very happy with how it turned out.
Lyrics below:
An emo love song for the undead king. An indie punk anthem to the apocalypse.
How long has it been since you died, And found yourself still alive? How long has it been since you felt a heartbeat That wasn’t your own? It sure feels like a thousand lifetimes, So why are you still around?
We were buried within the mountains That surround this nowhere-town. What horrors await beyond, I wouldn’t even want to know. We spent our whole lives here, Hoping we would never find out.
Life’s about shit-eating creatures Eaten by bigger, shittier creatures, On and on and on forever. That’s all there is to it.
An emo love song for the undead king! An indie punk anthem to the apocalypse!
Your hideaway is abandoned, All your friends gone. It’s their ghosts now Who will devour you.
The Domains of the Emperor Owl 
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