El Borrachito

On March 8 my friend and frequent employer, composer Charles Sydnor and I arrived at East West Studio One to record his new orchestral piece, Aeschylus. The orchestra was 51 musicians from the elite group of full-time Los Angeles session players. The opportunity to record a group of first-class musicians this large was a rare treat indeed. Even better, the session was held in one of the most famous studios ever built.

The piece is a 10-minute tone poem based on the writings of Aeschylus. ...

Here's the finished mix of Aeschylus - by Charles Sydnor:

...

Other than being in a recording studio, records and film/TV sessions could not be more different. The main reason is time. On a record, the artist may spend months recording a forty-minute album. On a TV date there is a mad rush to get ten or fifteen minutes worth of music recorded in only three hours. Any overtime is extremely expensive and usually comes directly out of the composer’s fee. If you ever want some bad vibes, make eye contact with the composer at 3:01 when there is still a room full ...

Here's a minute-by-minute account of my day.
I'll post a more technical account with audio after we mix.


6:45 Wake up
7:00 Really wake up. Lingering cold still there.
7:15 Shower, gargle salt water, flush out sinuses, hope head stays clear until 1PM.
7:25 Lite breakfast
7:45 Dayquil
7:50 Sneak out before my kid wakes up.
7:55 15 minute drive to studio
8:30 Arrive at studio. (Glad I left early.)
8:35 Someone finally ...