Hey everybody,

RVP here. First day of recording is done ! We spent up until about 5:30pm on the first day getting a killer drum sound. Then I tracked about half the album in about 5.5 hours.

Everyone is very excited and we are playing amazingly well with eachother, considering that we basically had about 6 days to learn the rest of Synchestra and then rehearse it and get it as tight as possible before entering the Studio. Devin added a couple more songs to the album, one is a surprise that some of you may have heard of......I'll let The Dev say what song that is.......

For those of you who knew about my sprained ankle...... it's holding out pretty good considering that I sprained it pretty good about 1.5 weeks ago. It can be a little challenging when I go to fast double kick (that's right, there is some fast double kick on this album ! Very fast !) ......the ankle can buckle or hurt while I play that fast but, fuck it, play thru the pain and kick some ass ! We're getting great results and Dev, Brian, Dave and Mike are the best to play with while I'm tracking this stuff. everything and everyone are so professional.....it's awesome !!!

The drum takes up to this point are smoking !!!! We are all extremely happy with them. The drums sound great (I'm recording with my Pearl BLX Stduio Series Drums) and the overall vibe is incredible. So we're starting Day 2 (final day) and I got to get the rest of this 72 minute album done today ! It's gonna be fun ! The Armoury Studios are the best around and it makes it so enjoyable to record an album, even under pressure ! I love it !

Well......I'm off to finish tracking, I took a bunch of pic's and stuff and I
'll be posting them in a couple days so you all can see what this Studio looks like and pic's of everyone recording and hanging out ! I'm sure Brian and some of the other guy's will come online and give you some updates soon too......stay posted. I'll be back in a day or so to tell you all how Day 2 turned out at the Armoury Studios. Until then , take care.......

All the best,

RVP

OK......

The drumtracks for Synchestra are done !!!!!!!

The only way I can describe this album is beautiful and epic ! I'll go as far as to say that this album could easily be one of Devin's best solo releases yet ! It is inspiring to listen to and there is'nt a filler song on the whole album IMO. Every song flows into the next song perfectly, Synchestra is like like one big song. Dev has produced this record so well. I don't think I've ever been this excited about a release of an album that I've played drums on. I'm very, very proud of this outing for the DTB.

As far as Day 2 and how recording the drums went.....

It was a crazy Day. I ended up recording 7 songs the first day but we decided to re-do the song "Hypergeek" on Day #2. We wanted to produce the drums better and that we did ! I ended up recording 8 songs on the final day. some of the songs were up to 10 mins long or so ! Devin and I had so many great ideas that we needed to try and I just pounded away on them. We tried so many different beats and fills until we knew exactly what we wanted for every song. I still recorded lot's of what we originally wrote but in some songs we needed the drums to be even more powerfull or Dynamic. The whole process turned out so well, even though we could have used alot more than 2 days or 1.5 days of drum tracking ! Even though we were pressed for time to get the drumtracks done in 1.5 days....we came out on top ! My ankle held out well, it hurt a bit when I did the faster double bass stuff but who cares, get the job done !!! I'm extremely happy with the end result.....I can't wait for you guy's to hear this album. The drumming on this album compared to AE is way different.....it's more the style I like to play......progressive and creative with the some fast double bass drumming ! I can honestly say that this album will represent my overall drumming style way better than AE did. I'm very proud of this record for the songs and the drumming.

The Armoury studios definitely helped the situation as well. Their staff and just the overall vibe of that Studio is as top-notch as it gets. It's impossible to be in a bad mood when you record at that place. Everything turned out amazing and the drums sound fucking incredible !!! A special "Thank You" goes out to Shaun Thingvold for his amazing engineer talents and Brian Seely for being an awesome drum tech ! Both these guy's RULE !

As far as working with Devin on this album......Devin is such an amazing producer to work with. Dev and I think on the same level when it comes to the drumming in the DTB. It's a really cool feeling when you click with a producer that way. Dev's guitar playing was amazing as usual, the guitar melodies on this record are so beautiful and memorable. Dev is a fuckin genius when it comes to music. I know he hates hearing that but it's true.

As for the rest of the DTB.....Brian, Mike and Dave were spot on in jamming out the songs while I recorded. Mike is playing some sic shit on this record, he's an amazing Bass player and you guys are gonna' love his playing on this album. Same with Dave, his keyboard parts are insane and he's an incredible guitar player on top of it all ! Brian....what can you say ! Other than his obsession with he is an amzing guitar player and was spot on in the 2 days of recording.

Next up are the guitar tracks. I'm sure Brian will give you guy's an update when they start tracking in a few days. Stay posted for more news and stuff. I did take a bunch of pictures and I will post them soon for you all to see.

Everyone......prepare for one amazing album. It's so epic and beautiful. I can honestly say that this is an album to get excited over. It will be amazing.......just my opinion, but I firmly believe this.

Until next time.....take care,

All the best,

RVP.

So today we actually started tracking guitars. After spending the day before and I mean the whole day, and part of today getting a great guitar sound.

We are really taking our time making sure the guitar sounds reflect the songs. We finished Hyper Geek today at least all the crunchy guitars, and I have to say it sounds killer. The whole band was there during the recording and they were loving it to.

I have a video camera set up at "The Tard Hut" that is what we have dubbed the studio at the Devs. So there will be a lot of footage being shot of the whole making of this record. We already have some pretty cool stuff so hopefully you will all get to see this stuff soon.

Gotta crash now as it is late and we are going again tomorrow so better get some sleep. Just wanna do our best to keep ya all up to date on the whole process.

We have finally gotten the guitars done except for a couple of little things we will decide on later to see if they make the cut. All I can say is that Synchestra has brought this band to a brand new level! I am so proud of the parts we have layed down so far. This has been my greatest experience recording this album as I have done things I am not normally used to doing. Dev really brought out a lot of very intersting music for us to put our fingers on.

Being a fan of Devins music long before I joined this band I can honestly say that this is my favorite record he has done and we arent even closed to being finished! Take all the stuff Dev has recorded in the past til present and put it all together and you will have Synchestra.

We used some different gear on this one guitar wise as well. As Devin has already mentioned we used his 7 string Ltd baritone which sounds sick, when we put it through the Mesa Boogie Dual Rectifier. Added a tube screamer and that was the icing on the cake.

Mike has Played some insane bass as well. Sounds very 70s style to me ala John Paul Jones. He has really become a force with his new sound that he has recently been working on. Lets just say it is mighty.

Then we have our all star on any instrument Dave. What cant this guy play? He plays keyboards, mandolin and, the guitar on this monster. And he tears it up on every one of em.

Are ya ready for it?

We have finally gotten the guitars done except for a couple of little things we will decide on later to see if they make the cut. All I can say is that Synchestra has brought this band to a brand new level! I am so proud of the parts we have layed down so far. This has been my greatest experience recording this album as I have done things I am not normally used to doing. Dev really brought out a lot of very intersting music for us to put our fingers on.

Being a fan of Devins music long before I joined this band I can honestly say that this is my favorite record he has done and we arent even closed to being finished! Take all the stuff Dev has recorded in the past til present and put it all together and you will have Synchestra.

We used some different gear on this one guitar wise as well. As Devin has already mentioned we used his 7 string Ltd baritone which sounds sick, when we put it through the Mesa Boogie Dual Rectifier. Added a tube screamer and that was the icing on the cake.

Mike has Played some insane bass as well. Sounds very 70s style to me ala John Paul Jones. He has really become a force with his new sound that he has recently been working on. Lets just say it is mighty.

Then we have our all star on any instrument Dave. What cant this guy play? He plays keyboards, mandolin and, the guitar on this monster. And he tears it up on every one of em.

Are ya ready for it?

Yeah.............everything he said !!!!!

This album is absolutely insane. I can't even wait for it to be released ! It is very true that the DTB upped the bar on this recording. The musicianship is so creative and spot on, that's mainly because we know eachother so much better as a band compared to the early AE days....... this album will show that 150% !

The icing on the cake will definitely be all the amazing vocal melodies that Dev has come up with for this album. They are sick and very memorable. You'll be singing along to many songs on this album....I already am ! His guitar melodies (like all of his solo albums) are out of control on this DTB outing as well....simply awesome !

Sorry for all the hype but I can honestly say for all of us, that we are extremely excited about getting this album out for you all to hear. Not too much longer..... Early 2006 ! We'll keep you posted as the recording progresses....

RVP

Hey Everyone,

Here's the latest news for ya'll.....

We've pretty much got all guitars, Bass and Drums down with the exception of a couple Guitar parts (Solos) and Bass parts (use of different kinds of Bass'), we'll finish those parts up soon enough. But for now....

We have now recorded over half the keyboard parts and have started on some backup female vocals, thats right, there will be some female vocals on this album. They are actually being recorded in the DTB Rehearsal Space/Studio that is located where I live ! Here's a pic for ya'....



Dev has some amazing melodies that he's having these awesome backup female singers sing on the album. It sounds friggin' amazing.

We are also recording at Dave's and Mike's house. They have this beautiful Grand Piano that Dave is using for many parts on the album. It sounds incredible ! Dev and Dave mic'd the Piano up and went for it, everyone is happy with the results. I actually just finished getting back from their place right now (12:54 AM Sunday Sept 17th).....pretty tired, but I thought I would keep you all updated on whats happening...

We still have lots of work ahead of us but Dev says that everything will be recorded and ready for the mixing stage for the start of October ! So things are moving along. Many hours, everyday, are being put into this record and the attention to detail is thru the roof. Dev just keeps on coming up with the coolest ideas for this record. This is miles and miles ahead of "AE" as far as everything goes IMO. The band has something special going on now and to get it recorded for you all to hear is going to be amazing !

It's so fucking EPIC and BEAUTIFUL with some HEAVY shit throughout !

There is going to be alot of cool stuff happening on this album, trust me, this album will stand out as a Devin Townsend classic, it definitely sticks out among the many albums that Devin has done.

We'll keep you posted in the next week or so......until then, be patient and you'll be rewarded in early 2006. If you want something to tide you over musically till then....buy Porcupine Tree's latest record "Deadwing"....one of the top albums of the year for myself and I think Steve Wilson (Main guy in PT) and Dev have alot in common. If you have'nt heard it, buy it and enjoy...

All the best,

RVP

OK Everyone,

Here it is....a Synchestra Studio Update !!!!! A very fuckin' long one !!!! so if you want your DTB update....here it is in all it's epic glory

Here is the deal. We are finished recording and mixing. The album will be fully mastered and hopefully in our hands by the end of next week. Dev left for tour as you all know with SYL and won't be finished till mid-December. So in the meantime all of us DTB guy's will re-learn our Synchestra parts and start rehearsing and preparing for some touring which should be happening in early 2006.

To embelish on the "re-learning our parts" part........

Basically, throughout the whole process of recording we messed around with Drumbeats, Drumfills, Guitar riffs, Tuba's , Grand Piano's , Mandolin's and many, many other instruments to make this album as unique and epic as possible. Basically, alot of things changed from what we were playing before we went in to record. This whole process made the album 10 times better with Devin producing it but we do have to slightly re-learn some of the new parts that we wrote in the studio, so we can pull it all off perfectly in a live scenario. So that is our next step as a band.

As far as the album goes. Here are some highlites !

- As you all have heard now, Steve Vai is playing a guest lead Solo on the song "Triumph". The solo he layed down is absolutely incredible, weird and original all in one....ya' know, normal Steve Vai We all love it and I'm sure you all will too ! Steve is amazing and we all, especially Dev, were honoured to have Mr.Vai play on this album !!!!

-Dave Young is playing a whole whack load of instruments on this album. He's mostly playing the Keyboards and Grand Piano, but he is also dabbling in the Mandolin, Guitar, Lead Guitar (No Lie) and there is even a cooler surprise....but I won't give it all away !

-Mike Young plays the hell out of his Bass on this album. His playing is just SICK but he also makes an appearance playing the Stand Up Bass and the Tuba on this album !!!! I know, you guys are thinking Tuba ??? You'll see.... plus there are some other surprises with Mike as well...

-Beavis and I, we played our respective instruments when we had to and helped and hung out whenever we could for support and stuff...well, we smoked alot of weed No surprise there huh ?

As far as how much work was put into this sucker.....

Put it this way, I can't believe that Dev is on tour now after the crazy amount of time he put into this album. Ontop of writing all the music for the album.....Dev produced, engineered, recorded, mixed and even helped in the Mastering of this album. At one point, Dev, Dave , Mike and I spent the better part of 24 hours straight in the Studio mixing in the final days. It was fucking mental ! Dave and Mike put the second most work in out of everyone in the band. They were at Devins Studio helping, almost daily, with recording Guitars, Bass and Vocals. Brian and I showed up as much as we could throughout the recording but we both have crazy busy lives outside of the DTB and could'nt put in as much as Devin, Dave and Mike. In the end, All of us worked our asses off one way or another but Dev definitely gets the "Ironman" award. He did an amazing job on this album and worked his ass off more then anyone I know....you'll all hear it soon....

For the music...

Man, this album is hard to explain. It is NOTHING like A.E. IMO. This album takes the epic feel from Terria, the beautiful melodies (vocally and instrumentally) from Ocean Machine, the unpredictable craziness from Infinity and it even has a hint of the good ole' Rock/Catchy Vibe from Accelerated Evolution. This album makes me proud to be a musician and to be playing with Dev and the Gang. I honestly think that this is one of the best albums Devin has EVER released. We all put our heart and soul into this album and I think it will show when you hear it for the first time. The DTB has grown into a real band that produces some pretty awesome music. This album will show that.

The artwork for the CD and the REPLACE booklet is awesome ! Geoffrey Rousselot has done an amazing job with all the artwork and I must say that this album's artwork will easily rival the amazing artwork that was done for Terria. Everything from Omer's pic's to Geoff's talented artwork is absolutely top-notch ! The whole package of this album, including a Live DTB DVD, will be awesome for all you fans.

Lastly...... to wrap up this long, overdue update for you guys.....

I just want to say that the entire band had an amazing time recording this album. The whole time there was a special vibe going on. There was never really a bad moment that any of us could recall. We all pretty much agree that this has been the best recording experience any of us has had. I really do believe that this vibe has transpired onto this new DTB album. We are all very excited about it and I personally cannot wait for you all to hear this album and for us to tour it for all of you in 2006.

Get prepared for Synchestra....it is one hell of a fuckin' ride !!!!

All the best,

RVP