Acoustic track

W

Wack

New member
Hey guys, after a lot of reading and trying to understand the last advice I was given from the fourm. I've recorded a song of my own that I've been working on for a while now. The song is 3 guitar parts (all acoustic, one acting as bass), and vocals. I once again ask for some criticism. I think I am getting closer everyday to understanding this stuff. And I once again would like to thank everyone in advance for their much appreciated input.

Im just wondering if my freq's are any better than last time, if its less muffled. That sort of thing. Thanks guys. :cool:
 

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You aren't getting a bad sound considering you are plugging straight into a DI. There is really only so much you can do when you are recording acoustic in that way.

A couple things other than that:
1. Tune your guitar!!!!!! Then double check it, then double check it again.
2. Play to a metronome. Practice to a metronome. You really need to get those parts to stick together more.
 
Live42 said:
You aren't getting a bad sound considering you are plugging straight into a DI. There is really only so much you can do when you are recording acoustic in that way.

A couple things other than that:
1. Tune your guitar!!!!!! Then double check it, then double check it again.
2. Play to a metronome. Practice to a metronome. You really need to get those parts to stick together more.
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+1 on those 2 things.

Also, try a very soft pick for the strumming parts to get a bit of attack.

practice more. Not being harsh, but you need to be able to play the parts fluently then record them.

Nice song though, keep at it.
 
Guys I thank you a lot for all the advice. And the input of the song. Practice to a metranome always? Or just for songs im going to record. Would anyone say always playing to a metranome will ultimately keep you on beat? Also, play to numerous different speeds correct? Or just find the tempo that fits the song?
 
The metronome keeps your tempo solid. Even the best guitar players can tend to "drift" without the metronome. This is for recording.

If I record a guitar part without a click track, then try to put some percussion on it, it inevitably gets out of time. But if I record the guitar with a click track, the percussion fits bang on.
 
I agree with Live42 and Washburn. As far as clarity of guitar, it sounds fine but before you even get to the EQ part make sure your guitar's in tune. There's no amount of EQ'ing that will fix an out-of-tune instrument.

I'm a bit partial about using a metronome all the time but it does help. Take for example "Blackbird", you can hear a tapping sound, probably Paul McCartney's feet or a metronome but if you try to pin it to a tempo, you'll definitely fail. I tried it and found out it changed tempo all throughout the song. IMO, you can get away with it if you're intention is a purely acoustic guitar piece.

As for vocals, I noticed you were going for the Plain White T's (Delilah) style. It didn't sound "YOU"... if you know what I mean. Maybe try to sing it as Wack.

Just my two cents.
 
Agree with the other commentors. The out of tune guitar is immediately noticable. There are a couple of pitch problems as well (e.g., the word "this" at :38). Vocals tend to get buried. I liked the guitar part/playing. Nice singing voice too.
 
mgjr73 said:
As for vocals, I noticed you were going for the Plain White T's (Delilah) style. It didn't sound "YOU"... if you know what I mean. Maybe try to sing it as Wack.
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I agree with this. I like your vocal sound. But it did strike me as though you're try to copy a currently popular vocal trend - exaggerated expressiveness.
 
Thanks guys, I never noticed maybe it did sound like 'Delilah'. I personaly think I have a horrible singing voice and it sounds nothing like the plain white t's. I could only wish it did. Im going to practice and practice again with tuning my guitar, I realize its always been a problem, Shows and recording im always hearing it. Im going to try to get my own vocal sound aswell. Thank you all for the complements on the guitar.
 
I've actually got like 3 guitar tuners. I've never learned to use them. I'm sure its real simple. I'll just have to give them a try!! Any other input on the track is happily accepted.
 
Wack said:
I've actually got like 3 guitar tuners. I've never learned to use them. I'm sure its real simple. I'll just have to give them a try!! Any other input on the track is happily accepted.
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I'm a self taught guitar player and I've been playing since high school (though I'm nowhere near SRV's level). The first thing I learned even before I fretted my first chord is how to tune my guitar... and I didn't even have a guitar tuner back then. I just used a favorite song for reference.

So if you have 3 tuners and you just never learned to use them, maybe you should get someone to play the guitar for you and concentrate on singing. There you go, you have a two person band and you become the front man.
 
You can't expect to have the greatest results without putting the work in. Professional musicians play every day for many hours like a regular job. Us normal guys have to spend many years perfecting our sound or even learning recording techniques.

If you don't know how to tune a guitar and didn't notice it was out of tune that leads me to believe that you haven't been playing for too long on a regular basis. Don't wuss out on learning to do things right. Learn to tune your guitar and focus on playing each chord with out banging on other strings when you change chords.

Focus on being able to strum your chords properly and hold a tune vocally without getting carried away. Look up as much as you can about recording and mixing audio. The more time you can find to put into it the faster you will get better at it.
 
I tune by playing songs and getting them to sound accurate. And the whole down fret 4 and 4 on the 3rd string. I just have trouble finding the most accurate tune. I've been into music for going on 3 years. I dont work or go to school (on disability so ive looked at it as an oppurtunity to get good fast). I play bass guitar, guitar, keyboard, harmonica, and record. I make it a goal everyday to learn something new or write something new. I'm still a newbie, but Im learning more everyday. http://www.facebook.com/mainstreetdubsacks is my band that I play bass in, I do the recordings. Not the best, So I've been told. Reggae band.
 
Wack said:
I tune by playing songs and getting them to sound accurate. And the whole down fret 4 and 4 on the 3rd string. I just have trouble finding the most accurate tune. I've been into music for going on 3 years. I dont work or go to school (on disability so ive looked at it as an oppurtunity to get good fast). I play bass guitar, guitar, keyboard, harmonica, and record. I make it a goal everyday to learn something new or write something new. I'm still a newbie, but Im learning more everyday. http://www.facebook.com/mainstreetdubsacks is my band that I play bass in, I do the recordings. Not the best, So I've been told. Reggae band.
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Here's one tip I can give you as a guitarist... after you learn how to properly tune a guitar, try tuning it half or whole step down then invest in a decent CAPO, then you don't have to mess with tuning and re-tuning your guitar by "playing songs and getting them to sound accurate".
 
TripleM said:
Look in to recording the guitar with a microphone rather than direct. It's a quite different tone, and for this style, IMO, a preferable one.
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Would a sterling audio st-59 ran through a focusrite platnium trakmaster pro compressor and an audio-technica m40000S, or a sennheiser e815s work? What would my best bet be? And how would I position these mics? Thanks a bunch.
 
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