Devil Within - collab with Chris

[joeym]

OK, enough sunshine, enough mediterranean paradise, here I am again.....
Here's a new song I sang on, recorded by my buddy Chris Frehse. Totally 80's, just the way Chris likes them. Would be nice if you told us what you think.

Devil_within.mp3 - File Shared from Box.net - Free Online File Storage

Joey

 

[rayc]

Welcome back Joe. Hope you enjoyed your break.
Good to hear some Joetones in HR. There's that mid 80's German metal guitar tone in the 1st solo guitar refrain - very evocative of a time.
The change from the 1st verse to chorus is stepped out with your melody & the drums but may need the guitar or bass to match that & make it a little smoother.
Chris wails away very impressively.
I like the bass on this one - not as much definition as in the past BUT a very solid foundation - it'd move buildings.
Cool ending too!

 

[PDP]

Sounds great Joe. I love the way the band plays behind the lead guitar, very dynamic.

I've never asked how you do your recordings, are those real drums?

Great job! cool song, good chorus parts.

 

[Jimtl]

Great job ... Loved the vocals and the smokin' guitar

 

[ido1957]

Welcome home Joe, great tune to come back with. Rockin' vocals and guitars combined with soothing melodic interludes. Did you write the lyrics for this one? Mix is good for me. Love the snap / crack on the snare ;-)

 

[PoeticIntensity]

Transition around .25 needs a bit more full-ness. Bring up the strings, and fill them out a bit. Vocals need FX, too. If it were me, I'd add an echo of sorts. If we're going for 80's, gotta add FX to just about everything. Transistion around 1:43, needs vocal doubling. (just kickin' out ideas as I'm listening...)

I absolutely love the dripping guitars. Loved em' in the 80's, love em' now. Vocal entrance at 3:24, the backup vocals are ahead of the main vocals, and it's kinda weird. Follows throughout the whole section. Slide the background vocals back a smidge.

Yeah... Great stuff, dude. I actually liked the drums as wet as they were, too. Yup... You definitely know how to rock! :-D

Thanks for sharing, Joe.

 

[PoeticIntensity]

I've never asked how you do your recordings, are those real drums?

I would venture to say I'm 99% sure those are programmed drums. Great programmed drums, programmed right, though!

 

[joeym]

Welcome back Joe. Hope you enjoyed your break.
Good to hear some Joetones in HR. There's that mid 80's German metal guitar tone in the 1st solo guitar refrain - very evocative of a time.
The change from the 1st verse to chorus is stepped out with your melody & the drums but may need the guitar or bass to match that & make it a little smoother.
Chris wails away very impressively.
I like the bass on this one - not as much definition as in the past BUT a very solid foundation - it'd move buildings.
Cool ending too!

Hey Ray, yeah break was wonderful...
You're right, the transition into the chorus could be a little smoother. Thanx for the comments!

 

[joeym]

Thanx Pete!
I only sang on this one, the rest is Chris, but just like me, he uses Battery as a drum programme.

 

[joeym]

Great job ... Loved the vocals and the smokin' guitar

Thanx man, appreciate the comment!

 

[joeym]

Transition around .25 needs a bit more full-ness. Bring up the strings, and fill them out a bit. Vocals need FX, too. If it were me, I'd add an echo of sorts. If we're going for 80's, gotta add FX to just about everything. Transistion around 1:43, needs vocal doubling. (just kickin' out ideas as I'm listening...)

I absolutely love the dripping guitars. Loved em' in the 80's, love em' now. Vocal entrance at 3:24, the backup vocals are ahead of the main vocals, and it's kinda weird. Follows throughout the whole section. Slide the background vocals back a smidge.

Yeah... Great stuff, dude. I actually liked the drums as wet as they were, too. Yup... You definitely know how to rock! :-D

Thanks for sharing, Joe.

Hehe....analyzed like a true engineer!
I'll pass all your comments on to Chris, Jason. That part with the improperly aliged backings kind of botheres me too, even if it's minimal. I gave Chris vocal tracks with and without effects, but since it's his song, I guess he should choose which ones to use.
Thanx for the comments!

 

[PDP]

Battery as a drum programme.

They sound great! NI is a really good company. They really give a ton of good product for an affordable price.

Abbey Road drums looks like a great program too.

 

[joeym]

They sound great! NI is a really good company. They really give a ton of good product for an affordable price.

Abbey Road drums looks like a great program too.

I've got Steven Slate Drums too, but I'm not completely satisfied with them. Great kicks and snares, but the rest is lousy. I've got some great samples for Battery which don't need to be processed too much 'cos they already sound good as they are. There are other good programmes though like EZ drummer and Superior Drummer, BFD etc. Important is to think like a drummer when programming.....a little Greg in the head.

 

[Anfontan]

Killer tune and performances, Joe-your stacked vocal harmonies are always an amazing thing to me. And that key change during the guitar solo just pushes the song into overdrive--very, very good!!

 

[FadeToMuffins]

Is that the Black Album kit from steven slate drums? :-D Regardless, it sounds awesome. I agree, that the vocals could use some more verb or delay. it sounds like the bass might be a tad too boomy though. At least on some notes. it's obvious when the vocals first come in. When it is playing what I'm assuming is an open note, it's definitely rocking more low frequencies than it is when it plays other notes.

That's my only complaint though. overall it sounds awesome.

 

[Chili]

....a little Greg in the head.

Yeah, I've got Rami in my head. I think he was the first I heard advise to think like a drummer when programming fake drums.

kick-ass song. Very powerful. Love the tones on the guitar. I agree with PI on the BGV's, something is weird there that doesn't work right.

Here's a small nit: he cut short the tail of the very last cymbal crash. Yeah, that's about all I got. lol....

cool man,

 

[joeym]

Killer tune and performances, Joe-your stacked vocal harmonies are always an amazing thing to me. And that key change during the guitar solo just pushes the song into overdrive--very, very good!!

Thanx Tony!
Chris is one guitar player I really love to work with.

 

[joeym]

Is that the Black Album kit from steven slate drums? :-D Regardless, it sounds awesome. I agree, that the vocals could use some more verb or delay. it sounds like the bass might be a tad too boomy though. At least on some notes. it's obvious when the vocals first come in. When it is playing what I'm assuming is an open note, it's definitely rocking more low frequencies than it is when it plays other notes.

That's my only complaint though. overall it sounds awesome.

I think Chris is using the Black Album snare on this one mixed with another sample for more punch. Thanx for the comments, FTM!

 

[joeym]

Yeah, I've got Rami in my head. I think he was the first I heard advise to think like a drummer when programming fake drums.

kick-ass song. Very powerful. Love the tones on the guitar. I agree with PI on the BGV's, something is weird there that doesn't work right.

Here's a small nit: he cut short the tail of the very last cymbal crash. Yeah, that's about all I got. lol....

cool man,

Tsk, tsk, you are a picky person, Dave.....!
Yeah those backings have to be better aligned with the main vocal.
So when are you setting sail for Malta? All those pretty girls are waiting for you......

 

[Greg_L]

What the hell year is it anyway?

This thing sounds really good, but it's about 25 years too late.

I don't really have any mix comments. I think it sounds about right as-is. If anything, I'd like the bass with a little more definition and the toms are kind of weak. The snare could use a little more body too. Otherwise, if I had hair, I'd be teasing that shit up right now.