Dry acoustic tune

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FZmontanaDF

New member
Hey,
I am doing this tune for this Taylor Guitar Forum cd project. IT is going to be mixed and mastered by a pro so I didn't bother add any effects. I know there are a lot of mistakes, and it is also boomy in parts, but I am just wondering how you all like the song.

The idea for the song first came on September 11th, though it didn't really have a large part to do with the Trade Centers. More of because I had just moved to a new school and wasn't making any friends.

My Equipment:
This song is played on my Taylor 555 Twelve string. It was originally composed on a Martin 6 string. I really feel it sounds better on the Martin(plus it is easier to play) But for this project I had to use the Taylor.
I have an Audio Technica 4033, Rode NT3, Aardvark Q10, computer is Running Sonar on XP Pro.

Thanks for listening,
Daniel

P.S. I would have fixed the mistakes but I just learned how to punch in on Sonar and it was too late. I couldn't get the mics positioned like they were and the strings were 5 days older.




Here it is: Name of the song is Sorrowful Secrets(Of Loneliness)

 
It's some nice guitar playing, and the overall tone of the guitars could be really nice.

There are problems though. First of all some of the guitar sounds distorted to me, I'm not sure of the cause though.

Then the "lead" guitar is much louder than the underlying guitar. Well actually it kind of fades in and out in terms of level. Dynamics are great, but not if they're distracting. A lot of it is your playing....you really tend to beat the strings every now and then. Some compression could help out a lot methinks.

Overall the level is very very low. I had to crank up a lot higher than I normally would.

Slackmaster 2000
 
Slackmaster2K said:
It's some nice guitar playing, and the overall tone of the guitars could be really nice.

There are problems though. First of all some of the guitar sounds distorted to me, I'm not sure of the cause though.

Then the "lead" guitar is much louder than the underlying guitar. Well actually it kind of fades in and out in terms of level. Dynamics are great, but not if they're distracting. A lot of it is your playing....you really tend to beat the strings every now and then. Some compression could help out a lot methinks.

Overall the level is very very low. I had to crank up a lot higher than I normally would.

Slackmaster 2000
Click to expand...

I really need to work on the song again, though I am very sick of it. I put new strings on the guitar so tomorrow night I will try again. The distorted part is caused by the MP3 conversion. It didn't sound like that before I converted it. I am not using the greatest converter. It is all one track, played at one time. No overdubbing.

On the boominess of the strings. It really sounds that way because the A string is down a full step and the E string is down a half, so when I hit them with the same amount of force one is really boomy, and the other isn't quite as boomy. This also has to do with my technique and that I hadn't played this song all that much. I will work on it again tomorrow night
Thanks for the reply,
Daniel
 
This could be very cool... I like the song a lot. It evokes a certain feeling... although I can't really describe it. I like the sound of that Taylor 12 string.

I'm not sure what you mean about fixing the part at :50. I didn't notice anything that bad there. I don't want to pick little things, but sometimes the playing just sounds a little stiff in parts and doesn't flow as smoothly. You mentioned you hadn't played this song that much, and I think if you recorded it again after working on it you could have something great.

BTW, what Taylor project are you recording it for? I have a 814bce and would be interested in getting that CD.
 
Thanks for the replies. I am going to work on it today for a few hours. Hopefully I will get less stiff. I know exactly what you mean by the stiffness. I didn't really feel comfortable and most of it was improvisation. I am going to map out the whole song this time and make everything the right way.

Tuning is D#GDGA#D#
]

Check out www.Taylorguitarforum.com. It isn't affiliated with Taylor, but Bob Taylor(The creator himself) posts there a lot.

Daniel
 
i think the arrangement needs more.....it just doesnt have the feel that its a song yet....whats there is good, just not enogh.......

i echo the dynamics comment and low level comment....that alst chord at 2:43 was loud and ended too abruptly.....but dont go try and fix the dymanics and level by overcompressing or normalizing and all that crazy stuff....try to do it by better technique.......

again, what is there is good...just needs more...unless it HAS to be a solo guitar as per the project?.......
 
Can I say it? Wow!

Can I say it again? Wow!

Did you say most of that was imporovised?!?

Damn fine work for improvisation and one take! I wish I could play like that!

Your playing dynamics are great and really make the piece live. However, the it does make the recording less listenable. Your micing technique is giving the guitar a really (might I say really) flattering sound. Excellent work.

I don't know what equiptment you've got, but if I could play such a piece I would try playing it just as soft as what you have and just hit the louder parts a bit less soft- and run the whole thing through an RNC set on "Super Nice" mode. That would up your level a little bit.

I wouldn't do it at the expense of that sound, however. Change your playing technique before you change that sound!

Chris
 
I really liked the sound you achieved. I understand you might have some qualms over your playing, but i could feel your playing. It was maybe stiff at times, but you played any bad sounds down. I've downloaded a couple songs in the past few days. About 10 i think, and i've been really impressed with this and about 4 others. Really good work.
 
I really liked the sound you achieved. I understand you might have some qualms over your playing, but i could feel your playing. It was maybe stiff at times, but you played any bad sounds down. I've downloaded a couple songs in the past few days. About 10 i think, and i've been really impressed with this and about 4 others. Really good work.
 
Wow, thanks for the comments on my tone, and playing. The song I need to do for the project just has to have a Taylor included in the recording. I just thought I would do this song cause it seemed like a good piece. I guess I kinda exaggerated when I said improvised. But there was no really set way I played it. I had a bunch of different parts that I liked and decide when and where to use them.

It is a Twelve string Taylor. Mahoghany back and sides, Sitka Spruce top.(I am very lucky to have this guitar. I don't have a job because I am 15 and in NC where the working age was just screwed around with recently. So I ended up having to sell my electric guitar and electric guitar amp, hopefully I will be replacing them soon)

I used the AT and also the Rode NT3. The AT was about 5-7 inches from the twelvth fret pointing at the soundhole. The Rode was hmmm, 10 inches from the guitar pointing a little bit above the bridge.

I am going to work on the song again today,
Thanks for all the comments!
Daniel
 
15? I guess I'm not as young as i thought for this board :). NC, I've been there, I like it there a lot. Hiking in some of those state parks is great.
 
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