16, 18, 19 March 2018 :

Time to record the vocals, it won’t be easy cause I didn’t really rehearse the songs with the lyrics. I must be creative. During the weekly rehearsals of last months, we worked with Yann on older songs to get together and I had to let new songs off.

I start by the song “Beloved”, it’s the song I master the most. No problem with it, then “Self Mystery Girl” passed through without difficulties. I thought it will be harder.

For “Lustful Feelings” I had big apprehension cause it’s a strong title I mustn’t fail. I need some work to make it sound like I wanted.

More complicated with the song “The Beauty of Doubt”, I never sing it with the text. I had some ideas I should finalize on the run et it sounds pretty good without too much difficulties.

In the majority, the recording of the voice were good, I thought I will get some difficulties cause I didn’t really work the vocals. I think I will add some female voices to add some dynamics and more dimension to the songs.

…To be continued…

Great news for Lyncelia, we welcome the arrival of Yann on second guitar.

It’s the first time in 10 years there is 2 guitar players in Lyncelia and it’s very pleasureable. Here is a short video where I introduce you our new guitar player.

So welcome Yann in Lyncelia!

– Alexis –

New lyncelia logo 2018.

It takes the form of our very first logo in a new shape and color to remind that we’re here since 2008 and open a new era for us with new songs to be released soon.

New photos are online in our Gallery page. Click here to see the gallery Lyncelia 2018.

It’s been a while we wanted to do some pictures cause the last was in 2016 for the Forsaken Innocence cover photoshoot. We made a photoshoot on 10th March 2018 and here is some preview of this photoshoot.

Pictures taken by Isabelle R.

For this third retrospective post, I choose to talk about the 2nd album “Assigned, for Disillusion” realeased just 5 years ago on 11th March 2013.

This album contains songs I still have pleasure to play, some are still in my concert setlist (“Linxya”, “Unveiled Illusion”, “Blondestar”…).

It was an important step for Lyncelia cause this album marked the fact that we are not a band of one album et that we had the capacities to keep en and give a successor to “Lovelorn”. It was an evolution on the sound by the add of Claudia on bass, and a big evolution on my voice. This disc brought to us respect of Gothic people in France and worldwide. Lyncelia was built to last.

I’m coming back on the making of this album that was spawned in painful conditions, it was written and recorded in a bad and black period of my life. I was going through a great period of doubt and disillusion, all seemed lost, I was empty and dryed out.

From the melancholy of “Lovelorn” I came to despair. I put all I had at this moment, I came to the end of things until I lost inspiration, envy and will. I let many things of me and it was a catharsis that crystallized all my sickness and allow me to express it from my subconscient.

Once “Assigned” was finished and realeased, I feel much better like all my sickness was exorcised. This disc represented many years of pain and suffering I accepted and I let it behind me. I was lighter and I could find inspiration to write “Forsaken Innocence”.

I couldn’t finish this post without talking about the artwork made by Sandra (she left us after a long sickness). She made a great artwork traducting with perfection the topics and the ambiance of the album. When she send me the almost finished version (I remember to open this mail a morning just before to work), I was blown away by the results of her hard work.

This so sweet young girl with a glance lost in disarray and despair… Still today I thrill and I have much pleasure to look at it.

…to be continued…

Pour ce troisième article de retrospective, j’ai choisi de revenir sur le 2e album “Assigned, for Disillusion” sorti il y a tout juste 5 ans le 11 mars 2013.

Cet album comporte des titres que j’ai toujours plaisir à joué et dont certains que je joue encore régulièrement en concert (“Linxya”, “Unveiled Illusion”, “Blondestar”…).

Ce fut une étape importante pour Lyncelia car cet album marqua le fait qu’on était pas que le groupe d’un seul album et qu’on avait les capacités pour continuer et donner un successeur à “Lovelorn”. Ce fut aussi une évolution sur le son par l’apport de l’interprétation de Claudia à la basse et sur l’émancipation de ma voix. Ce disque nous amena la reconnaissance et le respect du public gothique français et international. Lyncelia était bien là pour continuer et durer.

Je reviens maintenant sur la conception de cet album qui fut engendré dans des conditions particulièrement douloureuse car il fut composé et enregistré dans une période où j’allais mal dans ma vie personnelle. Je traversais une grande période de désillusion et tout me paraissais perdu, je me sentais vide.

De la mélancolie de “Lovelorn” j’en était arrivé au désespoir. J’ai mis dans cet album tout ce que j’avais à ce moment, j’ai été au bout des choses jusqu’à en perdre l’inspiration, l’envie et la volonté. J’y ai laissé beaucoup de moi-même et ce fut une catharsis qui cristallisa tout mon mal-être et me permis de l’exprimer et de le sortir de mon subconscient.

Une fois “Assigned” terminé et pressé, j’ai ressenti un grand soulagement comme si tout mon désarroi était enfin exorcisé. Ce disque représentait plusieurs année de souffrance que j’acceptais et que je laissais derrière moi. Je me suis senti enfin léger et j’ai pu retrouver l’inspiration pour ensuite composer “Forsaken Innocence”.

Je ne peut pas terminer cet article sans parler de l’artwork du digipak réalisé par Sandra (qui nous as malheureusement quittée après une longue maladie). Elle nous a fait un artwork magnifique qui traduit parfaitement le thème de l’album. D’ailleurs lorsqu’elle m’a envoyée la version quasiment terminée (je me rappelle avoir ouvert ce mail un matin juste avant de travailler), j’ai été littéralement soufflé par le résultat qui était d’une magnificence époustouflante.

Cette jeune fille si douce dont le regard est perdu dans le désarroi et la désillusion… Encore maintenant j’en ai des frissons et j’ai toujours autant de plaisir à la contempler.

…à suivre…

01, 02, 03 March 2018 :

After changing the strings on bass, I started the recording of these tracks. This a real pleasure to play bass on ColdWave music, I had much pleasure.

I used my only bass, a Yamaha TRB1005L. It’s an active bass with integrated preamp, it has a great sound very precise, some will say cold, but it suits so well to Lyncelia Sound.

This is also the first time I used analog effect pedal (on the previous albums I used the Guitar Rig software effects). On the board there is 3 MXR pedals (Bass Overdrive, Analog Chorus, Flanger) and a TC Electronic Arena Reverb.

I recorded the softer songs first and the difficult songs just after. This is at this moment that I noticed that I don’t practice bass enough cause I had huge difficulties to keep the rhythm on 1/8 notes at 130 BPM of the song “Self Mystery Girl”. I must work riff by riff to keep the rhythm on the whole song. I not satisfied and I will re-record it later.

I follow with the songs using Overdrive and some heavy parts remind songs from My Dying Bride.

I also finalize and finish the writing of the bass parts of “Lustful Feelings”.

05, 06 March 2018 :

It’s time to listen and check all the tracks. I had to re-record some Rhythm guitars on “Self Mystery Girl” (That I could rename “Self MYSERY Girl” cause I had acccelerate on the songs. I also re-record few leads on few songs. Now all sounds good and it remains to make the vocals.

…To be continued…

At last, the thing I was waiting for, the recording of the guitars. It’s the quintessence of Lyncelia, guitars are dominating and bring all the melodic dimension to my music.

On the previous albums I used my old Lâg Arkane from 2007, for these sessions I only used my new guitars; My Fender Stratocaster, my Gibson SG Standard and my Gibson SG Future bought 3 years ago. That brings a sound less cold, more voluptuous and Rock.

It’s been 2 years I want a more organic sound, warmer and less digital. With these guitars and analog pedals I use instead of the internal effects of Guitar Rig software I reach this goal.

On my board there is my old Marshall Guv’nor and Jackhammer distortion, a MXR Analog Chorus, a MXR Flanger M117, an EHX Bad Stone Phaser, an EHX Deluxe Memory Man TT1100 Delay and the last one a TC Electronic Arena Reverb that is the only digital pedal.

And last detail (but not least), on few songs I used an Ebow. It’s an electronic device that gives endless sustain and add a more dramatic mood to my music.

I had some difficulties on few songs cause I used to play faster than the tempo and on the solo for “Self Mystery Girl”. My Stratocaster has a default on the neck with false intonation on few notes at the end of the neck.

The other songs had no difficulties, except on few overdubs and on the Ebow part on the song “Endless”. I had tomake a one shot track to keep the sound during the whole song.

Now the guitars tracks are over and remains the bass parts to record.

…To be Continued…

20, 21, 22, 23 February 2018: Recording the Drum Machine:

We come at the step I detest the most, the recording of all the Drum Machine elements.

This is extremely long and boring; For all song I must export an average of 20 tracks one by one only for the Drums parts. I wanted to make it like “Sound Design” by mixing several drums sounds for the snare and the toms and by the way it demands more time to export.

I mixed the sounds of my TR505 and the VST Drumazon from D16Group (a TR909 emulation) to get a more modern, electro and percussive sound. The Drumazon is a really good plug ins, very versatile and with a really good sound. Of course I add some effects with a slight distortion on the Kick and the Snare by using a plug in from D16 Group (Redoptor preamp).

For one song, I also used the Nepheton Drum Machine (still from D16 Group, I love their stuff). It’s an emulation of TR808 with big low end on the kick drum.

For a while, during this time spent exporting, it allows me to listen to old CDs I listened when I was at high shool (Machine Head “The more things changed”). I’m getting crazy and I’m just waiting one thing impatiently, to begin the recording of guitars.

…To be Continued…

19th and 20th February 2018: Recording the synthesizers:

We start these sessions for these 7 songs + 1 cover with the recording of synthesizers tracks.

The majority of these tracks comes from my Access Virus TI that is my principal synth, and then there is few tracks from VSTi like Native Instruments Massive and Arturia Minimoog V (the first version, not the mini V). I just think that I really should more use these VSTi cause they are quite good but I largely prefer to use hardware stuff cause I prefer tweak buttons than the mouse of my computer.

It also demands to rework and clean all the MIDI Tracks, to finalize it and to quantize all the note length.

This process consist to turn MIDI tracks (that contains only informations and pilot synths) to Audio tracks (real audio sound). This is a long and tedious process cause Audio exports are in real time, 1 track = The length of the song and I have more than 1 track per songs. This is quite long but it allows more comfort for the mixing session.

…To be Continued…