Driving with the top down

[xalien]

Hi Guys,

OK, this is my second attempt posting to this forum. This is another instrumental rock song (with an acoustic intro this time). Now, go ahead and rip me apart. I need the advice! Comments on composition, performance, or mix are all appreciated.

-Steve

 

[Charva]

Your on the right track, the drums are a little cheesy and a few minor timing issues i noticed. Maybe add some reverb to each part to give it more depth would help. Also noticed a buzz druing the acoustic intro on the low string at 0:15 -0:19 and 0:23 - 0:25 seconds into the song. I would slow down the whole thing a tad and use more distortion for a darker tone. Good luck man.

 

[langleyt]

I also noticed some timing issues with the drums ( I still kept wondering, though, if they were the real thing or electronic...yes, no, yes, no? ) and the buzz in the acoustic intro. The rest of the mix was really nice and clean. But, wow, I really liked this tune! It made me want to get up and dance! This would be really great with vocals. And I like the fade out at the end. I could stand the song to be a bit longer too. Fantastic job! Makes me wish it was summertime and I was cruising down the road in a convertible.

t

 

[xalien]

Hey Charva and Langly,

Thanks for listening. As for the timing issues, I think those are with the guitar, not the drums. I think there are a couple of places where the guitar gets off beat in the verse, I'll need to re-record those.

The drum track is actually a set of "loops", so each measure was recorded off a live drum kit (http://www.smartloops.com), and the song is strung together from these. The "cheezy" factor on the drums is probably me futzing around with effects to make the drums sound cool. In particular, I added a chorus to the drum track. I might back that out if others agree it's cheese.

Thanks again for listening and I'm glad you liked the tune.

-Steve

 

[pglewis]

The server was pretty slow for me. That might be sending some folks away. But I'm just sitting around playing, so it's no big deal to wait for a few downloads tonight.

Acoustic: The low A is pretty bassy on the recording (the cause of the "buzzing" mentioned). How close are you mic'ing and what kind of mic? I'd probably back the mic off some and play with the positioning. Maybe a low-cut with the Eq as a last resort.

Execution: The beat that runs from about 1:15 to 1:30 (and again from 1:45 to 2:00) seems to throw you a little. The kick is on the "a" of 2, making it a little funky to strum a straight rhythm over it. It's just a practice thing, work on that part specifically and it'll become more natural.

It could really use a bass. The electrics sound a litle thin without the bottom there.