Happy Haven

BluesMeister

BluesMeister

Occasional Poster
This is the first of my own compositions that I have recorded and set free. Happy Haven. It's a light, jazzy number. Feel free to criticise and/or praise it as you see fit.

The backing is MIDI but the guitars are real.

I haven't applied any processing to the signal, no compression or expansion.

Please focus on:
1) Recording
2) Performance
3) Composition

Also provide me with your advice on how I can best tweak it.
 
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I'm not really a fan of instrumentals, but thought I'd give this track a listen. Here are my comments.

- The recording is clean, and I can hear all the instruments well. That's an instant bonus in my book.

- The guitar playing is great. The only comment I would make is that when the second guitar comes in (about :35 and 1:08), it sounds a bit dry compared to the first guitar. When the first guitar kicks back in after 10-15 seconds, it sounds much warmer.

- The performance is flawless (as far as I can tell).

- Regarding the composition, I generally don't like instrumentals, but this one kept my attention for the full length. I even listened a couple more times.

- The MIDI instruments do "cheapen" the track a bit. I'd suggest investing in something like Fruity Loops for a more realistic drum and synthesizer sound.

Hope that helps,
-Tim
 
Bluemeister, This has a real chet atkins feel to it, nice composition. The midi takes the beauty of it away but your effort is still appreciated as a superior composition. some bass and some verb may help on those midi tracks I think. then again that may muddy it up.

Peace
Bill
 
Tim,

Thank you for your honesty. I've never had my guitar playing described as great before. I can hear the fluffed notes and bad timing... My wife refuses to listen to my music, she certainly doesn't encourage me. :(

The guitar is the same one used throughout the piece, my Ibanez AR305AV Artist. I simply recorded it in four basic takes:

1) Verses = neck PU, Tri-Tone switch in HB mode
2) Chorus = neck + bridge PUs, HB mode
3) Bridge = bridge pick up HB mode
4) Last verse = neck PU, HB mode double-tracked with neck + bridge PUs, SC mode

The MIDI tracks really do detract from the overall sound, you are quite correct. I shall have to do something about that.

I tried to have the guitar sounds distinctly different for each of the component parts of the tune. Maybe a slight touch of chorus or reverb could lessen the dryness of the second guitar. I'll try it at home this weekend.

Bill,

Of course I know who Chet Artkins is, but I'm not really familiar with any of his work. I feel humbled to be compared to such a great musician. I not sure I deserve it though.

Superior composition! Well thank you so much. It comprises my usual bevvy of favourite chords, I'm sure you recognise a few of them from 2 # For The Blues. ;)

I'll try using Dyad & some soundfonts to replace the Edirol VSC MIDI sounds. Maybe that will lift the song.

Thanks for being gentle with me.

--
BluesMeister
 
Frank - Here's my take:

The other guys are right about the midi stuff. The drums and organ are pretty cheesy. The piano is OK sounding, but the part being played is fairly boring.

The guitars are nice - which is good, since they are the focus of this piece. :) However, I'm not sure why you have the tone changes at 0:35 and 1:06. I like to imagine this stuff being played live, and I don't see the tone change happening unless another guitarist is taking over. However, since the style is the same, it just doesn't come off that way. Personally I would stick with the same guitar sound throughout this piece.

The harmony stuff at 1:30 is really nice.

Bottom line. The song and guitar playing are both nice and tasty. Work on the midi stuff. Keep the same guitar tone throughout.

IMHO. :D
Mike
 
Mike,

Thank you for your constructive comments. I truly appreciate your taking the time.

I'll see if I can find some SoundFonts to replace the cheese. The MIDI is courtesy of Edirol VSC, and I think I've made my feelings known about VSC elsewhere.

It is apparent to me and to others that the drums really don't sound convincing, nor do they suit this piece. I can see a major re-work in that department.

The piano part is destined to be replaced with rhythm guitar... :) If you follow the piano part, it's actually replicating notes on the fretboard of my trusty Yamaha FG-300.

The tone changes in the guitar were supposed to introduce some interest to the piece. I honestly thought it would sound boring using the same tone throughout, however you have stirred something in me and I'll surely have a go at what you suggest.

The harmony stuff at 1:30 is just double tracked guitar. I used that for the bridge passage and for the final verse. I'm actually following the same notes on both occasions, but the idea of using harmony on the bridge final verse is interesting...

I also intend to tack on an intro to the beginning of the piece. I may have the opportunity to polish the tune this weekend, but knowing Mrs BluesMeister, she'll have me slaving in the garden.

--
BluesMeister
 
Bluesmeister try this link to hear samples of some chet atkins stuff. I especially like read my licks and stay tuned. almost alone has amore country feel to it.

http://catalog.songsearch.net/catalog/c/chet_atkins.html

Hes not just the country guitarist many associate his name with hes a great jazz blues player as well.
Theres a hint of his style in your guitar playing :) Thats a good thing. Ive tried to play that style more but its not easy.

Peace
Bill
 
nice composition. I use some the VSC sounds too. I like to use the PSP vintage wamer on the piano along with a timeworks eq and a touch of verb with the Anwida. Same with the Room kit if I use it. If you could get hold of Bluejay drums, the maple shell kit sounds really good to me going thru a LSP. Guitar is really clean, i`d like jus a lil more sparkle in the tone.
 
Bill,

Thanks for the link, I'll take a slight detour this afternoon and lend an ear to that. Thank you.

I'm flattered that you can hear some Chet Atkins CGP (Certified Guitar Player) in my style! Trust me, I thought it was all me. :)

Toki987,

Thank you for taking the time to listen to my feeble guitar playing and responding so kindly.

I have HS2004XL that includes Dyad DXi. Whenever I try to load BlueJay drums into Dyad, crash, wallop, burn... She no like. :(

So as good as BJ drums are, (I've auditioned them through VS3) I can't use them unless I have LSP DXi. And since LSP is now no longer available, I'm pretty well stuffed.

I have remixed the tune slightly and added Douglas Natural Drums & Garden Bass SoundFonts (both from HammerSound). I haven't posted it at NWR yet, but I have posted it to another forum similar in nature to this one. I'm not sure it's ethical to post the name of it here, please check your PM Bill & Toki for the link.

--
BluesMeister
 
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