FULL RECORD TIME 5 REVIEW

well imma gonna start with the main guy

DAN WALDKIRCH – MY BUSINESS. this the third album i've heard from you. and you are getting better. IT is great that not only you are playing POP metal, but you are also fooling with the acoustic guitar. and your album sounds the most proffesional compared to the others. Good job Mr. Waldkirch. my favorite songs: a fight between "nerdy girls" and "Diamond shreddies"

BERU – FIRE EYES ALIVE. I like the subtle genre changes. The female vocalist has a really mellow yet, an intense voice. Has a mixture of Yoko ono and Bjork's voice. I like it. Also the guitar work is great. It goes to the urge of being heavy but not to the extenct of being "metal". overall Beru reminds me of some Sigur Ros and Pink Floyd's Meddle. My favorite songs "In Motion alive" or "Hope"

THE KILLER METEOR – ILLER GREEDIER. dude, keep it up. you have loads of potential. your voice def. reminds me the rapper from Control Machete. Favorite songs " Shenme T F" and "Hooked on chronics"

S.A. BACH – OFF DAYS & DAYS OFF. Kinda have to agree with Meghan and Dan. Your songwriting is good, love the fact the songs are short, sweet and to the point. I also like the blunt factor on your songs. Also like your guitar techniques. Favorite song "enharmonic"

ALEXANDRE MAXINE – PROGRESS Woman, you have a good voice, and your songs are pretty catchy. the only problem is that you might be repeating the jingle a bit too much. Just experiment more and practice your vocals. over all its good! your melodies are good and the harmony is done well. favorite songs:"Avoidance tactics" "hidden under floorboards" and "everything's golden"

ERIC PUTNAM – RETRO I have one question for you, do you rock with your cock out? cuz i think you do. even the ones that arent energetic are good too. the only constructive criticism is to show more confidence on your voice. favorite song "opium"

JIMMY K – FIND A WAY its pretty soothing and nice, wish you could post more. Love the piano arrangement and sound effects.

REALITY CALLS – A COLLECTION OF PSALMS The thing I like the most was that i didnt know where the song will be going, this makes me happy, one moment the singer is whispering then the next theres screaming. another thing i really dig is the transtion of songs. my favorite song is "sparrow" especially the chorus.

F.E.A.R. – UNTITLED dig the "circus" and techno mixture. seems like you dig a lot of Danny Elfman tunes.

JOE WILINSKI – BITCHIN’ BELLTOWER PRESENTS ON THE OUTSIDE I cant put my finger on it, but the intense emotion in your voice you put into this record really reminds me of Tim Buckley (not his son). I love the emotion, the more emotion the better. Also the guitar solo is so melodic as if David Gilmour was playing your guitar. I like it. favorite songs "this moment" and "flight 773"

ORYX AND THE CRACKERS – A LONG NIGHT’S JOURNEY INTO DAY. More goofiness the better, i just wished you guys have more deep conversation about Roger Waters

FRACTIOUS – FRACTIOUS I LOVE IT. the only problem is the synth. it can sometimes sound a bit too tacky as if you are playing from the 80's. however, I do love the mellow feel of this record. Has a jazzy indie progressive feel. if you have more music please post more up. You gained a fan.
favorite song "Drink Through it"

LOGAN BRADLEY – THE GNASHING Even though this is not my cup of tea, I am not a big fan of the slow parts for the fact it doesnt sound as heavy as if you've played during the fast parts. But i did like the subtle change of electronic beats here and there. Favorite song "x"

ANDREW MILLER – WRECKLESS IMITATION. you know how to play metal, you know how to play some good riffs , but where does it go? to me, it seems like its a big plateou, it would be cool if theres more complex parts here and there, like Image of Helplessness.<--hence my favorite song

MATT COVELLO – POMEGRANATE. YOU.YOU are a perfect example of how to sound dark, heavy, horrific without even using a distorted guitar. your eerie harmonic doo wop voclas are phenomenal. truly made me happy. I love the emotional value you show through your voice, good job. keep it up. Favorite songs "A call to prayer" "This Boy" and "what have we done"

OSMIN – SOSA. meh

MEGHAN O’CONNELL – WAKE UP quit being lazy and write more songs. you are good but the procrastiantion must die.

NICHOLAS WILLY – BITTERSWEET. the song is good but theres moments where the song is dragging, but once the tempo changes its all good.

Ed Mellen - The Killer Meteor Iller Greedier

Incredibly unique sound with excellent composition! I consider myself more of a rock-head, listening to bands of the 60s and 70s. However, I REALLY enjoyed your entire album, and although I consider the themes whimsical, I had a lot of fun listening to it. Favorite track is definitely "Scorpion vs. Sub-Zero". Very well done, a creative treat. I would love to hear more of your skills though, and less TV. But, I will say that it did give it a nice ridiculous touch to the album.

Waldkirchz0r - My Business

Never a let down in production. I still don't know how he can be so disciplined when recording all the parts he includes in his albums-- making his albums crystal clear, and incredibly clean. Although he considers My Business to be a let down, which he reserves the right to, it is one of my favorite Wally albums. It has very upfront and simple riffs, themes, and instrumentation. I know how much "stuff" he always packs into each of his recordings, and I'm sure there is plenty of "stuff" in the background of these tracks, the but the ability to not consciously pick them out this time adds a straightforward feel that I very much enjoy. Favorite track is "Spider Bite," mainly because the way in which the phrase 'an itchy little spider bite' is sung. Fucking great. I think this album had more emotion and less mechanical feel in it for some reason too, which I personally haven't strongly received in several past albums...even with the use of your drums and pads in a box on this album (Dan... this is a positive comment, I swear). Anyways, nicely done.

More Reviews to come...having trouble finding the time to give some worthwhile thought into everything!

a note on "wake up"

Not much to say except that every time I do something for Record Time it is completely  different. I apparently have no style or genre that I stick with, but I like that. Haha.

I wish I had had my keyboard with me during this week so I could try to come up with another piano piece, as I really enjoy writing piano music... and I don't even sing on this album, either! Piano and singing are really the only musical skills I have developed for many years... but hey, my spoken word is pretty neat, too, as are my amazing garageband loop skills. lol

Reviews

Beru -- Fire Eyes Alive
This album is really impressive. It's the first album I listened to from Record Time V and I actually had it going on my ipod while i was doing dishes last night. I wish I was a better reviewer and could do it more justice! I love the use of acoustic instruments like flute and clarinet and the "no fear" attitude you bring with the harmonies and structures. The voice is really lovely and fits the music perfectly. I just love that you could put together such a creative piece of work in such a short time. I'm with Dan, I think this might be my favorite record of the bunch. I would be interested to see you explore outside the world of ambient stuff. I'm so excited to hear from you next time! Thanks for the tunes!

Dan Waldkirch -- My Business
First of all, I really like East Wind. Throwbacks are sweet. Second, Pinwheel opens up the album nicely and I love its lyrics! Not to be sentimental or nostalgic but its always nice to hear from Dan Waldkirch, especially now that you're all the way out in L.A. Your piano skills are taking off and its easy to tell that you've been doing some film scoring lately haha, especially in the chords of Here at My Party. It seems like the new tuning (drop D, right?) really pushed you and I like what came out. It's got a different but nice tone to it. Your music seems overall a little more hopeful and such and that's cool too. I'm looking forward to the further evolution of Dan Waldkirch. Until next time!

some reviews

BERU--very Sigur Ros/Bjork-like. Love the use of sounds and how different each track is, and how the vocals dare to be ambient-creepy. Effective use of harmony, very original. Some very well-placed guitars; Viking Warrior is my favourite. If anything, I'd like to see some tracks with some multi-layered tribal drums, the voice really suits it.

S.A. BACH--a little biased here, knowing him in real life, and having listened to his music for years. But I love the guitar in Heart's Way, he makes the most simple chord progression seem very complex with astute finger-picking. I like Title Track best because it's so unlike him (except, of course, for the irony behind the title; haven't forgotten the Hidden Track on the Bachs album). Still impressed he did this on an iphone. Makes me want one.

LOGAN BRADLEY--The Gnashing, so far, is my favourite on Record Time V. Deth Metal without real drums, what a concept. Love the video-game approach to percussion as well as the electro-spokenword interludes. Its epicness reminds me of old Opeth. XI is my favourite track (11 is also my lucky number *little thrill*) because of its guitar layering. I love that he just uses Roman numerals for titles, that's so old-school metal. Someday, when I have the technology available to me (namely a real recording program, plug-ins/a microphone that works) I want to make a record like this. If anything, I just encourage this person to experiment more with different effects, because everything he tried on here works.

ANDREW MILLER--it's nice to hear some old-fashioned heavy metal, there seems to be so much less in circulation these days. I really like the old-style distortion and the real drumming is very ambitious. Reminds me of the band Kylix. I think, as a foundation/backbone these tracks have a lot of potential, but could have really benefited from some vocals or some more pronounced lead guitar licks; very good but to me, these tracks are missing something. Overall: good garage metal that just needs fleshing out.

DAN WALDKIRCH--genre variation on an album always makes it that much more interesting. I like Pinwheel but I don't think it's right as an opening track...but it reminds me a little of Imogen Heap with its tight vocal layering. Love the drumming in East Wind...it's so wierd to hear metal guitars with pop vocals over them, what an original idea. Really like Diamond Shreddies, very sountrack-y, kind of Moby/Radiohead informed. Nerdy Girls is by far my favourite track, love the background vocals, catchy chorus--makes me think he and Sebastian Bach should collaborate; it would be the new face of progressive pop.

MATT COVELLO--excellent harmonies. Love how The Boy comes off, to me, as a metal track pared down to one acoustic guitar. Props for the spanish influence on The Infidel, made me think of old Doors. Crazy Enabler is my favourite track, brilliant on a Thom Yorke level, and reminds me of the Roustabouts in Dumbo (random but nonethless). I hope to one day be able to write songs in a lower register so I could layer vocals the way he does. Excellent minimalism...I'd just like to see what he would sound like with heavy-reverb tribal drums (he and Beru evoke a similar emotion).

BITCHIN BELLTOWER--first of all, radd bandname. Also, it's nice to see someone writing originals in this genre, I hear so little new lately. Dig the psychadelic undertones of This Moment. Love the drums on Heartbreak is Short and Sweet. Reminds me of a lot of different things, but most prominently old Primus.

FRACTIOUS--excellent use of percussion. Very british sounding, reminds me a lot of Thievery Corporation. The use of elevator-music keyboards is a plus. Buzzing Black Rock is my favourite track. Not a complaint, if anything, a compliment: this is the sort of thing I have on as background noise...very ambient by nature.

NICHOLAS WILLY--very 90s, the kind of song i've tried for years to write. The vocals just need some reverb to put them on par with the guitar and drums. Dig the minimalism, very early White Stripes. Any song with "stain my teeth" in it is going to be interesting.

OSMIN--by far the strangest thing I've heard on Record Time V so far, but that's a compliment. I honestly didn't get into this so much UNTIL it went into psychadelics; love the guitar on Mafalda's Quixotic Views of Cthulhu...it reminds me of that Mazzy Star song "Umbilical" except faster. Love the trippy background noises. Love how Day In the Life of Gustavo starts to sound toward the end. Cauliflower Ears is just neato all-around. I would encourage this person to lay on the electric guitarwork thick, it is their strong point.


[more later]

Dan reviews EVERYTHING

Joe Wilinski – Bitchin’ Belltower presents On The Outside: A good friend for almost 9 years now, Joe and I have had plenty of time to exchange musical ideas, and I’m always looking forward to his new solo efforts. The new Bitchin’ album features a rather shocking discovery of Joe Wilinski’s upper vocal range, and the results could not be more awesome. Joe told me a few days ago that he hit a High C at a certain point in his album, and I absolutely refused to believe it…then I listened. Not only does he nail a C, he convincingly hits a high D just a few tracks later. Unbelievable. His new vocal style suits his music MUCH better, and I think his last track (Head Down) finds him at his most natural and comfortable. Definitely a huge step for Joe, probably the hugest of the bunch.

Oryx and the Crakers – A Long Night’s Journey into Day: LOVE this track. Adorable melody, awesome drum solo, but I really can’t say enough about the lyrics. At first glance, they seem like pretty standard happy indie lyrics, but I think there’s a lot more to them, intended or not. Little hints of just about every emotion are sort of pleasantly obscured by a good dose of humor and fun.

S.A. Bach – Off Days & Days Off: I really, really like this collection of songs…it was especially impressive because I have a VERY hard time getting into male singer-songwriters (sorry, I just don’t find the male voice all that interesting on its own). What really got me here were the lyrics, although I suppose there isn’t much else to comment on (guitar playing: good, singing: good). It doesn’t get much more relatable than unrequited love or questioning the existence of God…what I didn’t expect was a great sense of humor and plenty of sarcasm. I really like how his stuff drifts between poetry and music, so you find yourself appreciating different elements at different times.

Jimmy K – Find a Way: Can’t think of a whole lot to say about this one, except that the production is fantastic and Mr. K certainly has his pop stylings down. Great, pleasant voice and overall a really nice and marketable sound.

The Killer Meteor – Iller Greedier: Awesome. I’ve been trying to think of ways to articulate exactly how I see Ed Mellen’s insane experimental hip-hop…no luck yet. This album is merely more proof that Ed is a kung-fu-fighting alien in a human outfit...as if we needed more proof. I enjoyed reading the lyrics on their own as much as listening to the music…the words are too dense to pick up on first listen. I would definitely have to single out “Concrete Faceplant” as the highlight; demented, hilarious and even a bit…romantic? Already listened to this record several times.

Beru – Fire Eyes Alive: I’ll go ahead and say this: “Fire Eyes Alive” is my favorite album of Record Time V. And strangely enough, I can’t really think of a whole lot to say about it. This project is the pseudonym of Jessica Nicole Collins, and yes, it’s a reference to THAT Beru. I haven’t listened to music like this in a while, but it reminds me a lot of Ulver and a strange band called The Moon Lay Hidden Beneath a Cloud (who only play shows in castles)…so maybe it’s just bringing back fond memories of my favorite bands from high school. Either way, I could really see myself getting into this record, and hopefully can get a hold of more of her stuff.

Nicholas Willy – Bittersweet: Since his single last time, Nick has decided to try out a different vocal style…I think most people would have a hard time comparing it to anyone but Bob Dylan. This is Nick’s 2nd song ever, as far as I know, and he’s definitely progressing in his guitar abilities and songwriting. Lots of potential…just gotta keep writing!

Alexandre Maxine – Progress: Definitely some of the most legit artwork of the bunch. The mixes are nice and dense, just the way I like it…never a shortage of things to listen for. Probably the most interesting thing to me about this record is the choice of samples…lots of REALLY aggressive drum sounds against mostly beautiful pads and vocals…very cool. Especially the bass drum samples; most of them have that nasty (in a good way) bit distortion you’d hear in way more aggressive hardstyle or gabber music (my favorite kind of electronica, since I’m not huge into subtlety). Bonus track is lots of fun too.

Reality Calls – A Collection of Samples – One thing I’ve noticed from Jason McDowell and Stephanie Belesky over the past few Record Times is the unbelievable tightness of their sounds. Every note is DEAD ON in timing, pitch, everything. Some people aren’t into that kind of thing…I’m WAY into that kind of thing. I’ve been informed that this time around it’s a full-band effort, and I think it’s really taken the music to another level. I’m not sure who in the group writes the vocal melodies, but I have to specifically commend him or her…I think these songs have some of the best and most natural vocal melodies of the bunch. Melody-writing is probably the only skill in music you can’t really learn…you either have it or you don’t…and as such, it’s one of the highest compliments I can give people. Awesome work. Really loving “Sparrow” in particular.

Fractious – Fractious: Barney Brown and Layla Vandenbergh have been kind enough to bring Record Time all the way over to Europe for us (Cambridge is it?). I had a really hard time figuring out a genre for this record; I have a feeling the sound of Fractious is the combination of a whole lot of artists I’ve never heard before. I really enjoy how they managed to keep a cohesive sound while giving each song its own character. Love the lyrics, and as soon as I’m finished with these reviews I’m going to figure out what the hell a Bentobox is.

Matt Covello – Pomegranate: Matt Covello can sing. He’s the vocalist for Boston rock band Kings of Push (which also features Joe Wilinski on drums!) and he’s simply on another planet as far as rock vocalists go. He’ll probably have a hard time getting away from Chris Cornell comparisons, but I doubt I could find anyone who would consider that a bad thing. “Pomegranate” is easily one of the most ambitious RT debuts, as he is both sticking to a Middle Eastern sound throughout and writing within a narrative concept (which I would really like to know more about!). Only complaint is how restrained he is on this album, although “Infidel” shows pretty clearly what the man is capable of.

Andrew Miller – Wreckless Imitation: This is the first heavy stuff I’ve heard from Andrew, and I’m REALLY impressed by how great it sounds (I really need whatever Andrew and Logan use for drums). Nice to hear someone using good old odd meters rather than polymeters (sorry, but Meshuggah owns the market as far as I’m concerned). Definitely needs vocals eventually, but the music kept me interested on its own as well. Really impressive RT debut.

Meghan O’Connell – Wake Up: Though she probably didn’t mention it, I think Meghan would prefer you to be on some sort of substance while listening to her track. A few weeks ago I found a self-hypnosis video on YouTube, and the opening spoken word section of her track is almost identical to the type of thing I was hearing on the video, especially that crazy delay. Definitely impressed by the music once it finally kicks in…I have a feeling it’s mostly loops but they were well chosen and great quality samples.

Logan Bradley – The Gnashing: When I use the word “genius” (and I don’t necessarily want to use it here), I’m specifically referring to people whose creative processes I absolutely cannot figure out or dissect when listening to their work. Logan is one of those kinds of people; I honestly can’t figure out how he makes music like this. It’s not just the riffs or vocals or rhythms, it’s the actual sound; Logan seems interested in creating a completely unique musical world, which fits very nicely with the concept and story behind “The Gnashing” (the sequel to RT4’s “Before There Wasn’t"). This is obviously not for mass audiences, but those of us with an appreciation for genre-bending metal will find plenty to explore in this record.

Osmin – Sosa: Really glad Oscar decided to embrace his weird side with this one. Though I only know him through Facebook, the guy has a killer taste in, and knowledge of, music of ALL kinds (Oscar, I pay close attention to anything you post). This album shows some huge progress on the recording side of things. Plus, real strings? Unheard of on weeklong albums. Some great electroacoustic weirdness on “Mafalda”…not sure if Oscar minds being compared to the Mars Volta, but there are a few similarities which seem hard to deny. “Cauliflower Ears” sticks out for me...no pun intended!

Eric Putnam – Retro: Eric is a former roommate of mine, and a heck of a bass player. I like “Retro” because I see a lot of potential. Eric is really developing a personal style, and I think this is a great jumping-off point, in terms of both the composition and recording side of things. I think this kind of music really needs high quality production to really come through…now that he’s had a chance to try out some new techniques, I think his stuff can really take off from here.

F.E.A.R. – Untitled: This is a project by Dennis Ohlson, who I chatted with briefly a few nights ago. This is good stuff. One thing I really noticed was how great the samples are here…not just high quality sounds, but sounds that fit really well together and create a very unique little world. It’s also a pretty big deal to make dark industrial music without sounding like some era of NIN, so extra points for that.

Dan Waldkirch – My Business: Terrible, inconsistent, pathetic album about a lonely nerd who can’t get a job or a girlfriend! The guitars are too scratchy, and the cymbals are too crashy! BOO!

Dan Waldkirch-- My Business

Pinwheel

Really pretty guitar and nice vocals :)

East Wind

haha, I wasn't paying attention to my itunes and I thought that you had done a sudden mood change in the middle of the song, as you are wont to do. I would have liked it either way.

I like the heavy guitar... I was wishing the vocals weren't as pretty, but it works. This is a very Dan song. haha. Really really dig the guitar solo riffs.

Overqualified

I have a feeling this will be pretty silly. Oh it sounds so sad! How dramatic. haha. Its funny yet I still feel so bad for you!  Nice job... hope you get one! harharhar. The guitar is really lovely on this.

Nerdy Girls

Oh yay maracas! Groovin to this one! :) I love the feel of this one. Its fun and upbeat. The electric guitar is a great addition. I feel like all the instrumentation is just right on this song. Really dig the chorus with the "ooh"s. Oo guitar solo. Oh god. I shake my head, but smile, at the last quote. haha. I can't believe such  a nerd could rip up a guitar so well. Bravo.

Spider Bite

Lovely tune... I like the piano/chimes instrumental between sections.

The "no no no" vocals sound like a Christmas chorus or something. I think its just because of the chimes. haha. The piano and violin? are really pretty.

Diamond Shreddies

I really wish you'd get a real drum set already. Haha. The organ is cool, though. Fucking cool guitar and vocals. I would expect some of your scary screaming vocals on this one.

Quite a change-- the piano is beautiful. I love this slower instrumental part. I am entranced. Reminds me of some of the softer Smashing Pumpkins.

I like this change... I mean, I don't really like when a song sounds like it has three songs in it... haha, but the third part of this song is really pretty, at the onset. I really like the lyrics on this last part. I don't like the long humming noise at the end.

Here at my Party

Sappy and sad in lyrics and instrumentation. You're very good at integrating those elements.

Overall:

I like the variety on this album. I have a hard time critiquing you because you're such a great musician on so many levels: you play your instruments well, your vocals are quite good, your lyrics are interesting, or funny, you are freaking awesome at mixing (haha). I am impressed that you didn't layer a billion vocal tracks like you have in the past, good job on that. You aren't a perfect singer, but you're not bad! Keep at it-- you have a unique sound. You are sooo creative, and that's my favorite part about your music! :)

Eric Putnam-- Retro

Opium

Dig the fun electro! Very nice fade in with the guitar. I like the raw vocals that come in half-way through. I can tell this would be a really awesome song with the right lyrics! Great integration of electronic with real instruments. Mm, love the harmonies towards the end.

Guiding Light

The guitar riff uses one of my favorite chord progressions that I tend to play around with on piano... its really lovely :) It does have a retro sound to it. I like the sort of old-time radio effect (I think that's what I hear).  Makes me wish I would have gone through with the covers I was going to do! This is really nice. I like the simplicity. I think some female vocals would be really pretty on this.

Frank Olson

haha interesting intro. very very cool guitar. Drums/percussion could be heavier. I really like the vocals/melody.

Overall

You have some really solid skills here, Eric. I think if you spent more time developing the songs and adding some complexity, it would be even better than it already is! I look forward to hearing more from you :)

Beru-- Fire Eyes Alive

Fire Eyes

I wish I had better headphones to listen to this! It sounds really beautiful... but I have a feeling it'd be better if I didn't have ipod headphones to listen on. The left channel humming is a bit loud for my ear, the vocals and background "oh"ing seem just right. Really lovely vocals, too. Strange ending on the random guitar! I was expecting it to lead into the next song (I did play them in order, even though it wasn't set up properly in itunes)

In motion Alive

Dig the nature sounds. The vocals are so fucking cool. Is the background someone singing, as well? This is really super cool... comparable to Animal Collective (to me, this is a very good thing). Love the combo of electro with the flute. I only wish I knew what the words were! Cool fade out with just the flute and nature sounds again.

strange ringing at the end... tricked me yet again! ha

Because You Will Be Near

Wow. Very nice (mostly) a capella. The harmonies are chilling. Neat effect with the horn on the chorus. Song drags on too much for me, though. Whoa, crazy organ out of nowhere. haha. Interesting song.

Waking Up

I like the dreamy sound of the background humming and harp... really reflects the title well. Very nice, soft slow melody and vocals. The whistling is cute.

Shifting Through Trees

Cool electric guitar! You have a lot of strange background vocals... its interesting.

My Viking Warrior

Again really solid, interesting vocals. A little too much is going on for me about halfway towards the end... nothing really jumps out at me on this one.

Hope

Very cool sound and beat... unexpected! Got me moving a little bit on this one :) Really crazy stuff half way through. I wonder where I'm being led! Trippy.... oh my, backwardsssss. wow, neato.

Overall

The female vocals are beauuuutiful. I love the airy-ness and softness of them. The music is strange and unique, which I lovelovelove! You combine electro, vocals, sfx, and real (are any of them real?) instruments very well.

Alexandre-- Progress

Morning Car Ride

This is really lovely! I'm really into electronic music recently and this totally satisfied me :)

Keep Me Covered

I can tell you have a nice unique voice... keep working on it and it'll be outstanding! I like the instrumentation in this, though i feel like the bass part is a little too foggy or something.

Crash the Throttle

haha the heavy bass is cool. It has a ghetto feel which is kinda funny with your sweet sounding voice. I dig it. I wish I knew how to manipulate vocals and electro beats like you do! I really like your chorus on this. The split channels sort of bother me.

Everything's Golden

Really really really like this intro. Pretty sexy. Love the drippy vocals.

Oo... love the echoes/layers, too. I think there should be a little less on the bass and a little more on your voice! :)

Can't Say I need You

Pretty cool... this chorus really speaks to me. haha. I like the beats in this one... Has\ my head bobbin!

Avoidance Tactics

groovy intro. I like music that I can move to, its not exactly dance music, but you have potential. cool melody on the instrumental parts. I really like the violin.

Just a Place

Nice piano! I like the lyrics for the chorus. Instrumentation gets a bit distorted once the lyrics start.

Hidden Under Floorboards

What happened to the lyrics on this one? haha (its not on the lyrics sheet) Sounds like a cute little tune... I'm a sucker for piano (I play too).

Overall, this is very cool-- keep working on your vocals and on audio mixing-- mixing the sounds at the right levels can make a world of difference! Really great job though, can't wait to hear more :)

Reviews

I have an idea for reviews! Since I'm sure everyone would love to be able to read their reviews and such, I propose that when you write a review for someone you enter the artist name in the little box that says "Labels for this post". If there are multiple reviews in one post, separate each name by a comma. That way people can easily find reviews for their album. How does that sound??

Hello

Hey everyone, I've started to listen to everyone's work, and it all sounds great so far. Just a quick note about my album, "Wreckless Imitation". First of all, I seem to have miss spelled reckless. Oops. Second, I started working on the album not knowing if I was going to want vocals or not, so I decided not to worry about them. Having completed these songs I realize that vocals would add a lot to them, so I plan to have lyrics and eventually add vocals, which would likely be done by Logan (check out his album "The Gnashing"). Third, because of this, the song titles and album title are subject to change based on whatever lyrics are added to them later on. I simply added these titles for Record Time presentation purposes only. Hope you enjoy it!

Andrew Miller

Reviews!

I'm gonna be posting my reviews on here in a few hours. I assume it'll take everyone else a few days to listen to everything, so if you want to post reviews, do so at your leisure!

I think everyone would prefer that others listen to their music on decent speakers or headphones...an album heard through laptop speakers hasn't really been heard at all.

That said, the listening will be easy, trust me. Though we've only got a few more submissions than last time, the music is much, much, much better. Not that it wasn't good before, but it wasn't this good.

ANYWAYS, stand by for reviews.

I'm excited

I can't wait to hear / see everyone's stuff... is Wednesday the day?

cheater cheater pumpkin eater

yea, that's right, i finished a day late.
i decided to combine my random spoken word piece with the random dance-ish song i created with garage band loops. hahaha. this is why i don't call myself an artist, people. d'oh. i dunno, i guess it took some creative effort. haha.
i can't wait to hear/see everyone's creations!

oh, nigga made a [record time]!

el fine. I reached my goal of 3 songs! even though one is a cover, its still three songs and you're gonna love it anyways! i hope...anyways, i need to get back and catch up on what's been going on in life since i've been recording!

It is complete.

So... just finished about an hour ago. Whew*** I am spent!!! I hope everyone else is finishing up, and I'm excited for Wed. to roll around when Dan lets us have at it. Please feel free to contact me for any comments/criticisms if you have a listen to my stuff. I'm going to try and do the same. Thanks! This week has been intense.

- Joe

sat&sundayyyfunday

wow I've gone a little bonkers. I like what I've come up with, what can I say? It's been fun. This evening I'm finishing up some album art.

Here's a couple vlogs for your viewing pleasure::

Got time for a rhyme?

For any of you (like me) still have to brainstorm some lyrics this site is proving helpful:

http://www.rhymer.com/RhymingDictionary/

Yup

All recording FINISHED.

All I have to say is OUCH. I think I was getting a little cocky after 4 RT albums. This one was really, really, really, really, really hard.

Tonight, I mix! I intend to finish this thing a whole day early. Tomorrow I will drink the bottle of wine I bought to celebrate.

EDIT: I have decided to forgo my planned bonus track, and instead record it separately for fun. A cover song is not in the true spirit of Record Time, and I actually kind of like my album all of a sudden.

scoops haagen dazs!

It's friday and besides incredible relief that this week is over, I'm very excited about how things are coming together this round. Last night was heavy with harmonies in guitars and vocals. I'm pretty much finished with two songs and I'm moving forward with 2 or 3 more. My only concern now is mixing. I'm hoping to enlist the help of a dear friend with this area, as I'm near completely clueless. If that doesn't happen, well I guess I'll just have to fire off some rounds in the dark and hope I don't kill anyone. Off to class now! Cheers!

Hallelujah!

I have escaped the mid-week valley of despair! Everything will be fine after all. Turns out when you add vocals to pop songs, they sound a lot better!

I have the lyrics written to 6 of my 8 songs. I'm thinking about combining two into an epic album closer, but I'm not sure yet.

So far I have a fantastic song about job hunting (that is surprisingly beautiful), a couple songs about nothing in particular, and a way-too-fast song about nerdy girls. I'm pretty sure that one is called "Nerdy Girls." The only other songs I titled are called "Pinwheel" and "Here At My Party," which sounds like a church hymn if it were written by Shel Silverstein.

I've actually gone in a completely different direction with the whole album since I last described it...I'm not doing the orchestra thing anymore, and I am showing scary amounts of restraint when it comes to the number of vocal tracks. I don't know what's gotten into me.

I was starting to get a little disappointed by this album, but I've realized it's got much more of the Record Time spirit than my last few...it's more like the first few times we did it. Back when we first started, we had no idea how hard it would be, or how many songs we should aim for, so the albums were much more wild and inconsistent. After that, I started making each album 5 long songs, and while they were still 30 minutes long, I think that may have been cheating a bit. Anyone can write 5 good songs and stretch them out to fill up 30 minutes...it's much more difficult to come up with 8 or 9 totally separate ideas and try to manage your time between them.

Like I said in the message I sent out, I think I want to use this blog to post album reviews when this whole thing is over. It's gonna be a LOT to listen to, but since this is really an exercise more than anything, some constructive criticism is important. And it'll be fun...hopefully everyone who has been posting will be up for it.

Stuck in a rut... but still excited!

So, I'm really excited about this RT! It's only my 2nd one to participate in, but last year's I thought went really well! My friend and I did RT together on a whim, and this year we are doing it again and dragging our band with us! I don't think we'll hit the 30 minute mark, but it will be more than the 1 song we did last year! I'm working on the album artwork, and have been having a hard time getting the creative juices flowing... I'm much better at writing lyrics!

Speaking of lyrics, I'm really excited! I've written lyrics to three songs, and so far, I've hated the lyrics, until I give them to Jason, my partner in crime, and he works out some brilliant guitar/bass parts, and sometimes even drums too! And usually, he does the vocals as well, but with one of the songs I actually did some of the vocals! (I'm not a musician, so this is a big deal to me!)

I was going to try to do a non-musical side project this time too, but the way things are turning out, I'm not sure that's going to happen... sad day... but the week isn't over yet, so we'll see. I'm excited to see what everyone is doing too! This is going to be great!

yowzaaa!

So it's thursday morning, I'm uploading my vlog from...tuesday.. and have one from yesterday I'll upload after work. I have four songs down with a good solid start, all with at least the vocals in the chorus and two that are almost completely done... it's weird cuz I usually just like, don't take the time to edit more than I need to, but I'm actually applying myself and my skillz this time. Who woulda thought that'd lead to better sounds? haha.

enjoy my weirdness::


wednesdays vlog:::

to all you crazy RT folk who be stressin

CHILL OUT.
I love everyone's drive, motivation, pushing themselves and whatnot... but seriously, its just for fun!

what i have so far

i have attempted several times to create some sort of psy-trance-ish/dance type music to no avail. here is what i am working with: GARAGE BAND. i freakin hate garage band. its stupidly hard to use. adobe audition was easier, shit. anyway. i just randomly created a song just now, in about an hour, laying down a bunch of sweet loops that i felt went well together. i've finally created my sort of psy-trance-dance song! i also wrote some sort of lyrics/poem as i sat in the train station today. i don't think i'm going to turn it into a song. i'll probably just record it as spoken word, with maybe some ambient stuff in the background.


oh, and since i saw people discussing their techniques and crap...
the way i do record time is basically the way a little kid does anything: when i feel inspired or bored, i'll start to create something. i have no direction whatsoever. its fun :)

Yipes indeed

Wow, man, I know exactly what Barney and Sebastian were talking about on one of the posts below. This thing has gotten intense...I'm really worried about the songs now, and I'm in a weird mood. So far I've got a song about dying, and a song about robbing a bank (neither of which I have much experience with, thankfully).

I really hope I can finish lyrics for all of these songs in time. I really hope they all turn out well in general, but at this point I'm not so optimistic. I say that about every song before it's finished though...guess I just have to wait. Argh...this is easily the toughest RT ever, and I'm not sure what's different about it.

Anyways, here's a picture, since I'm slacking in the multimedia blog department, unlike some of you. It was taken in the dark with my cell phone, so relax.

Well, I've finished one song, one in the oven, two in the works, and my album artwork complete. I guess I'm doing alright, but I've felt pretty uncreative the last 24 hours. I need to break out of this funk soon...it's already WEDNESDAY! Hopefully I can get myself into a better groove.

On the contrary, I think the material and quality of my performances has increased this time around. I actually feel like my songwriting is improving, and the little things I have done have fallen into place nicely. Now if I can just bust out some motivation.......

I'm super excited at everyone's contributions thus far...and I'm looking forward to Ms. Hill's work. You'd better not let us down.... hahahahaha. kidding...but it's sounding great so far.

Time I added to this blog

Hi all, thought it was time to contribute here. I was tempted to do a vlog but I could do with putting on some eyeliner or something before I'm prepared to speak to camera so we'll have to settle with a picture of Barney in our 'studio', also known as the 'corner of our living room' and 'office'. I'm having a pretty easy ride on this record time v bandwagon as frankly Barney's doing 99% the work. I just get to listen to what he does and go 'yep' or 'meh' and then think about some lame lyrics to write. We've got several bits of songs going on, I've written and recorded lyrics to one, which after spending a free morning re-recording, discovered that the more impromptu recording I'd done the night before was much better, so I think a policy of laying it down and moving on might be the way to go. Having said that I'm really enjoying the endless plugins that Barney's sorted for Logic, it's much to easy spending a lot of time with these so I see what Dan means about having templates sorted in advance. Next time.

We've been talking about recording an album for months and have done literally nothing towards it until DW's 1 week challenge came up, so for that I'm really grateful and am now feeling pretty confident that we'll have something approximating an album's worth by the end of the week. Or at least a couple of vaguely decent tracks. Whatever happens it's all good.

We've got some the Cambridge chapter of the Intercontinental Music Lab coming round for a drink and chit chat on Friday so we have to think of a good way of getting them all involved in this, maybe something with a big chorus they can all join in on.

yipes

Well, I wrote three more songs today. I feel like forcing myself to write all these songs is making me think about things I really don't want to think about. It's pretty damn depressing. Not sure if I'm cut out for this. I might just record all I can tomorrow and throw in the towel. We shall see.

30+

Day 2 was a smashing success (I'm really considering it Day 3, as I spent so much time on Sunday night). All guitar, drums, and bass for my album are finished. I really make an effort the first few days to get all of the songs mapped out, so I can have as much time as possible for keyboards and vocals, which make up 90% of my sound (at least in terms of track count). So no more writing for me, but a heck of a lot more recording ahead.

It's gonna be 8 tracks, almost exactly 30 minutes, not including a special bonus track I'm working on. I still have no clue what these songs are about. I actually feel like I'm behind schedule, since I have to write lyrics for 8 whole songs...my last 3 albums have been 5 songs or less (long songs, but still). Fortunately my recent move to LA has left me with plenty to complain about.

The first few days are always pretty scary for me. Every time I make a record, I'm convinced it'll be the worst record ever made...I generally hate every song up until the very last part is added, at which point I think "Hey, this is just how I imagined it." I think this little lesson in self-trust is worth the trouble by itself. I think these songs will turn out just fine.

So anyways, my record begins with a fugal exposition and ends with a special surprise.

*Witty Title*

Hello,
I suppose this is the end of day 2. I've finished all instruments on track 1 except shaker and I need to add vocals. I started track 2 also, which has drums and bass (sansamp drive). The textures have turned out to be quite nice. Some interesting things happened in the first track with my super octave and a nice deep bass drum, among other things...I don't want to reveal too much. I'm just flat-out excited that this is actually coming together. Having dedicated time each day, instead of feeling like I'm just squeezing it in, really helps...

Resignation....ugh...

I already have to resign from this project....my one day of work was going really well but I realized I am going to be out of town and without a computer from Wednesday to Saturday, roughing it in the woods.

Alas, my first record time ends in defeat because of bad scheduling. Hopefully next time I will contribute because so far I have just been a listener. Good luck to all of you!

Nathan

blog numero uno.

Hey. So I'm new this year and invited myself into the project because I wanted a new challenge. I just graduated from MIAD with a fine art degree and have felt the need to get deeper into my music since then. I've recorded alotta stuff just for fun for a while...here's my myspace: www.myspace.com/colorisgrey & I'm super excited to be a part of this project and push for the "next level" with my tunage.
My tools are:
my macbook pro
-garageband & logic
yamaha keyboard
my voice
found objects

I made a vlog about my first day and my process. The night before I had already layed down some beats and synths. It's easier for me to just talk than to write about what I'm doing, so I'll be keeping up with this vlog for the rest of the week! P.S. I know I'm a dork :-P and notice how I almost forget what "PC"s are called.




-lex

Enharmonic

Hi!
I am new and I'm very excited to be a part of this. I've recently reconnected with my long lost cousin Ryder and we have a pretty intense connection, so we decided to use this opportunity to write and record an album together. This will be our first collaboration of any kind. We were going to start recording tonight but there was a mix-up and another band is rehearsing at the lockout where all my recording equipment lives, so I have to settle for blogging, although he and I have each written one song so far. After my music theory class this morning, I started thinking about God for whatever reason and sort of thought to myself how both the idea of God and the idea of No God, when executed well, have the same spiritual end...they are merely slightly different approaches to the same destination (the present moment), and this brought the word "enharmonic" into my head, which in music theory lingo means the same note or notes functioning in a different manner harmonically...which is to say B and Cb are enharmonic, as are I think a bVI6/5 chord and a German augmented 6 chord...the exact same chord but they resolve differently? Don't quote me on that. Anyway, you get the idea. I just wrote a song about how God vs. No God is like that. Well, it was trying to be about that, but then it just ended up being about how God doesn't have a cock and balls.

The brainstroming process....

I started brainstorming today and I think I am going for a 7 song concept album. I have no clue if there will be lyrics or if the music is going to do enough justice, but Ghandi's 7 blunders of the world should make for a decent concept album.

This is my first record time, and I am pumped!

Night 1, Day 1

Yikes. So much music already. I've got 5 songs "written," that is, mapped out in Pro Tools with basic guitar and drum tracks. I have a bit of a weird medieval sound on some of these songs, which I think I'm going to try and run with throughout the album.

I think I'm going to chicken out of my 40-minute goal...I decided these songs need to be as dense as possible, so I want as much time as I can get to layer keyboards like crazy. Same goes for vocals. So 30 minutes it is, but I think it'll be 7 songs instead of my usual 5.

The music is taking a very unexpected turn already...it's REALLY soft. I've got one heavy song and 4 songs with almost no distortion whatsoever. Along with the new tuning, this is a really weird sound for me. I'm even thinking of using my SM57 for vocals instead of my NT1-A, just to really freak myself out.

I also want to report that Record Time V is getting big. We've got 90 people on the Facebook event, and of that, I expected maybe 20 people to actually follow through. But I've already counted up the folks that I know will finish something, and it's easily much closer to 30...and that's only counting people I know or who have done it before. I've been getting e-mail after e-mail from strangers who want in, and seem pretty excited about it. And why shouldn't they be? It's exciting.

Also, I'd like to make everyone aware of a feature on this blog called "comments." It's pretty simple, really, you just click the button and offer your input on a particular post. Use this tool at your leisure!

feeling the beats

so i went to a psy-trance party this weekend, stayed in the woods in the middle of wisconsin.
beautiful time... don't worry, i mention this with a purpose. while on acid, and later ecstasy, i felt the music in a whole new way. i feel like the music i create this week will reflect that.
i am looking forward to this journey. :)

4 of everything on the floor

What has happened to my living room? It's suddenly awash with guitars and cables. I've instantly explored my usual avenues of inspiration (a glass or two of red wine, and some bottles of continental lager) and away we go. I've put some sequenced drums down, run off and bought some new patches for my bass pod, and boom boom boom, 5 minutes almost done. Whilst I update the blog, Layla is singing away to the computer putting her vocals down. I'm reaching the point of exhaustion where I think my best stuff will pop out so I'm hoping to start my 2nd track tonight before throwing in the towel. Quote of the day from Layla "How have you structured this song?" me "I haven't". I guess I never studied any kind of music theory. Apologies in advance.

Est. 12am

East coast = sweetest coast... early start baby! YAHOOO!! Here we go.

Movie Metal

Like every Record Time, I start to obsess a little in the days and weeks beforehand. I've been thinking a lot about what I could do, and the answer finally came to me. I think I'd like to do a pop-metal plus orchestra record, but more specifically a strange kind of rock piano concerto.

The whole rock band plus orchestra thing certainly isn't new, but most records of that kind are simply orchestral arrangements slapped on old, famous songs (Metallica's S&M for example). Writing new songs with the orchestra in the picture the whole time is much less common, but much more awesome (Joanna Newsom's "Ys" and Waltari's "Yeah! Yeah! Die! Die! Death Metal Symphony in Deep C).

So here's the idea.

[BEGIN NERD SECTION]

First of all, piano all the time. This is why I'm calling it a concerto. I want something I might one day be able to perform live, without having to switch instruments or tunings every song. These songs will be piano based, and hopefully show that I've been practicing!

I think I'll be creating/mixing this in 3 stages.

First, the band; that means drums, guitar, bass, piano. Mix that, bounce it.

Next, orchestra. I suppose I should clarify: I don't have a real orchestra. I do, however, have a lot of toys, and... well, you'll see. Mix the orchestra independently, bounce it.

Then, vocals. The great part about this 3-stage process is that I'm allowed even MORE vocal tracks...most of my older songs are around 40 tracks, 7 of which are typically vocals. At that point, my computer often attempts self-immolation. Doing submixes for the band and the orchestra means I could easily have 30 vocal tracks on every song. If you've listened to any of my music, you know that this is a dangerous opportunity for me.

[END NERD SECTION]

Anyways, I'm also considering doing a "making of" video...I try this every time but keep forgetting to actually shoot any video. I thought it might be kind of fun to do a more instructional type thing, maybe a "how to make an album in a week" thing for Youtube. I'd like to think I have some good advice.

Speaking of advice: TEMPLATES, people! I've been using Pro Tools for about 5 years, and approximately 3 of those years were spent performing basic tasks that templates would have eliminated. So figure it out!

What am I getting myself into?

Look ma! I'm blogging!

Thanks to Dan I now know how to blog. Now to write a 90 page screenplay in a week...

New Leaf...Album Leaf?

Hey everyone. This will be my third record time where I actually contribute something, whether large or small. In past experiences (not necessarily of the song-writing nature) I've found that when I dive right into the cold plunge I usually end up getting out as fast as I got in. My new policy is something I've dubbed "baby steps"(though I feel like this concept has been used somewhere before...). This year I won't be doing 30 minutes, but I'm shooting for a 3-track EP of sorts and I'm flying solo. A lot of new things have been happening in life this year and I'm hoping to reflect on some of them through the music that comes out. Can a lowly bass player actually write complete songs that are worth listening to? We'll see.
In terms of preparation, it seems from reading this blog that I'm allowed to do more than I thought. I'm working on some song titles and maybe even some artwork in advance. The biggest challenge for me is going to be perseverance and actually finishing what I start. I'm also working on getting homework and projects out of the way so I can focus on this record.
In terms of influences to expect, this may actually end up being mostly instrumental. As the title of my post suggests, I've been listening to quite a bit of album leaf-ish stuff. The new Muse record, Phoenix, We Are Scientists, Mike Weber, and Dan Waldkirch may also come through. Sounds like it could turn out to be cold grits with bloated raisins, but I'm staying optimistic (steamy oatmeal with brown sugar and bananas). More on this starting next week...

holy eff.. so much excitement...

So, I think I may try to work on two projects (if my head doesn't explode). I may end up just focusing on one of them... Of course, I usually just do a solo album which I dub the Bitchin' Series, all of which is done by myself with whatever I can find laying around my apartment. But this time, I think I may try to collaborate with my friend Spencer who is in Chicago...and try do so something a little more conceptual. If I can also work on some Bitchin' stuff, I will do so...maybe pump out a couple short tunes, just for my own satisfaction...

What is cool is that I may actually have space to record some real lo-fi drums. As a drummer, I have never recorded drums on any RT composition...mainly just guitar and some kind of vocals. I primarily use my macbook for recording, which sounds pretty lame...but I don't care. I still like the way all the sounds in my recordings compliment each other. I like to think that it is an artform to use some of the lo-fi equipment, and as long as I'm remotely satisfied with the end result, who else cares that much?

I dunno, I do hope that I have enough time to make another Bitchin' record...as I selected a name for it already...and have a possible album art idea. I think that the artwork and the title of my work is just as entertaining to look at as listening to the recorded songs themselves, it's part of that Bitchin' charm.

Equipment list:

MacBook

Newcastle Brown Ale

Preparation

I've been making some small preparations for RT5, and setting a few goals.

First of all, I'm aiming for 40 minutes this time. 30 minutes is a real barrier (my last three albums were all around 29:30, and I couldn't even bring myself to add 30 seconds of silence to the end of each) but this time I really want to make something that feels substantial and complete.

For the first time in about 4 years, I'm switching tunings. My beloved Open C has been replaced by Drop D, the choice tuning of countless bands I'd rather not be caught listening to. I'm doing this for a few reasons. First off, this isn't going to be a metal record, so I don't particularly feel the need for that snarly low C. The bass will come through much better as well...still haven't found a 4-string that can handle the open tuning with much grace. Finally, I think this is going to be a piano-based record, and even though I've been playing in C for years, I still don't know where the notes or scales are, so this should be a bit faster.

Bought myself some new strings, but I think I'll wait till Saturday to put them on, for maximum freshness. I also have to build a new Battery 3 drumkit, and probably a new guitar tone for my POD XT, so the album will have a nice unique sound. I'm also going to throw most of my drum compression out for this one...I think I'm finally over the macho crap that says every drum hit should be a sledgehammer to the face.

As for the music, I have no idea what will come out, but I think I'd like this to be a serious, gimmick-free record...something really pretty and without too much sarcasm. Lots of piano, and lots of interesting chords...those 4 years of theory are finally starting to click, after doing lots of film scoring and instrumental music. And I think the "colors" of this album are green and blue.

I think I'm actually going to paint the artwork by hand this week, and use it for inspiration next week. I've only recently gotten into painting...now I see what all the fuss is about.

Seriously though, we might have a LOT of people on this one. Of the 81 in the Facebook group, I was originally expecting around 20 to actually do something, but I keep getting messages from people who are really serious about it, and aiming REALLY high. I hope I can keep up!

Warm up exercises

How do you prepare for something like Record Time? What's acceptable pre, the starting pistol being fired? The way I figure it, next week is going to be filled with late nights, and bust lunch breaks at work as I feverishly pull together whatever I can. Luckily my partner in crime is also writing half of everything so that takes some of the pressure off but still. Anyway, I've resorted to taking my bass guitar into a shop to get the intonation sorted out, don't want all that speed composition sounding too shonky. I've also chosen the drum sounds we're going to use, dry, vintage, dirty. And then, by way of creating hopefully some catalysts, me and Layla (the partner in crime) have listed a whole bunch of song titles which will hopefully inspire some instant silliness.

Not wishing to over-sell what's possible, but we're going to aim for a sort of Luke Vibert (Wagon Christ) vibe i.e. Aphex Twin-lite, perhaps crossed with a bit of folk whimsy. We're both really looking forward to it. Not sure duration wise what we're going to end up with, but we're certainly not going to be looking at the clock.

And to be a geek (which I am day in day out) here's our kit list (come on guys, let's start off a trend):

iMac

Logic Pro

Reason 3

Pod UX2

Focusrite channel strip

Some midi keyboards with knobs

Some sort of microphone

A rack of washing which acts as a beautiful sound deadening device

Wine, I suspect, quite a bit of wine, and maybe some dirty, brown, British real ale

Good luck everyone, I'll be logging back in here once we've achieved maximum velocity.

Gettin' Started

Once again, I'm sort of cheating by starting this week on my artwork. My first artwork idea was to decorate a cake and take a pic for the cover. Another cool idea I had was to draw/paint a picture and then take a pic of it. Of course, I switched my topic and now all those ideas don't work.

If you would like me to design artwork to go along with your album, send me an email at "vrmeldrum at gmail dot com". I basically need the name of the album, your artist name, and a rough idea of what style or imagery you want.

Fun fact: Most album artwork is close to square (about 4.75 in wide x 4.65 in high -or- 345 px x 335 px). If you were getting CDs professionally made, you'd want everything to be 300 dpi, but for this online project, 72 dpi is fine.