No Love - alternative pop

andrushkiwt

Well-known member
Had this one going for over a month, about time to move along from it already. Please let me know what you think of the guitars, particularly. What are their qualities and how do they sound, in general?

I normally don't like writing about what my songs mean, or what I was thinking at the time, I think that should be up to the listener to decide for themselves. But I'll share this one, maybe I'll regret doing so. It's something I wrote the day after a heroin OD in the family. Maybe obvious from the opening line, but oh well, I don't debate over lyrics for more than a few seconds. What comes out instantly is usually more raw than examining every line an hour at a time.

ah, you can hear my humming bass pretty well in this one, especially during the fadeout at the end. It drops out completely as I fade the bass totally out, leaving the guitar sustain by itself in the end. I need to fix that. It's my bass, I've concluded.




She took the needle out,
the phone rang one last time.
She let the world fade out,
as her bones went numb inside.

She said to me, "a ghost can't find no love".
I turned to speak, but silence caught my tongue.

She won't be alone, but I can't feel the sun.

We never found a place
where the walls won't hold us in.
She said it every day,
the whispers in my head.

Don't say to me, don't say that all my time is free.
Don't be afraid, don't be afraid that I will leave.
 
Great power in the mix. Vocal sounds terrific.

I like the guitar tone.

I think the bass is just a bit too loud and maybe has some low-low end that could be reduced.

Lots of reverb on the snare. A bit too much for me.

Cymbals are pretty swirly. Probably a soundcloud artifact.

The vocal is getting just a bit buried in the chorus.

Minor tweaks all. Not even really necessary. Just suggestions.
 
I like the guitar tone.

On the two day break re-listen, I don't like it at all. It's too quiet and the tone is rather sterile, in my opinion. Man, I can't get satisfied with tone. Ever.

Thanks for the listen and feedback. Much appreciated.
 
It has a ton of gain, and it's not my personal favorite tone. But for the stuff you're doing, it fits well.

If you're not satisfied, try dialing the gain back a tick or two.
 
Well, there's an 808 screamer in front of the rhythm amps, with the gain on the amp head at only 4/10. The pedal vst is at default settings. Its original sound was good, great even, but after I EQ'd it all, I'm not happy with it. Oh well. Less fiddling next time. :)
 
Hey, good job. Like TripleM said....only minor tweaks. Personally I'd take another look at that piano break near the end....it's almost U2's "October" verbatim.
 
Hey, good job. Like TripleM said....only minor tweaks. Personally I'd take another look at that piano break near the end....it's almost U2's "October" verbatim.

1. Not a piano, but I'll take it. Just the same guitars that were playing throughout.
2. Not a fan of U2, but I'll listen to that. Thanks. Damn Bono.
3. Just listened. I'm not hearing it.
 
with the gain on the amp head at only 4/10.

You might be like me - you get way more distortion than other people with the same settings. I think it might be a difference in playing style. Anyway... We're totally into personal preferences, but I'd still like a little less gain in your sound.
 
Sounds great-nice full sound. Excellent vocal track. Guitars sound solid. I hear things i would have done different but i believe you're getting the sounds you want. After listening about 10 times i hear two snare hits that i thought were a little off and interrupted the flow a bit for me, i don't have the timer up but one was during the "don't say that all my time is free" line and another during "don't be afraid that I will leave"-same drum riff-i'm sure it's in time the way you want it but it sounds awkward to me-maybe a floor tom matching the snare on that 3 hit riff? Minor thing but got to come up with something...
 
It's an excellent mix given what you're trying to squeeze into the space. I guess what I'm trying to say is it's "dense" and the vocal fights that a bit when it's trying to get over top the guitars. Ambitious to try to fit all that into the space but imo at times the vocal gets a bit lost/masked by the guitars. If it's more than 2 guitars I'd personally scale it down to only 2 and see if that helps the vocal sit evenly (without having to raise/automate it) during the more chaotic parts.

Ps. I found the cowbell (?) irritating and dated sounding, not really matching the genre. I'd personally lower it or remove it, but that's a judgement call.
 
It's an excellent mix given what you're trying to squeeze into the space. I guess what I'm trying to say is it's "dense" and the vocal fights that a bit when it's trying to get over top the guitars. Ambitious to try to fit all that into the space but imo at times the vocal gets a bit lost/masked by the guitars. If it's more than 2 guitars I'd personally scale it down to only 2 and see if that helps the vocal sit evenly (without having to raise/automate it) during the more chaotic parts.

Ps. I found the cowbell (?) irritating and dated sounding, not really matching the genre. I'd personally lower it or remove it, but that's a judgement call.

Def not a cowbell. :) its the bell on the ride. The middle of the ride cymbal. It is on every song ive done in some way or another. Its by far my favorite ride cymbal in the expansions I have, and I use it for that sound and feature.

For the guitars, 2 isn't an option. I don't know how often I've used more than 4, but I have to have rhythm plus lead. And since each is doubled, that'll be 4 guitars. That's the thinnest I can stretch it and certainly not an uncommon number...in fact thats quite low for this genre. I can definitely mix them better, though, and thats something I'm seeking out how to do.
 
Weird, I never heard that cowbell-like/ride sound in your past songs. It stood out this time for some reason. Is it louder or any differences?

Maybe my ears are just in-tune tonight. Haven't mixed anything in a few days so they're fresh.

I'd be curious to hear the same mix with 2 guitars instead of 4 and see if the vocal sits better. It's not sitting badly so don't get anal about it, but when the density kicks in it does suffer compared to the more sparse parts. IMO of course.

If it's 4 guitars then I'd personally make some drastic EQ cuts to two of them, but not in the same spot (in order to avoid the counter-intuitive boost that happens). Definitely EQ/cut them in the 4k/vocal range. I'd cut at least two of them in the 150 range, too. The other two I'd cut up higher, maybe even 300 to 400. Clear out that low end and notch a spot for vocals. Then use volume to get away with as little addition of the guitars as needed to attain the power you want.
 
Weird, I never heard that cowbell-like/ride sound in your past songs. It stood out this time for some reason. Is it louder or any differences?

Maybe my ears are just in-tune tonight. Haven't mixed anything in a few days so they're fresh.

I'd be curious to hear the same mix with 2 guitars instead of 4 and see if the vocal sits better. It's not sitting badly so don't get anal about it, but when the density kicks in it does suffer compared to the more sparse parts. IMO of course.

If it's 4 guitars then I'd personally make some drastic EQ cuts to two of them, but not in the same spot (in order to avoid the counter-intuitive boost that happens). Definitely EQ/cut them in the 4k/vocal range. I'd cut at least two of them in the 150 range, too. The other two I'd cut up higher, maybe even 300 to 400. Clear out that low end and notch a spot for vocals. Then use volume to get away with as little addition of the guitars as needed to attain the power you want.

The chorus of Your Sympathy is one spot offhand I know I use that bell ride in.

I do have big eq cuts in the 2-4khz range on the guitar bus. That's something I'm trying to figure out. If I take out too much, the become dull and sterile. If I don't take out any, they can be harsh and interfere with the vocal. So it's a back and forth. Trying this trying that kinda thing.
 
Overall I think it sounds good. The guitars work for the style. I don't know if you've remixed it since the first reviews here but I don't hear too much reverb on the snare, and the bass sounds good (although nit-picking I'd use a punchier bass). Good song and arrangement and, if that's you singing, nice voice.

Sorry about your family member. :(
 
Overall I think it sounds good. The guitars work for the style. I don't know if you've remixed it since the first reviews here but I don't hear too much reverb on the snare, and the bass sounds good (although nit-picking I'd use a punchier bass). Good song and arrangement and, if that's you singing, nice voice.

Sorry about your family member. :(

Thank you. It's the original mix. I didn't comment on it earlier, but I meant to mention that I'm not able to put any more/less reverb on the snare because I am no longer bouncing the drums out of Superior. So whatever reverb ive applied to them is applied to the entire kit. That said, I can see how the whole kit might have a bit more than desired, although I know that isn't what you were saying.

Thanks for the feedback and listen
 
Just curious, how long did it take you to compose the drums in Superior?

I start with grooves that are close to what I want, then I move kicks and whatnot to where I think they should be for that song. Most fills I write out, but sometimes ill take something close and change it up a little. The whole process is a back and forth that I do over the entire time until the song is printed. So, it's hard to say a time. It isn't a single session or anything like that.
 
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