Welcome to Five Lined Blog!

Five Lined featured on About to Drop!

Podcast featuring independent artists September 18, 2020

Five Lined is featured on the current episode of About to Drop!, a Podcast that interviews independent artists (like us!) about themselves, their new music, and the process of creating/releasing music. Bhauraw and Gary discussed Gary’s journey from recording music for himself, to forming a project band with musicians he respects, to delivering the first Five Lined EP. It was a lot of fun to be interviewed by someone as knowledge and insightful as Bhauraw.

Watch on YouTube

Listen on the Podcast site

Registering Copyrights

There's always paperwork... August 2, 2020

Registering copyrights in the U.S.A. is pretty simple. You don't need to pay an expert to do this for you unless the fee is minimal over the copyright office's $55 registration fee. For a single registration of up to 10 songs, all songs must be created by the same author or the same co-authors, and the author and claimant for each work must be the same person or organization.

Here's what to do:

1. Go to the U.S. Copyright Office
2. Follow the link to the Registration Portal
3. Follow the button/link to the Electronic Copyright Office (eCO pronounced "echo")
4. Register as a new user by creating clicking the "If you are a new user, click here to register" link
5. Log In
6. Click on "Register a Group of Unpublished Works".If you are a new user, click here to register. There's a link to a straightforward video on this page that describes what you need to know from here
7. Click on "Start Registration" at the top of the page and follow the directions.
8. After you enter the information for each of your songs then pay the $55 fee, you upload your songs. This takes a long time but you can do many at the same time. So do it, grab some coffee (or Diet Dr. Pepper if your are me), and ensure the uploads complete.
9. The last step is to wait for your certification you will receive by mail which, when it arrives, is a pretty fun day.

Meet the Band!

Greg Popp July 7, 2020

I know Greg from our day jobs. He is a software architect and developer. A really talented one. The type that gets stuff done and out the door. Remember that.

Greg began playing guitar at twelve years old. He restored his older sister’s six string acoustic and started to teach himself how to play. During his high school years, he and some friends formed a rock band that played classic rock songs (although, as he says, they weren’t considered classic at the time). They played a few dances and had good fun, but the band broke up when everyone graduated and moved on to college. Sounds familiar, doesn’t it?

Greg later teamed up with the bass player and drummer from that band to form another group that played alternative rock. They played at local watering holes for quite a few years until the members got married and started having children. Apparently, coming home at 3 AM and sleeping until 1 PM doesn’t promote marital bliss so that band came to an amicable end.

Eventually, Greg began playing guitar and singing for his church while keeping busy writing music on his own. In 2006, Greg released his first CD of original contemporary Christian music, “True Presence” (Spotify link), under the band name of “God’s Simple Plan (GSP)”. He released a second CD, “Wanted” (Spotify link), in 2007.

I was aware Greg played music out at times and for his church because workmates said he was really good. It was many years later that we started talking music in any depth. Greg mentioned he was working on a new release (I didn’t know about his two previous releases yet). I knew that wasn’t just conversation (remember)? I was inspired and decided I needed to release music rather than just record music with nowhere to go.

Greg and I traded tracks we were working on. I really enjoyed his tracks and - Dang - This Guy Can Sing! I heard a depth to his voice that really comes through. Greg and I started helping each other out bouncing production ideas and mixing techniques off of each other. Somewhere along the line I realized I wanted his vocal depth for "With Both Hands" and "Static." He graciously delivered and became a Five Lined member! He also asked me to play some keys on a few of his songs as well. The Five Lined EP was running a couple months behind Greg’s project so I learned everything I could from Greg, the timing couldn’t have been better (for me).

Like a Christmas present to his listeners, Greg released his third work in December entitled, “I Am the Moon” (Spotify link). The songs I got to play on are the title track, Spare a Prayer, The Alleluia Shuffle, and Time Is a Humble Idea.

All of Greg’s works are available any way you want them (CD, streaming, digitally). Why not give the whole album a listen or learn more on his website?

And then listen to the Five Lined EP again. :)

Meet the Band!

Joe Hill, June 19, 2020

Joe was a member of the first band I joined back in high school. They were established but lost their keyboardist and were nice enough to let me join and learn from them. We played 60s through 80s rock like The Beatles, The Who, BTO, Van Halen, The Cars, … And, we practiced in Joe’s family’s basement. Loudly.

We disbanded when it was time to go to college. Joe went to Southern Illinois University at Edwardsville (SIUE), as did I, so we were still buds but we didn’t play in the same bands after that. Joe earned his Bachelor’s Degree in Music and spent several years freelancing around the St. Louis area playing in top acts including the Bottom Line, Asa Harris, Galaxy, and the Rupert’s Orchestra. Joe played a sold-out show at the Hollywood Casino Amphitheater with Lesley Gore “It’s my party.” In Branson, MO. Joe was hired by Bobby Vinton, sat in with Rock and Roll Hall of Fame member Johnnie Johnson(!), and was a member of a popular house band.

Joe moved to New York City where he played with multiple bands and in several recording sessions as a freelance musician including recording a live album with Strouse at CBGB’s. He also recorded a terrific EP at Sony Music Studio’s famed Studio D with regional Americana band Big Iron Skillet that was produced by award winning engineer Gregg Rubin (Harry Connick Jr). Find it. Listen to it.

Joe currently freelances in the St. Louis region with Jazz Tonite, Galaxy, and the Zydeco Crawdaddies among others. Additionally, Joe is currently working on his Master of Music at SIUE.

Joe has more credits and has studied with fantastic teachers but let’s focus on Five Lined a little because I’m running out of real estate.

Five years ago, the high school band Joe and I were in got together to play a few songs at our high school class reunion. The lead guitarist made a simple statement which was that Joe was the best drummer he ever played with. Yep. Me, too. Remembering that a couple years later as I was working on the Five Lined EP, I asked Joe to join up and, luckily, he agreed. Recording and playing with Joe was a ton of fun. Not just because of the ribbing and joking expected from old friends (and there was a fair amount of that), but because he is an absolute assassin. Request a style and he kills it. Ask for ideas and he’ll give you three (how do you choose which take to keep?!?!). Check the timing of his playing in the DAW (recording software) and he is right on. The fascinating thing is, if he chose to, Joe could go "drum-hero" all over the music but it is clear he plays for the song. An Absolute Professional Assassin.

And now Five Lined is on Joe’s resume. He has finally made the big time.

Lyric Video

With Both Hands, May 25, 2020

We are excited to release our first lyric video on YouTube! It is for With Both Hands. The song was chosen because the lyrics are short and (bitter)sweet. We hope you enjoy it (and "Like" it, and "Subscribe" to our YouTube channel, and "Share" the video)!

And while we're here, why not tell the story?

I went to a class reunion a few years ago and two of my high school buddies were in the midst of divorces. I was struck by two things:

• Both had been married for quite some time
• Both harbored no anger and they even hoped things would be better for their exes

They weren't victims, they weren't bitter, and they weren't insecure. I was impressed. So, the song steals a snapshot of their story: They tried to hold on but now it is over. And now they hope their one time partners are able to find something better. To get that idea lyrically concise took a little time. Greg Popp was terrific letting me bounce ideas off of him as well as delivering the goods vocally.

While you are watching, I suggest giving Matthew's guitar solo and Marla's sax solo attentive, eye's-closed listens. I still do.

Break it down

Background vocals, Apr 23, 2020

I am infatuated with isolated vocal tracks. I’ve spent too much time on YouTube finding recordings of just the lead vocal performances of songs I like. And those are great. But finding recordings of background vocals by themselves? Those are the best! Maybe you like that sort of thing as well. If so, check out these vocals from the Five Lined EP.

The first background vocals we recorded were on ”With Both Hands”. All of the harmonies were performed by Val. I really like the way they accent Greg’s full lead vocal.

I find the Capella break in “Climb That Mountain” (that I may have mentioned before) to be a fun listen:

OK, those vocals weren’t entirely isolated but these background vocals from the first verse are:

Val and I provided the background harmonies for "Static." The original intention was that Val would do all the harmonies because I thought it would be best for the song. To my surprise, with these vocals being so prominent in the mix, the contrast in our voices seemed to serve the song a bit better.

I have a few other isolated vocal tracks you might hear in a future blog entry. See you next time!

Meet the Band!

Valerie Frank, Mar 24, 2020

I've known Val for quite some time. We played in a band together back in our first couple years of college. It started with a story about this talented female vocalist, Val, in the local paper (thank you Edwardsville Intelligencer!). Wouldn't you know, the band I was in just lost our female singer who left for a college education far, far away. Our bassist gave Val a call and asked her to audition. I don't remember the actual audition, but I do remember instantly wanting her in the band. Luckily, we apparently passed the audition with Val, as well.

Val had finished a tour of Europe and Asia with the Southern Illinois University at Edwardsville (SIUE) Concert Chorale shortly before joining our band. At that time, Val was studying Jazz Vocal Performance at SIUE and I was studying pre-Engineering at SIUE. While Val and I worked together in the band we also spent a fair amount of time in SIUE music practice rooms practicing songs we knew, learning songs we didn't know, and bringing songs I was writing to life. Val also had me accompany her at times including at least one recital performance I can recall. We played in that band and in the SIUE practice rooms for a year or so, but I left to study Engineering at the University of Illinois. After that, I settled in Chicago where I joined, then left, a band in a frustrating experience. With technology getting to the point where I could create music by myself, I didn't require a band to be musically creative. I bought a four-track cassette recorder and tried to find vocalists to work with but, when they inevitably could not meet the Val Standard, I lost interest. I had been spoiled.

Val and I met a couple of times over the years to quickly record music on the four-track. My lack of production knowledge showed on those recordings but the potential was there with two tracks of Val's harmonies along side two tracks of sequenced music (I refused to bounce tracks - the sound quality was already lousy enough).

Flash forward a few (or more than a few) years: I moved back to the St. Louis area and worked too much, but practiced and composed music at my piano most every day. I heard every part in my head for the songs and I had to get back to multitrack recording to capture those parts. When the music started to take shape, I was back in the familiar boat of needing a vocalist. With some effort I was able to locate Val who agreed to contribute to the project.

Four things strike me about the recording sessions with Val:

1. Val is a Pro. She has perfect pitch coupled with such terrific tone and control.
2. Val would enthusiastically try any musical idea I had even though the vocal was her instrument.
3. The absolute fun of building and working on harmonies.
4. How hard we laughed at our mistakes during takes. And how hard we laughed while catching up between takes.

In addition to Five Lined, Val has her own business regularly singing at weddings, DJ-ing, and hosting Karaoke. In fact, Val sung for my wedding ceremony because I have connections! If you get the chance, you should see her perform.

Do you want to hear some isolated vocals from the Five Lined EP next? I do...

Mixing Basics

Compression, Mar 19, 2020

A simple way to think about compression is as an automatic volume knob that turns down when the input signal gets louder. When engaged the overall sound is quieter but then you add makeup gain which brings the overall level up. Think of your favorite music where inhales are clearly audible before the singing starts. Do the inhales seem that loud if you sing yourself? Of course not. The reason is that automatic volume knob is turned up for the breath then turned down for the louder sung note. Anecdotally, I am always entertained by a singer who moves their microphone closer and further from their mouth as they sing in effort to control the volume. What is likely happening is that their sound person has a compressor engaged that is doing a MUCH better job of controlling the volume dynamics of the vocal.

Compression has a bad reputation because of the way radio personalities are over-compressed to make them loud or because of the way commercials are compressed to make sure you really can hear how much you need that pharmaceutical despite its 23 horrific side effects. Make no mistake, however, compression is common and for good reason; you would be annoyed having a vocal fade in and out during a song and hearing that inhale can add energy to a vocal performance. Compression is nothing new, it dates back to the 1930s. Isn’t it amazing that on old TV shows an actor can be heard speaking quietly or yelling and that the audience applause doesn’t overload and distort the audio? Compression isn’t always good as it limits the dynamic range of a performance, meaning the range between the loudest and quietest sound an instrument or voice can make. So, take it easy on the compression for a nuanced symphonic performance, I want to hear that entire range!

In the next entry I look forward to introducing you to Val who performed all of the female vocals on the Five Lined EP.

Mixing Basics

Best read caffeinated, Mar 11, 2020

I will not put a dent in the topic of mixing with some quick blog entries. There are volumes written on mixing and no lack of information in videos all over social media. I’ll offer a few thoughts that might help those new to mixing. Maybe there is something here for performers and those who appreciate music as well.

Gain Staging

Before setting the relative levels of tracks against each other it is important to realize a track usually goes through several stages. For example, a vocal track may go through an equalization stage (“EQ”, treble and bass controls are a simple example), followed by a compression stage (to keep volume even), followed by a delay stage (echo). It is important to keep the gain (volume) of each track at a workable level at the output of each stage, neither too loud nor too quiet. The reason is that you can have a detrimental effect on the next stage. In our vocal track example, if all the EQ settings are additive (cranking up the treble and bass) it makes the output louder which means you are feeding a louder (hotter) signal into the next stage. If the signal is too hot it may distort going into the next stage or not provide enough headroom for the next stage to have its effect (e.g. clear echoes). So, if you want to crank up the bass on a track you are probably better to turn up the bass a little and turn down the treble a little rather than turning up the bass a lot.

Subtractive EQ

The idea of turning down a band of EQ rather than turning another band up is important and is called subtractive EQ. In general, I use EQ as the first stage on a track. If your EQ doesn’t have a high-pass filter, I suggest adding one before the EQ. There is inaudible but real energy in low frequencies just taking up space and lowering the overall volume of your mix. If your vocalist’s voice doesn’t get lower than 150Hz, put on a high-pass filter with cutoff at 150Hz to cut out those frequencies below 150Hz and reclaim that space in your mix. Another reason to have EQ as the first stage for a track is that it provides the opportunity to remove any tonal aspects of the sound you don’t like early in the mix. For example, my voice is a little harsh in the 1kHz range so a surgical cut of maybe 3dB at 1kHz makes my voice sound smoother and fuller. When things sound muddy, there is often too much energy in the 300 to 500Hz range. It’s OK to do some additive EQ too, but try to balance it with subtractive EQ in another band.

If you made it this far, congratulations! Let’s talk about compression next time and then maybe meet some more band members after that.

Meet the Band!

Matthew Diekemper, Mar 2, 2020

Matthew plays lead guitar and shares rhythm guitar duties for Five Lined. He comes from a very musical family and has been, and is, a member in several top-notch bands. You can find him playing guitars with the excellent party rockers Dazed n Confused STL as well as performing solo acoustic guitar and vocals around the St. Louis metro area. Get a taste on his YouTube channel!

Matthew's involvement in Five Lined started when Gary (your tour guide here on the blog) saw Matthew performing an acoustic set at a bar. When Matthew performs solo he not only plays and sings but also plays leads over loops that he constructs right in front of you and he doesn't skip a beat doing it! That night he performed Pink Floyd's "Comfortably Numb" and my mind was racing because I knew that Matthew could put down lead guitar on "With Both Hands" to add the harder edge to the song I had been searching for.

In a stroke of genius, I asked Matthew if he would consider visiting the Five Lined Studio (basement) to lay down some tracks. A couple of weeks later he came over and improvised leads for "With Both Hands". I would be entirely happy with his takes but he would insist on doing more because he was convinced he could improve on what we had. And, somehow, those extra takes were even better. After he left I pulled together a rough mix and it was clear to me that Matthew had to be all over this project. So, I kept asking and he kept delivering. You wouldn't believe how terrific the solos were that ended up not being used - tough choices indeed!

You'll hear Matthew's precise, melodic, and blazing solos all over the Five Lined EP including "Climb That Mountain", "Static", "With Both Hands", Summer's Heat", and "Whatever You Want". I think you will agree that the feel of his playing is addictive.

And he's my cousin.

Climb That Mountain

Just another song... (part 2), February 21, 2020

The right vocalist

"Climb That Mountain", as I heard it in my head, had to have a raw male lead vocal. And it mattered, this story was (and is) heavy with me even if the listener has no idea. Val heard a rough take of the song and took a liking to the groove and the story and pushed hard to be the lead vocalist. It was only out of respect for Val and her talent that I agreed to give it a shot after insisting it was very unlikely it would be the final lead vocal.

Initially, I was right. Despite the surgical accuracy of her performance, Val’s vocals didn’t fit the song as I heard it in my head. Val’s voice is beautiful, expertly controlled, and smooth. This song was messy and intentionally so. Val was amazingly patient as I asked her to try tons of different approaches over many recording sessions spanning months (I would have told me to go jump in a lake). Among plenty of other things, we added subtle but sassy vibrato in the verses and some yelling/squealing harmonies. I was starting to buy in. Then, I had an idea for a Capella break in the song where I asked Val to parody the piano and organ parts during the songs intro. WWWWHHHHAAAAHHHH!! There was no doubt, Val was right.

It wasn’t all so hard

Matthew (guitar) and Joe (drums) are incredible.

I asked Matthew to provide some greasy rhythm guitar, fills, and leads and he turned in performance that trounced what I imagined. We did have to do another session because technical problems with the audio interface had introduced crackling distortion. No problem, as always, Matthew had it covered.

Joe and I have a bit of a system of using a few takes when we record his drumming...

• “Conservative” with very few fills
• As Joe sees it
• ”Keith Moon”, meaning a liberal number of fills

When Joe did the “Keith Moon” version I asked for a little more. I wanted several of the fills to have that brilliant Bun E. Carlos groove; the ones that feel like they are revving up a measure too early. And then Joe just did it!

As the producer I chose that "Bun E. Moon" version. Joe has since opined that it may be a little much.

Damn right!

Climb That Mountain

Just another song..., February 17, 2020

"Climb That Mountain" was the hardest song to record on the Five Lined EP. Not because it is somehow harder to perform but because of a few dynamics in its making. The first dynamic was the subject matter.

Lyrical Metaphors

"Climb That Mountain" is a string of metaphors telling the story of my wife’s perilous journey from a few years ago. She has Polycystic Kidney Disease (PKD). And actually, in her case, it manifested most strongly in her liver (Polycystic Liver Disease or PLD). Where an average human liver may weigh between 1.5 to 4.0 lbs., my wife’s had grown over time to about 35 lbs.

Following the lyrics of "Climb That Mountain", my wife was born with the burden of a congenital desease, PKD/PLD. Her blood became bacterially infected, a life-threatening condition called sepsis, most likely due to the rupture of one of her innumerable cysts. So, a complication of this cruel disease was polluting her fuel.

The great people at St. Louis University (SLU) hospital got her through the night, but there were complications and she got hepatic encephalopathy a couple of days later as her fuel was again polluted due to her liver shutting down. This is referred to as the fog and the clouds in the song.

Next came the flood, a metaphor for the varsity-level edema she experienced due to her organs shutting down which didn't allow fluid to be removed from her body. Fortunately, about six weeks later her organs “woke up” and the flood waters ebbed leaving a gaunt, skinny version of my wife who, just a few weeks earlier, was blown up like Violet Beauregarde from Willy Wonka (though not as blue).

My wife was in need of a liver transplant to be able to continue life’s journey and the surgeons at SLU, in my eyes, delivered a miracle. During the ten-hour surgery, they removed her 35 lb. liver and replaced it with a gift from a person who just lost their life. Though we don’t know who that person was, we think about them every day. A Mercedes cut describes the signature three-spoked, liver transplant incision that resembles the car maker’s emblem. It took 63 staples to close the Mercedes cut. And it took the blood and liver donations of 66 friends she never knew to complete the surgery.

Oh, and climbing that mountain? That is no metaphor as that is what my wife did two years after her transplant. We went to the Smoky Mountains and my still-recovering wife pushed through a climb that put an exclamation point on surviving!

The next blog entry will tell how Val was right…

Capturing Acoustic Guitar

Easy once someone showed me, February 12, 2020

There are many ways to record acoustic guitar, something made obvious by searching the web (and you know I did). I came across this video from Graham Cochrane’s “recordingrevolution” and it worked well for me. I like it because it is a simple, one microphone solution.

I prefer a large diaphragm condenser microphone but your trusty SM57 will do. Position the microphone about 15 inches in front of the sound hole and the aim the mic at the 12th fret. That’s it.

Like everything else I record, I aimed for -18dB RMS on the meters.

Capturing Vocals

It's more than singing, February 10, 2020

This part of music creation is seriously fun. For the Five Lined EP, I had demo versions of the songs to give others so they had an idea of what I wanted to hear.

So, the vocalists familiarize themselves with the songs and you just record them, right? Nope. This is so important - it is crucial to capture great performances and capture them well!

Microphone Selection

There are loads of different microphones out there. You should use one that sounds great with the singer. You don’t need to spend $4000 on a mic to get a good recording. A trusty $100 SM58 dynamic mic can sound great. However, large diaphragm condenser mics just seem to just capture more avoiding a “recorded in a muffled box” feel. Again, don’t spend a fortune. Plenty of good models can be found in the $100-$200 range. Five Lined used low-cost condensers for almost all of the vocals with a few parts being recording on an SM57. Do use a pop-filter. If your mic has a low-frequency roll-off switch, you should probably use it but audition both ways to decide. Avoid latency concerns by using wired microphones.

Microphone Preamp

Microphone preamps are another area where you can spend a ton of money. You should use one that sounds great with the singer. The preamps built into moderately-priced ($200-ish) computer audio interfaces sound great to this guy. Go to your local music store and give a few a listen. Get one with decent gain, with a flat response, and that can supply phantom power if your mic requires it. Have the vocalist sing and set the levels so you aren’t clipping at the preamp.

Learn your DAW

A generally accepted level for capturing digitally is -18dB RMS.

Knowing how to loop or cycle record in your DAW is important allowing the vocalist to do multiple takes back-to-back and then you can choose the best of those takes.

Microphone Placement

This is every bit as important as mic and preamp selection! The microphone should be located in an area with acceptable aural ambience. This usually means a sonically neutral space isolated from noise (don't record while the A/C is running, ask everyone in the adjoining rooms of the house Five Lined Studio to be super quiet...). If the vocalist gets too close to the mic, they will sound "boomy" with too many lows. If the singer is too far away from the mic, the sound of the room really comes into play which could be good or bad. Try it and see what you like. A reasonable starting distance is 6 inches away from a condenser mic and 4 inches away from a dynamic mic. A common practice is to put the pop filter mid-way between the mic and where you want the vocalist to be.

Hit the record button…

Finally! Vocalists will move around; try to have them maintain a consistent distance to the mic but don't cramp their style. To lessen plosives, have the singer momentarily turn so they are singing an inch to one side of the mic. Avoid recording with effects as vocalists tend to sing sharp with reverb/echos and modulation effects don’t allow the vocalist to hear themselves accurately).

Maybe next time we can talk about recording acoustic guitars…

First Blog Post

Why? February 9, 2020

Why take the time to blog? Is the time better spent making music?

Well, there’s considerably more to releasing music than playing and singing…

• Composing (, decomposing, recomposing, …)
• Capturing performances (the one place where there is playing and singing, but there is so much more to it!)
• Mixing
• Track arrangement and leveling
• Mastering
• Registering copyrights
• Planning the release
• Artwork
• Manufacturing
• Online and physical distribution
• Promotion

I am confident that list is not complete; it’s just what I know so far. The Five Lined EP has progressed to to that “Promotion” part and I’ve really enjoyed learning each step to the exalted level of “adequate.” I cannot wait to continue learning to be better at these things. But “Promotion” just isn’t my thing (beyond a web site and, apparently, some blog posts). However, after assessing my goals, I think that’s OK. I want to enjoy releasing music and, further, hope a few others might enjoy listening to it. So, getting though Distribution is the reward.

By writing what I’ve learned so far, I can use it as a reference allowing me to learn more from here (and I have a lot more to learn for everything above except maybe registering copyrights). By making these notes public, maybe it will help others who want to do something similar.

Further, maybe this is the equivalent of album liner notes of the past. I used to love reading those album notes. My favorite might be from Manfred Mann’s superb “Chance” album.

So, there it is, there are reasons to take time to write a blog. Selfishly for my future self to work with greater efficiency, not-so-selfishly to help others, and indulgently to tell some stories because I want to remember how much fun it has been releasing music.

If there is anything you would like to see here, let us know via our contact form.

Thanks for reading, Gary