What I've been up to lately... (Metal)

[philbagg]

First and foremost, these are recordings taken straight from Guitar Pro, so it will probably sound like something out of a video game, and it won't have vocals

...you can still critique the mix if you like...

I've been on a two years writers block, and I'm starting to come out of it Over the past week I've written both of these songs:

Burnt Offerings

Reflections

(Ignore the working titles - I have no lyrics yet )

So: this thread might be pointless, but if anybody has any songwriting/production ideas they'd like to suggest, I'm all ears. I'm not entirely satisfied with 'em, I've done better.

If anyone has guitar pro and would like the tabs (doubtful ) - which also contain the markers for structure (ie verse, chorus etc), just pm me your email and I'll send em on

Cheers

 

[FadeToMuffins]

As a veteran of the fake midi guitar sound produced by progams like guitar pro, I feel like I can judge this objectively. So far I'm really like burnt offerings. Has a nice groovey Pantera, 5FDP, Metallica verse riff.

I really like how this incorporates the chugging of metalcore-esque riffs without being metalcore. This is straight up metal/hard rock. Very cool. Nice melodic ish feel. This is a very solid song, and the solo sounds very soilwork-ish. Nice and tasty double kick work. The song also flows from one section to another very well. I know what it's like to have writer's block, and symptom numero UNO is you write shitty transitions. This doesn't have any of those, so great job there.

As a whole, I can't really judge it since it's just a tab, but what's there is very good. I have to get back to studying physics now, so a review of the other song will come later haha, but great job.

 

[philbagg]

Wow, thanks dude

As a veteran of the fake midi guitar sound produced by progams like guitar pro

It's great isn't it? I actually love the sound of it.

I really like how this incorporates the chugging of metalcore-esque riffs without being metalcore. This is straight up metal/hard rock. Very cool. Nice melodic ish feel. This is a very solid song, and the solo sounds very soilwork-ish. Nice and tasty double kick work. The song also flows from one section to another very well.

Awesome! Exactly the kind of feel I was going for. I wanted to avoid the metalcore "genre", yet utilise some of it's style Thanks

I know what it's like to have writer's block, and symptom numero UNO is you write shitty transitions. This doesn't have any of those, so great job there.

Yeah I tend to write a lot of crap on my blocks. Trust me, they're there. I just didn't post up any examples here

As a whole, I can't really judge it since it's just a tab, but what's there is very good. I have to get back to studying physics now, so a review of the other song will come later haha, but great job.

Hopefully you'll be around when I ever get around to recording this stuff. Need to get back into practice. I would have been able to play those lead parts a few years back

Good luck with the physics

 

[Bulls Hit]

Parts of Burnt Offerings remind me of an old Golden Earring tune. I really like the melodies you've got going and you've got the bones of a good arrangement too. Definitely like to hear this with real guitars

 

[philbagg]

Parts of Burnt Offerings remind me of an old Golden Earring tune. I really like the melodies you've got going and you've got the bones of a good arrangement too. Definitely like to hear this with real guitars

Cheers dude

When I get around to recording (when I get a decent guitar), I'll be posting it here.

 

[RAMI]

"Tubular Bells" by Mike Oldfield into "Vanilla Queen" by Golden Earing. It might be un-intentional, but man those riffs are almost identical, and the "Tubular Bells" intro even uses the same sound.

I like everything else about both tunes. Nice sounds and riffs. But you might want to go listen to the 2 tunes I mentioned (if you haven't already :wink: ) and see how similar they are

 

[Greg_L]

Yeah "Burnt Offerings" sounds damn near exactly like Tubular Bells. Hell there's a cover of it right here in the clinic right now.

It's hard to take these Super Mario Bros sound clips seriously because they're pretty silly sounding. I don't know what "guitar pro" is, but I do know that I'm staying the fuck away from it.

 

[philbagg]

"Tubular Bells" by Mike Oldfield into "Vanilla Queen" by Golden Earing. It might be un-intentional, but man those riffs are almost identical, and the "Tubular Bells" intro even uses the same sound.

I like everything else about both tunes. Nice sounds and riffs. But you might want to go listen to the 2 tunes I mentioned (if you haven't already :wink: ) and see how similar they are

Yeah "Burnt Offerings" sounds damn near exactly like Tubular Bells. Hell there's a cover of it right here in the clinic right now.

Yeah, it was completely unintentional I don't mind once it kicks in and the guitars play it. Different register, doesn't sound too similar. But I guess I gotta do somethin' with that music-box intro

It's hard to take these Super Mario Bros sound clips seriously because they're pretty silly sounding. I don't know what "guitar pro" is, but I do know that I'm staying the fuck away from it.

It's tablature software. It's not meant to be about sounds. Although, they added in their "Realistic Sound Engine" in version 5, and it was terrible. Version 6 is supposed to be even more technical (mixer etc.), but I'm happy stickin with the basic mixing (levels+pan) and MIDI sounds.

I don't know how people put a song together without doing it like this. Write the parts for all instruments (except vocals), play it back, edit, play back, repeat and rinse

 

[Greg_L]

I don't know how people put a song together without doing it like this. Write the parts for all instruments (except vocals), play it back, edit, play back, repeat and rinse

So what does this software do? Make a MIDI song and then you re-record it with real gear?

 

[philbagg]

So what does this software do? Make a MIDI song and then you re-record it with real gear?

Exactly

Can you read tabs?

You can put in drums, bass, and all other kinds of instruments too.

Type your tabs in (or import from MIDI), set up the kind of instruments, set levels, pan etc. Then play it back to hear how it sounds. The sound is the MIDI sound in the clips I posted, and from using this and "Power Tab" (similar software), I've gotten to quite like the sound

Instead of writing a riff on a guitar for example, where all you're hearing is the guitar on it's own and trying to imagine the rest, I'd see it as a way of hearing the two/three/four guitars along with drums, bass, and other instruments in context.

That's just my workflow. I think it improves my songwriting and helps me technically too.

 

[Greg_L]

No, I don't read music or tabs. That shit might as well be in chinese. If it works for you, great. It just seems like a lot of unnecessary time and hassle to me. I just plug in and let er rip. I basically just write the same song over and over anyway and don't care if anyone likes it, so it's easy.

 

[philbagg]

No, I don't read music or tabs. That shit might as well be in chinese. If it works for you, great. It just seems like a lot of unnecessary time and hassle to me. I just plug in and let er rip. I basically just write the same song over and over anyway and don't care if anyone likes it, so it's easy.

*pats gergs head*

Good lad

Your stuff kicks ass anyway dude so whatever you're doing is obviously working. Simple riffs are easily written on just a guitar. In fact, if you tabbed it out, you'd probably be less keen on it because it'd lack excitement on playback.

Also, you play all the instruments, so you can put it together like that. I'm a guitarist who owns a broken guitar. So I write with my brain, and nothing else

I don't feel it's unnecessary time and hassle. I fly through that program. I was really good two years ago actually. I was writing two or three songs in a day.

 

[Greg_L]

I wrote a song last summer while on vacation using nothing but notes to myself saved as text messages on my phone. I can play by ear so I already knew how to play it before I got home. I figured out the drums on my lap while waiting for the fish to bite. When I got back, I just knocked it out like it was a cover song. I think it came out perfectly.

 

[philbagg]

I wrote a song last summer while on vacation using nothing but notes to myself saved as text messages on my phone. I can play by ear so I already knew how to play it before I got home. I figured out the drums on my lap while waiting for the fish to bite. When I got back, I just knocked it out like it was a cover song. I think it came out perfectly.

You probably know how to tab and don't even know it.

Judging by what you just described, you'd pick it up in about 20 seconds.

 

[Greg_L]

You probably know how to tab and don't even know it.

Judging by what you just described, you'd pick it up in about 20 seconds.

I do know tabs. That shit is simple. I don't ever use them for anything though. I don't ever "write" my songs. I have a notebook of lyrics, but nothing music related ever gets physically written down in any form. My songs are all banging powerchords so tabs are totally unnecessary for me.

 

[philbagg]

I do know tabs. That shit is simple.

No, I don't read music or tabs. That shit might as well be in chinese.

 

[Greg_L]

The actual notated music might as well be chinese. I can't read that. The tabs are just useless, like chinese.

 

[philbagg]

The actual notated music might as well be chinese. I can't read that. The tabs are just useless, like chinese.

Backtracking

Anyway, how the f**k did this turn into yet another thread about your music?

 

[Greg_L]

I'm not backtracking. Any fool can read tabs.

And it's not about my music, it's about writing music.

I'll leave now though. Let me know if you ever put up something that's real.

 

[philbagg]

I'm not backtracking. Any fool can read tabs.

And it's not about my music, it's about writing music.

I'll leave now though. Let me know if you ever put up something that's real.

You still listened, even after the disclaimer

Sure, I won't need to tell you. You're always in the clinic!

*insert joke about anal sex and STD's for Gerg*