Canadian Showtime Chorus: Rehearsal Hall or Recording Studio?? Well both of course!!

The planning started weeks ago - repertoire review - reps to see what shape songs were in - and finally - the song selection was finalized!! I love them all!! Yes indeed Canadian Showtime is recording a new CD! And what can your loved ones expect to hear on this fabulous CD that you will be putting in their Christmas sock this year!! Well - a bit of patience my sweets - a bit of patience!!

Sandie's mates from her folk singing days are incredible musicians and the best there is in the Greater Ottawa recording scene. She hooked us up with them the first time we were ready to record our first CD and she has done it again!

Your curious aren't you? How do you get 90+ women and risers in a recording studio!! Four or five at a time I'd say!! (I know - I crack myself up too!!). Well, if you can't bring the women to the studio, bring the studio to the women.

Janet - our CD producer - and her team arrived early on Tuesday afternoon to begin prepping our regular rehearsal hall and slowly transformed it into a recording studio. Joe and his partner set up with recording panels in the back studio, set up the microphones and monitor in the main studio and they then all began stringing rope from the rafters. They then drapped quilts over the ropes, secured them with clothes pins, drapped more quilts over the back of the risers, chairs, tables and any other object that sound might bounce off of! You're trying to picture this, aren't you? Well keep reading and I'll soon show you!! When the rest of us arrived, the room was ready! What an amazing concept and how effective. Walk into any Sweet Adelines rehearsal hall and you can hardly hear yourself think when the sisters in harmony arrive and start chatting, cackling and catching up before they start singing. Surrounded by quilts the sound was suppressed and almost sounded like a dead stage! But when the singing started, let me tell you, there was nothing dead about it!!

With risers properly WD40'd to eliminate as much squeaking as possible, we climbed on the risers at 7 o'clock, standing in section, with doors closed and Joe in Studio 1, we heard him through the monitor: "Okay Sandie - we're rolling!" First the pitch - then silence for a few seconds - and there we were! Singing the first take of the first track! It was good! Sandie went back to talk to Joe - thumbs up - it was a good take! Sandie was positively giddy! She LOVED what she heard and she LOVED the feedback she was getting from Joe. At first, it was hard to project our performance through our voice when we couldn't move - Sandie coaxed it out of us and the second take was hot - the next one was even hotter and the last one was for insurance! We kept going and within an hour we had 2 tracks down and by 9 we had two more!! Four songs done - in one short evening! How exciting is that!!

So picture it - after our business announcements, we all pitch in (I know - I said pitch!!!!!) and pull down quilts, fold and store them in the back room as we get to do this all over again next Tuesday!! What an unbelievable night!! What an exciting chapter in our journey!!

I suppose you are wondering - which 4 songs! Should I tell you or should I leave you to protect your beautiful eyes cause your standing in the spotlight while stretching on this lazy day time after time after time!! Nawh - I think I'll leave you to figure it out!!

Have I told you how much I love this hobby??