So Cold (New/Reworked for Demo with Whole Band) So Cold (New/Reworked for Demo)

Robertt8

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So Cold (New/Reworked for Demo with Whole Band)

Re-Recorded Tune for Demo...Any Feedback?

Hey guys! We're putting together a demo to get gigs in San Francisco, and this is the first song that we've (re)recorded (with the whole band). Some of you may remember this tune from me from a couple years ago, but since we now have a complete band, I've re-recorded all their parts (drums, bass, and lead guitar).

It still seems like it might be missing a change somewhere, where maybe I drop out a guitar, add another drum part in a little spot....tambourine...something like that. Also, let me know what you think of the mix, balance, levels...all that sort of stuff...

URL: http://www.bagoftoysmusic.com/music.html
SONG: 01.So Cold.mp3 (new/reworked)

(by the way, the original can still be heard at
)


If anyone cares, here's the gear I used...
=================================
Mics: Studio Projects C1 and B1...Audio Technica Pro25 (only on bass drum)
Pre-Amp: M-Audio Audio Buddy
Outboard Compressor: Behringer Ultra Dyne Pro
Recorder: Roland VS-880EX
Guitars: Big Baby Taylor (main rhythm), Larrivee LV-03E (leads)
Bass: my bass players sweet bass (can't remember name)
Bass DI: Behrninger Bass V-Amp
Drums: Whatever that his set is...just bass, snare, high-hat, 1 tom, 1 cymbal

Let me know what you think.

Thanks!
Robert Tait
 
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You've got a nice groove going on here. Here's some quick thoughts:

1. The vox could come down a little in volume, I add some air around 12-14khz and increase the clarity around 2.5khz but be careful, things can get pretty nasty real fast. Your best bet will be to listen with your ears, not your eyes. Add enough of each until you can hear a difference then back it off ever so slightly.

2. The drums aren't doing it for me during the chorus. Its hard to tell where the verse ends and the chorus really begins. The balance on the drums is off. The snare needs to be brought up as well as the bass drum. Overall, its not a really clean sound, which may or may not be what you intended.

3. This song would benefit from some more artificial dynamics. By which I mean, automate the master fader. Boost a few dbs in the intro, back it off for the verse, increase for vocals ect... Use this to highlight what you think is the focal point for the listener. Make them think "Wow, here comes the chorus." Every song should have a progression in the dynamics with ebbs and flows along the way. It has the subtle effect of taking the listener on a ride.

Good luck and good job.
 
Hmmmm....I just realized that I somehow ended up with a double long title on this post...sorry about that.

SCRIABIN: Thanks for responding...and thanks for the ideas! The drums are done with only 2 overheads and a bass drum mic, so I still seem to have trouble getting the sound i'm looking for with it, as I can't really tweak the EQ without making something else sound worse. I did actually want more of the set to be coming out more through on side on certain parts of the song...just trying to balance it. I actually DID ride the faders quite a bit...especially with the drums. the drummer and i didn't really sit down and figure out all the parts, so I kind of had to go back and tone some things down, and ramp them back up in different parts...I guess I could do it more.

Thanks a lot! :)
 
You should be ok with two overheads and a bass mic. Spend a long time getting the placement right. There are no toms eh, you just need to record the cymbals, hats and the snare. So, try and focus the OHs on the snare more than the cymbals. Place the OHs behind the drumer so you can bring them down in height a little. The hats will be picked up wherever you place any mic pretty much!!! so you dont have to worry about them. When mixing the OH tracks add a few dB high shelf at 5k and also try and bring the snare out at say around 2-3k.
The kik drum was being hidden by the bass guitar. so take any lo end you might have added away from the kik drum and add a little hi mids so it comes through, and maybe get rid of some lo for the bass aswell. You can always add a little lo end at the mastering stage.
 
ECKTRONIC: Yeah, we kind of shot through the little drum recording session. we messed with the bass drum mic for about 5 minutes, and then kind of said "fuck it" If it sounds bad, i'll just use the overheads. I was able to get an "okay" sound out of it (like i said with a lot of EQing), but I was hoping it would be a little easier than that. Thanks for the ideas with the EQ...I'll try those. I've only got 6 tracks to work with (while still leaving two for mix down) at a time, so I end up having to kind of make guesses on EQ as I go, as not all the instruments are laid in yet. Thanks for the thoughts! :) :)
 
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