tag:mazemile.com,2005:/blogs/metalshop-updates?p=2Metalshop Updates2020-11-10T18:44:29-05:00MazemileThis podcast is dedicated to music production, sound design, audio mixing and just simply news about the alternative metal band called Mazemile. Expect raw audio snippets, interviews, audio production masterclasses and more!News & WIP reports from alternative metal band MazemileMazemilefalseMazemilesocial@mazemile.comtag:mazemile.com,2005:Post/64745112020-11-10T18:44:29-05:002020-11-10T18:47:13-05:00Alternative Instrumental Version of Locked [VIDEO]<p>Hey folks,</p>
<p>Just dropped a brand new version of "Locked" that we thought it would be cool to make an instrumental out of. Added some piano and re-mixed the song from live studio takes. Turned out nice, check it out:</p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><iframe class="justify_inline" data-video-type="youtube" data-video-id="F-JkEyTEEME" data-video-thumb-url="https://img.youtube.com/vi/F-JkEyTEEME/mqdefault.jpg" type="text/html" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/F-JkEyTEEME?rel=0&wmode=transparent&enablejsapi=1" frameborder="0" height="338" width="600" allowfullscreen="true"></iframe></p>Mazemiletag:mazemile.com,2005:Post/64563482020-10-15T13:06:42-04:002020-10-15T13:08:03-04:00BIG NEWS! ONE - our new album - is finally out<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/251646/b65eb0a81570ffaf408835500cdf1467a3491418/original/03-maze-effects-bitmap.jpg/!!/undefined/b:W1sic2l6ZSIsImxhcmdlIl1d.jpg" class="size_l justify_center border_none" alt="" /></p>
<p>No, we're not even joking this time. After painstakingly long 3 years the new album is released and is up on all major streaming services for you to enjoy. So watcha waiting for?!</p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><span class="font_large"><a contents="GO GET IT!" data-link-label="One" data-link-type="page" href="/one" target="_blank">GO GET IT!</a></span></p>Mazemiletag:mazemile.com,2005:Post/57220762019-04-16T18:23:11-04:002019-04-16T18:24:00-04:00Homecoming - exclusive raw audio version<p>We're sorry about the scarce and rare updates as of recently. There're tons, literally - tons of work to do! This is just to give you an idea of what it is:</p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><iframe class="justify_inline" data-video-type="youtube" data-video-id="z3ZLR85jwmk" data-video-thumb-url="https://img.youtube.com/vi/z3ZLR85jwmk/mqdefault.jpg" type="text/html" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/z3ZLR85jwmk?rel=0&wmode=transparent&enablejsapi=1" frameborder="0" height="360" width="640" allowfullscreen="true"></iframe></p>
<p>Enjoy!</p>
<p> </p>
<p>E.</p>Mazemiletag:mazemile.com,2005:Post/55264062018-11-24T16:16:41-05:002019-12-15T12:35:48-05:00Imperfections EP - pre-release!<p>Hey friends,</p>
<p>Can't wait any longer, I must share this awesome stuff with you, right now! Go listen to the songs and grab them if you like 'em! </p>
<p>This is not an official release yet, as we agreed to wait until there're enough new tracks for a full-blown album, complete with artwork and other niceties. A lot of work still lies ahead of us and it's hard to give an estimate on when the album will be released. For now, you're welcome to enjoy the fresh tunes, leave your feedback and we'll be sure to take it into account when the mastering time comes.</p>
<p>Again, you can listen and download the tracks<strong> <a contents="here" data-link-label="Caught Up In Perfection EP" data-link-type="page" href="/caught-up-in-perfection-ep" target="_blank">here</a></strong>.</p>
<p>E.</p>Mazemiletag:mazemile.com,2005:Post/54041722018-08-28T03:25:49-04:002018-08-28T03:25:49-04:00WIP - Mixing <p>Hello friends,</p>
<p>Another quick post here just to prove we're not dead yet. :D</p>
<p>All instrumental and vocal parts are finally <strong>complete</strong> and <strong>recorded</strong> for the three songs we have been working on this year. Recorded and peacefully resting in the '!Active' folder on my hard drive (not to mention countless backup drives and folders):</p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/251646/925378b55b3bb706b50de374b6c175f8159757a9/original/daw.png/!!/b:W10=.png" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></p>
<p>- awaiting to be mixed and released (hopefully) by late September.</p>
<p>The track list for this 3-song EP is as follows:</p>
<p>1. Feels Like Nothing</p>
<p>2. Deliver (working title: "Follow Me")</p>
<p>3. Brandy (working title: "It Never Ends", "2044")</p>
<p> </p>
<p>In the meantime, we're stuck in the production of 4 other brand new tracks as I'm finishing lyrics and writing sketch vocals for the last two of them.</p>
<p>As of now - stay tuned, new music is coming your way!</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Peace to ya'll.</p>
<p>E.</p>Mazemiletag:mazemile.com,2005:Post/53010692018-06-17T16:30:15-04:002018-06-21T11:17:37-04:00Recording Drums - In-Studio Footage<p>Hi everybody,</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">We've compiled a short video about our latest drums recording session in the studio. It features one of the newer tracks, which will be coming out this summer as a part of a 3-song batch. The track has been around since the year 2015 under "Follow Me" codename and has seen a couple of thorough revisions since then, effectively making it a different song. You'll be able to hear chunks of the pre-pro demo in the vid, but make no mistake - you won't be getting that mediocre-sounding tune in the end. I can tell it's going to be much more than that by just how excited I'm starting to feel about the song as we are getting closer to the completion of the work. Mixing that stuff is just around the corner, so I'm looking forward to sharing this awesome music with ya'll pretty soon!</p>
<p><iframe class="justify_inline" data-video-type="youtube" data-video-id="UWzenIaCFMo" data-video-thumb-url="https://img.youtube.com/vi/UWzenIaCFMo/mqdefault.jpg" type="text/html" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/UWzenIaCFMo?rel=0&wmode=transparent&enablejsapi=1" frameborder="0" height="530" width="942" allowfullscreen="true"></iframe></p>
<p>P.S.: special thanks to Nik for making this video happen!</p>
<p>E.</p>Mazemiletag:mazemile.com,2005:Post/50101822018-03-11T17:05:00-04:002018-03-11T17:05:18-04:00PrePro for drums is complete<p>Hello everyone!</p>
<p>A quick update on what's going on with the band: we are at the closing stage of pre-production for the new tracks. The drum parts are complete and are being fine-tuned, and the studio time is already booked for the early February! Once the drums are recorded, we will jump right into tracking guitars & bass, followed closely by the vocals, which shouldn't take long since everything is pretty much ready. </p>
<p>There's no decision YET (ahh, the indie band life!) regarding the release of those tracks: once they are mixed or after another pack of 3 or 4 comes out, but I will definitely be posting some insider-grade stuff here (read as: 'some awesome music!') as soon as the first portion is complete!</p>
<p>I'm still working on the video blog idea, which has been facing some difficulties as of lately. I might as well put the realization of this idea off because honestly, there are so many other things that need to be done first!</p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/251646/23e23fe4829d8bbdc172f437ffc82017ab415eaa/large/image1.png" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><em><span class="font_regular">(Meet our new drummer - Nik!)</span></em></p>
<p> </p>
<p>P.S.: Anyway, I plan to keep you updated on our progress. Stay tuned and have a happy start to the new working year!</p>
<p>Eli.</p>Mazemiletag:mazemile.com,2005:Post/51223552018-03-11T10:33:40-04:002018-03-11T15:17:32-04:00WIP update + drum cover video!<p>Hi everybody! So the latest news is: we are over with tracking drums and guitars for the upcoming release, now it's time for bass and vocals! In the meantime, here's a little something for you to enjoy from Nik, our drummer:</p>
<p>"Another drum cover here! This time it's a song that I've been a fan of since my teen years. Unfortunately, Wayne Static, the founder & frontman of Static-X, passed away on Nov 1st, 2014. This event practically caused the band to cease its existence (although some may argue that this happened even earlier). </p>
<p>Anyways.</p>
<p>Wayne, thank you for your outstanding contribution to rock music in general, and for the astoundingly AWESOME record - the 'Shadow Zone' album."</p>
<p>(c) Nik.</p>
<p><iframe allow="autoplay; encrypted-media" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Hsqzc6F8igs?rel=0" width="560"></iframe></p>Mazemiletag:mazemile.com,2005:Post/49292992017-11-12T15:34:42-05:002018-01-06T06:48:19-05:00Prepro status and video blog announcement<p>Hey y'all,</p>
<p>So we are done with composing drums parts for the three new tracks, and we will soon enter a studio to track them. We are currently busy getting pre-production demos ready for the recording process while writing some even newer and fresher stuff at the same time. Here's an updated version of the chorus of the song that has popped up here recently:</p>
<p><iframe frameborder="no" height="166" scrolling="no" src="https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=https%3A//api.soundcloud.com/tracks/354599207&color=%23b8ad82&auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false&show_teaser=true" width="100%"></iframe></p>
<p>Lets us know if you think that's the progress in a wrong direction, hah</p>
<p>In the meantime, I've just started to prepare a new video series for the blog, which I think will be quite interesting to all you techy audio people out there. Singers might find it entertaining to watch as well, so stay tuned for the updates.</p>
<p>P.S.: sorry for a very short update again. Gotta be heading out to track some choir parts (choir, really? YES).</p>
<p>Eli.</p>Mazemiletag:mazemile.com,2005:Post/48926122017-10-15T14:16:16-04:002017-10-15T14:28:08-04:00Pieces coming back together (and a sneak peek at what's cooking!)<p>Hello everyone,</p>
<p>Eli here.</p>
<p>I've got a quick heads-up regarding Mazemile's music production schedule. We have recently teamed up with an awesome new drummer, and this dude is really freakin' FAST! This means that very soon (according to our plans) we will be entering the studio to track drums, guitars & vocals for the three tracks that are currently at the production stage. We should be done with recording drums by the end of the year 2017, getting ready to track other instruments and mix the projects throughout January '18. We have not yet decided if we should release those 3 songs at once or write 3 or 4 additional tracks and compile another 6-7 track EP. More info on this to come! Anyway, here's a small snippet of one of the tracks that we are currently working on.</p>
<p><iframe frameborder="no" height="166" scrolling="no" src="https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=https%3A//api.soundcloud.com/tracks/347026632%3Fsecret_token%3Ds-SPmwt&color=%23b8ad82&auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false&show_teaser=true" width="100%"></iframe></p>
<p>Let us know what you think!</p>
<p>MM.</p>Mazemiletag:mazemile.com,2005:Post/48545682017-09-18T03:25:05-04:002017-09-18T03:26:02-04:00Collabs anyone?<p> </p>
<p><img src="https://d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/251646/61a31f212c0bc045cad076ba147135117f6f006a/original/img-0078.jpg?1505718770" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></p>
<p>Right now we are looking for some fresh air: we would really love to invite a talented drummer to work on some new tracks. We have had several candidates recently, but it just happens that none of them was able to pass our little creativity test, let alone the audition. Besides the fact that we have somewhat high expectations for candidates, we are looking for the person to really ‘click’ with us. </p>
<p>Here’s a couple of words on how we do things. </p>
<p>Our workflow is based on online interaction, it is a ping-pong-style, iterative process that we use to compose and produce new music. After years of doing it the ‘traditional’ way, it seems quite ok to take the full advantage of MIDI format and Pro Tools' audio editing capabilities. It really helps to cut down unnecessary rehearsals and jam sessions, freeing up time for music production itself. Heck, we do not even happen to see each other often until the time comes to record some brand new stuff! Yes, we record everything live: the fun of experimenting with sound is something difficult to live without as a musician. </p>
<p>If you feel positive about our musical style, know how to play drums or got a friend who does – don’t hesitate to shoot us an email. Let’s talk about collaboration opportunities and the ways we can help each other. And yes – your location doesn’t really matter at this point! </p>
<p><a contents="social@mazemile.com" data-link-label="" data-link-type="email" href="mailto:social@mazemile.com" target="_blank">social@mazemile.com</a></p>Mazemiletag:mazemile.com,2005:Post/48409132017-09-07T15:17:45-04:002017-09-07T15:19:25-04:00EP artwork photoshoot (part 2 of 2)<p>Hey, folks! Today let's finish that little story about how our CD cover came into being. <br><a contents="Last time" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://mazemile.com/blog/blog/ep-artwork-photoshoot" target="_blank">Last time</a> we told you a little about how we had to actually make a road sign to fit our needs for making a photo for the album cover. We could have possibly hired an artist to draw the whole thing, but it just wouldn’t be like us! We are that type of DIY people who follow the motto ‘if you want something done right – do it yourself’. So off we go – the hard way! </p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/251646/227d22a76defe5ed64098747ca6f3a6c52f60464/medium/post-pic-2.jpg?1504811200" class="size_m justify_center border_" /></p>
<p><br>In the beginning, we had dozens of those signs to choose from. It sounds weird, but there were all sorts of differences among the copies – the reflecting film layer would have joints on some while others would have little bubbles of air trapped beneath the film, or little defects here and there that must have come from careless handling. You couldn’t notice those things when you drive by at 60 miles per hour, so the company who made the signs apparently wasn’t concerned with the close-up looks of their product. But we did! Moreover, it was some kind of a pivot point in the whole process of designing the cover! <br>I was hanging out in my garage, sifting through the batch of signs when I was suddenly struck by a great idea. “Why not just go with the flow?” – I said to myself - ‘Stay creative!’ A couple of days later it was already the two of us plus the humiliated road sign lying across the garage floor accompanied by a small sledgehammer, a touch-up paint pen, and a gasoline canister. We came up with the idea to take a single sign a little step closer to a being a mess and to take a photo of it pretending to be torn down from its post and vandalized with… yes, the track list of the EP! It took five or six attempts to carefully script the track list on the back side of the poor thing, one quick trip to the neighboring auto parts store since we ran out of paint, and a terrible headache from the smell of the gas used to wipe the sign clean every now and then. When the 'vandalization' was finally complete, it was already dark outside, so the photo shoot was re-scheduled for the next day. </p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/251646/4a7a4e1c8533f64d32df2aa4c0be2ba8ac9477ec/medium/post-pic-3.jpg?1504811306" class="size_m justify_center border_" /></p>
<p>We first made a couple of test runs and took several dozens of photos of the signs in different settings. When we figured out what composition of the cover photo was needed, we organized a trip to a small cypress hedge maze in one of the parks nearby. Nice, remote place – ideal for taking several decent photos of ‘a mile in a maze’. It all went great besides the fact that we had to bring in a big step ladder and the road sign mounted on an improvised (and quite heavy!) post. The next step was to take a nice shot of the ‘vandalized’ sign. The latter task was easy – just throw the sign into a bush and take a pic of it. And this is exactly what was done! So, putting the tedious photo developing and CD wallet layout design works aside – this is what we ended up with: </p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/251646/eacd7c1d766e040e754108015bc00632c4f656bf/original/post-pic-1.jpg?1504811644" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></p>
<p>Ain’t it cool, ha?</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Eli @ Mazemile</p>Mazemiletag:mazemile.com,2005:Post/48262132017-08-25T17:06:14-04:002017-08-25T17:08:12-04:00CDs arrived from replication place<p>Just a quick announcement. Over The Edge EP hard copies have just arrived from the replication plant, so we will be shipping them out to our friends locally and overseas starting <em>tomorrow</em>! If you have somehow been involved into this, you'd better start checking your mailbox for a CD in about a week's time.</p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/251646/c10933c86fc580700337e87e4a7846301736e8dd/original/cds.jpg?1503695158" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></p>
<p> </p>
<p>We will do a small series on how the CD album art came together as well, so stay tuned!</p>
<p> </p>
<p>\M/ \M/</p>Mazemiletag:mazemile.com,2005:Post/47834112017-08-07T14:54:18-04:002017-08-07T14:57:43-04:00EP artwork photoshoot (part 1 of 2)<p>We have recently finished with the cover artwork for the upcoming EP "Over the Edge". The idea behind the cover image was to take the words out of the band name... and literally visualize them. Somebody came up with the idea: why not to make a photo of a mile in a maze? Soon enough we were able to find a green hedge maze, so we only needed to figure out the 'mile' part. My first association with mile was, well, a mile post. The problem was that we didn't have one that would suit our needs. Homestly, we didn't have any at all. So why not make it? We are involved with working with metal after all!</p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/251646/ac9b07faa4a45312330cc009cf2282a62f015e5e/small/sign-corel.png?1500924780" class="size_s justify_left border_none" alt="" /></p>
<p>So I took a photo of the standard D10-2 US sign and tried to re-trace it to the vector format. Needless to say that nothing good came out of this. After an hour or so of fruitless attemps I finally switched to googling for any kind of standard describing the sign in greater detail and... bingo! I was able to find one, complete, with dimensions for the plate itself and the letters! With that new secret weapon I was able to complete the drawing in no time.</p>
<p>Shooting emails to several sign manufacturing companies for the next couple of days is all that it took to start the actual production process. As anticipated, the company that was eventually hired to manufacture the signs for us could only do batches of those. The funny part was that they couldn't believe that all of the sings needed to be at 'zero'. Really, who in the real world does that, haha? Well, we do! So, when the order was finished and shipped to us we ended up with a nice assortment (more of a stockpile honestly) to choose from for the photosession, haha.</p>
<p>To be continued.</p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/251646/4ce93ecebfd3a0a25ee8d85ade24a62d17c35b3a/medium/2017-07-02-16-15-03.jpg?1500926593" class="size_m justify_left border_medium" alt="" /></p>Mazemiletag:mazemile.com,2005:Post/47905822017-07-24T16:33:45-04:002017-07-24T16:34:26-04:00Chester..<p>I think I will remember the 20th of July for the rest of my life. This is the day when Chester Bennington passed away.</p>
<p>We are all deeply shocked and saddned. That's a great loss and a very unexpected tragedy... This dude is the bigger part of the reason why I (Eli) decided to get into music in the first place, so I owe him one. Too bad it's not something I could to repay now. Not anymore.</p>
<p>May the God forgive you, Chaz.</p>
<p>Sending prayers for your family and friends.</p>
<p>Rest in piece, man.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Mazemile and especially - Eli.</p>Mazemiletag:mazemile.com,2005:Post/47834982017-07-18T14:17:35-04:002017-07-18T14:24:13-04:00"Over The Edge" EP will be released on September the 1st!<p>Hey everyone!</p>
<p>It is nice to be around again! The power of music has grabbed us down at the floor of an ocean and brought us back to the daylight! </p>
<p>This time we are coming with a brand-new conception and design while staying true to our music. We're happy to announce that our EP including some of the material we wrote back in the 'Overedge' era is planned for release on 09/01/2017! It will also be available for iTunes pre-order on 08/01/2017.</p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/251646/62665395e088c635f33bdee8ae07f1f0ec2e9c91/medium/out-sept-1.jpg?1500401802" class="size_m justify_center border_" /></p>
<p>And for now we are busy getting a fresh look for our new home - <a contents="mazemile.com" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://www.mazemile.com" target="_blank">mazemile.com</a>, setting up social network presence, getting the artwork done and so on.</p>
<p>More juicy stuff is on the way, stay tuned!</p>
<p>Peace out.</p>
<p>MM</p>Mazemiletag:mazemile.com,2005:Post/47797582017-07-14T16:27:21-04:002017-07-14T16:27:21-04:00Welcome to the Metalshop!<p>7/14/2017 11:11 pm</p>
<p>Mazemile has just officially started a blog. </p>
<p>This is going to be more of a news feed, telling stories about the band's creative progress, music-making, audio production, and, of course, some fancy metalworking (just kidding!).</p>
<p>Welcome everyone! </p>
<p> </p>Mazemile