Any help with what's not right with these tunes, would help!

P

pazu

New member
Hi,
Jonny Didmo here.
My vocal/guitar recordings just aren't right, but I'm too close to the issue to figure what's wrong. Would someone care to advise? I would sure appreciate it. I want to add more to these originals, but until I've got my mind around the fundamental problems that I'm having trouble identifying, it doesn't seem worth the bother.

Really looking to get my messaging out in song, but need to better understand where I need improvement, what techniques to practice etc. in order to get there. I play open mics. I play strummy guitar with fingers whilst singing and that's how I record everything (2-track simultaneous, basically).

Here's a link to all of my songs. The 'death ballad' I've just recorded and can barely play, but the others, well also have issues :(

Thanks for any help, here's the link to my ReverbNation .mp3's. I can provide original full res .waves to anyone interested via box.com link, if that helps.

I use a DR-05, also GarageBand 'll with the jam packs and free plugins like Limiter6, I use Adobe Audition CS6, the guitar is an acoustic 6 string using XLR line out, I generally use the DR-05 wired with external mics such as an MXL 990 and AKG D320b.

Thanks so much for any advise to this novice wanna-be!

Jonny Didmo Music, Lyrics, Songs, and Videos
 
I checked out a few of the tunes, and I dig the vibe. I'm not entirely sure I understand why you're using the DR-05 if you have GarageBand. I don't have an Apple, so I've never worked with GarageBand, but isn't it a recording program? If so, how/why does the DR-05 come into play?
 
Hi Famous Beagle and thank you for having taken a quick look. Thanks also for the positive thought. The DR-05 does 24 bit 96K whereas GarageBand is limited to 24b 44,100. Adobe Audition can do 32 bit 96K floating so I figured theoretically I might get better effects processing with recordings from the DR-05. My boards both can handle >24b 96K. That's why I use the DR-05 line in from a Behringer UB802 or PMP4000. I do also use Garageband from these boards so I go back and forth. There are things I like about Garageband, mainly that it also handles software instruments.

I really need to find a better acoustic guitar sound, not happy with it, hoping to learn strategies from folks on here. I guess I'll have to just keep plugging away, may be no easy answer, just a need to hone my craft.
 
Where We Began - seems to be leaning off to the left. There's not much going on part wise so I would just compress the vocals so they're even and set them so they ride just over the guitar. If you want a "recording" improvement you could try two guitar parts panned left/right, eq so the guitars are cut where the vocals are.
 
ido1957 said:
Where We Began - seems to be leaning off to the left. There's not much going on part wise so I would just compress the vocals so they're even and set them so they ride just over the guitar. If you want a "recording" improvement you could try two guitar parts panned left/right, eq so the guitars are cut where the vocals are.
Click to expand...

thanks ido1957, for the observations. I am re-recording this tomorrow, and will pay attention to your suggestions while I do. - Jonny
 
Thanks again ido1957 - I have identified the issue. In breaking out the stereo two-track from the DR-05 to two mono tracks, I misconfigured the two mono tracks in Adobe Audition. I think that I have done that several times. Though I meant to correct that track I somehow re-recorded and mixed down a different song instead but I will get to this correction for sure!!! Great advise!! :) - Jonny D
 
Johnny,
We Don't doesn't.
The progression isn't terrible original and the sound is very thin.
There are a few fluffs in there as well.
Why not actually develop it and rerecord it with some body to the acoustic?
The vocals aren't very crisp or clear either.
Keep at it & heed some advice from the Clinic & you'll get there.
 
rayc said:
Johnny,
We Don't doesn't.
The progression isn't terrible original and the sound is very thin.
There are a few fluffs in there as well.
Why not actually develop it and rerecord it with some body to the acoustic?
The vocals aren't very crisp or clear either.
Keep at it & heed some advice from the Clinic & you'll get there.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the thoughtful comment. I like the song, mulling over a few more stanzas for it. I don't have an issue with the relative originality of the progression, it is an original tune, not consciously based or sounding like anything that I can think of. The guitar sound is awful, I agree. No, the vocals aren't very good. The whole execution is poor to start with. The songs that I have on reverbnation are sketches, that do need more work, the question for me is, where to go with them. Thanks again for your insight, I'll try to achieve better results given the gear and level of playing that I have to work with. My next recording is always my better, at this point.

edit - I just listened to that one again, It is a re-recording of only a few days ago, that I put some 'mix work' into. It seems I've a long ways to go, particularly in capturing guitar tone. Definitely better execution will help, but I'm going to have to learn something new in order to fix that guitar sound.
 
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Pick one. Work at it. Post it. Take the feedback on board. Rinse. Repeat.

You'll get better quicker that way.
 
I hear too much muddiness in the lows/low mids right off, and not enough in the highs. The guitar itself sounds perfectly fine to me, it's the general mix that's not at its best yet for me.
the post above just about said it best--post one and take the suggestions for it and apply it across the board since I got the same general sense in my first sentence from each song.
 
I listened to Farmer's Market Girl because I thought it had an interesting title.

The guitar sounded cloudy, muddy, and distant. How was it recorded? What mic? Where was it placed? I think bad mic placement is the culprit. But it has a low mid buildup - like between 300hz and 1000hz. And not enough high end, like everything above 5K. There are also some playing artifacts - like your hand or pick hitting the guitar body.

The guitar is overpowering the vocal a bit. And the vocal is rather pitchy.
 
Whow thanks for some pretty good advice. I'm still however, f'n lost in the mud somewhere in the swamps of...

My recordings are nondescript, rather epic disaster and I've not the sense, skill nor savvy to suss out the suck.

Armistice, I continue to suck. It is important to me to get through this, I am trying. Sammydix you are hearing right, it's muddy. Could it be, crap guitar with elixers on it, played with fingers not a pick? It is the only way that I can seem to play at all.

Triple M, thank you for listening to Farmers Market Girl, it is one of my best songs (best relevant to, ahh.. what I have no idea). Yes, I play with fingers and I generate a lot of overtones, not necessarily by mistake... Maybe by mistake actually. You try playing guitar with the mind of a grasshopper, it can be elusive!!! :) I never use a pick. I can play with a thin pick, but barely.. Anything thicker is beyond my ability. I use a pick to tune my 12 string, that's about it. But this is a 6 string acoustic with a Fishman SSt outbound. In the case of this recording of Farmers Market Girl, I used XLR line out of the guitar to a berry UB802, preamp down and the 'notoriously brit' eq of the berry, 3 knobs, I see I cut the high a lot, pushed the mid a lot, cut the low a lot. Looks like I cut some of the bass at the guitar. The output of the UB802 goes to a DR-05 at max res. The vocal is an MXL 990 into the board then the guitar. I cut a little bass on that as I get a puffy sort of sound if I don't.

Edit - I then did everything I could think of in order to make it sound better, using Adobe Audition CS6. Duped tracks, etc.
View attachment 93201
I can't seem to get away from muddy. I was sitting in a noisy chair, maybe that was part of the artifact noise, but I tend to hit strings that I don't intend to, when I play. That could be part of it. I guess I have a lot of issues to work out. Thanks again for all of the advice, I truly appreciate it. It validates what I know to be wrong, now just to find a way to make it right. I'll re-record Farmers Market Girl and We Don't, tomorrow afternoon. - Jonny D
 
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