* Warning! * Do Not Listen To This!

C

Clark Grizwald

New member
Just couldn't resist the title...so many people begging you to listen.

If you were curious as to what "this guy Clark Grizwald" is capable of....

This MP3 should pull my pants down quite nicely.

http://www.soundclick.com/bands/page_songInfo.cfm?bandID=810012&songID=8307856

The tracks are:
One 12 string ele/aco (strummed) panned 35% R
One 12 string ele/aco (chords picked & strummed) panned 35% L
Piano (cheap Yamaha keyboard)
strings (cheap Yamaha keyboard)
lead guitar (Les Paul w/SD-SH1 pickups)
female vocal (she was kinda pitchy that day, tired, too) {gonna re-cut}
Backward (reversed) strings on the ending (panned L-R-L-R heavily)

I played it, she sang it.
I mixed it.

Now, DON'T LISTEN TO IT...and give me your opinions.

Thanks

Hope you enjoy Christian Rock. (more like Pop/Folk)
 
The vocal track sounds like it was a one-take thing. If you retrack, try to go phrase by phrase and fix those pitchy parts. Singer has basically a good voice, but she sounds very untrained. Tune's pretty good, but the mix needs some work.

Joey :):)
 
joeym is correct.

The woman singing is an old friend of mine.

We're recording songs together right now. I'm not in a band currently and have no prospects, nor the time right now for gigging.

Charlene is a former alcoholic (barfly) that has always wanted to record and/or play in a band, but things were stacked against her (drinking didn't help).
She's never played a gig in her life and it's been 10+ years since she did the Karaoke thing.
She has an undeveloped, unrehearsed voice...but she's a really nice person and has turned her life around (with the help of the Bible).
Without alcohol, she's too shy to perform and has big insecurity problems.
In the years of drinking, popping pills, smoking crack and other demonstrative behavior, she has become quite a mess (physically and mentally).
But she has been a VERY good friend to me.
She has her quirks (more than most) but don't we all?
I'm making her happy and having fun playing/recording music.
It's no big deal if you don't like her performance (she didn't :rolleyes:)
I just thank you for listening (even if you hated it).

Questions I had (for those that dared to listen through the entire song) are:
Were the backing strings lacking ...maybe more lows? (cheap keyboard)
Was the vocal too loud? (I think it is)
Lead guitar needs a little more highs?
Too much panning at the end?

I've heard the song too many times now...need to put it down for a while.
You know the drill.

I'm really a novice (even after reading 3 different books on recording, including John Woram's "The Recording Studio Handbook")
And countless other publications, articles, reviews/reports and interviews.

I've had limited "real studio" time (also limited funds) and decided to do most of my own demos on cheap 4-track cassette units with cheap mics and little or no effects.
In the last 20+ years, 95% of my playing has been in local cover bands. (lucky me)
 
Hey, I didn't say I hated it, I said it's a nice song which needs some work, primarily on the vocals. The fact that she's on the mend from being an alcoholic and has a great friend like you helping her do it is the most important thing of all. Also the fact that she's using music as a medium to start her life over again. We were all newbies at the start so don't worry about that. Recording the vocals phrase by phrase is no big deal, you just punch them in. And it's a lot more satisfying in the end for both of you because you'll have a more complete song and not a patchy one. Regarding the other stuff, bass and drums wouldn't be too bad. I thought the instruments were recorded pretty well. Just fix that voice and start mixing it again from scratch and you're on your way.

Joey :)
 
Nice guitar work...Im a fan of 12 strings :)


Im no christian but I appreciated the song...joeys right, some retracking then start the mix from the beginning...but all the elements are there for a solid song

btw i thought the cheap keyboard sounded fine...a little more highs in the EQ would maybe brighten them up


good job
 
The singer sounds like she has great potential. Like others said, a few extra takes would go a long way.

Personally, I think this recording would benefit from a steady percussion track to glue it all together. For some reason, it just had this sound to it like it was recorded with drums in mind, but they were muted when you mixed down (if that makes sense).

Adding to that impression, I think, is the lead guitar work. Nothing wrong with the performance but the style/tone/effects/etc. sound like they belong on a "bigger" full band recording. I think a more up-front, simple, and emotive solo (perhaps on an acoustic guitar) would fit this track better as it stands.

What do Russ and Audrey think? :D

Good luck
Matt
 
mattdee1 said:
I think a more up-front, simple, and emotive solo (perhaps on an acoustic guitar) would fit this track better as it stands.
Good luck
Matt
Click to expand...

Thanks Matt.
I kinda felt that way, too.
I don't have an acoustic 6-string at the moment, But I sure could borrow one from a friend.
I'll certainly give it a shot.

Thanks for the input.
 
Needs drums, but then again, everything does.


It's okay. I don't have anything to add that hasn't been said already. re-track the vocals.
 
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