"Everything I Need" Critique

[K-dub]

This is a very simple acoustic guitar piece...recorded just this morning.

I think keeping it sparse works best for the genre.

Any comments are warmly appreciated.

I'm particularly interested in what folks think about the sound of the guitar and whether the vocal effect is too prominent.

Thanks!

K-

Everything I need

 

[packratlouie]

The guitar mix sounds good, it sounds like you spent alot of time getting a nice tone. I think the reverb might be a little too wet, but it makes for nice ambience when the strings come in.

I think the vocals do have a little too much effect on them. This reminds me of the beatles, with a new-age arrangement. It sounds pretty nice. I'd say try micing with different techniques and you might be ale to get a more upfront sound and then be able to keep the wetness of your reverb.
Sounds good though.

 

[K-dub]

Thanks for the feedback Tyler.

I recorded my Larravee guitar through an AT4050 and Joe Meek VC3Q. I positioned the mic near the headstock of the guitar...out about 18" diagonally pointing back toward the soundhole. From there, I needed to position myself so that I fell into the best blend of highs and lows...to get the best tonal balance. It didn't take long...just a few minutes.

Still, when I listened back, I needed to trim back the 2k range to soften some harshness and notch around 300hz to remove some mud. The eq'ing was ever so slight though...no more than a couple db at most.

I put a short plate reverb on the guitar, but I think I might swap it out for something more subtle...or maybe fool with the wet/dry ratio.

The delay on the vocal was a quick attempt at something this morning...and I liked it at first. But, like always, you have to live with a mix for a bit to really be certain. That's why I wanted some feedback from others.

Working alone, outside perspective like this is critical.

Thanks again,

K-

 

[Halion]

Definately not your everyday guitar tone, but sounds good and if it's what you were looking for, then it sounds great

I think the strings come in a bit too hard. At some points they seem to take the lead, while it seems to me that the guitar should be doing that. Try turning them down a bit at the beginning maybe.

Voice doesn't sound overlyu proccessed to me.

 

[K-dub]

Hey Halion-

I did turn the strings up in the recent mix I uploaded. I thought they might be a tad too out front, but wanted to see how it was received. Upon your suggestion, I've put them back behind the guitar. New mix is up.

What is it, do you think, that makes it not an "everyday guitar tone"?

K-

 

[Cloneboy Studio]

Unsmooth fade in. I can see where you are going with it (Led Zeppelin), it just needs to be a bit smoother. I want to hear a wider, richer and fuller acoustic guitar sound; maybe you should double it or triple it? I usually triple clean guitar parts myself.

Overall things sound pretty organic and that's good. Fits the song.

Vocals need a bit more prominence IMHO. They get overshadowed by the acoustic guitar. Bring those up front and keep 'em there.

Strings sounds about at the right level--nice and to the background.

I want to hear more excitement for the chorus instrumentally. Something else needs to jump in there, something simple and background but something that ups the intensity.

Very nice effort, with some work this could pass for something The Beatles wrote.

 

[chrisharris]

I like the piece a lot...the acoustics sound pretty overly compressed to me, and something is adding in quite a bit of hiss, which would be better if it didn't go in and out. The strings sound great to me. Nice simple love song...they seem impossible for me to write.

 

[bigwillz24]

Sounds great man if you put it on a cd and released it I would buy it.

Thats a pretty big statement coming from me considering I'm mostly into r&b and rap.

 

[K-dub]

Unsmooth fade in.

Ha! My private bugaboo revealed. I hate it too...but everything else is good, I don't know what to do. I thought about actually fading it in...like a live recording does sometimes? Part of the problem is:

something is adding in quite a bit of hiss

Yup. Great ears Chris, I tried to mask it, but it's there. I played so quietly to control dynamics and boominess, that the hiss of the preamp (VC3Q) came through loud and not clear. The "going in and out" of the hiss you heard was noise management during the quietest passages. I HAD to do something. It was FAR more annoying the other way. I did what I could to remove it w/o it being too evident.

It is also quite compressed, Chris. I'm new to this forum, but I'm learning quick who has a discerning ear. You critically listen and know what's happening. I ran this mix through a PSP Vintage Warmer...which adds some warmth and compression to the digital recording. I simply strapped it across the main bus, so nothing I did is permanent. I experiment. If I were to send this to a mastering engineer, I'd take out the plug in and mix it "au natural".

But back to:

I want to hear a wider, richer and fuller acoustic guitar sound; maybe you should double it or triple it? I usually triple clean guitar parts myself.

How? I've always found doubling/tripling results in kind of a chorus/phase/doubling effect, and I wanted to keep things natural and clean...like you mentioned (Overall things sound pretty organic and that's good. Fits the song.)

How does one double/triple and still come off natural? Panning? I'm still learning, and this is one trick I'd LOVE to know.

Thanks!

Finally:

Sounds great man if you put it on a cd and released it I would buy it.

Ultimately, that's the highest compliment anyone can make: "I'd be willing to part with money for this."

Thanks. Really. Thanks. You'll never have to worry though. If I ever do get around to issuing a CD, you (and all here who cared enough to comment) will be on the list to get one absolutely free.

K-

 

[Cloneboy Studio]

How? I've always found doubling/tripling results in kind of a chorus/phase/doubling effect, and I wanted to keep things natural and clean...like you mentioned (Overall things sound pretty organic and that's good. Fits the song.)

How does one double/triple and still come off natural? Panning? I'm still learning, and this is one trick I'd LOVE to know.

Make sure the guitar is in 100% tune. Play very, very tightly. Prepare to have a background 'click track' for a percussionless piece such as yours to keep your timing good.

There should be a bit of a doubling effect, that's the point. But if you are in perfect tune and play a perfect double it will sound bigger.

As far as panning goes, just adjust the pan control on the mixer or mixer section of the DAW software you are using. Easy as can be. 50/50 pans usually work out pretty well.

Another 'trick' for acoustic guitar that can be okay is to use two microphones (we'll call them A and B) for each take. Then pan take 1 A to the left and take 2 B to the left, and take 1 B to the right and take 2 A to the right as well. Can get a very spacious sound that way without resorting to too many overdubs.

 

[Halion]

I dunno about the guitar tone dude Can't really pick something about it that's "wrong" but I can definatly hear that it's not your every-day A/B miced acoustic.

 

[K-dub]

When I get a chance later, I'm going to try the technique suggested above and double/triple it. I'm interested in hearing the results.

K-

 

[K-dub]

Well it took me a while, but I finally got around to changing things:

Everything I need

All criticisms are totally rejecte...wait...I mean welcome.



K-

 

[K-dub]

FYI-- Based on comments from around the globe, I've redone the mix and uploaded it.

-Hiss from guitar tracks removed via noise reduction plug
-Phase alignment/high freq smearing removed via phase correction plug.
-Vocal compression changed, reverb added, eq in upper mids reduced to remove some harshness.
-Keyboard strings enveloped to better represent "bowing" of live instruments.

My main question is whether the noise reduction plug killed too much high frequency in the guitar part. It's always a tight wire walked when trying to reduce noise w/o killing the high end.

How did I do?

Thanks!

K-