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feb 2004 'welcome to hollywood' update IMPATIENCE, FRUSTRATION, HELPLESSNESS, SURRENDER, ACCEPTANCE, SATISFACTION, FONDNESS AND FAREWELL January 6, 2004 Concerning my album, Elliot argued, everything had been recorded and mixed in one studio (for the most part) digitally. In this era, he doesn't see hiring a mastering engineer as necessary (he's probably used to super-capable Jan Hammer doing all the steps himself). And although I am going along with this procedure because the record label requested it, I might have to agree with Elliot. Having finished the album over a month earlier, I was beginning to accept that both the mastering process and the holiday break were slowing this project down. I called Plinky. Knowing I was opening a can of worms, I confessed there were other possible changes I could imagine making on some of the album's tracks. And since the Mastering Engineer in Sweden was taking so much time finishing and since the record label had become missing-in-action recently, I thought 'why not take a little more time making more adjustments?' You can go over things forever. You can always make little adjustments. Sometimes it's a good thing, sometimes not. January 7, 2004 But there were also the CD "extras" to deal with. After Dragan completes the mastering and we all agree on the final version of the mastered audio, we'll then add the additional CD-ROM material to the Master Disc. I'll either have Dragan mail me a "NON-CLOSED" version of the master (so I can have my own engineer add the additional CD-ROM material to the disc and 'close' it) or I'll send Dragan the extra data and have HIM be the one to 'close' the disc. At that point the Master CD - the one which will be duplicated for mass manufacturing - will be finished and ready for the pressing plant. And there was the issue of the DVD. As I expected, many of the video directors understandably needed as much time as possible to finish their work. Editing video is work intensive, and seeing as how busy most of these directors were with larger budgeted projects, they needed to fit the editing in between other work. So they were asking me when the last possible moment was to hand in their video. Judging from the recent slow down on the audio mastering, I assumed the DVD would be subject to the same lagging timetable. Among the many questions I was shooting at the label, I asked if there were a deadline for delivering the videos. Magnus responded saying he'd like to have the material by end of the January. I told him I could have it together by then - but there were more technical questions. Should I send a completed, compiled, mastered, "Authored" DVD or all the different videos on, let's say, a few miniDV tapes? If they wanted it all compiled in one I'd need to have the Directors finish earlier so I could transfer the pieces together in a video session. And then there was the issue of the differing Euro versus US DVD formats. It was brought to my attention that when a DVD is "multi-region" and encoded in NTSC format many, if not most European PAL, overseas computer DVD players and modern televisions in Europe will play NTSC format. However, this puts the risk of it NOT working on European systems. It doesn't seem correct to release a DVD in Europe that MAY NOT play in all Euro DVD players for the sake of Americans who'll import the product. The album's cover designer Johan Lindberg and I agreed on using a few photographs I had found. I was sent Johan's first mock up months ago. It was a very promising start. The font wasn't right, though. Throughout the Month of January, Johan kept sending me updated mock-ups via E-mail. Improving at every step. The cover is really coming together. The font still isn't quite right, though… We never got around to making more changes to the music in January, as Plink and I were both so busy with our schedules AND due to the stop again/start again action of my associates in Sweden. By the end of the month there was next to no change in the Mastering situation. It took over a week for the journey of the disc from Sweden into my CD player. And when it arrived, it only had the album's first three tracks. The engineer wanted to make sure we were in agreement on a starting point, sonically speaking. I honestly need to mostly defer to Plinky on this, and we're presently going over the disc. Hence, my friends, your continued patience is asked even more so. I'd like to think this album will be available in Europe in March…and in the States by April. But I can't really say. I wonder if Rufus Wainwright goes through this kinda prolonged torture? Completed videos were coming in from a number of directors. So far, as I write this, I have copies of completed videos for ANOTHER, SUPER BOY, HEART IN 3, ROSES and THE MUSE. Hopefully, the others still in production, KISS YOUR ASS GOODBYE, BAM, CRY, ALL THAT'S YET TO COME and INTERMISSION, will be ready in time for when they're needed. The video artists have all done wonderful work. But I want you to know it's not like I look fabulous in them…in fact, it was AFTER all the shooting I took to a diet…to lose the extras pounds I'd been gaining since leaving Styx. So sadly, every time I watch myself in these videos, I appear fat and old. Maybe video wasn't such a good idea after all? In any case, my friends, my work is pretty much completed here. I've made my album. It's done. And so are these updates. For now. Perhaps there'll be more notes concerning other projects, gigs, touring…housework. However, it could get banal. For instance, the other night I went to the Middle School to see my daughter's Winter Choir Concert, I've been engulfed in reading THE DaVINCI CODE, on Tuesdays I see my shrink, and I attend a local predominantly black Pentecostal church on Sundays. I'm not sure all that is very Public-Journal (Blog) worthy. Besides, I really have much to prepare for in 2004. There are shows coming up, a new band to rehearse, I'm writing a new batch of songs (some for others, some for myself), and I'm even making plans for another solo album… And so I bid you, dear reader, adieu. I truly hope you get to hear this music and enjoy it. Thanks for being so doggone intrigued in all the long-winded details of the gut-churning making of my perspired-over new album. I feel real good about this album, heavier than my last few discs and sonically better. The material touches on some serious topics, and will include (hopefully) a fun version of the title song which includes sound bytes from friends like you. I am definitely happy. I love music as much as I did when I was a little boy, and I am grateful to have a chance to make my own music. And I so much appreciate your attention. It is greatly encouraging and therapeutic for my heart. God bless you guys. I leave you with lyrics from WELCOME TO HOLLYWOOD's closing song. Follow the Muse to the end of your days Glen Burtnik
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