A darker tune this time

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WhiteStrat

WhiteStrat

Don't stare at the eye.
Here's a rough mix of a piece I call Prelude in Dm. It's sort of an overture in that it teases ideas I'd like to flesh out into their own pieces. Yeah right..someday!

I've still got to tweak levels and some edits, but I need to give my ears a rest and come back to it later--so I thought I'd get some input now and incorporate some suggestions when I finish it up.

As I listen to it, I'm already unhappy with the very first lead guitar solo--thinking it should start out low & slow. I'm also wondering if the bass guit needs to come up a bit. Didn't get a chance to really crank this mix yet--and it should be cranked! :D

As always, your time & input are appreciated.

Prelude in Dm
 
I've only had one listen and that was on headphones...and I am sorta speechless, but not speechless enough to say...It kicks ass!:D

As far as the first guitar solo goes, I like it the way it is...you've started with quite a bit of energy and it seems very fitting.

The tone on the solo axe, and the melody it sings, is one of those *run chills up your back* things(a haunting melody). The riffs are sooooo good...and fast!

2:14 feels as the sun going down and as it meets the horizon, all the turmoils of the day are dissipating to a place of peace...and dreamland takes over at 3:14, infectious of stirring heartfelt emotion, leaving the dreamer unaware of what is coming at 4:28, as the dream suddenly evolves to a momentary action-porn madness into complete chaos!!(must be something you ate at bedtime!:D)

Strat, your axe truly has a voice, your voice...something I long to find on my guitar...my voice. Your playing skills are mucho excellent also!

All the build-ups keep anticipation going for more...and worth the suspense. The energy flow in your piece is strong.

You've got me completely fooled on the drums...sample?...live?..cause it sounds live to me.

1:21..the bass sustain...love it!! If you do bring the bass up, I think the piano will need to come down for sure...or it will most likely get muddied up in there...I dunno..I don't really know what I'm talking about...just rambling away~!

Like the heavy outro...it befits the heavy intro.

Guit definitely needs to come up in outro...in fact...throughout it could come up a bit...to my ears anyway...volume of piano during the guitar solo beginning a 2:58 is taking from the guit's *shine*...so maybe bring up the guit or down the piano?..and when I say turn the piano down, it sounds as if it were recorded at too high levels DI or volume on piano too high for the mic placement. I am thinking this, cause I am famous for doing that myself all the time...and that is exactly how my tracks sound when I do it.

There are so many things to listen to in the song. A piece within a piece within a piece...

I gotta listen some more(lots more) and add as I go...this is so cool. I would love to have the pleasure of listening to this at a concert hall. I like the Dm..I tend to do stuff in minors.


This is a song made for Cranking it up to listen!!!!
 
Last edited:
Sloooooooooooooooooow download.

Waiting...........



waiting.................


waiting......

Got it.:D It's got a TSO thing going on. Sounds like Spanish TSO:D Sound quality is very good, me likey.

My suggestion would be to add more parts. It seems a bit bare at times, a few interesting pads would be nice. Classical-ish music is pretty complicated, the core audience of this type of music can handle a denser orchestration.

Very cool, lots of excellent ideas here.:)
 
Gave a preliminary listen..very diverse. Guitar playing is top notch..you ever listen to Vai??:D The string and orchestral parts are very cool..could be fleshed out more. The ending segment must be longer just to twist the knife one final time. Did you do all the keys/midi? Ambitious stuff my friend.
 
WhiteStrat said:
Here's a rough mix of a piece I call Prelude in Dm. It's sort of an overture in that it teases ideas I'd like to flesh out into their own pieces. Yeah right..someday!

I've still got to tweak levels and some edits, but I need to give my ears a rest and come back to it later--so I thought I'd get some input now and incorporate some suggestions when I finish it up.

As I listen to it, I'm already unhappy with the very first lead guitar solo--thinking it should start out low & slow. I'm also wondering if the bass guit needs to come up a bit. Didn't get a chance to really crank this mix yet--and it should be cranked! :D

As always, your time & input are appreciated.

Prelude in Dm
Click to expand...

Hmmm, steak, potatoes, gravy, with a non-alcoholic drink, just what the Dr. ordered. Yes more bass. Do you like Fireflight? I want to go see them live, it isn't exactly the guitar tones you have here but reminds me of them some how with a little SHOUT mixed it...shrug.
 
Yo Mr. Strat!

Excellent tune! Rippin guitars, tight drums n bass. Great sound you're getting on the whole. You've obviously put a lot of work into this, and it shows!!! Yay!!
I agree with Davidk, more parts would be cool. The one string sound that's panned right could use a double in the left side, or something that's complimentary to even things out a bit, if not a double. Those string samples are most excellent, by the way!! Where do they come from? The other thing I would suggest is backing off the delay on the solo guitar parts. It gives the sound of your guitar a great stereo spread, but the delay is walking all over the main signal, and the result is that the listener can't hear the attack of your notes. If it sounds too dry to you with less delay, you might try a big hall reverb added in with the delay. That way, we can hear what you are doing better, and it still has the big sweet oowey gooey stereo "wettness" to it.

Peace!!!!!

~Shawn
 
hey dude that was sick
great quality too

only thing i would say, as a drummer, and this is being really picky here!!...is that the drums in the beggining could be a bit more driving. i think the impact of the beggining will be much better if you get more double bass going and just a heavier feel to match the guitar. the ending with the drums was superb though!

great job dude!
 
true-eurt said:
I've only had one listen and that was on headphones...and I am sorta speechless, but not speechless enough to say...It kicks ass!:D

As far as the first guitar solo goes, I like it the way it is...you've started with quite a bit of energy and it seems very fitting.

The tone on the solo axe, and the melody it sings, is one of those *run chills up your back* things(a haunting melody). The riffs are sooooo good...and fast!

2:14 feels as the sun going down and as it meets the horizon, all the turmoils of the day are dissipating to a place of peace...and dreamland takes over at 3:14, infectious of stirring heartfelt emotion, leaving the dreamer unaware of what is coming at 4:28, as the dream suddenly evolves to a momentary action-porn madness into complete chaos!!(must be something you ate at bedtime!:D)

Strat, your axe truly has a voice, your voice...something I long to find on my guitar...my voice. Your playing skills are mucho excellent also!

All the build-ups keep anticipation going for more...and worth the suspense. The energy flow in your piece is strong.

You've got me completely fooled on the drums...sample?...live?..cause it sounds live to me.

1:21..the bass sustain...love it!! If you do bring the bass up, I think the piano will need to come down for sure...or it will most likely get muddied up in there...I dunno..I don't really know what I'm talking about...just rambling away~!

Like the heavy outro...it befits the heavy intro.

Guit definitely needs to come up in outro...in fact...throughout it could come up a bit...to my ears anyway...volume of piano during the guitar solo beginning a 2:58 is taking from the guit's *shine*...so maybe bring up the guit or down the piano?..and when I say turn the piano down, it sounds as if it were recorded at too high levels DI or volume on piano too high for the mic placement. I am thinking this, cause I am famous for doing that myself all the time...and that is exactly how my tracks sound when I do it.

There are so many things to listen to in the song. A piece within a piece within a piece...

I gotta listen some more(lots more) and add as I go...this is so cool. I would love to have the pleasure of listening to this at a concert hall. I like the Dm..I tend to do stuff in minors.


This is a song made for Cranking it up to listen!!!!
Click to expand...


I thought I warned you about making me blush! Seriously--thank you. The piano's not real, so I'll have to look at the levels on that channel. I might've been driving the "patch" too hard. Good input on the guitar levels!
 
DavidK said:
Sloooooooooooooooooow download.

Waiting...........



waiting.................


waiting......

Got it.:D It's got a TSO thing going on. Sounds like Spanish TSO:D Sound quality is very good, me likey.

My suggestion would be to add more parts. It seems a bit bare at times, a few interesting pads would be nice. Classical-ish music is pretty complicated, the core audience of this type of music can handle a denser orchestration.

Very cool, lots of excellent ideas here.:)
Click to expand...

You've got an excellent ear, man! This song was sitting half done (VSTs & patches & drums all done, scratch tracks for rhythm guits & bass) for over 3 years. Tuesday night, I re-worked the drums and the classical-ish middle section. Wed night I tracked rhythm & bass. Last night I did the leads and posted it.

And it's amazing how much I listen differently now that it's "done" than when it wasn't. Before this week all I could hear was what needed to be finished. Now I'm hearing what needs to be fixed! And I'm hearing the same bare-ness you described. Thanks.

Oh yeah--TSO? I suppose if anyone were to bring that up it'd be you--but you're right. I've already got tix for the whole family for 11/28. I love their mix of straight ahead rock and classical-ish instrumentation. Guess it's rubbed off on me a bit.
 
WhiteStrat said:
I thought I warned you about making me blush! Seriously--thank you. The piano's not real, so I'll have to look at the levels on that channel. I might've been driving the "patch" too hard. Good input on the guitar levels!
Click to expand...
Simple answer....









A)I'm the girl











Nothing like words coming back to haunt you!:D













You are welkom Strat!
 
Riffmaster said:
Gave a preliminary listen..very diverse. Guitar playing is top notch..you ever listen to Vai??:D The string and orchestral parts are very cool..could be fleshed out more. The ending segment must be longer just to twist the knife one final time. Did you do all the keys/midi? Ambitious stuff my friend.
Click to expand...

Thanks, Riff. And yes--I've listened to Vai once or twice. It's like the TSO comment DavidK made. Some of my all time favorites there (as different as they are!): TSO & Steve Vai. And without trying to sound like them--and certainly I'd never compare myself to them--it's what other's hear.

I guess it's like the guy who eats of ton of garlic. It becomes so normal to him that he doesn't even notice the smell. But after a while, it literally oozes out of his skin pores, and everyone else sure can smell it! :D

Thanks for the advice on the mid section--I'm gonna work on fleshing it out some. And what are you hearing in your head for the end/knife twist?

Keys & midi--I played most of the parts in a skeleton fashion--just enough to lay down the chord structures. Then I build all the parts note by note, adding "human style" variation to timing & velocity to make them sound as natural as possible. Thanks for the props!
 
It was actually a slower passage that made me think of Vai, very taseful. As for the knife, that last section is a great payoff and extending it another round or two would really give it the bang it builds up to. It's the heaviest part of the song and another measure or two would kick the listener's ass good.:D There's a ton of cool stuff in there as it is. Be proud.
 
Riffmaster said:
It was actually a slower passage that made me think of Vai, very taseful. As for the knife, that last section is a great payoff and extending it another round or two would really give it the bang it builds up to. It's the heaviest part of the song and another measure or two would kick the listener's ass good.:D There's a ton of cool stuff in there as it is. Be proud.
Click to expand...

I bet I know the exact couple of measures that make you think of Vai in that slower passage. I hear it too...
 
SRR said:
Hmmm, steak, potatoes, gravy, with a non-alcoholic drink, just what the Dr. ordered. Yes more bass. Do you like Fireflight? I want to go see them live, it isn't exactly the guitar tones you have here but reminds me of them some how with a little SHOUT mixed it...shrug.
Click to expand...

Thank you sir! (But now I'm hungry...for steak, potatoes--well you get it) Thanks for the bass input. I think so too. I don't know Fireflight (I know Firefall :D) but it sounds like I should check 'em out.

eyema_believer said:
Yo Mr. Strat!

Excellent tune! Rippin guitars, tight drums n bass. Great sound you're getting on the whole. You've obviously put a lot of work into this, and it shows!!! Yay!!
I agree with Davidk, more parts would be cool. The one string sound that's panned right could use a double in the left side, or something that's complimentary to even things out a bit, if not a double. Those string samples are most excellent, by the way!! Where do they come from? The other thing I would suggest is backing off the delay on the solo guitar parts. It gives the sound of your guitar a great stereo spread, but the delay is walking all over the main signal, and the result is that the listener can't hear the attack of your notes. If it sounds too dry to you with less delay, you might try a big hall reverb added in with the delay. That way, we can hear what you are doing better, and it still has the big sweet oowey gooey stereo "wettness" to it.

Peace!!!!!

~Shawn
Click to expand...

Shawn--one word. OUCH!!! Seriously, you're hurting me. Well, the truth is hurting me. You're right--the leads are too wet. And guess what! I recorded 'em wet. I just can't play dry, and I was too impatient to set up my whole split signal (wet into my headphones; dry into the DAW) setup--so I rushed it.

But you know what? I'm unhappy with just enough of it, that I like being "forced" to re-track it. And I respect the heck out of your playing & tone, so I appreciate the input on that matter.

The samples are all part of my main VST sampler--SampleTank 2. The piano is one of my faves, and was part of the original buy, but I've added expansion tanks and I think the others were added on. (And as you can see from the above posts--it's almost unanimous--you're right, the classical-ish part needs to be fleshed out some...)
 
Saw the post at work, where I can't listen, but I immediately though of Nigel Tufnel:

"In D minor which I always find is really the saddest of all keys."

Just got home and listened -- very nice!! I can't think of too many times I've heard the piano and lead guitar together -- works very well!

I can't add much to the comments -- I would like to hear some more ornamentation in the classicalish parts also. Great Job!! (as usual)
 
Very nice and melodic in parts, I love the tension of the keyboard part around the 1:40 minute parts-cool dissonance!
Which guitar was the star-the White Strat or the Black Paul?
And what keyboard/synthe are you using? Nice sounds from both guits and keys!
If you are using a keyboard sequencer and can transpose the parts, you should try some key changes to add some variations and some drive to the rhythm keyboard parts-I know you will have to retrack the solos-but it will add to the overall feel and propel things nicely.
And I agree with you're comment-some slower sustained parts at the start will sound good as well.
 
Hyperslug said:
hey dude that was sick
great quality too

only thing i would say, as a drummer, and this is being really picky here!!...is that the drums in the beggining could be a bit more driving. i think the impact of the beggining will be much better if you get more double bass going and just a heavier feel to match the guitar. the ending with the drums was superb though!

great job dude!
Click to expand...

Thanks man! I appreciate it. I agree with you about the drums in the beginning--I can't retrack, but a lot of the punch comes from a Multi Band Comp--so I think there's room to add to the edge. And the kick is on a separate track, so I can definitely bring that up. I think that'll help create a bit more contrast between the heavy parts and the orchestral parts too.

Rokket said:
Wow..........

Who is playing that awesome keyboard?
Click to expand...

My brain. But my hands can't keep up. I rough in the basic chord structure using midi to capture my real hands on a real keyboard--then I make it match what's playing in my head--usually note by note...
 
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