Randall Lee Volume 2 (A Traditional Christmas)

This is the ongoing story of how my second album came to be…and is coming along.

I wanted to record a Volume 2 to continue the saga of titling my albums by Volumes. As to what the content of what was to go on the album, I was undecided. I though of writing another batch of original songs but was undecided as to what genre to write. Since I didn’t want to force the writing of new material for the sake of embarking on a new recording project, I decided to record a Christmas album.

After researching Public Domain Christmas songs, and to my surprise, there were many familiar songs in that grouping. There were about 22 songs that I chose to set as a base in which to work from. I downloaded the music scores, lyrics, and other information to get the best rendition of the most traditional versions of each song.

The creation of an organized file system for the recording sessions was the next step. The first file for each of the songs contained was the working mix. This is where I put the links to my studio DAW for each corresponding session. The next folder was the STEM folder. This is a folder that contains WAV files of each track as well as re-mixes, instrumental, vocal, percussion, and alternative mixes. I also included the music scores in this folder. The STEM folder is mainly there for SYNC licensing for Film, TV and Commercials. Aside from releasing the songs for listening enjoyment, financial return is a possibility.

So, I started recording. The first thing I recorded was the Soprano, Alto, Tenor, and Baritone parts (SATB) on the piano. This is the guide to sing each part as close to traditional four-part harmony as possible.

The plan is to sing each voice, correct any timing or pitch problems, and mix the vocals to stand alone as vocal quartet. When that is completed the addition of instrumentation will be the next step based on the song and necessity of any additional instrumentation. As well as multiplying the voices to sound like a Choir.

So, until next time and further updates, be safe and love one another. 09/12/2021