Today is the "Reveal" for the Recordingfest on my forum, and I personally collaborated on "Black Dog" by Led Zeppelin with three other guys I've never met in person.

    Here is the mp3: Black Dog

    Instead of the usual "go to a studio, mic the instruments and perform the song and overdub" scheme that was how we used to have to do things computer recording and the internet have allowed me to record music with people on the other side of the globe in the privacy of my own office between students.



    I have an Apple iMac with ProTools 8 LE recording software and an Mbox Mini.  Instead of micing an amplifier I used a software amp modeler called GTR 3 Solo.  Just enough to record with the big boys

    I won't write too much about the process other than the Drums were recorded first in Norway, emailed to West Virginia to have bass played on them and then emailed to me. 

    Where they sat for about a month until I got around to playing rhythm guitar.  I am usually the bottleneck in these things. 

    Usually the last week or so before things are due I get the rhythm guitars done and then shipped off to the next guy.  All of the parts are emailed to the guy in W.V. since he is essentially the engineer and producer.  After I sent back my rhythm guitars he sent a mix to the vocalist in San Diego who tracked his vocals while I went back to work on getting the solo happening.

    I struggled with the solo a bit Saturday morning but my first student (who is a massive Led Zep fan) came for his lesson with his 1968 VOS Les Paul with pickups and electronics that he had custom made to emulate the Jimmy Page Les Paul I figured I'd give his guitar a go and the solo ended up coming together on his guitar.  Sometimes a little bit of inspiration goes a long way!



    Here I am at 8am Saturday morning trying to "BRING THE RAWK!!!!".  Eventually it was "brought" and all of the tracks were mixed and posted for the 1970's Recordingfest on my forum.

Some of the other collaborations I've done with these guys:

Round and Round by Ratt

Still of the Night by Whitesnake

I get to play the music I wish I could have pulled of in High School, without the bad hair

on GuitarWorld.com!