Have I learned anything at allfrom you guys?

M

mbrusko

Member
Originally posted this on the wrong forum, I think. This looks like the right place for it.

View attachment MB ORIGINAL Changing Horses.mp3

View attachment MB Teach Your Children.mp3

Newbie here. I very much value and respect the opinions of everyone on this forum. I'd say, "I've learned a lot from all of you." But that'd be presumptuous. More accurately, I've paid attention to everything I've read here and on many other home recording forums (fori?). Posting two mp3s that I hope a)will actually open for you; and b)you'll find time to critique. Details ...

MAIN BOARD = 2488neo
VOCAL MIC = AKG Perception 220
GUITAR MIC (for acoustic) = MXL991
ELECTRIC GUITAR = 1974 Gibson Firebird medallion (not for sale ;0)
ACOUSTIC GUITAR = 1964 Guild DST45 (aka Martin slayer)
BASS = Cheap Ibanez (I'm just learning)
DRUMS = Alesis SR18
MUSICIANS = me
VOCALS = me

My goal is to get good enough to use home recording as a hobby and minor source of income as I approach retirement age (a decade or so away).

Based on these two samplings, what should I work on first?
 
panning is weird. is the bass all the way in the left, and the acoustic all in the right?

I love CSN(Y)!

First give away of home recording is too many effects. The vocals seem to have too much verb. The lead guitar too, plus a weird chorusy thing? I'd dial all that back a lot.

Drums are all but missing. It took me a minute to realize they were there. Bring those up even if they aren't great, or are midi or whatever, if they're going to be in the song they should be heard.

sounds well captured so it could just be a matter of mixing and effects.
 
Changing horses

Love the song, awesome. listened to it three times

I thought the slap back on the vocals suit the early rock 'n roll vibe

There some weird click going on on some of the snare hits. like it clipped but the volume has been turned down or some strange compression artifact
Drums in general disappear somewhat in the choruses in the verses they are not very forward. If you are going for a modern vibe they need to come up, if you are going for a fifties rock vibe then in the verses they are about right but either way in the choruses they need to come up some.

Bass also disappears a little in the chorus. I don't think its a level issue, more that there is a lot of other stuff trying to occupy the same space so you could look at trying to make a litle more space for it

You also cut off the end before the fade out was finished

Love the vocals and backing vox

This is all nit picking though because as it is this is a great tune
 
Thanks for the advice. Good stuff. I did pan bass and acoustic pretty hard in opposite direx. Maybe overdid it a bit. Lead guitar was shooting for the pedal steel sound (I don't have a pedal steel and never played one). Drums deliberately soft. Personal taste on this tune, I guess. Thanks again for replying. Really appreciate it.
 
mbrusko said:
Thanks for the advice. Good stuff. I did pan bass and acoustic pretty hard in opposite direx. Maybe overdid it a bit. Lead guitar was shooting for the pedal steel sound (I don't have a pedal steel and never played one). Drums deliberately soft. Personal taste on this tune, I guess. Thanks again for replying. Really appreciate it.
Click to expand...

I'm working on a song where I want a pedal steel too. I found that using some analog delay with some modulation (not too much of either) works pretty well and gets a cool sound. Maybe I'll post a WIP so you can hear and let me know if I suck or not!
 
Bring it. I'd love to get a better sound than the one I ended up with. I used the onboard flanger with some additional tweaking. Spent about three hours and finally figured it was time to just play.
 
A couple of overall perceptions... The mix leans to the right. The mix is a little thin and crispy.

If it were me, I'd double track the main vocal part and send them down the middle. I'd sing 4 tracks of each harmony part and send two of each them to the right and two to the left. The harmony vocals, for the most part, are a bit low in this mix.

I'd send the bass down the middle. I'd double track the rhythm guitar part and pan each one right and left hard.

The bass and kick are low in the mix.
 
Sorry - I thought they were two mixes of the same song. I didn't look closely. I listened to Teach Your Children.
 
Horses - you got some serious noise at the start and then some serious pumping compressory thing going on, then all the way through the song you've got a clip type artifact on the kick drum, including the last kick, and you've got all sorts of noise going on at the end as well as cutting it off too early.

Fix those things and it will sound better.


TYC - something I can't quite hear is going on at about 1.24 - have a listen. As you don't have a pedal steel I suggest you not try to emulate one using a chorus pedal... it sounds a bit over effected for my tastes. I'd go for a less effected sound with a bit more happening in the midrange. And the acoustic guitar is thin, again, you may be going for that sound, but I think it's a bit overdone and I'd fatten in up a touch if poss.

Plus the panning thin... nice idea, bit too far though.

CHeers
 
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