iridaes

 Dear All,

 I've already said it on Twitter, but I think it's nice to say it here as well, and heck, January isn't over anyway, so... Happy New Year to all !  Best wishes for 2015, may it be most fulfilling.

 Speaking of Twitter, it has indeed been my main means of communication these past few months. And I have to say, it has the advantage of being quick and concise. Still, writing a nice long article also has its advantages, such as being more detailed and personal. Something I much prefer, although it does require a little more time in order to be done properly. But it has been a while since my last article. I therefore figured it was about time that I took the time. Hence, this new in-depth update of my activities.

 I recently mentioned the remastering of the first album was coming to an end, and I can now confirm it is indeed finally over.

 So what was up with that “remastering” business, anyway ?

 Well, to sum it up, back in October 2014, I purchased a new editing program. It is initially designed for video, but it also includes a very elaborate audio section. And once I started messing with it, I knew I just had to give it a go with the “Invitation” album.

 And sure enough, every single one of the tracks wound up sounding much better. Deeper, clearer, more spacious and precise… Exactly what my music needed.

 Now one might think the use of software would have sped things up considerably, but remastering can be a time-consuming process, especially for an entire album. Everything has to sound homogenous, the overall volume well balanced, and you also want to make sure it will sound good anywhere, not just through studio-grade headphones or monitors. And in my case, this meant burning various CDs to test different versions of a same track, on any kind of audio equipment I had at my disposal. Then, I would go back and make minor adjustments… and then burn more CDs to test the results… etc… etc… etc…

 I tell you, it was quite a relief to finally see the selection diminish. Until at last, I was left with only the best possible sounding version of each track.

 All this perfectionism did, however, lead me to postpone the deadline I had initially set. Sorry for prolonging the wait but, as you can imagine, it was definitely for the better.  ( click here to hear)

 So where to from here ?

 Why… to you of course !

 Yes, this is it, “Invitation” is finally going to be released. I’m still mulling over a few last details, but at some point, I’m just going to have to make my choices and stick with them.

 As usual, amidst all of this, I have also been rehearsing, designing more promotional material, and working on new musical ideas. The recording of my second album has inevitably been delayed by the remastering of the first, but I still managed to get some of the artwork done, and now that “Invitation” is finally finished, I will be able to focus more intently on shaping its successor.

 More information will be coming soon. Very soon.

 Again, many thanks to those who visit, support and subscribe.

 Best regards.

 Iridaes

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