Care to take a listen? :)

[Dondello]

I've recently uploaded a song into my little mp3.com page, making it the first. If you want to listen to it, it's at http://www.mp3.com/dondello . And, if mp3.com decides to suck royally that particular day, try http://www.mp3.com/artists/55/dondello.html , and that one should work. Please though, if you're going to critique my work, download the full high-quality version, because it sounds much better with the left/right channels isolated. Thank you in advance!

(The reason for the two urls is because the first sometimes dumps me to the main mp3.com page ... Maybe because my page is so new, it's not quite done updating stuff)

[This message has been edited by Dondello (edited 10-05-1999).]

 

[drstawl]

Loved that slick migration from industrial to old school Zep across that short piece, and your guitar playing as well. But man, what's up with that signal level. I just uploaded it into Vegas Pro and converted it to .wav. I then did a mild software compression on the .wav file followed by a 6:1, -14 dB hard limit on the file. Then I normalized in Sound Forge to -0.05 dB and converted to 160Kbps .mp3. Even so, this re-mix thumps better than anything <I've> ever done. You may think this was cheating, considering your choice of 128Kbps, but 128 is where the file started and that's what I have to live with in any case. There was a bunch of amp &or tape noise that I didn't try to mess with. I'll be glad to post my re-mix for your download fun.

[This message has been edited by drstawl (edited 10-05-1999).]

 

[jitteringjim]

I got kinda dizzy with those guitars swimming around my head.
Yes, I'd have to ask about your mixdown also. The levels were a bit low, but the drum sound was cool - were those live or canned?

 

[drstawl]

Re-mix has been posted!
http://members.home.net/drstawl/midi.html

Look for "Re-mix of Dondello's....."

Oh- and I redid it to keep the format at
128Kbps. Fair is fair....

 

[Dondello]

Well I'm glad you enjoyed it So far, the only bad reviews I've had were concerning the production, which I already knew. It's a $10 Radio Shack microphone, and a little Fender amp. I've got a Fender Strat, but I've got 4 computers in the room that I recorded it, and that's a lot of monitors which causes buzz! But I really wanted to know more about my playing ... You know how you reach plateaus? Well, I'd been on one for awhile. I've been playing acoustic for 3 years, but when I got my electric about 8 months ago, I didn't really know what to do with it But all of a sudden, I just started improving again with my improvisation. I know it still sounds kinda messy, i.e. I still accidentally hit open strings every now and then, but I'm much better than I was Yeah.. So, the buzz is coming from the amp. Oh and another tidbit, the bass is my electric. I took it into Goldwave, Slowed it down by half to drop the octave, then return the speed to normal using Goldwave's fourier interpolation ... i.e., I ended up with the exact same tempo as the original, except it was an octave lower, for more thumpability. It did come out somewhat uneven though ... some notes standing out more than others. Either way, the song went from start to completion in about an hour (Oh, and mp3.com requires 128kb mp3s)
Oh, and I'd love to hear the drstawl remix

[This message has been edited by Dondello (edited 10-06-1999).]

 

[Dondello]

Hey, just to save me the trouble (and cuz it sounds great), can I use the re-mix instead of the original on mp3.com?

 

[drstawl]

That slowed down guitar was cute. In the old days you had to accurately play the lines at double speed to pull that off.
And sure- go ahead and use my remix. Then I can recover the HD space from my server...
I really think that a re-recording with all of those monitors shut off (thanks to Emeric for that tip) might sound appreciably better.
While the levels in the remix were 10dB higher than the original, so was the amp noise. Please excuse this nosy question, but what are you doing that requires 4 monitors running at the same time?

 

[Dondello]

Well, for about 10 years we ran a bulletin board, then it became an ISP I'll just shut em off next time.. Especially the ones I don't require.. The G3..

 

[Slackmaster2K]

Holy crap I love this! I just downloaded it from your mp3.com page and have no idea if it's the one that drstawl remixed, but I like it regardless. (course I am partial to bluesy stuff)

When I first heard the drums I was thinking "oh man I'm not going to like this"....but they work SO well! You definately got a "groovy" feel going! Did you stick echo on them or is it just the mp3 conversion making em sound like that?

I also really liked the guitar playing. It kind of reminds me of early Jimi Page where you'd hear him tripping over his own fingers every now and then but it never really mattered. And the sound was incredibly raw which I really like.

It reminds me of one of those jam sessions where you and your buddies are all piled into someone's living room with whatever gear y'all felt like dragging around that day. Maybe everybody's got an amp...maybe somebody's plugged into the stereo. The drummer only brought the bare minimum. Beer, smoke, bullshit, and 12 bar jams...god I miss that.

Oh and the little "woooos" add even more to the realism. Excellent.

In regards to the radio shack microphone. Hell, sometimes that's what it takes! I'm currently working on a number where I use a Walmart mic inside a plastic cup behind the amp for a "far-away" sound. I'm getting close...and I just couldn't get it right with my SM57.

Critisism? Hell, I'd leave it alone. If a raw, live sound was what you were going for, you got it. The lead was a little loud, but there's always that one guitar player in every group who turns up too loud

Slackmaster 2000

 

[Dragon]

Finally the kid starts listening...

Well, I didn't hear any big problems, but I'm very cheesed that you're in Canada, because I would love to play with you at a live jam...we have a lot in common!!!

It sounds fun, too...the two-guitar left/right stuff. Usually stuff like that sounds hokey, but it was cool.

 

[Dondello]

Wow.. I am beyond stunned I never expected to get a response -that- good.. Thank you very much for listening! And yes, I did put a bit of echo on the drums, which are a loop.. I can drum quite well, but unfortunately don't own a set, so although I have reservations against doing it, I used a loop. Depending on when you downloaded it, it's probably the Drstawl remix. It sounds basically the same, but you don't have to crank the speakers to get a good volume And to Drstawl: I'd probably re-record it with the monitors off to get a better sound, but it could never replace the original song.. I used the first take of each element (bass, the guitars) and that contributed to something that I'd never be able to attain again in that particular song.. So the best I can say is, I'll cut down on the noise for the next song.

PS- And for those just joining us, when I say I'll turn the monitors off, I mean computer CRT displays, not speakers ciao..

[This message has been edited by Dondello (edited 10-24-1999).]

 

[Dondello]

Heyhey! Found meself another Zep man.. Thanks for the comparison. I had that song, and the Lemon Song in my head as I did it.. Actually the main riff is quite close to the Girl I Love, except the last bit is missing.. But if you listen close, I played the last bit on the bass a couple times ) But thank you for listening.. I've uploaded a second song on Tuesday and it still hasn't gone through.. But if you dig my style, check back to the site to see if it's up! Ciao!

 

[dan]

Dondello,

That was an interesting play on The Girl I Love from BBC's. I have to agree with everyone that it was catchy in an interesting, raw, organic, on the fly type of basement improv jam.