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Schmange

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Keep in mind I'm doing this on a Mac G3/320/40GB using Cubase, 1 guitar, 1 cheap bass, 1 cheap acoustic, 1 cheap radio shack mic etc...
Basically I want to get some feedback on the sound.
All I've got are Koss headphones for monitoring so I haven't even heard this through speakers yet.
It sounds ok as far as I can tell... the female vocal/harmonies still have to be added and the whole thing needs to be mixed better but before I finish it off, any help from some knowledgable studio guys would be majorly appreciated. (my brain is dead from hearing this song so many times so I can't be objective anymore)



(about 6mb @192kbps)
 
DuUdE?

WTF? I'm no engineer...pretty much a newbie....but that song is awesome. Made me feel about 16 again. I think the vocals are great, but they are a little hard to hear some times.

Definitely one I'd have playing with my woman at the end of the night...if you catch my drift

DustyJack
 
I will start out with my usual

The vocals need to come up a little. I like to HEAR the vocals without having to work at it. Including the opening and the backing female vocals.

Now for the instrumental parts
AT 1:05 when the main vocals kick in--great mix at 1:45, the metal guitar cuts in. It sounds just a little muddy to me. I think it is a just a bit too much of a droning sound. The mix at 2:40 is much cleaner, very nice. This nice clean sound continues--some nice playing in this section. At 4:30, it gets a little muddy again.
Nice guitar solo in at 5:08, but the muddy background is in the way. I would drop that drone guitar background just a little. Let the other stuff shine over the top just a little. You don't need to lose it. You might take a little out of the midrange and drop it back in the mix a tiny bit.

Nice piece.

Just my $.02
 
Sounds pretty nice for the equipment. Good playing and singing. Good warm sounding mix.

Using a pod?

Vocals lack a bit of clarity - Radio Shack mics will do that. :)

Hearing a little crackling in spots - mostly on the left.

There's 15 seconds of silence at the begining.

Good job.
 
kewl.
I was expecting a 'wtf is this crap?' kinda reaction.

ok...took some suggestions... spent a few hours doing a remix and added a 4 part harmony for the female vocal part (still not finished yet).
I tried using a compressor on the vocals to bring them up a bit without overloading them but I may have to bring em up more. Like I said... Koss headphones and the vocals sound like they're right in the middle of my brain so they're loud as hell to me.



(the old link doesn't work anymore)

My feeling for the silence at the beginning....
I'm fading in an older take of the song really slowly as an intro. In headphones, you can hear it start immediately, but probably on speakers or on a smaller stereo, there's the impression that there's nothing happening.

Should I shorten out the intro for the lower hifi people or leave it as is for those that listen at full blast with better equipment or listen with headphones?

(Guess what I'm asking is ... should I make the beginning more obvious or leave it as-is and let people discover on their own time that there's actual music playing in the background?)

I gotta add a guitar intro too... the whole 'announcement' part of this tune is waaaay too long.

Major thanks btw :)
 
Iggy Pop meets Pink Floyd produced by David Bowie. Love it.
This would be a great one for blasting down the highway with the top down!

Yes, your "announcement" seemed a bit long to me. In my humble newbie opinion, the vocals still need to come up a touch. Also, you're fade-in needs to happen a bit faster.

Maybe you could find a way to hear it through some speakers, even if they aren't "nearfield monitors." I find I get a VERY different sound from speakers than I do headphones.
 
hey great song
really enjoyed it
everything i had to say has already been said
-Jake
 
Schmange

This has got to be the best mix I have ever heard in my life that was done solely on headphones!

Usually this method is a recipe for disaster but you have managed to create a mix that translates very nicely onto speakers.

The snare and hats are perhaps 1db too loud and the bass guitar just slightly on the boomy side but the rest of it is nicely placed in the mix.

Nice song too, by the way!

The intro is fine as it sits right now but 6:08 is a little long for radio play, if that is what you are aiming for with this?

Cheers! :)
 
I totally dig this.... You did a great job with what you have, equipment wise...

I think the vocals could still come up a bit more, and the guitar could come up too, especially that tasty little solo...

It definitely has that Bowie vibe going on, reminds me a little of the music he did on "Cat People" or something like that...

This would sound awesome with some more guitar, David Gilmour'ish...

Great job....


After listening a couple more times, the drums seem a bit overpowering...

More guitar!!:)
 
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Nicely done for a headphone mix. Would like the vocal to cut through a bit better, but I guess that is what happens when you use a radio shack mic...A nice condensor would do your voice justice.

This definitely has a cool 80's vibe to it. I really like the song, very ambiant and well played. You did some nice things with the drum programming there to. It fits the genre.

Very nicely done! You have a good voice too. Maybe it can come up a tad in the mix.

:)
 
kewl...thanks again :)
Ok...brought my vocal up even more & compressed it using a different plug-in. Made some other minor changes like shortening out the intro fade a little and adding a little lead playing where the announcement is. Did some adjusting on the mastering to clear up the muddy bass. Still got some more work to do but I gotta add the female vocal before I can do anymore.
The same link should work if anybody's still interested...

 
Listening to the remix now

Wow--Man, you did this on headphones!!! Your voice is so close to Bowie its scary. Vocals could come still come up a little--don't be affraid to have your voice heard. It doesn't need more compression--just louder.

The vocals are much better this time. The guitars are much less muddy--pretty damn good now. Your getting some great stuff considering the equipment you are using. The solo guitar stuff could probably come up a little as long as the vocals come up too.

This is a great piece.
 
Agree with Boydr.

Vocals need to come up. Nothing to be ashamed of. Better mic helps too. No, lemme rephrase that:

I URGE to buy a new mic! :D

Drum sound and programming is terrific.
 
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