a few of my songs... opinions/advice wanted!

D

deathofamind

New member
I'm sorta hesitant to post this, because I'm still kinda new at this stuff... but here goes. I've been playing guitar for about two years now, and this is what I've been able to come up with so far... it's like an EP I guess.

http://www.suicidekiss.org/noah/music/

I'm just a one-man band recording in my bedroom, but I'm really into it. So I'm looking for opinions and advice! Do I suck? How's my songwriting? My guitar playing? My recording and mixing?

Obviously I know I'm not exactly a pro, but I guess what I'm really looking to find out is what I'm doing right, and what I'm doing wrong. I'd really appreciate any comments. If you're only going to download one song, then track 5 is probably the one that best demonstrates my style. But go ahead and download more of them if you have the time! :)

Thanks!
 
I tried #5. The bass and guitars are so out of tune, I had to shut it off. Sorry, but the first thing you have to do when you are recording is tune the instruments or the rest of your time is wasted. My ears are sensitive to pitch and the out of tune instruments drive me crazy. Not trying to be mean, just honest.

Speaking of, its a good idea to post one song here, not a whole album. That way, the people who listen can concentrate on the issues regarding the one song. Just a suggestion.
 
Well thanks for the reply... heh. I realize now that some of my recordings are out of tune. These are all from a few months ago, when my ears weren't as sensitive I guess. But I'm starting to notice it. It doesn't bother me to the point where I have to turn it off though. :)

Thanks for the constructive criticism though... that's exactly what I'm looking for. And about the "one mp3" thing... that's why I chose one track to recommend. :p But maybe you're right about that too.
 
I'm certainly not trying to rain on your parade, but the tuning issues are major. Its not that you can't play, track or compose. However, there are standard procedures for tracking any music and the first step is to get the instruments tuned to one another.

Get a good tuner and tune to it. A tip: play your bass and guitar for about ten minutes after you tune and before you record. The heat from your hands can change the tuning in a couple of minutes. Once the guitar or bass has been played for a bit, tune again. Then start your recording. Check after every take. This will make a big difference and help solve your pitch issues.

If everything is in tune and you add something that is "out" to your track, it will make everything sound out. You never hear anything out of tune on pro recordings, so might as well adopt the same standard.

Keep working at it and continue to post. You can learn a lot here.
 
Oh yeah... quite out of tune, that bass sound vs. the guitar. Hey, you sound a heckuva lot like Billy Corgan vocally. Song gives a good mood.

BTW you're lucky to have had such a heavy hitter listen to your stuff first... if crawdad says your guitars are out of tune, they are :)

I'm still here at 2:15, but the thing is getting a bit repetetive. If you added something more to the arrangement at this point... or played a different part on another part of the fretboard...

Okay, a change at 2:45; that lead may be mixed a bit loud... it also sounds kind of "dry"... and it's out of tune, too :(

On the plus side, the mood you're creating is nice, and it sounds creative enough. Tune up, and give it another go... maybe you could buy an e-bow, or something fairly cheap to give you some more tones for your arrangement... to break up the "repetetiveness".

Keep workin at it :) Nobody here's gonna run you off with a pitchfork...

(Now stay back with that pitchfork, chris :mad: )

:D


Chad
 
Hey Death:

Welcome aboard. You know, if I were you, I'd tell folks to listen to number 3. The tuning thing on #5 is pretty distracting...Now, at the risk of sounding like a COMPLETE asshole, number 3 needs some serious work too. I'd lose the drum intro and just start the song with blazing guitar, but that's a personal preference.

I don't know what the vocal needs, but it needs something. Your vocal performance just sounds kinda'...like you're not really REALLY trying...I know that's a half-assed explanation (at best), but it needs some fire or some reverb or some reverb on fire or something.

I couldn't even put strings on my guitar after 2 years, so you're a prodigy in my book.

I hope others can do a better job of pointing you in the right direction.

:D
-keep posting,
chris
 
crawdad, I'll say one last thing on the tuning issue... as embarrassing as this is, I don't think I even owned a tuner when I recorded those songs. In fact, I know I didn't. :p Since I record onto my computer, I had some computer program that worked as a tuner... but it wasn't very good. I own a real tuner now though, and I use it often. Maybe that's why I'm starting to be able to hear the difference. Remember, I'm still a beginner. :)

participant, thanks for the comments. :) Yeah, an ebow part would probably sound nice with that song... I hadn't thought of that. There's actually one part where I had in mind to add a flute solo, so break up the repetitiveness. I could hear the part in my head and everything. But alas, I don't play the flute.

chrisharris, I would tell people to listen to number 3, but it's probably my least favorite. :p You're right though... I have to work on my singing. It's still a very new thing to me. Okay, new rule... to anybody who reads this far, please just listen to track 2. I know I'm going to get yelled at for the noisy distortion and lousy singing, but I really like the song.
 
I read far enough. Listened to #2.

The first thing I noticed was the rhythm guitar was too distorted for my tastes. It was all fuzz. You'll notice that guitar distortion is easy to over-do when recording. It may sound fine thru the amp, but when it's laid down it gets a bit busy. I liked the chord progression however.

What are you using for drums? Not much came through. Mostly all I could hear from them was something that sounded like a tambourine. I didn't hear any bass either - listening on cheap headphones, it's possible that it's there and I couldn't hear it. If it's there, it's too far back in the mix.

I'm not sure what to tell you about the vocals. Not much melody there. You hit something weird at about 3:02, 3:55, and other spots too. Sounded like you were too close to the mic when you sang.

Just my thoughts... Take them for what they're worth and keep working at it.
 
I know that the tuning issues have been addressed here so I am not gonna go there. I listened to #5 (red) and I think that it is great. It has a fantastic moodiness to it. Great original tune. I would rework it a little bit with some heavier drums and a little mixing and of course TUNING!!! Keep it up cuz I think that you are definately one to keep listening to...Post your stuff on here and if someone says something that you dont really wanna hear, dont get your feelings hurt. I have been home recording for about 10 years but I have learned a LOT from the fine folks on this forum. Everyone here wants to help and give pointers...

Rock On!!
The King:D
 
TripleM... yeah, I know what you mean about the distortion. :) It sounded good when I played it... but when I recorded it and layered a few rhythm guitars on top of eachother, it came out very fuzzy. I kinda like it anyway, but I can see why it would bug some people.

I'm using Fruityloops for drums. There wasn't any bass on that track, but I did some simple bass on a few of the others... nothing fancy though. And yeah, I know my vocals need work. :(

King Elvis, thanks for the comments! I'll make sure I work on my tuning before I post any new tracks. :) I'm working on some instrumentals now, and I'm having a blast.

Thanks again for the comments, everybody!
 
yo death

well, i listened to track 5.......im weird like that:p but i just had to hear it man. iv'e been recording for the same amount of time as you, and playing less than 8 month's, and i haven't had the balls to post anything!!!! so...............BRAVO!! man. you have the the talent, just keep pluggin!!!! stick around brother, these guy's are a vitual vault of info.


thank's for sharing man!!

peace

rick
 
Ok, I had just had to see what all the broohaha was about #5...

I was cool with it for about 1:30, but then I get dis-interested. Nice playing, though. A bit much on the 'verb.

#7 kicked ass. A few timing issues, but I was banging my head... maybe back off on the distortion. It was a bit overtop buzzy and lost it's chainsaw effect. Nice playing on that one.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top