WorshipCentral

A really exciting second day as we push through two brand new songs and an epic reworking of 'How Long?'

Paul 'Blue Steel' Evans

We started in the morning looking at a song called ‘How Long?’ This is the only track on the album that’s been recorded before, so we really wanted to bring something a little different. The process started with Trev playing a couple of reference tracks that have a similar feel so we could think about parts and dynamic. We spent ages in the control room talking through the arrangement, before the guys went into the room. We’re recording in Studio 1, which is an awesome room with loads of space. Paul’s drums are all set up in the middle, and Alex and Mark sit behind little screens with everything pumping into their ears. Then the guitar amps are tucked away in a little room right at the back, where they can play really loud. I do a rough acoustic and vocal from inside the control room with Trev, and can hear the rough mix through the studio speakers as the song progresses.

Prentice getting carried away

We start working through the arrangement, with the band trying different stuff out. We do a couple of takes, but the feel’s not quite there. We then rework a couple of the sections, work on the feel and it starts to come together. This track is all about layers, so to start with it feels lacking the magic, but by lunch time Alex is layering the guitars and the sound starts to blossom to something really huge, which is what the song is meant to be. It’s an amazing thing hearing the sound that starts in your head hit the studio and come alive, very exciting.

We grab a sandwich for lunch then start working on a new song, ‘Morning Star’ which I’ve just finished writing with Tim. I’m really excited about hearing the song for the first time with the whole band. As it’s brand new we spend ages working on the arrangement. We get something down, but after a few takes it doesn’t feel quite right, so we cut out a few sections to make it feel more punchy. After about four hours the structure begins to settle, but it’s worth the hard work and I’m really excited with the result. The verses build into massive explosive choruses, with this massive, epic guitar riff.

The view from my mic

It’s amazing working with the musicians on the team: there’s a really high standard to everything, and loads of spot on creative ideas. It’s such a thrill seeing the songs come alive. We’re hoping to get some food in a moment then come back and go for a third track tonight. It might be quite a late one, but it will be amazing to have Friday to do two tracks and then Saturday for going back and adding a few touches to all seven songs.

I’ll try and get Alex to blog about his gear tomorrow.

Alex & Trev fixing guitar effects