Composing the Harpsichord Concerto
Enjoy a composer / painter studio visit while I share the inspiration, challenges, and discoveries in writing a harpsichord concerto.
A Quiet Room with a Large Window
To be perfectly honest, following many of you ultra successful artsy people on social media has been difficult recently. Your premieres, international travel, awards, commissions, exhibits, and accolades–you are in … Continue reading
Fidgeting in the Sacred Space
Where have you done it? So far I have done it on the kitchen counter, in the bathtub, in the basement, in the bedroom, in the bathroom, the living room, … Continue reading
Recording Studio Fashion
More studio fashion and drama. Clothing should always match the hardware. April 9 – Only 7 days left to the release of the Endless Immersion Album. http://www.dosiamckay.com/endlessimmersion.shtml
Testing the Quadraphonic Setup
A pair of new JBL studio monitors aka high fidelity speakers to complete the quadraphonic setup for the Endless Immersion installation. I tested them yesterday with one stereo layer of … Continue reading
Black
Today my hair is nearly black. I am wearing black turtleneck and black pants. I carried my lunch in a black paper bag, forgetting that I already had another black … Continue reading
Being Uncreative
Today I was asked to please go to my studio and work. Apparently I am unbearable when I don’t create.
New Music, New Year, New Ideas
I am concocting something new. It’s too early to talk about it, even though I have been working on it for a couple of months, but I might be able … Continue reading
New Music and Graphics Hardware – A Tablet
A new baby, or rather big daddy – Wacom Intuos Pro tablet. I have had it for about three weeks and love it. I have been using it for music … Continue reading
Nuts and Bolts of TrancePhonica
Here are nuts and bolts of TrancePhonica during the mastering session with Julian Dreyer at the Echo Mountain Recording Studio in Asheille. Music composition, sequencing, mixing, and editing are very … Continue reading
TrancePhonica – Mastering Session
A mastering session for TrancePhonica with Julian Dreyer at Echo Mountain Recording Studio in Asheville. His first suggestion for the mix was to bring out more kick, and more kick … Continue reading
Working with the Cellist of NeoQuartet – Composer’s Perspective
It’s not a secret that cello is my most favorite of the string instruments, so I was looking forward to Krzysztof’s interpretations of my lyrical legato cello solos. But then … Continue reading
A Good Sound Engineer – Don’t Enter a Recording Studio Without One
As people continue to listen to “Glossolalia“, they send me comments about the composition, the incredible quality of performance by NeoQuartet, and the nuanced mix of the recording. I am … Continue reading
Glossolalia – Taking Big Risks, Reaping Large Musical Rewards
I met NeoQuartet for the first time during the first rehearsal, three days ahead of the recording session, with the studio and sound engineer fully booked. Were we crazy to … Continue reading
New Album Cover Design
I have completed the design of the cover for my new album and will be sharing it with you in a few days. To say that the concept is “out … Continue reading
Radio Gdańsk Studio – Album Recording Highlights
A nice note by Radio Gdańsk Studio about my recent album recording and collaboration with NeoQuartet. http://www.rgstudio.pl/newsy/1/65/dosia-mckay-w-studiu-radia-gdansk
Studio Music Producer
On this project I acted not only as a composer, but also as a producer. This holy book contained the schedule, all scores, parts, contracts, and detailed notes on all … Continue reading
Working with the Cellist of NeoQuartet – Composer’s Perspective
Composer’s perspective – working with the cellist of NeoQuartet, Krzysztof Pawłowski: It’s not a secret that cello is my most favorite of the string instruments, so I was looking forward … Continue reading
Recording at Radio Gdańsk Studio
I am incredibly fortunate to have worked with Jacek Puchalski on my album. Jacek has an extensive experience collaborating with local and international musicians, from classical world, through jazz, pop, … Continue reading
Recording Vibraphone in the Studio
Paweł Nowicki recording First In Flight for vibraphone and string quartet. We tried three different sets of sticks today, hard, soft, and medium, and ended up choosing the hard set. … Continue reading
Studio Recording in Gdańsk
With sound engineer Jacek Puchalski at Radio Gdańsk Studio, recording the string album with NeoQuartet. The studio runs on ProTools – one of the reasons I wanted to work with … Continue reading
Score Study for Upcoming Studio Recording
Can you guess what’s next for me? I have to study my own music for the upcoming studio recording with NeoQuartet. In the folder containing all the scores and parts, … Continue reading
Composer’s Studio Ergonomics
I am a big proponent of ergonomics and proper posture. I always sit up straight and never cross my legs.
