What's going on in the Mp3 clinic?
- Thread starter jimistone
- Start date
R
RAMI
Guest
Anyway, that person obviously doesn't want to have anything to do with the community in any way. That's his prerogative, I guess. I'm just always surprised to see some regulars still commenting on his stuff, considering he never listens to theirs. Whatever.
I just want to clarify something I said before. When I said I read everything Greg says closely, that wasn't meant as a diss one anyone else. There are many people that have given me great food for thought on my tunes. ONE example, and it's just ONE example because there are many....is Dobro. At one point, I thought he was one of those "I have to find something to suggest or criticize". But I've come to realize that he always has a great perspective and has given me great ideas. Many others have, too.
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Steenamaroo
...
Thanks for the honourable mention.
I mostly posted stuff I was working on with my buddy but I can't really do that any more.
Haven't done any covers in a while but I'd like to. Maybe I'll have a think about that!
Chili
Site Moderator
I hear ya. I thought that little cover I did with my kid sounded smashing with the master limiter cranked... evidently so did others. LOL.
kindafishy
Member
People don't need to make stuff up, RAMI. You give us lots of ammunition, what with your cold, digital sounding drum samples and all. It is sooooooo obvious. You need to get more analog. More. Analog.
R
RAMI
Guest
What am I? PaschiRAMI???????
kindafishy
Member
That would be way too analog. You'd be entering wax cylinder territory there.
jimistone
long standing member
I am thankful that people like RAMI and greg have taken time to answer my pm's and help me with rudimentary stuff that probably had them thinking; "This guy should read kidergarden level recording for dummies before he bugs me with this". They have both been helpful. I also appreciate the honesty I get from reviewers like dobro, gecko, and Mr Clean. It's caused me to be more critical of a piece before posting it. I'm very guilty of getting something that I think really grooves just past the peliminary stage and posting it...before giving it enough listening time and then I regret posting it because it's not ready to put up yet.
I've had my ass handed to me on timing issues in the past. I'm hard headed, I tell myself "click tracks aren't neccessary....it makes the music sound like robots are playing it." Well, I'm sick of my stuff having timing issues and the tunes I'm working on now are being done with a click and a timing grid. It's a bitch lining EVERY single bass drum hit up with the grid (telling off on my pathetic drum ability now) but...
Ain't gonna be anymore timing issues!
I've had my ass handed to me on timing issues in the past. I'm hard headed, I tell myself "click tracks aren't neccessary....it makes the music sound like robots are playing it." Well, I'm sick of my stuff having timing issues and the tunes I'm working on now are being done with a click and a timing grid. It's a bitch lining EVERY single bass drum hit up with the grid (telling off on my pathetic drum ability now) but...
Ain't gonna be anymore timing issues!
gecko zzed
Grumpy Mod
I enjoy listening to and commenting on mixes, and in a past era I used to do CD reviews. However, to be able to comment requires two things: reliable access to the songs, and time in which to listen to and consider them properly.
I often hear things that disturb me, but I try not to make comments that reflect just a musical taste, but in the end I expect that most of my comments are about taste (e.g 'more vocals' is a frequent comment I make.
I tend not to comment if I see others have already said enough stuff. From time to time I like to browse the MP3 clinic and look for people who have not received comments. There tends to be a clustering of comments towards the familiar names.
The big killer, though, for me, is finding time.
I often hear things that disturb me, but I try not to make comments that reflect just a musical taste, but in the end I expect that most of my comments are about taste (e.g 'more vocals' is a frequent comment I make.
I tend not to comment if I see others have already said enough stuff. From time to time I like to browse the MP3 clinic and look for people who have not received comments. There tends to be a clustering of comments towards the familiar names.
The big killer, though, for me, is finding time.
BroKen_H
Re-member
One thing I do quite a lot is listen and write down what I think. Then read everyone else' posts. If what I would have said was there, I just quote it (them) or say something like "Ditto to all the above." Then give an overall, like "I really think this one's great."
That way, I'm not writing a novella for each song I listen to...When I'm here, I usually have Open Office Writer open on the second screen (partly because I have the real names of some of the aliases so I can remember who you guys are.)
That way, I'm not writing a novella for each song I listen to...When I'm here, I usually have Open Office Writer open on the second screen (partly because I have the real names of some of the aliases so I can remember who you guys are.
)
kindafishy
Member
I'm not going to point out a thread in particular, other than to say that this comment does not relate to any threads I have left feedback on, but I have noticed an awful lot of people saying that mixes sound good or okay when they really don't.
I'm not sure why people do this, but it is not helpful to anyone.
We are here to learn and improve. If this "every child gets a trophy" sort of feedback keeps prevailing, those who need the critical feedback to actually get better (that is why we are here, right?) are not getting it. It seems that it becomes more evident when people get more familiar with each other.
We can all get to be friends and be friendly, but don't let familiarity soften your opinion. Tell it like it is, guys.
Personally, if someone gives me sugar coated feedback, I take it as kind of insulting because they are basically projecting that they don't think I can handle the truth.
There should be no room for preciousness around here.
I'm not sure why people do this, but it is not helpful to anyone.
We are here to learn and improve. If this "every child gets a trophy" sort of feedback keeps prevailing, those who need the critical feedback to actually get better (that is why we are here, right?) are not getting it. It seems that it becomes more evident when people get more familiar with each other.
We can all get to be friends and be friendly, but don't let familiarity soften your opinion. Tell it like it is, guys.
Personally, if someone gives me sugar coated feedback, I take it as kind of insulting because they are basically projecting that they don't think I can handle the truth.
There should be no room for preciousness around here.
R
RAMI
Guest
I might sometimes be guilty of that, but not because I don't want to hurt anyone's feelings. Many times, if I like the song so much that it over-rides any mix flaws, I'll just say that I love it...because I do.
I've always wanted to so this, but never had the guts to try and fool people that I consider friends. But I'd love to put up a less popular, but still great Alice Cooper tune from 1973 (or whatever, just an example), and post it as my own just to read all the mix critiques. My point is that many of my favorite tunes from the past wouldn't stand up to scrutiny in the Clinic. The drums would be considered weak, the singing is slightly off at times, the guitar bends aren't totally in tune, etc......But the tunes are magic. That's how I look at it when I hear a song I love that might have mix flaws.
Listen to this tune, for example. One of my favorite Alice Cooper songs. I can sing enough like him that I might get away posting this as mine. But I'm sure it would be ripped apart, as awesome as it is:
https://youtu.be/q-mgjpU-ETw
robgreen
no face
I agree with Dobro's take on the previous page. Most people who post on here (by their own admission) need to make at least a couple of tweaks from their initial mixes - Greg and Rami are generally the exceptions. Unless I arrive early at one of their threads, it seems pointless to add another simple 'well done' to the party after seven other pages of 'well dones'. I also get the impression that both eventually reach saturation with responding to the ‘well done’s too, so if it’s reached that point then unless something specific comes to me, I’ll just listen. If time allows, I generally like to hear what the regulars on here produce anyway.
Other than that, I like to try and just offer possible alternatives for consideration as I thought that’s what the clinic was about. People are free to discount them of course, but I hope it provides a bit of fresh perspective – and I sure hope it doesn’t come across as nitpicky, negative, or ‘just for the sake of it’ because that’s certainly not what’s intended. And hopefully my own efforts don't suck so much that my opinion in general is rendered worthless in there.
Other than that, I like to try and just offer possible alternatives for consideration as I thought that’s what the clinic was about. People are free to discount them of course, but I hope it provides a bit of fresh perspective – and I sure hope it doesn’t come across as nitpicky, negative, or ‘just for the sake of it’ because that’s certainly not what’s intended. And hopefully my own efforts don't suck so much that my opinion in general is rendered worthless in there.
R
RAMI
Guest
Greg for sure.
But if you arrive early in one of my threads, you'll find a lot to suggest. If my mixes ever end up being really good, it's usually after 5 pages of tweaks based on what others have said. I almost always post tunes too early. Not only do the mix flaws make that true, but I often find that this melody could have been better, or that part should been like this, etc....It's almost always after I think a song is finished and sit back to enjoy it that all my best ideas start happening. I've learned now to really take my time and wait before considering something finished, because it almost always isn't.
DM60
Well-known member
I am getting better at this, but need to be a little more patient. Sometimes I just excited I have created something decent I want to share it.
But the nice thing about sharing early, knowing it isn't ready, you can take the comments more objectively and there is plenty of room to tweak it better into the final. If we were in a working studio, the people around us would be providing feedback interactively. Recording solo, this is the only way to get some sort of feedback. Whether good or bad it is feedback.
BroKen_H
Re-member
It's still nice to say something. Even if yours is the 17th "I really like this song.", it shows the artist that he/she is on the right track.
Maybe RAMI posts up something amazingly awesome, it gets 300 views and only two "that's great, no nits..." comments. Now he thinks the song is so bad no one wants to say anything...
It's just good form, if you really listened to the song (and you do like it), to pick something out that was good and say something even when you got nothin'.
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Especially when he comes back to the clinic and sees some newb bozo has 80 replies to his hyper awful pile of festering notes.
Maybe RAMI posts up something amazingly awesome, it gets 300 views and only two "that's great, no nits..." comments. Now he thinks the song is so bad no one wants to say anything...
It's just good form, if you really listened to the song (and you do like it), to pick something out that was good and say something even when you got nothin'.
EDIT
Especially when he comes back to the clinic and sees some newb bozo has 80 replies to his hyper awful pile of festering notes.
R
RAMI
Guest
Exactly. It's not abut needing pats on the back. But when someone says "I don't comment on your songs any more because they're so good", I find that strange. If I take the time to listen to a song that I love, somewhere in that 4 minutes of listening it won't kill me to type "This is really good, man". Unfortunately, there are a couple of people here who I really like and really get along with, but I've stopped listening to their tunes because they never comment on mine. Maybe childish on my part, I don't know, but that's the way it is.
But yeah, on a couple of occasions, I've seen myself and other regulars get almost no response. Meanwhile, some bozo that's posting horrible shit is getting 15 pages of comments only because he's being a jerk about all the criticism he's getting. So I'm like "Fuck. I guess the squeaky wheel really does get the grease. Sometimes it pays to be a moron".