Im trying to start a Japan-esque band

[japanfan]

Im looking for a:
Lead guitarist
Bass guitarist
Keyboard Player
Vocalist

The Music would be Japan influenced however not Japan covers, song writing would have to occur. If you look like/dress like any of the members then that would be a bonus. However you would have to be able to play at a decent level. The band would be based in Scotland around the Glasgow area. If anybody reading this is intrested PM me.

If anybody knows a site i could find Japan/New wave influenced musicians who are UK based please let me know.

Thanks

[Silver Moon]

I, and another person on this board are interested in creating a Japan-like band... However, we are both on opposite sides of the country, and well, you're in a completely different country!! Sounds like a great idea, though...

-K-

[lastgoldstar]

If I weren't in a different country, I'd offer you my clarinet skills and my mediocre keyboard skills.

[japanfan]

Im sure there is some recording software out there which would allow us to record our individual pieces of music onto computer. Then someone with some decent music editing software could put the pieces together. Still missing lead and Vocals though.

[krausy]

Im sure there is some recording software out there which would allow us to record our individual pieces of music onto computer. Then someone with some decent music editing software could put the pieces together. Still missing lead and Vocals though.

Actually, that is exactly what David has done before, as I understand. soooo, not entirely out of the question........................now you just have to find someone that has the goods and know-how to do it.

[Smalldot]

Thanks to the wonders of that new-fangled device called the intrawebs, collaboration between states/continents/etc. is easier.

Keep in mind though, that EVERYONE in the project needs to have the same software for composition and if any one members buys a sound pack/refill/extension pack/whatever, the rest of the band must buy it to maintain consistancy. It can end up being costly, espeically if your budget is anythign like mine.

I suggest starting out with the cheap route, Logic Express(roughly $250-$299) will give you enough to get started. Logic, however, is owned by Apple and thus only runs on macs.

For PC's, there's Cakwalk(now called SONAR I think). With the PC, there are TONS of soft-synth plug-ins and VST effects, a lot of them free as well. But again, you get what you pay for.

For recording of actuall real instruments, the people playing said instruments will have to invest in an audio box for the computer. There's tons of stuff out there but I'm partial to my mac since it uses Firewire, something that PC has decided to shun.

Again, make sure everyone in the project is keeping up to date and has the EXACT same software. Otherwise, big discrepancies can occur. And that is my $0.25.

[japanfan]

I have Sonar and the best sound card money can buy. Im sure John Trevethan would know how to go about this.

[John Trevethan]

Very interesting ideas here!

Of course there are many different approaches that work for remote collaboration, some would not require everyone having the same software. For example, if working with midi files all that is needed is for everyone's software to be able to import and export midi files which are small and can easily be sent via email or uploaded to the web. That said, midi files are limited - no real audio tracks such as vocals, etc. However it might be a good way to get started and lay the groundwork for a song. During the early phases of writing there are usually plenty of changes to the arrangement, structure, choice of sounds etc. Midi files would offer a quick and simple solution under these conditions.

Even when moving into the realm of actual audio recording it would not be absolutely necessary for all collaborators to use the same software. As long as the audio tracks are always referenced from the same location (i.e. bar 1, beat 1 of the song) then they should be able to be brought into a variety of programs. I have done this many times when importing client's material into my own system (Logic Audio running on ProTools hardware). I don't even bother with fooling around importing a session, I just ask to have all audio tracks begin at the same predefined point. Then I simply load them into my system. It's a little more time (and space) consuming but the method is fairly foolproof. I've done this with tracks coming from ProTools, Roland VS machines (just export the WAV files), Nuendo, etc. This method is a bit cumbersome when you have an instrument that doesn't play until the end of a song. In order to export it correctly you will need to bounce the track from the very beginning of the song. However the absolute compatibility with just about any audio software makes it worth it.

Also, when working with audio tracks space and time can be saved by encoding them to MP3 format. They can then be more easily posted to a web space where collaborators can download them. After downloading they could then be extracted out to a WAV, SDII, AIFF or whatever file type is needed. The name of the game at this point is collaboration, not maximum sonic quality. After everyone is satisfied with the parts then each of the collaborators can make full-fidelity copies to CD-ROM of their respective tracks and mail them to the others so that all involved have the finished product.

Or, each collaborator could send their finished tracks to a single person to mix and master, then that person would send the finished stereo mixes to the collaborators. Personally I would be willing to donate my time to this function if the collaborators would like. I would only ask that they give me a little time to squeeze the project into my schedule between my regular clients.

These are just a couple of ideas that would get the job done. I've tried to present methods that would not require purchasing or learning new software. They are generic enough that most everyone could collaborate and not have to spend money or modify their usual way of working. There would be extra steps and additional time required to carry out the tasks, but that's the nature of working long distance with several people in any scenario.

[S4pB]

Wah! I'm tryin' too! But am the only one member, and the rarest among Sylvian and company appreciators! and in Russia...
You know.. Gerry Laffy, Girl's guitarist still loves early Japan.. He's very very nice:)

[Cheery Cherry]

Ummm...okay..I don't have any musical talents but I can be a Japan-like groupie!!!

[japanfan]

The thing thats confusing me is how i get a good quality sound from my drum kit to my computer.

[New Romantik]

If you guys go through with this, I would KILL to hear it! Man, this has so much potential for uniqueness...you just need that Mick Karn-esque bass and some kickass crooning vocals and BAM!

I'd do it!