This is site is a blog about the attempt to record a Prog Rock album at home, while learning the skills as we go along. We’re trying to document the progress we make, and also our mistakes. The project started end of 2006 and will probably, if everything goes well, have a finished album by end of 2009.
In the download area you’ll find a couple of roughmixes. We’re posting everything that is nearly completed there, but be aware, that the final mixing and mastering will be done by professional mixing engineers once all songs have been recorded. The musicians are listed in the musicians area. On the blog main page, you’ll also find drafts, failed versions, vocal only stuff, and so on.
All in all, there will be 16 songs, plus intro and extro, and most of them are a little longish. They contain great guitars (played by Sven, not by me, so this pic here is a lie 
), lots of synth, and very good vocalists!
Hope you like it!
Take care
Helge
a.k.a. Zeitlos
Post Category: Miscellaneous
October 5th, 2008 at 03:29amhelge
NOT!
Hey guys, I’m busy writing a novel these days, and this doesn’t leave me with too much time on my hands for anything else. But don’t hold your breath, I’ll be fully back on board again by mid of september or so. However, naturally I did have some time to buy a new computer. As usually, a Macintosh, because my beloved sequencer software Logic Pro runs on Macs only, and well, I’m not overly ashamed to admit it, I do like them apples bunches. Small, but nicely shaped apples, right? Who wouldn’t love ‘em? 
Here’s a nice pic of the new computer at the voXager study. To the right, you’ll see the old G5. It’s in perfect health, so if you wanna have it at €600,- drop me a note. For an extra fifty bucks I’ll consider not deleting the porn folder
Below there’s song 6 in a new version. Not much changed here. It’s just the first song bounced with the new intel Mac. I had to change a few instruments, but not too many. The guitars are now much wider, which increases overall transparency. I upped the mastering compressor gain by 1.5db, and the limiter by 2db. So perhaps this is already too loud. Do you hear distortion? I think there’s some, but hey. Somebody’s gonna fix that someday, right? Not me, and not today.
Cheers, and greetings to all you zombies 
Helge of voXager
PS: Titten sind Macht!
Post Category: Miscellaneous
August 8th, 2008 at 08:33pmhelge
Really, these are only fake lyrics. I can do better than that. You know it. Don’t you? Say you do!
So, I’ve worked a little on keys, harmonies, melody lines in this fucking complicated piece of progressive metal composed by Sven. I think that’s all there will be concerning keys, but there’ll be more vocals (more growling, more Henny), and a few more FX. But not today. So take these empty spaces and fill them with… yourself. And, err, the emptiness will fill you. Or whatever the guy says in the intro.
However, keep a Kleenex around and don’t make a mess. Have fun, you!
If you’re looking for me, I’m gone fishing. NO. Rocking! Gone rocking.
don’t kill me, don’t spill me, just thrill me,
yours faithfully,
Helge of voXager
Post Category: Making of Song #6
July 5th, 2008 at 08:35pmhelge
Hey everyone out there on the front! Today Henny was at the voXager study to record some serious vocals for song #4, Split Seconds. This time, unlike when we recorded in september, there were no viruses involved (virus as in a nasty cold), and the recording equipment chose to play fair as well. Of course I know this means, according to Murphy’s Law, something even worse will be happening soon — like, for instance, a large meteroite striking my house and hereby destroying everything that is voXager — we’ll have to live with that certainty, haven’t we? Are we men or mice? Mice, of course, what a question
However, today, we’ve put the singing corner in the voXager study to it’s first real test and I must say it’s working even better than I had anticipated. The vocals recorded come in very clean and dry, and are generally a pleasure to the ear. Below you see how it looks if some serious action is taking place at the voXager study:
Unfortunately, this is the only kind of serious action taking place here at the moment (if you catch my drift), ahem… then again, steering the album towards completion is also very rewarding.
To give you an impression of just how good the vocals are that we recorded today, I’ll show you a small part from the song — Henny’s vocal submix only. Hope you enjoy it:
So, what’s left for this song?
- Clean male vocals
- Growls
- Acoustic guitar (the one you hear in the previous demo is fake from a guitar sampler)
Piece of cupcake, right? Yup, totally
Have a nice week
Helge
Post Category: Making of Song #4
June 29th, 2008 at 09:24pmhelge
Now we’re getting serious flak. Brennan is being chased down all the sectors in the Commonwealth of Planets, while he’s still unsure if this is a nightmarish dream or for real. This is the heaviest and proggiest song so far, and it’s the first one on this project that was written by Sven — not the last one, however!
This is still a very early draft version, but the guitars, the bass and the drums and some of the keys are already near-final. You get an idea of where this is headed. Have fun:
I certainly hope that you like this one. I for one do (especially now that the drums are so pretty fucking cool )
Helge
don’t sue me, yadda yadda and so on and so forth
PS: I’d like to continue the tradition of greeting someone who is dear to my heart. Winke, winke Lala 
Post Category: Making of Song #6
June 17th, 2008 at 05:02pmhelge
Hey everyone, we have a new version of song #5 song up on the site. It’s hugely improved: guitars re-amped, a new drum mixdown that couldn’t be clearer, exchanged some of the more mundane sounds for vintage stuff, and finally, a muchly improved mixdown of Laura’s great vocal tracks. Head over to the Download area and listen to Ship of The Moon (Version 31). This is the final roughmix before the pro mixing & mastering engineer lays hands on it sometime later this or next year. Enjoy!
Helge
Post Category: Making of Song #5
June 2nd, 2008 at 12:09amhelge
Yeah, I know, that’s the title of a song by a swedish 1970′s pop group. Yeah, I sorta like them. Yeah, you all had your giggles now, so just let’s get it over with, will we?
Today, dear Ms. Void, I’m going to give you an update on something we’ve not touched in nearly a year. It’s song #4, “Split Seconds”. Yes, lo and behold! We’re making progress on this long forgotten front.
I’ve just started putting together this song’s final audio project. It has nice drums and Sven’s cool guitar shreddings, but no vocals yet. I’m almost certain, though, that Henny and I recorded the female parts of the vocals sometime in september, but I can’t seem to find them. Yes, sue me! Dang!
Anyway. What we have here is not a polished roughmix — it is not even close. It’s just all the instrumental tracks thrown into the audio project and twiddled with volume/panning a little until nothing is wildly off of anything. No reverb, delay, no automation, no fancy FX, no nothing. I’d like to show you with this song how proper mixing can turn a confusing concoction of instrumental tracks into a coherent whole. Watch this place over the next few days, there’ll be updates!
To come to a conclusion, I’d like to tell you why I came up with this blog entry’s title in the first place. That’s easy: Because this song has it all. Jean-Michel Jarre, Abba, Dimmu Borgir. In this order. Listen for yourself:
Right? Right???
So I say… thank you for the music, guys, and keep it coming
Helge
PS: I’d like to greet someone who’s dear to my heart. Winke-winke, Lala
Post Category: Making of Song #4
May 7th, 2008 at 11:53amhelge
I don’t really know why Sissandras — that’s Nopileos’s sister — came along. But I came along these pages today to upload the latest version of song #3, “Wheel in Space”. Yeah! Many things have happened on this construction site, most notably, the addition of Cheryl’s exciting voice to the song. Also, there are new shiny drums, a few more melody lines, FX and a somewhat better mixing. However, let’s not forget that this is still a WIP — meaning, work in progress:
Have fun!
Helge
Post Category: Making of Song #3
April 14th, 2008 at 05:39pmhelge
Konichiwa everyone!
Please welcome with me our two latest crew members, Laura and Cheryl-Renée!
Laura has already appeared on “Ship of the Moon” and will lend her beautiful and mystic voice to a couple of more songs shortly. Cheryl has just recorded vocals for “Wheel in Space”, and we’re going to show you a bit of that later this spring; Cheryl’s range of voicings also includes an amazing operatic style. Go to the “Musicians” area to find Laura’s and Cheryl’s mini-bio.
 |
 |
| Laura |
Cheryl-Renée |
It is safe to assume that the female vocalist section for voXager is now complete with Henny, Laura & Cheryl. There will be another addition to the crew on the male vocalist front shortly — more about that later this millennium
Nobody’s gonna be sued today, right?
Alrighty then, off you go!
Helge
Post Category: Miscellaneous
March 18th, 2008 at 02:41amhelge
Or haven’t we?
Well, the long promised new version of song #2 is online now. Just head over to the downloads area, and listen to “Lizards”. Yes I know, it doesn’t seem as if anything has changed, but hear me now & believe me later: It has Version 38 of the song has now some more low end, and a little less treble. It should be well balanced mix-wise and a pleasure to your ear. At least more pleasurable than before Don’t forget, though, this is still a roughmix version.
Don’t sue me.
At least not that hard, ok?
Helge
Post Category: Making of Song #2
March 9th, 2008 at 09:00pmhelge
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