MXL v67g & SM57: Great Results! (mp3 inside)

[antispatula]

I would like to share with everyone a song that a friend and I recorded yesterday in my livingroom. This is the first time I've used my newish equipment to record something serious, not just a demo, and am very excited and pleased with the results of my VERY modest setup! Here's what was used to record the song:

all vocals: MXL v67g ($99 new)
electric guitar: SM57 ($89 new)
snare drum: SM57
bass drum: uh....I forget actually. Something Shure.

Everything was run into an FMR RNP preamp ($475 new) then into an
Adiophile 192 card ($135 new) then into the program REAPER ($40 new).
Bass guitar was DI'd into the RNP. All plugins are free.

Here's the song: http://ollertonmusic.com/Ride.mp3

Of course there is always room for improvement, but what I've gotten out of these "cheapo" mic's I find to be very pleasing results.

Russell

[JacksonMan]

Sounds awesome. I wish i could get those results. I just have to spend more money

[travelin travis]

sounds good antispatula.

jacksonmon, i doubt that you do have to spend more money.

[Golden]

neat little tune... I like the sound of that v69. I've been meaning to try one out.

[COOLCAT]

like the song,

I'd snip the beat intro....its over used imo. too often i hear 1,2,3,4 or the drum beat count in intro. on HR songs, immediately sends the signal to the listener "hey I'm not done yet, but here it is anyway...!"

anyone else agree?


the guitars sound very good.
the vocals cut thru and has a nice tone. I agree with Golden, this sounds good to me too.

the lesser good...
the kick drum or something needs a compressor or help from having that paper-pop, diaghpram pop sound.
I think you should drop the drums and send your tracks to someone on the post, have the drums added by them.


very nice. well written, i like it. the breaks, bridge, lead...its all there.

get a few more inputs and then have it mastered right away by someone on the forum, and repost.

i think the tunes worth it, and it'd be a great thread.

[antispatula]

Thank you everyone for your comments and suggestions,
Coolcat, I appreciate your suggestions too; this song actually isn't
mine or preformed by me, I only recorded it. My friend is releasing a free EP funded by the money he got from cd sales from his first release, and I told him I'd be honored to record it.

I think recording other people is a huge learning experience; in the past I've only recorded myself, and I was always stressing and rushing everything like mic placement and stuff because I had to be the engineer, musician, mixer, etc etc. all at the same time! Focusing just on the recording and mixing with no other task is a lot of fun and very educational!

But I think getting it mastered then reposting it is a great idea, just to give people an idea of what kind of sound you can get with such cheap equipment. Hope for broke musicians/college kids everywhere!

Mind you, this was recorded in a very nice acoustic room. 20 ft. slanted ceilings, huge livingroom with carpet and couches everywhere. Then again, we miked everything very close, so I honestly don't think acoustics played a huge part.

[JPXTom]

cant beat that for the prices of those mics...all i'd say is to me, the guitars seemed a bit bright, but thats just me. Sounded great though, nice work.

[COOLCAT]

the playing of the drums was fine, but did anyone else hear some pop on the kick?

maybe it's my monitors or soundcard...

yes post the mastered, keep the song moving, its well done, imo.

[sound125]

The music you posted is a good indication of why the SM57 is such a popular all around mic. Very nice tune. The background vocals seem to jump out and might benefit from some compression. I would also drop the intro. Bravo, a job well done!

[yoyo]

VERY NICE!! good quality, nice song. ONe thing i would do is boost the guitars a bit during the vocals. you drop the vol. of the guitars too much then, but that's my opinion

very nice, i'm defintely getting an sm57 now!

[MCI2424]

Originally Posted by antispatula

I would like to share with everyone a song that a friend and I recorded yesterday in my livingroom. This is the first time I've used my newish equipment to record something serious, not just a demo, and am very excited and pleased with the results of my VERY modest setup! Here's what was used to record the song:

all vocals: MXL v67g ($99 new)
electric guitar: SM57 ($89 new)
snare drum: SM57
bass drum: uh....I forget actually. Something Shure.

Everything was run into an FMR RNP preamp ($475 new) then into an
Adiophile 192 card ($135 new) then into the program REAPER ($40 new).
Bass guitar was DI'd into the RNP. All plugins are free.

Here's the song: http://ollertonmusic.com/Ride.mp3

Of course there is always room for improvement, but what I've gotten out of these "cheapo" mic's I find to be very pleasing results.

Russell

I would apply parallel compression to the drums as well as the vocals. The dynamics are a little out of whack. The guitars need a little more low end body. Don't be afraid to push the bass below the guitars and keep the kick drum on point. With these changes, the whole song would open up nicely.

Good Job anyways!

[Micter]

Originally Posted by COOLCAT

the playing of the drums was fine, but did anyone else hear some pop on the kick?

maybe it's my monitors or soundcard...

yes post the mastered, keep the song moving, its well done, imo.

Yes the kick was going into digital clipping.

[antispatula]

Originally Posted by Micter

Yes the kick was going into digital clipping.

Yes I've noticed that too. Especially at around 3:10ish I think, there's a really noticable clip.