old tune, brand new recording - "Not That Bad"

That was not that bad.

(Sorry, I couldn't resist).

But to me the vocal sounded a bit too up front. The rest sounds good.
 
4tracker said:
Not that bad.

(Sorry, I couldn't resist).

But to me the vocal sounded a bit too up front. The rest sounds good.
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:) You know, when I first posted the demo of this song 8 years ago, I said, "And though I know it might be tempting, if you could refrain from saying 'not that bad,' it would be appreciated." BOOM, first comment: "It's not that bad!" Ha! This time I figured I wouldn't say that to see what happened. Oh well, I guess it was meant to be. :)

Thanks for the listen! Does this one veer further away from my Beatles influence in your opinion?

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polarity said:
Cool tune. Right up my alley in terms of style.

I enjoyed it
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Thanks! I appreciate it.
 
Yeah, Beagle, less Beatlesy, but it does remind me a little bit of "Something" by George Harrison. The tones and guitar movements do. But it's distant enough that I didn't think of it right away. Good piece.

I know that was an awful joke and so predictable
 
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Sounds good - the complexity of the arrangement gives each section its own personality. And I like the introduction of the synth in the chorus. My only nit would be that the low synth part (like at 1:10) is too prominent. I'd either tame the low end, or drop the volume slightly at that point. But very good song, and good performance!
 
I like this song. I like the structure and the changing landscape. There are some sounds that are like spices . . . they work best as hints. In this track that includes stuff like the glockenspeil sound, which, for me, was a bit too dominant. I wasn't all that keen on the synth sounds either, and maybe they could have been pushed back too.

But I really enjoyed listening to the song. Well done!
 
Another really good one for the album!

My likes; nice gradual build then the breakdown to just acoustic and lead vocal toward the end, then another smaller build, then down again to the end. Good variation while maintaining volume control so it doesn't just die at the breakdowns, and doesn't overwhelm at the builds. Each individual instrument and voice is clearly heard with no mush. Easy to distinguish and enjoy the individual contribution of every element. Superb arrangement!

My dislikes; none.

First thing my wifey said was Beatles influence. She's not even a huge Beatles fan but she really liked this. I didn't hear the fabs in there though have only listened twice. I normally notice an influence, but not this time.

Nice work.
 
There's a click? at about 7 secs around the word "didn't". Could be mouth noise. Nothing serious I only heard it on the third listen (player on repeat)
Nice mix - no nits for me. Especially like the "intimacy of the vocals. Beatles? Hmmm not to me....
 
jm67 said:
Sounds good - the complexity of the arrangement gives each section its own personality. And I like the introduction of the synth in the chorus. My only nit would be that the low synth part (like at 1:10) is too prominent. I'd either tame the low end, or drop the volume slightly at that point. But very good song, and good performance!
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Thanks for the listen and comments. I must admit, I kind of like the massiveness of that low synth in the chorus, but maybe we went a little bit too far. :)

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gecko zzed said:
I like this song. I like the structure and the changing landscape. There are some sounds that are like spices . . . they work best as hints. In this track that includes stuff like the glockenspeil sound, which, for me, was a bit too dominant. I wasn't all that keen on the synth sounds either, and maybe they could have been pushed back too.

But I really enjoyed listening to the song. Well done!
Click to expand...

Thanks much! I appreciate the listen.
 
einstein magoo said:
Another really good one for the album!

My likes; nice gradual build then the breakdown to just acoustic and lead vocal toward the end, then another smaller build, then down again to the end. Good variation while maintaining volume control so it doesn't just die at the breakdowns, and doesn't overwhelm at the builds. Each individual instrument and voice is clearly heard with no mush. Easy to distinguish and enjoy the individual contribution of every element. Superb arrangement!

My dislikes; none.

First thing my wifey said was Beatles influence. She's not even a huge Beatles fan but she really liked this. I didn't hear the fabs in there though have only listened twice. I normally notice an influence, but not this time.

Nice work.
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Thanks a lot for the kind words. Wow, Beatles, huh? I feel as though this is one of the most un-Beatles songs that I've written. :)

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ido1957 said:
There's a click? at about 7 secs around the word "didn't". Could be mouth noise. Nothing serious I only heard it on the third listen (player on repeat)
Nice mix - no nits for me. Especially like the "intimacy of the vocals. Beatles? Hmmm not to me....
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Thanks very much! Yeah the vox are nice and up front here for sure. We added a little grit on them during the choruses. :)
 
Really good listen. I got nothing on the first listen except applause. Really nice.
 
Synth was unexpected in a good way [edit:, but I must admit that on my second and third listen, I started liking it a little less. As a disclaimer, I am not a 'synth guy', so don't put too much stock in this].

Really excellent and interesting arrangement. Really well thought out and crafted. I was pretty fixated on what was coming next.

Looking for more growl and power from the bass.

Like the sound of the acoustic a lot.

Drums didn't always flatter the rhythm of the song. Sounded a little stiff here and there.

Vocals seem a little bit too out front of the rest of the mix (along the z-plane).

Lacks dynamics a bit which is a shame because this song really wants to breathe. It currently feels a little 'squished/limity'.

Very good overall though. I enjoyed the listen despite the little nitpicky stuff pointed out above.
 
The left-side guitar that picks some chords before the first synth part is a touch too loud to me, but if it was brought into the center a little more, it would probably be alright.
I thought the elec piano at the start was panned too far to the right, but when the organ came in on the left it balanced out - but I did find the two competing for the same notes a couple of times.
No Beatles influence in this one to me. Nice assortment of instrument textures.
 
not my bag,but i can tell you there ain no beatles not no way not never in this track :D


beatles early stuff = rocks,beatles later stuff = socks /runs
 
kindafishy said:
Synth was unexpected in a good way [edit:, but I must admit that on my second and third listen, I started liking it a little less. As a disclaimer, I am not a 'synth guy', so don't put too much stock in this].

Really excellent and interesting arrangement. Really well thought out and crafted. I was pretty fixated on what was coming next.

Looking for more growl and power from the bass.

Like the sound of the acoustic a lot.

Drums didn't always flatter the rhythm of the song. Sounded a little stiff here and there.

Vocals seem a little bit too out front of the rest of the mix (along the z-plane).

Lacks dynamics a bit which is a shame because this song really wants to breathe. It currently feels a little 'squished/limity'.

Very good overall though. I enjoyed the listen despite the little nitpicky stuff pointed out above.
Click to expand...

Thanks a lot for the listen, kind words, and detailed critique. I agree it is a bit on the squished side. I think that had something to do with really wanting the chorus to sound big and massive. :)
 
mjbphotos: I appreciate the comments!

cakewalkKaked: Thanks for the listen. I'm afraid I don't know what this means:

"Beatles later stuff = socks /runs"

Oh wait ... I think I get it now. Are you saying that you don't like their later stuff, and you're running away because people are going to hurt you for saying that? :) Was "socks" a typo for "sucks," or is that a UK/US thing?

At any rate, while I love most of their early stuff as well, it's hard to imagine someone not liking their later stuff too!
 
I thought the vocal sounded good. Nice singing. Great detail. I thought the vocal was a bit too far back in the mix.

I liked the acoustic guitar sound.

The chorus is way loud and it's distorting, at least on my system. Arrangement-wise there was just too much going on in the chorus. Or at least I didn't care for the new synth part on the right side.

The bass is way too boomy and rumbly.
 
TripleM said:
I thought the vocal sounded good. Nice singing. Great detail. I thought the vocal was a bit too far back in the mix.

I liked the acoustic guitar sound.

The chorus is way loud and it's distorting, at least on my system. Arrangement-wise there was just too much going on in the chorus. Or at least I didn't care for the new synth part on the right side.

The bass is way too boomy and rumbly.
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Thanks TripleM. You thought the vocal was too far back, Kindafishy thought it was too far up front: Ha! Can't please everybody I guess! :)

Yeah the synths usually seem to be pretty divisive. Some people love 'em, some people hate 'em. Whatayagunnado? :)

Thanks for the listen and the comments!
 
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