Recording Studio Recap
On May 1, we landed in Port-au-Prince. Because of the route that we took, we were not able to see much of the earthquake damage. We were able to see a few of the tent cities but really did not gain much understanding of the dire situation in PauP.
The travel to Gonaives was improved since last year. There has been extensive work on the roads. It may have been the time of year (May vs. March) but there seemed to be more agricultural activity along the route.
Once in Gonaives, we set out quite quickly to our task. We decided which rooms would be used for what purpose, decided on the construction work that needed to happen, and knocked a hole in the wall where the window between the rooms would go.
The work continued steadily through the week. My father, Joe, worked on all of the electrical issues. James and Judy worked in husband/ wife tandem on padding and curtaining the sound room. Jay, their son, and Cay, my daughter, did the odd jobs, gophered and helped where help was needed. I worked on setting up the computer, training in software and other aspects of basic recording knowledge.
Two events during the week stand out as especially memorable. Thursday evening, when we were all a little punchy and excited about the project coming together, Judy decided she wanted to learn Haitian Creole. Some of the musicians took her and the rest of us to task. We all laughed at our awkward attempts. Laughter is truly a universal language that brought us together that night.
The second was Friday evening after we were finished with the work, Wikens, the sound engineer had Aseline Volcy record the first vocal in the studio. Wikens had laid down an arrangement of Trust and Obey and it almost brought tears to my eyes to see Aseline singing. Then Wikens had our team sing to the track. Needless to say, Aseline was shown to be a pro. I may post our version once Wikens finishes the mix.
For me, this was a very satisfying trip. It was wonderful to see our team and some of the musicians and TV station personnel create something so useful. I loved seeing a very talented musician, Wikens, create beautiful music and hear Aseline sing it like a lark.
Solo Gloria Dei.
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