Recording An Acoustic Demo

K

kylosius

I Like Rusty Spoons
it's been a long time since I've been on this board. I hope you all remember me. I decided that I wanted to record a demo finally to sell at local shows. i was wondering if anyone could let me know on a couple tunes I have done for a demo.

www.purevolume.com/outsidewaiting

please only critique Somewhere in the Past and Present and Drinking You Goodbye. looking for critiques on the mix. be honest please. and if the Seifer finds this post, don't bother listening.

recorded with a
behringer ub1202 mixer
sm 58 microphone
adobe audition
cheap acoustic with good strings
 
"Somewhere in the Past and Present"
I'd bring the vocals up a bit and maybe a tad less reverb. The guitar sounds pretty good...it fits the genre well. You said you're using good strings...may I ask?
 
they're d'addario phosphor bronze. they sound worlds better then the strings that were on there.
 
What David said is most important. Next - record another guitar doing exactly the same rhythm ... then take your first track and pan it left, the new track right. Keep your vocal straight up the middle and forward. Then listen to the results...

Kev
 
I agree about the reverb, too much on the vocals. It thins them out and makes them weak. Also, even though you say a few curse words here and there, I don't hear the conviction in your voice....... sounds kind of whiney. Add some balls man!

The guitar sounded fine if I thought of it as a solo artist being recorded live.
 
i guess i should have mentioned that i was going for a live sound. is it good or bad to go for a live sond on a demo?
 
The guitar is way too repetitive and lacks any kind of variation. It's the same rhythm over and over again. I get what you're going for. I love green day and alkaline trio but you're falling way short of the mark. Try singing more naturally and stop trying to fill up every part with lyrics. You seem like you have a good setup so use it. Less reverb on the vocals as well, thats been said though. You just need more focus on where these songs are going. Maybe I'm not one to criticize, but I'm just trying to help you out.
"Drinking You Goodbye" is basically stealing Alkaline Trio lyrics, so I'd just scrap it. You need to write lyrics that actually come from you, you look like you're about 15 years old. You arnt out drinking with people. Just not happening. Write from your mind and it will have much more power.
 
just to clear things up, i'm not trying to sound defensive....

i'm 21

drinking you goodbye was written after a break up with my fiance. but as you said, yes it does pretty much rip them off so it probably won't end up on the finished demo anyway. it'll probably be re-written because i like the music for it.

the voice you hear in the song(s) is how i naturally sing. i can't help if i sound like so and so from that band.

these songs are meant to have a full band, this is just the stripped down acoustic.
 
I'm not a fan of the genre, but I think that these are pretty good songs.
The reverbs are a bit much.
 
Somewhere...... Yeah too much reverb but if you were trying to get an effect with it you succeeded - it is effective lol. Maybe remix and bring the vocals up and dry them out a bit. Nice playing, singing and songwriting.......If you remix let us know and we'll relisten..... Cool man.....
 
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