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bleyrad
New member
this is just me doing my solo thing and recording myself with crummy equipment. i know i have a couple reasonable fans here so i thought i'd post again. comments on the mix are very welcome! thanks everyone.
FattMusiek
New member
This is a great mix, just as I expected from you. The song is really catchy too. Excellent job, Bleyrad!
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bleyrad
New member
thanks muchly for the reply.
i am however very interested in improvement, as always. it almost seems like once you reach the slightly-above-average mix level here, no one tells you how to make it better! this isn't directed at you FattMusiek, i'd just like to hear people's criticisms in general.
i will extensively review anyone's music who does likewise. just point me at a song.
be harsh y'all! kick me where it counts, i can take it!
perhaps i should kick off with a question: what would i need to do to the mix or song to be able to release it nationally? yeah, amibitious. tell me where i really suck.
i am however very interested in improvement, as always. it almost seems like once you reach the slightly-above-average mix level here, no one tells you how to make it better! this isn't directed at you FattMusiek, i'd just like to hear people's criticisms in general.
i will extensively review anyone's music who does likewise. just point me at a song.
be harsh y'all! kick me where it counts, i can take it!
perhaps i should kick off with a question: what would i need to do to the mix or song to be able to release it nationally? yeah, amibitious. tell me where i really suck.
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Osbauro
New member
cool
that´s pretty impressive! what did u use for the recordings? I wish I could help you but my recordings suck (just starting). It sounds like Sloan + the Cure + yes on owner of a lonely hart + U2 + what ever else... each one at one part, it´s cool. I don´t like the guitar solo at 1 fourth of the song, there is a nice bend there though, but that´s just my opinion....
you could take the song to some sound engineer or music university nearby and see if they talk to you... I don´t know, go after some nice studio and tell then to listen... I never tried doing that, cause I don´t have any songs worth the trying.... but i do believe contacts is everything (not everything of course, but matters a lot)... at least that´s the way here
that´s pretty impressive! what did u use for the recordings? I wish I could help you but my recordings suck (just starting). It sounds like Sloan + the Cure + yes on owner of a lonely hart + U2 + what ever else... each one at one part, it´s cool. I don´t like the guitar solo at 1 fourth of the song, there is a nice bend there though, but that´s just my opinion....
you could take the song to some sound engineer or music university nearby and see if they talk to you... I don´t know, go after some nice studio and tell then to listen... I never tried doing that, cause I don´t have any songs worth the trying.... but i do believe contacts is everything (not everything of course, but matters a lot)... at least that´s the way here
scrubs
Not of sound mind
bleyrad said:
I think this sounds really good. It is well recorded and mixed. There are a couple of sour guitar bends and vocal notes (hardly noticeable). Other than that, I don't hear much wrong. What "crummy equipment" are you using for this? I am particularly interested in your mic/preamp/vocal effects. It sounds very open, which is great. Keep it up.
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bleyrad
New member
Drums:
Snare - SM57 -> OSA MP1-A -> MOTU 1224
Kick - D112 -> Mackie VLZ 1604 -> MOTU 1224
Kick mic 2 (several feet away) - Rode NT1 -> Mackie VLZ 1604 -> MOTU 1224
Toms - SM57's -> Mackie VLZ 1604 -> MOTU 1224
Overheads - MXL603s -> Mackie VLZ 1604 -> MOTU 1224
On the overheads I blended a dry, barely-compressed track with a heavily-compressed track with some reverb.
Guitars:
Both were recorded DI with a 2004 Telecaster. I used the "Amplitude" plugin, just to see how it worked. In retrospect I would just mic an amp next time - it took too much EQ to get them to sound right.
Bass:
Just recorded direct, DI. My little secret weapon is to use Steinberg's "Magneto" plugin instead of a compressor.
BG Vox:
SM57 -> OSA MP1-A -> EMU 1212M
Lead Vox:
Apex 460 -> OSA MP1-A -> EMU 1212M
Slight stereo delay instead of reverb. Ultrafunk compressor.
My signal chains, especially for vox, should be taken with a grain of salt. Frankly this mic sounded no different just going into the Mackie instead of the OSA, or the MOTU instead of the EMU.
And a word of caution about the Apex. I think the mic sucks. It happens to work some magic on my voice, but not on anyone else I've recorded on it. And it takes a whole lot of EQ to get this far. Even on my brother, whose voice is NEARLY identical to mine, this mic sucks terribly. I got lucky.
Snare - SM57 -> OSA MP1-A -> MOTU 1224
Kick - D112 -> Mackie VLZ 1604 -> MOTU 1224
Kick mic 2 (several feet away) - Rode NT1 -> Mackie VLZ 1604 -> MOTU 1224
Toms - SM57's -> Mackie VLZ 1604 -> MOTU 1224
Overheads - MXL603s -> Mackie VLZ 1604 -> MOTU 1224
On the overheads I blended a dry, barely-compressed track with a heavily-compressed track with some reverb.
Guitars:
Both were recorded DI with a 2004 Telecaster. I used the "Amplitude" plugin, just to see how it worked. In retrospect I would just mic an amp next time - it took too much EQ to get them to sound right.
Bass:
Just recorded direct, DI. My little secret weapon is to use Steinberg's "Magneto" plugin instead of a compressor.
BG Vox:
SM57 -> OSA MP1-A -> EMU 1212M
Lead Vox:
Apex 460 -> OSA MP1-A -> EMU 1212M
Slight stereo delay instead of reverb. Ultrafunk compressor.
My signal chains, especially for vox, should be taken with a grain of salt. Frankly this mic sounded no different just going into the Mackie instead of the OSA, or the MOTU instead of the EMU.
And a word of caution about the Apex. I think the mic sucks. It happens to work some magic on my voice, but not on anyone else I've recorded on it. And it takes a whole lot of EQ to get this far. Even on my brother, whose voice is NEARLY identical to mine, this mic sucks terribly. I got lucky.
hybridsound
New member
Wow! Sounded really great! Not quite my style but I liked it! Mot much to say... Except that the dirty guitar towards the beginning sounds a bit sloppy. Not the playing but the distortion effect. Good job!
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geet73
OMG!
I'd like to hear it with a bit less autotune. That's just me, though.
Siong isn't bad. I like that slide thing with the guitar.
Siong isn't bad. I like that slide thing with the guitar.
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bleyrad
New member
geet73 said:
I actually only used Autotune for two of the lines in the song, and it was pretty darn moderate
My voice has this natural Autotuned formant quality to it when I sing in tune. I hate that. Oh well, can't do much to change what we're born with.
Thanks for everyone's comments. Maybe I'll ditch the guitar solo for a new one on my next mix.
Today I noticed something about the mix: the right-side rhythm guitar sounds a little too growly. Anyone agree? Yeah, I'm shooting for the smooth-and-scooped-but-rough sound that dominates modern well-produced indie rock these days. Think Transatlanticism. Lo-Fi has its place but it's not on people's car stereos and walkmans, where it sounds... well... lo-fi.
I've noticed that the guitar sounds I like best are almost totally 5Khz+
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Cloneboy Studio
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If you're going to do lo-fi you have to make it a little cooler sounding than this.
Vocals sound good, but the drums have to sound bigger IMHO.
Guitar lead is too ice-pick-in-the-ear.
Clean electric guitar should be a bit more spacious. Just a bit. Sounds dry as toast right now.
Bass should be more prominent.
I'm not saying you need to Mutt Lange out on this, but if you are doing lo-fi it should still sound HUGE.
Also... aren't you committing the error of calling a song a hit before it is a hit by wanting national release? I mean, wouldn't EVERYONE want that?
Get an agent. Get a publisher. Get some exposure. Get it on the radio.
Vocals sound good, but the drums have to sound bigger IMHO.
Guitar lead is too ice-pick-in-the-ear.
Clean electric guitar should be a bit more spacious. Just a bit. Sounds dry as toast right now.
Bass should be more prominent.
I'm not saying you need to Mutt Lange out on this, but if you are doing lo-fi it should still sound HUGE.
Also... aren't you committing the error of calling a song a hit before it is a hit by wanting national release? I mean, wouldn't EVERYONE want that?
Get an agent. Get a publisher. Get some exposure. Get it on the radio.
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bleyrad
New member
Cloneboy Studio said:
Sorry, I suppose I should have been clearer. I meant I'm NOT shooting for the lo-fi vibe on this one, but rather a more modern sound. Thanks for the tips though, perhaps they apply anyway.
I asn't asking because I thought the song could make it. Let's put it this way: I was asking because I plan on recording an album that I'm going to push very hard to make it, and I was wondering how different that album should sound from this song if it's going to be on the national stage. Not MTV, but a decent indie label.
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Cloneboy Studio
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bleyrad said:
You're putting the cart before the horse.
Labels don't buy and promote albums, they buy and promote ARTISTS.
Develop your songwriting, style, image and market yourself. You have to prove you are a salable product. The only way to do that is to SELL ALBUMS yourself and play big gigs. Get contacts at the labels you are interested in and develop those contacts. Make demo/promotional packages. And hang in there... this is a LONG process with about a 0.01% chance of success.
I would venture that there are 100,000 other bands attempting to do the exact same thing you are... out of those 100,000 bands probably 100 bands will get signed, and only about 10 of them will ever actually see a profit.
What sets you apart from the other 100,000 bands? They all look and sound great and have an amazing album. You have to work harder and smarter than them, and ruthlessly promote yourself, and sell albums by the box load--all before you sign the deal.
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bleyrad
New member
Just to make it clear: I'm not looking to be big in any sense. Just to get it out there, so someone in Winnipeg or Halifax can buy my album if they want. I don't care about the money either. If I lose a little money on the whole, fine. I don't even care if my nationwide distribution never tops 50 albums sitting on storeshelves across the country. Or even if I don't have ANY albums sitting on storeshelves, but am just selling off an indie label website. My dream goal here would be to get played on 50% of Canada's college radio stations once a month.
I know the chances of true success and I do know what I need to do in order to make it happen, too. Of course I will work at it. I also happen to live in a country that makes it easier, financially, for local independant artists to get a foothold. And I don't mean I'm relying on that, either. I have a few ideas up my sleeve and a few excellent contacts.
The idea is just to be accessible so other people my age can enjoy my music, which I think some of them would like.
Thanks for the advice though, it's appreciated.
I know the chances of true success and I do know what I need to do in order to make it happen, too. Of course I will work at it. I also happen to live in a country that makes it easier, financially, for local independant artists to get a foothold. And I don't mean I'm relying on that, either. I have a few ideas up my sleeve and a few excellent contacts.
The idea is just to be accessible so other people my age can enjoy my music, which I think some of them would like.
Thanks for the advice though, it's appreciated.
EdWonbass
pull the goalie
Aside from all the record label talk, I like your song. Seems a bit like Ben Folds. Yes the drums could be better, the guitars could use a little thickening but I love the whole thing just like it is. It might be one of the coolest tunes I have heard in a while. What kind of bass did you use?
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bleyrad
New member
Thanks EdWonbass, I appreciate it.
The bass is a 70's Fender Mexican P-Bass. It's a very poor sounding bass, stock. IMO most of the new Squires are better than this thing. However I recently outfitted it with some Bartolini pickups which went a long way in improving its sound.
The bass is a 70's Fender Mexican P-Bass. It's a very poor sounding bass, stock. IMO most of the new Squires are better than this thing. However I recently outfitted it with some Bartolini pickups which went a long way in improving its sound.
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Cloneboy Studio
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Hrm.
Generally speaking it seems your motives and goals are not aligned. You say you want exposure but don't care if the album sells. That doesn't make any sense.
If you believe in your music you'd EXPECT it to sell... or at least want it too.
I think you're just too ashamed to admit you're ambitious. Don't be. Ambition is fine as long as you work for it, don't screw anyone else over for it, and don't become an ass if you succeed.
Generally speaking it seems your motives and goals are not aligned. You say you want exposure but don't care if the album sells. That doesn't make any sense.
If you believe in your music you'd EXPECT it to sell... or at least want it too.
I think you're just too ashamed to admit you're ambitious. Don't be. Ambition is fine as long as you work for it, don't screw anyone else over for it, and don't become an ass if you succeed.
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bleyrad
New member
I just think that the mass-market appeal for my music would be small. Especially since my voice isn't exactly the radio-friendly type.
In my experience so far, the fans I gain love my music, but their numbers are limited to people my age with similar perspectives.
That's fine with me. I'm basically just not expecting anyone except those types of people to like my music. I'll shoot for their hearts, yeah, I just don't see the point in having expectations beyond that. Especially when numbers mean so little to me. I'd rather have one person be in love with a song I write than a hundred thousand who sort-of like it.
In my experience so far, the fans I gain love my music, but their numbers are limited to people my age with similar perspectives.
That's fine with me. I'm basically just not expecting anyone except those types of people to like my music. I'll shoot for their hearts, yeah, I just don't see the point in having expectations beyond that. Especially when numbers mean so little to me. I'd rather have one person be in love with a song I write than a hundred thousand who sort-of like it.
The Seifer
Banned
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Cloneboy Studio
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bleyrad said:
Try shooting for their wallets instead.