Song Experiment: How We're Turning a Flawed Recording Into Our Next Song
We're still deep into our experimental song project, building a song from an old live-stream songwriting session we did. What started as a flawed recording, which gave it that gritty, vintage reel-to-reel tape feel, has evolved into something we’re excited about.
We’ve been layering new sounds on top of that original audio using Ardour, an open-source DAW that we use for all our recordings. In fact, everything we do as a band—whether it’s writing or recording—happens with open-source tools. That includes Ubuntu Studio, the operating system we’ve relied on for years. It’s something we’re passionate about, and it shapes how we create.
Adding Vocals
For this stage of the process, I recorded vocals over the bass and guitar tracks we laid down last time. Like always, we backed up the DAW session using GitHub, starting a new branch to ensure all our changes were saved without affecting the main version of the song. That’s part of our collaboration process: using GitHub to share, track, and manage our DAW files—a method that’s a bit unconventional but works perfectly for us.
To match the old reel-to-reel vibe, I recorded my vocals using a vintage bullet mic, which added just the right amount of grit and warmth.
Creating a Tape Warble Effect
Then came the fun part—experimenting with effects. Ubuntu Studio comes loaded with all kinds of tools, and I added a tape warble effect to give the middle section that imperfect, warbling sound you’d get from a worn-out tape. I manually created that effect with a "Rubber band shifter", drawing an envelope across every track to simulate an old tape "warbling."
Backing Vocals
For the song’s ending, I went for something eerie—I recorded a second vocal part where I stood further from the mic, doubling the line by yelling it louder and higher. That extra layer gives the song a haunting reprise to close things out.
Ready to Release
Now, the song is complete. We’re calling it Melancholy Friction, and it’s going live soon on all streaming platforms and our website. Keep an eye out for it!
I’m thinking about doing more behind-the-scenes videos, where I share how we write, record, and collaborate using open-source tools like Ardour and GitHub. If that’s something you’d like to see more of, let me know!
And if you want to follow the band and learn more about our process, sign up for our email list to stay in the loop.
