After a complicated summer and other restrictions that we managed to go through, the GSUBI team is back to work. Gilles woke up one of those mornings in September and decided to record the “100 guitares sur un bateau ivre”… No kidding.
So here we are strategizing about how many “recorded” guitars can make the sound of 100 guitars, knowing that not a single studio in Lyon would accept 100 artists showing up, especially in COVID times…
Think of it this way: how many studio engineers would accept to plug-in 100 amps, about 400 pedals, 100 headsets, 100 SM57 mics, etc. ? So we landed on a reasonable number of 20 guitarists. If each one of them could bring two guitars and play different tracks, that would certainly do the trick.
So here we are again in “project” mode.
Step 1: Find the 20. We contacted the core gang and after many cycles, phone calls and text messages, we managed to get the 20 names – and the corresponding commitments: Adrien, Antoine, Clem, Gish, Guillaume, Jacq-Niels, Jon, Jules, Leonie, Louisa, Melo, Nhi, Paolo, Remy, Salah, Sebastien, Serge, Stag, Thiên-Kim and Tom.
Step 2: Find the studio. We searched in our “friends-and-family” network. Those who are aware of the challenge and complexity of the project. The analogical sound system of the studio was a major requirement, as well as space, and timing. We finally booked Mikrokosm Recording Studios for Oct-26-30, 2020.
Step 3: Freak out because of the short timing. No comment.
Step 4: Adapt the 100 guitares sur un bateau ivre. Gilles, Nico, and Serge spent several days (weeks?) rewriting pieces and tracks of the 100 guitares original project. The result is a cleaner, deeper, smoother master piece.
Step 5: Let’s do it! Start the rehearsals. And that’s Part 2 of this blog series…