Celeste

Dharma Logos

No artwork

Get Flash to see this player.

Description

This is for Caroline and all of the decidedly non-metalheads who take the time to listen to my songs anyway. This is virtually unproduced. One take, a single condenser mic about two feet away, guitar and vocal all live, no click track, and I didn't even tune the guitar. The only special effect is a post-production technique the RAD Project told me about: I tripled the track, panned them left right and center, EQed each track differently, and moved the middle track back about 1/8 of a beat for a tape echo effect. I really don't know much about EQ or mic placement, and production advice is appreciated as always.

The story: A couple of years ago there was a folk singer/songwriter/guitarist who used to play at the same open mic nights as me. I really liked her, and the only way I could think to tell her was to write her a song. I never had the chance to play it for her; the best I could do was give her a copy of the lyrics. She liked the song but wasn't interested in me. At one point I changed the lyrics to remove her name from the song, but several friends convinced me it was better with her name in it. I made a conscious effort to not write a cliched love song, and I hope you find some depth to it.

Leave a Comment

You must be registered and logged-in to comment.

Lyrics

"Celeste"
by Aaron Wooldridge ©2005

When I go to sleep you're my last thought
And when I awake you are my first thought
There's a joyful pain beating in my chest
An inner peace that will not let me rest
Thinking of you makes me hurt inside
The same place within where elation abides
Since we met I've had a one track mind
And I will be a wreck until you become mine

[Chorus]
Oh Celeste
This beating in my chest
This blissful unrest
Celeste

You bring out the best in me
Even as I recall my fallibility
I'm not sure what I have to give
But your smile makes me glad to live
Even if friendship is all that we share
I feel more alive because you are there
And should you feel the same way about me
I would love for "us" to become "we"

Song Stats

Hits: 4618
Comments: 44
Fans: 10
Plays: 313
Downloads: 153

Uploaded: Jun 11, 2007 - 11:33:04 PM
Last Updated: Jun 11, 2007 - 11:35:48 PM Last Played: May 19, 2013 - 08:30:57 PM

Song License

Creative Commons License:
Attribution-NoDerivs-NonCommercial

Song Actions

Keywords:

Celeste (1), love song (71), unrequited love (7), acoustic (789), ballad (251), acoustic rock (39), Aaron Wooldridge (4), guitar (1317), (0)

Hardware:

Intel iMac, MXL 990 condenser mic, LiveWire Solo, Squier acoustic guitar, voice.

Software:

Comments

michael2	michael2 said 2172 days ago (June 12th, 2007)
	am i the first to listen to this? voice sounds good, and i like that trick. how did you get the track to move back only 1/8th of a beat? whenever i try that it never seems to work right (it always wants to stay on the beat). Check out my latest song called yes you told me (that you're cynical)

Dharma Logos

Dharma Logos said 2172 days ago (June 12th, 2007)

Thanks.
Finally a comment! It only took 20-something listens. Thanks for listening, man. I'm glad you like the tone. I think it could be better, but I wanted to go for a really live feel (and didn't want to do that much work).

Ok, here's the trick to move a track exactly as much as you want. Go to the track editor which shows up on the bottom of the screen when you double click the track. On the bottom left there is a slider. Move that slider to the right, and your visual scale will shrink so you can see fractions of a beat. Just grab your recorded block and pull it wherever you want.

---
"Everything in the universe is made of one element which is a note, a single note. Atoms are really vibrations which are extentions of the Big Note. Everything is one note, everything." --Frank Zappa, Lumpy Gravy

Check out my latest song called Celeste

caroline	caroline said 2171 days ago (June 12th, 2007)
	of course this is my kinda music... no click track!! guitar and vocals live!!! untuned guitar!!!! thank you dharma - another week and we'll have you singing old dylan numbers!!! just one teeny thing... i would love to hear this with your voice softer through it ... i wonder... thank you for sharing x Check out my latest song called i'm a reunion maid MJRF 2010

Dharma Logos	Dharma Logos said 2171 days ago (June 12th, 2007)
	We chatted. I know what you think. I'll let you influence me, but I'm gonna influence you too. You will learn to appreciate metal. :-) --- "Everything in the universe is made of one element which is a note, a single note. Atoms are really vibrations which are extentions of the Big Note. Everything is one note, everything." --Frank Zappa, Lumpy Gravy Check out my latest song called Celeste

lavalamp	lavalamp said 2171 days ago (June 12th, 2007)
	Good song Voice is very strong. Like the live feel. I really, really would like to hear a "produced" version of this. You sound a little like Adam Sandler somtimes. Is that good or bad? I mean he's a comedian, but he sings pretty well. Let me know if and when you have a new version of this. Good job LL Check out my latest song called A Funky Little Thing

Dharma Logos

Dharma Logos said 2171 days ago (June 12th, 2007)

Thanks LL.
I'm glad you liked it. Part of me wants to say it's just a cheap throwaway track, but it's not really like that. I've written a lot of songs over the years that meant something when I wrote them, and usually the meaning for me grows over time. You're probably like that with your songs too. One one level "Celeste" is just an old song that I can pull off whenever I want without even thinking about it, but on another level over the years my appreciation for my own work has grown. I have no immediate plans to record a polished version of this song. In my mind there are serious songs which I want my band to play when I get one started (and hopefully go pro), and then there are songs that are just me and don't fit my band vision. This is one of those. I consider "Desert of My Life," for example, to be a Dharma Logos song, while "Celeste" is just an Aaron Wooldridge song. It's not something I'm as serious about recording, but I won't say never.

As for the Adam Sandler comment, some of the guys at work said that about my "Gonad Song". I had hoped they were just messing with me, but you're the first person outside of my shop who has made that comparison. I suppose it's better than being compared to less talented musicians, but I fear that if people think I sound like Sandler then they won't take me seriously as a musician.

---
"Everything in the universe is made of one element which is a note, a single note. Atoms are really vibrations which are extentions of the Big Note. Everything is one note, everything." --Frank Zappa, Lumpy Gravy

Check out my latest song called Celeste

lavalamp	lavalamp said 2165 days ago (June 18th, 2007)
	Adam Sandler I take you seriously. LL Check out my latest song called A Funky Little Thing

said 2171 days ago (June 12th, 2007)

hey!
now that was a fun song!!
thank you for the props on some of my little mixdown tricks and tidbits..i do agree with caroline in that i feel this song would benefit from a really straght forward delivery. i had a guy from new jersey tell me that once about the original version of Circumference, hence the acoustic version. sometimes to downplay is to uplay your strengths as a songwirter.
your lyrics were standard love song, but not.. that was fresh as well..i am a big fan of stripped down music, and a fan of stripped down women...ah, celeste.....

said 2171 days ago (June 12th, 2007)

hey!
this is nice, fresh and fun!!!
your best yet!
i think the Adam Sandler comment was when you went higher at the end of the first verse. no worries. there was a brief similarity, to me at least. but that's it.
good, solid lyrics, too. your voice and playing are strong.
i would like to hear this done patiently and methodically. still simple and stripped down, but take the time to eq it, and balance the parts.
for having done this in such quick, live fashion... it's great! don't get me wrong. i just know as you learn more, you can come back to this and make really strong!
great job aaron!

Godchaser

Godchaser said 2171 days ago (June 12th, 2007)

Headed in...
the right direction - with your simple setup the guitar sounds pretty good - lyrics are strong - has potential - would also like to hear this with some production behind it that maintains that unplugged vibe with the addition of a few refinements to give it some air - with your minimal set up as it stands it is somewhat dry and lifeless - your voice works well and as with the overall tune just needs some tweaking here and there- thanks for sharing!
Blessings,

- Godchaser

Check out my latest song called sOur GrapEs

drakonis

drakonis said 2171 days ago (June 12th, 2007)

Folk Tartar...
Well, I'm generally on the Caroline-non-Metalhead side of the fence too, so here I am to listen and return honest critiques. So first of all, I would ask... why, with a good-sounding song-structure like this, would you just do a crappy recording job, tell us you didn't even care enough to tune your guitar, and then ask for production advice? What is it that you would like to do with this song, really? How would you like it to sound? Do you want to keep the rough raw untuned quality? Or do you want to do a better recording/performance job on it? I'm honestly asking, since that would guide feedback to you. But, without knowing where you want to head, I'll give you my general impressions. I think the melody & chords are good, have a nice hook. I think the recording is mediocre, and doing the track-tripling/echoing only triples the so-so nature of the recording, tends to muddy it more. Your vocals are too far back, and since you did it in one take, you can't fix that. Your singing is good, and the places where you waver off the notes tend to be due to the emotion you're putting into the singing, so that is overlooked. I found the lyrics and message to be somewhat bland/trite in some spots ("Thinking of you makes me hurt inside"), with little glimmers of meaningful lines in others ("This blissful unrest")... but overall it has appeal and I would think that it is worth you putting more work into crafting it into a power-house. Oh, and the guitar strumming was good, but it seemed too even and repetitive throughout to me... why not have a different style (or finger-pick) during the chorus to break this song up a litte bit.

As always, I really critique the heck out of something that I see has a lot of promise... I think this isn't ready yet, but definitely has promise! Let us know where you want to go with this, and we'll give you pointers on how to get there.

ttfn,
Drakonis

Check out my latest song called Belle Aire (for Mandolin Orchestra)

Dharma Logos

Dharma Logos said 2171 days ago (June 12th, 2007)

Thanks for the honest critique.
My purpose in recording this song was threefold:
1. To get another one of my old songs out there so I can forget about it and move on with something new.
2. To provide something less heavy for the non-metalheads.
3. To test my condenser for recording guitar and vocal together to get a live feel. (Ok this wasnt' exactly the first take - I had played a short portion of the song with the mic about a foot closer. The vocals were even more buried, and there was too much pick noise. Also I would have used a condenser on guitar and dynmic on vocals, but I wanted to do it live and only own one mic stand.)

Honestly I have always enjoyed this song, but no one else ever seemed to give a shit about it. I wrote it two years ago and in that time have never been able to think of anything to expand the arrangement. Not that I've worked on it very hard, but really this song has barely changed at all since the day I wrote it (unlike some of my other songs which have gone through many evolutions). It always seemed like this song had a sort of centralized strength, and to do anything more with it would be an exercise in futitlity.

Like I said, I consider this an Aaron Wooldridge song, not a Dharma Logos song. That means that getting a big arrangement and pro production are not as important for me because I don't intend to do anything with it. This is a quaint little song that has its strengths but also has definite limitations, and frankly I have no idea how to work around those limitations. I felt that the best way to approach this is not by adding drums, electric guitar, etc, but by going live and getting an open-mic-night feel, which is what it was originally written for in the first place.

To those who don't like the song as written, fine, it is what it is. For those who would like to see a more serious production of it, I'm not saying it won't happen, but it's not high on my list of priorities. For those who really like this song and think I should do more with it, you have the potential to give me the inspiration to do it.

Production advice that I would like for this song is specific to two areas: microphone placement and EQ. Both are things that I have no idea about. I put the mic about two feet away and only expermimented with placement long enough to find a spot where the guitar wwouldn't completely drown out the vocal. EQ I'm clueless about. I put each track on a separate GB stock EQ setting. If I remember correctly left enhanced the bass, right enhanced the treble, and center enhanced vocal presence. It was the best technique I could think of to get the guitar and vocal to sound something like a balanced stero mix. Then I ran the master track through the jazz hall EQ setting or something like that to get an extra gain boost.

Once again, Drakonis, I thank you for your honest opinion and for the email. And as I said in my description, I welcome any honest production criticism. But at the same time this is just a quaint little song. Try not to take it so seriously.

---
"Everything in the universe is made of one element which is a note, a single note. Atoms are really vibrations which are extentions of the Big Note. Everything is one note, everything." --Frank Zappa, Lumpy Gravy

Check out my latest song called Celeste

said 2171 days ago (June 12th, 2007)

mic tips
now i did not use a condensor mic, i used the only one i got, my dynamic. but when i did legacy, on the montgomery california site, i had the mic within 8 inches of my ovation. i recorded 2 takes with that. then i set it up, with the windscreen, and did the lead vocals seated in a chair, rather than standing, with the mic 4-5 inches away, standard for lead vocals. while this is not technically 'live', it is played in a non-stop, flubs included live-esque fashion. the only way in my mind to truly do it 'live' would be to get the dynamic and condensor set up on two channels, and record both sources at the same time. that way you get the one take feel you are looking for, but have given adequate signal to both guitar and vocals without having to compress them into one source..
some of the muddiness you encounter can be eliminated in such a way. i think for a completely off the cuff performance, the way you recorded it is fine. once you get into all kind of placement and different micing, then you might as well add drums, bass and lead guitars and keys...i got alot of the same feedback when i had initially posted the songs 'down', and 'circumference'. those songs, much as yours were not meant to be recorded like that, and that is why they got a different treatment. your treatment is fine.

Dharma Logos

Dharma Logos said 2171 days ago (June 12th, 2007)

Thanks Allen.
Encouragement really means a lot coming from a producer of your calibre. Of course Drakonis is an amazing producer as well ("Dance of the Technoids" is my favorite electronc song at MacJams), but I think you have a much better grasp of what I'm trying to do. And yes I do remember hearing a song by you which you said was recorded in a similar live, unproduced manner. In fact I think that's part of where I got the idea in the first place. I will definitely be buying another mic stand next payday so I can experiement with using two mics at once. Thanks for all the tips.

Check out my latest song called Celeste

said 2170 days ago (June 13th, 2007)

with the eq...
when i used it. i do not as often as i should....
i start with 10 bands. then i listen to the song about 1,500 times playing with each band. cuz i do not know what each one is, really. but as, i listen, and play with one band, i start to hear how it affects the song. then, after i play with it for a while, i move up to 31 bands. the 10 gives me an idea for when i move higher, and more detailed.
as you play with each level, listen and re-listen patiently for the changes it makes. sometimes, i will get to the higher end of the bandwidth, and as i adjust the level, it interferes with something on the lower-mid range. then i have to go backwards and isolate the troublesome bands.
like i said, as far as real, pro eq'ing. i am no expert. but, i am not afraid to jump in and experiment with it, either.
normally, i have a setting one each track so , there is no room in GB to eq each track. and, and i have only recently learned about the master levels. that is where i have been playing with the mix a bit. just, be patient. walk away for an hour if you need to. come back and listen to how each band affects the sound.

---
Learn, Love, Grow... that's all one can do.

Reinholt56

Reinholt56 said 2171 days ago (June 12th, 2007)

Love the guitar...........
I loved the guitar and the production is OK, regardless of how it was put together. I think you've done a great job here.

The singing, to me, sounded as though you were singing a serious song but that you were shortly going to break into some funny verse or something less 'tense'.

If I hadn't read your description and everyone's comments before I listened I wouldn't have pinned 'The Wedding Singer' on you but I think I know what they mean. (It's not meant in an unkind way either).

I'm sorry too that things didn't work out for you and whatever her name was.

Take care.

Paul.

Check out my latest song called When The Time Comes (An Ambiental Mix)

Dharma Logos	Dharma Logos said 2171 days ago (June 12th, 2007)
	Oh my god All of this Adam Sandler bullshit is going to give me a serious complex. --- "Everything in the universe is made of one element which is a note, a single note. Atoms are really vibrations which are extentions of the Big Note. Everything is one note, everything." --Frank Zappa, Lumpy Gravy Check out my latest song called Celeste

	said 2171 days ago (June 12th, 2007)
	Hi Aaron... One of the non-metalheads clocking in here...Nice trick with the guitars. And I must say I'm impressed with your vox. Glad you got a mic! Nice lyrics delivered with passion. Very lo-fi this, but effective. Sometimes less really IS more, isn't it? Take care man!

Dharma Logos	Dharma Logos said 2171 days ago (June 12th, 2007)
	Hey Amagi! Thanks for listening to this song for what it is and not trying to make it into a slick, overproduced radio hit. --- "Everything in the universe is made of one element which is a note, a single note. Atoms are really vibrations which are extentions of the Big Note. Everything is one note, everything." --Frank Zappa, Lumpy Gravy Check out my latest song called Celeste

echoroom	echoroom said 2171 days ago (June 12th, 2007)
	Live baby live aaron - yeah this has a couple of bum notes and blah blah blah, but this sounds great, like your singing from the bottom of your boots in the corner of a club - your voice sounds really strong, reminds me a bit of James Dean Bradfield. Great chord changes and 'celeste' is a great hook ... nice work man. Steve Check out my latest song called Sweet Isolation

Dharma Logos	Dharma Logos said 2171 days ago (June 12th, 2007)
	Hey Steve, Thanks for taking this song for what it is and not making it into a big deal. I'm glad you liked it. The live singing from my guts thing was due in part (for better or worse) to the need to keep the guitar from drowning out the vocal. I've never heard of Bradford. Check out my latest song called Celeste

echoroom	echoroom said 2170 days ago (June 13th, 2007)
	JDB... ... ... is the singer/guitarist with manic street preachers .... and excellent at both! Check out my latest song called Sweet Isolation

kristyjo

kristyjo said 2171 days ago (June 12th, 2007)

Hey, from over here in the non-metal category-
I liked this. It actually has kind of a raw 'gotta get this off of my chest before I die' feel to it with the mixed vocal/guitar track. and, no, there's no way you could have changed the name of the girl or gone neutral on the name, so, now we all know about Celeste. I think you could sing this at an open mic, and a lot of people would understand what you're singing about. Most of us have been there. (Not with Celeste, but . . .)

Check out my latest song called The Black Cat

Dharma Logos

Dharma Logos said 2171 days ago (June 12th, 2007)

KristyJo!
I always hoped that you would check out one of my songs, but I knew better than to hope that you would have anything to say about one of my heavier songs. You are absolutely right about this having a "gotta get it off my chest before I die" kind of feel. You understand! That was sort of my point, and I spent several paragraphs trying to say what you just said with one sentence. You get it. Thanks for the comment.

Check out my latest song called Celeste

Peter Bauckham

Peter Bauckham said 2171 days ago (June 12th, 2007)

This is
great for those of us who are not metalheads - I'm with Caroline regarding your voice - perhaps just a little softer. I rather like the simple 'rough and ready' production approach and in any case you can only work with the gear you have available. You've captured a real live feel here and it's a very powerful delivery. Glad you posted it.

Peter

Check out my latest song called Reality TV MJRF2010

Dharma Logos	Dharma Logos said 2171 days ago (June 12th, 2007)
	Thanks Peter. You get the point. I'm glad you like it. Thanks for listening. Check out my latest song called Celeste

	said 2171 days ago (June 12th, 2007)
	A song with... grit, heart, and soul... and well sung. Jack

DeputyDoofy	DeputyDoofy said 2171 days ago (June 12th, 2007)
	This is great. I really like acoustic stuff and your voice could easily be that of a rock star - still trying to identify who I think you sound like. Gonna check out some other stuff of yours now. Methinks I'm way overdue. :) Check out my latest song called Telephone Exchange — Please Hold

dajama	dajama said 2170 days ago (June 13th, 2007)
	Nice passion in the vocal, and some cool lyrics - with some very nice images. Your singing is great, and our delivery is full of feeling. Guitar work sounds good, and for the type of recording you did, it sounds good. Nice work. Peace. Check out my latest song called Across the Wire (MJRF)

mikkinylund	mikkinylund said 2170 days ago (June 13th, 2007)
	Lovely! Free, and open-minded. This is cool stuff. Very aggressive, yet so cute. Nice performance! Check out my latest song called Delirium Poema II

Dharma Logos	Dharma Logos said 2170 days ago (June 13th, 2007)
	Thanks. Thanks everyone for all the comments. Check out my latest song called Celeste

Norman Goodman

Norman Goodman said 2170 days ago (June 14th, 2007)

A simple and solid expression
of emotion, that is an all too common consequence of the human condition.
I think you have an excellent rock voice and the guitar playing on this was straight ahead and to the point.
I am unable to give any production tips as it is always hit and miss for me.

I have songs like this, but I have always been a hired gun, so introducing them in a band situation has never really been and option ( I typically was hired to perform live the parts that were recorded by studio cats... ).

I think it is great that you are interested in jumping into this as a career, life is too short not to follow your heart. Wishing the best for you.

As for the metal head comments if there are any bikini clad swimsuit models at the metal head clubhouse, sign me up I will learn how to play in the style of the idiom later.

Check out my latest song called Love Devotion Surrender

Dharma Logos	Dharma Logos said 2170 days ago (June 14th, 2007)
	Women in metal. No I've never seen any bikini-clad women at a metal concert, but when I saw Cradle of Filth there were a ton of super hot goth chicks dressed in black. Of course when I saw Slayer there were almost no women. How does Metallica do it? Check out my latest song called Celeste

onesweetworld	onesweetworld said 2170 days ago (June 14th, 2007)
	bravo Really cool idea! How brave of you to write a song and show it to her. I could never!!! gasp I really like the lyrics and her name does make the song pretty special. Kudos to you for playing this in one shot. You rock star you!!! Check out my latest song called Let It Go

Dharma Logos	Dharma Logos said 2170 days ago (June 14th, 2007)
	Well now, If a pretty lady wants to call me a rock star, who am I to argue? Check out my latest song called Celeste

	said 2169 days ago (June 14th, 2007)
	live! emotions and all Celest must be some girl!! I say now that you got the feeling down put the bass and drums this deserves!

Feter	Feter said 2168 days ago (June 15th, 2007)
	Celeste hmmm a folkie .. awesome .. very movin singin .. ye man its that hard sometime I liked the words alot !! Check out my latest song called Roll with it

said 2166 days ago (June 17th, 2007)

Dharma Logos vs Aaron...
That distinction brought back familiar memories from Back In The Day when I was in Mind The Gap, our 80s-era Electro-Rock band. (I have no idea how to accurately 'mailbox' our sound back then; it was tougher and harder-edged than electropop (a label I use but with a certain reluctance) but not really rock-metal either. Whatever, it's not important now.) Songs that were 'mine' tended to be quite different from 'band' songs. Not really better or even more personal either-often they were eccentric and odd as hell, and the band wouldn't know what to do with them anyway.

I like this, and it's funny how it starts to sound more solid after repeated listenings. I suppose it could be dipped in super-zoom producto-sweeteners and buffed up to radio standards, but why bother? Anytime anything is changed, it trades something for something else, and the trade often isn't for the better. Music is human, production is mechanical - and finding the balance between the two is where the artist lives. This is rough and real. Thumbs up.

I don't really hear the Adam Sandler angle. Ditch the complex and go make some more music, Aaron!

Axgrinder	Axgrinder said 2166 days ago (June 17th, 2007)
	Major possibilities dude! You could go so many different ways with this. I like what you've laid down thus far and your vocals are "strong" perhaps a wee to strong for this song? I think Caroline nailed it when she stated that she would like to hear your voice softer. Great job all around my friend. Thanks for sharing another part of your soul. Check out my latest song called Dark Circus

Shimky	Shimky said 2165 days ago (June 18th, 2007)
	You sound NOTHING like Sandler - you're waaaaaay better! Great song with a lot of emotional grit. Check out my latest song called Funeral

rainfice	rainfice said 2136 days ago (July 17th, 2007)
	someone said that you sound like adam sandler. that's okay. I was once told i sounded like glenn danzig. eeeewww. -rain Check out my latest song called Moment

	said 2135 days ago (July 18th, 2007)
	comparisons.... i am also a posting artist over at garageband dot com, and i am CONSTANTLY getting the bon jovi comparisons... now, if i had his money, i would not care, but what self-respecting old school metal head would enjoy this type of comparison i ask you?

Thomaz	Thomaz said 2107 days ago (August 15th, 2007)
	I like! I really like the simplicity of the production on it as well as the song itself. Shows that U don't have to overproduce and put a lot of effets to everything(a problem I'm struggling with myself). And it's OK to do this kind of stuff even for a metalhead. More of a "punkhead" myself but like metal and this kinda stuff to. Good job Dharma! Check out my latest song called Spancil hill

	said 1767 days ago (July 20th, 2008)
	Celeste I love the lyrics great singing and music A great listen I ejoyed it very much. Not an expert- but sounds very good to my two ears Thank you. Peace Dee.

Fan List

Montgomery California

saymme

Artist Info

Name: Aaron Wooldridge
Location: United States

Dharma Logos is the heavy metal / hard rock music project of Aaron Wooldridge, a 25 year old California native currently residing in Virginia. I don't have a band yet, but I've been writng songs for years and now have the ability to record them with... [see more]

Check out some of my other songs:

Genre Info

More songs in Acoustic:

Chat

gadzooks	27
papag	34
Warren Smith	100
ziti	96