a long december

[sandwiches]

howdy

i'm just comign back to recordng after a long break and i thought i would record a cover song to get the feel of it.

it's a long december by counting crows.

im going to say my version is better, no, in fact the main aim was to just record something quick and easy.

anyway, could you tell me what you all think? im aware there's a lot of things that aren't right with it.

what do you think of the vocals, guitars, piano, drums?


the link is
http://www.nowhereradio.com/waiholiu/singles

click on A Long December

thanks for all responses.

PS - please reply even if all you gotta say is it's shit (or even it's good) but can't explain why you feel that way.

 

[adam_in_audio]

hey,

although your instrumentation is alright, that singing is completely diabolical. Either learn to sing better or get somebody else to do it. I can't even concern myself with the other aspects (eq, panning, balance) because the singing is just bad. Aritistically I actually like your original stuff as compared to that counting crows cover. You have a nasally voice and that's alright (I'm thinking Sean Lennon-esque) but you NEED to learn how to use it correctly.

keep practicing and good luck,

Adam

 

[sandwiches]

hey,

although your instrumentation is alright, that singing is completely diabolical. Either learn to sing better or get somebody else to do it. I can't even concern myself with the other aspects (eq, panning, balance) because the singing is just bad. Aritistically I actually like your original stuff as compared to that counting crows cover. You have a nasally voice and that's alright (I'm thinking Sean Lennon-esque) but you NEED to learn how to use it correctly.

keep practicing and good luck,

Adam

hey adam...

fair comment there. actually one of the main reasons i recorded this song also was to make a karaoke track (hence the reason the solo is omitted) so i learn to sing the song properly.

but i've been getting singing lessons lately, and i guess i don't practice my singing enough, and i really feel like i'm not making much progress at all. in fact, i think when i sing how the teacher tells me to, becuase i still have not gotten the concepts down at all, i sound even worst.

 

[sae]

How about removing the vocals and concentrating on the instruments. The depth (reverb), placement (panning) and volume all need to be addressed. Tighten up the mix

 

[sandwiches]

How about removing the vocals and concentrating on the instruments. The depth (reverb), placement (panning) and volume all need to be addressed. Tighten up the mix

yes i've also been told there are alot of clashes in the instrument's parts.

especially between the lead guitar and everything else.

do you agree that this is true?

 

[sae]

I don't think you need to mimic the song by Counting Crows, but work on the mix so it "sits" better with the listener

 

[bbop73]

Listened to all the tunes. Definitely a progression in quality of vocals from cover tune to original material. However, guitars and keys are muddy. You could use a little more clarity in them via high shelve eq or just retracking with more highs.

 

[adam_in_audio]

I agree with bbop, stick to your original stuff. IMHO , it's better than the counting crows! You have a definite "thumbprint" to your stuff that you should really nurture. Forget the cover tunes, leave that stuff for the American Idol crowd.

Adam

 

[sandwiches]

hi guys

thanks for listening to the originals and im glad some of you like them.

i must point out that the originals took like many many hours whilst the cover song was just a "quick" attempt at trying to produce a song after a long leave.

i only spent about 3 hours on it and things, like the vocals were first takes. i think my main goal was to make something quick but still not have too much diminished quality, and also to try to improve my singing ability.

i'm still working on both of those goals, and your advice are greatly appreciated.

as a side question, how long do you guys spend recording a song? like the whole deal, from the writing, arrangement to recording and mixing. i'm really an on and off person (im very busy) and working on my own, and not having terrific musical abilities, it can really literally take months.

 

[junplugged]

That was actually interesting. But I have a bias, I dislike the Counting Crows. So as for me it was an improvement over the original. Vocal was funny, I hope you meant it that way, I can't listening w/ out LOL Your vocal sure is up front. No fx. I guess it's a little weird to have some fx on guitar but none on vocal, but I do that if I want the vox that close.

I can write a first draft of a song in 2 minutes, then I can edit it for 15 years. And I'm not even joking, I did that w/ one that I put up just now, but I'm sick of it and really using it just to experiment w/ recording/mixing. That could take a day to 3 weeks if I'm experimenting, and I usually do....

 

[sandwiches]

That was actually interesting. But I have a bias, I dislike the Counting Crows. So as for me it was an improvement over the original. Vocal was funny, I hope you meant it that way, I can't listening w/ out LOL Your vocal sure is up front. No fx. I guess it's a little weird to have some fx on guitar but none on vocal, but I do that if I want the vox that close.

I can write a first draft of a song in 2 minutes, then I can edit it for 15 years. And I'm not even joking, I did that w/ one that I put up just now, but I'm sick of it and really using it just to experiment w/ recording/mixing. That could take a day to 3 weeks if I'm experimenting, and I usually do....

hey, i think that's the same with me.

but not because it actually takes 15 years, but the fact that i lose interest in the song. i may or may not come back to it later. but if i don't finish something fast then some other idea will probably capture my interest.

i'm really bad like that, as probably a lot of musicians. i have all these bits and pieces of songs lying around.