1st New Track for 2013

  • Thread starter Thread starter rayc
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rayc

rayc

retroreprobate
NEW version on page three.
2012 into 13 4 13 by rayc on SoundCloud - Hear the world
Version 2 at bottom of page.
I can't work out how to embed the soundcloud player in this post - I've tried & tried but give up for now.

This is the most recent thing I've taken just about as far as I can go.
It's a bit started in early 2012 & has been brought along in a big way by the inclusion of Greg L's drumming (there's a brief bit of the original drum machine as a count in)
Lots of guitars with & without effects, a bass (well actually two for part of the chorus), cut'n'paste mellotron and, as mentioned Greg's drums.
I've stalled with this: I have a couple of sets of lyrics that might fit but no melody.
As a backing sans lead solo & vocal how is the mix (no faux mastering or anything on the master bus for that matter)?
Here's V3
 
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Hey Ray, to plop your song into the post, click the "share" button on your track, copy the link, then click the orange cloud button in your post icons. You'll see this.....
 
Sounds good Ray! Like your guitars on this,creating a very nice bed for vocals.....drums sound real good, nlice playing Greg......would like to hear bass guitar just a little more prominent in the mix,can hear some cool stuff with it.....a very good start, look forward to hearing the progression with this.....
 
Hello & thanks Greg,
I'll try that for the update.
Yeah this was started in january last year. It is long without vox. Just long enough for one of my lyrics (which tend to ramble on) but in need of a vocal & a solo to make it seem right. Joe's very busy & Gerry was in San Fran for work last I read. Your drums really hold this one together.
Queepy,
Thanks mate. I'll play with the bass level. I'm a bit shy with the bass on this one because I did a few things that strayed from the root note - in the verse I play along with the augmented/changed notes of the chord rather than the safe notes & I'm uncertain if I pulled it off.
I'll adjust levels later today & repost.
 
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Hello from San Francisco! Sounds good so far but I would add some bottom end on the bass. I'm liking the tone on the guitars and the reverb, this must be your new amp setup - it is very good.
 
Hello Gerry,
How's the west coast of that other country?
That's two votes to shore up the bass so I will do that.
The guitars are partially the new amp & partially the Marshall with a Boss pedal.
5 watts can be VERY loud I've discovered.
Hope you get a chance to relax and be a tourist while you'redown in SFS.
 
https://soundcloud.com/rayc/redo-2012-14-4-13

Here's the update based on comments above.
In the bass I boosted the 3k for more definition and the 200 for more bottom end.
I carved a little more 3k from the guitars to leave room for the bass definition and tidied up some loose bits including the count in at the front end.
 
I clicked on the OP link so I hope it's the latest. Sounds are good to me. Reminds me of Neil Young and one of those concerts with 20 guitar players all bashing at once.
 
Sounds good Ray, drums might benefit from a little increase in EQ 2.5-3.5k. Some great melody options oozing out of the track. Bass sounds just a touch over there compared to the majority of other tracks. Must have missed this, when it went up. Once the vocal and instrument melodies are present I'm sure it'll be a compelling track.

all the best

Tim
 
Pretty good sonic bed here. I'd like to hear this with some vocals and more instruments. The second mix seems a little quieter than the first....almost like you brought everything else down to get the bass louder, and I could almost deal with a little more definition on that bass, but it does come through decently as is. I like the keyboard line at the end... good job guys!
 

VERSION 3
I boosted the drums a little where Tim suggested, added a little definition as per Erik's suggestion and, because I'm a twerp who can't keep his hands off stuff, I added an outro guitar feedback yowl as I'm sadly inclined to do - a Big Muff clone through my Kustom Defender 5.
Yje previous was a little quieter Erik - there's a spot where the drums take it into the red and I was trying to avoid that without tweaking the kit as I like what it does at that spot. This mix is a bit louder - taking the track to the edge just before going into the orange.
Manslick, thanks: any noisenik reference works for me.
 
Sounds like a good base to build from ray - I hope you manage to find a melody line from somewhere to go with this as it's a promising foundation!

I like where it steps up a gear at around 3.22. I'd like to hear the feedback section at the end louder in the mix. It's really nice, and I'd probably try to make a lot more of it. Also, I reckon that when you add vocals the rhythm guitar may need to come down a touch to stop them dominating. Not an issue without them mind!

Good to hear you cut the original drum beat from the latest version, as I don't think the transition quite worked.

Now get finding a melody from somewhere :)
 
Thanks Rob,
I'll deal with the feedback section - I'm just being tentative as I only dropped it on this arvo.
Finding a melody - that's something I've always left to others. In my most recent songs Eric D constructed melodies (we throw back to our song writing collab from 1976/7), in the Pygmy Beat Augmented period (basically where this was aimed but missed through last year), it was JoeyM and before that it was, & remains however on sabbatical he may be, Terry B.
I can sort the lyrics so they fit rhythmically and can ALMOST use the emphasises in that to generate a quasi melody but, in the end, I follow the progression or bass line. It doesn't help that I simply cannot sing.
Folks,
The bass section that I'm tentative about also is in the "verse" - I chug away on C while it changes through Cm7 Cadd9 etc. after which I walk to A for the Asus2 there I slide to B to emphasize that sus2 then to C when the chord changes to Am.
Does it work?
 
Just checked out Version 3....the bass guitar/lines caught my ear on the very first listen/mix as being really cool...and it sounds better on mix 3....it works for me.....I like the feedback at the end as well....this one is going to be good ray! Anticipating the next progression!
 
I listened to parts of v1 and 2 and all of v 3. I thought it sounded pretty good for the most part. Solid playing and everything is well balanced.

I'd give the snare a little additional boost. I think the song would sound cooler with the snare out front driving things. To a lesser extent, I'd say the same thing about the kick. But the kick, to me, is closer to being "right."

I'm not a fan of reverb, so if it were me, I'd pull a bunch of it off the guitar. Also the guitar needs a little sparkle or shimmer. It's a little on the dull side.

I love the bass sound and I love the bass part.

Something weird at 5:22, the reverb goes away for a few seconds. If it was intentional, then it was cool. :)
 
yeah, this is very balanced IMO. The guitars sound on the outside sound a little washed out to me. or something weird like they were run through melodyne?!?! Preference probably :) The guitar down the middle sounds great!!!! very nice work!!!
 
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