What's In a Name?

What indeed...

Well, nothing...and everything. Once people get to know you and your work, the name just becomes a "handle" to carry you by, so to speak. But in my case, the handle didn't really fit the package (okay, bad metaphor!). You see, I settled on "Project Vector" as a name because, at the time, I still intended to get a full-time band together eventually. The name was intended to be suitable for a band.

In the nine months since I released Reality Show, however, I've come to realize that working solo suits me, especially after my last unsuccessful attempt at getting a collaboration going this past summer. I have kind of an offbeat musical personality, and I haven't had much luck finding people who are in sync with what I want to do. I don't know, maybe I'm just a control freak (grin), but I like being able to do exactly what I want to do when I'm writing and recording without having to take a vote and compromise on anything.

So, back to the name thing. I've been realizing since Reality Show's release that the "Project Vector" name has been confusing people. It sounds like a band name (which it was intended to), so everyone assumed that Project Vector was a band, not realizing I'm a solo artist. Then I have to explain: "My name is such-and-such and Project Vector is the name under which I release my music." It's an unnecessary extra layer of complication and an extra name for everyone to remember, and now that I've decided to just stay solo, it's something I don't want to deal with when I start playing live next year.

That's why I've opted to make the slight name shift. Now I can introduce myself at gigs or talk to contacts and just say, "I'm David Vector." Simple and direct - no confusion. The name is similar enough to my previous handle that I don't think listeners already familiar with me will be thrown too badly by the change.

The next album and any subsequent releases will bear the "David Vector" name. Reality Show will of course still say "Project Vector" on the packaging until the first pressing has sold out, and the next run will have modified graphics that say "David Vector" (so those who have copies from the first run will have a minor sort of collector's item, I guess!).

Okay, that's taken care of...now we can move on! Best wishes to all of you for a great holiday season if I don't talk to you again in the next few weeks. I hope you all have a wonderful time with your family and friends and keep plenty of TUMS and Prilosec OTC handy! ;-)

All my best,

David Vector

Hurry up and Wait...

I have a brief moment of quiet in the hurricane seems to be my life lately (if you saw the house at the moment, you'd see plenty of evidence of it!), so a quick update is in order.

The mastering went great this time. Bill Plummer from TinderArts did a fine job remastering the album and got the sound I was looking for...very pleasurable experience working with him. So, as long as there are no unforseen snags in the CD pressing and printing, the discs are estimated to be done by March 1st. It'll probably be about another week or so beyond that before they'll be available to order from CDBaby and other distributors. I'm looking forward to finally getting this album out. I've already been approached by a few radio programmers about sending a copy when it becomes available, so I'm really eager to see what everyone thinks of it.

Meanwhile, I'm already starting to think about some of the things I'd like to do on the next album. Man, it's too soon for that...this one's not even out yet!

Time to go get on the road and deal with some work-related matters...boy, that moment of quiet didn't last long.

Sometimes it Pays to Ask for Help...

Sitting here having a smoke (I know, I need to lay off those things) and contemplating how fast things can turn around...and then turn around again...and again (getting dizzy yet?).

STRESS:
The second reference CD mentioned in the last post showed up, and I was not pleased. The opening song, which I'd remixed in hopes of a better-sounding master, was now completely unusable. The more I listened to the ref CDs, the more I realized that the overall sound on everything was just not what I wanted. Everything was just too "hyped" sounding; my ears were feeling tired after listening to one or two songs. So, just to try and get an "echo" from someone else and confirm that things were indeed as dire as I thought, I posted "before" and "after" samples of a couple of songs on my webspace and posted a link to them in a forum for professional engineers and musicians. It was embarrassing to admit that I was lost and needed a hand, but it's better to swallow your pride and get straightened out than to keep stumbling around getting nowhere.

RELIEF:
The first poster seemed to like the mastering job. I began to think maybe I was being overly critical and that it didn't really sound so bad (I know, that sounds really flighty and erratic on my part, but that's how stressed out I was getting...I couldn't even tell what I was listening to anymore).

STRESS:
I checked back a while later and subsequent replies to my post were pointing out the same flaws that had been bugging me...the harsh, grating upper mid frequencies and cloudy bottom end. It wasn't just me - things were indeed not right.

RELIEF:
To my amazement, one of the respondents to my thread took it upon himself to do a quick impromptu remastering of one of my songs from one of the "before" files I'd posted and emailed it to me. It sounded great...natural, not overhyped, and more true to the sound I'd been going for when I was mixing. I emailed him back and asked if he did mastering work as a regular thing. I spoke to him on the phone today, we came to an agreement, and he'll be tackling the remastering of my album as soon as his schedule permits, hopefully within a couple of weeks (he's currently working on mixing the audio for a concert DVD). I feel reasonably confident that he'll do a good job for me, and I actually feel relaxed now for the first time in weeks.

Needless to say, the new CD will now probably not be out until early March, but it's worth it to wait a little longer and have an album I can be happy with.

So, on that note, I think I'll go have a cup of hot chocolate, plunk Dangerous Liaisons into the DVD player, and let the last of my tension flow out of me. Tune in next time when we'll be talking about the safest positions for avoiding back injury when having sex in the modern SUV.

Yes, I'm kidding. ;-)}

On the air...

"Hello out there in Reality TV land..."

Welcome to my new blog, which is going to be kind of a combination recording journal and general news forum for Project Vector and also a space for more general musings about life, music, pop culture, sexuality...and probably some other stuff. ;-)

As I sit here having my third cup of morning java, I'm not really relaxed; UPS will be delivering my second reference CD for the new album from the mastering facility today, and I'm just keeping my toes crossed that all will be well on this one (I'd cross my fingers, but it makes typing rather difficult). If I have to request more mastering changes, it'll hold things up even more, and the chances of getting it released this month will rapidly start to evaporate. But I'm being optimistic and hopefully we'll be good to go and can finally start getting those CDs pressed!

Meanwhile, I've been thinking lately about the state of music in general in 2005 and wondering where I'm going to fit into all of this and how Reality Show, the new album will be received. You know, you work so hard recording a CD and you do what you can to get the word out there, but it's not easy. People are bombarded by so much from the Internet and media anymore that they're in a state of information overload...managing to be heard at all in the midst of that cacophany is no small feat. It's hard for me sometimes, because I really just want to express myself in music, and so much of what's involved in releasing a CD has nothing to do with the creative process. But as P.T. Barnum once said, "without publicty, a terrible thing happens...nothing." So, we do what we have to do!

Well, I guess it's time to sign off for now, pull some clothes on, and go for a short walk to clear my head before I get down to the day's business. Not to mention take the puppy out before she does something uncool on the carpet(!). Take care, my friends - talk to you soon...