Feedback please :P

R

rfpd

Member
This was me really trying to make an indie song, but, as always, came out sappy. Please do tell me what you think!

soundcloud.com/mosesquovadis/m-1/s-zNite
(It isn't showing the song if I put the full link because I set it to private)
 
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rfpd said:
Yeah, it wasn't letting me paste it here :/
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The code that detects SoundCloud URLs (in this and other forums I've seen) doesn't like/handle songs listed as private because the URL is not in the form it expects (extra path segment). Sometimes the player shows up, but it won't work. If you don't want it to be public on SoundCloud, you can just attach an MP3 or create a shareable link in Dropbox as an alternative to SoundCloud.
 
Immediate first impression: check your guitar's tuning and intonation. If your instrument doesn't sound right, your mixes will always suffer.

Second impression: Do a few more vocal takes. You've got some pitch and hesitation issues. The better you are at performing the song, the better the recording will be across the board.

Final impression: Get a pop filter and back away from the mic a little bit. That'll clean up a little of the noise (lip smacks and plosives) that distracts listeners.

Sorry if I'm coming off as curt or judgemental. It sounds like you're pretty new to this and have a lot that you haven't learned yet. Stick with it tho. Once you get past a few humps, you can start getting some tracks you'll be really proud of.
 
VomitHatSteve said:
Immediate first impression: check your guitar's tuning and intonation. If your instrument doesn't sound right, your mixes will always suffer.

Second impression: Do a few more vocal takes. You've got some pitch and hesitation issues. The better you are at performing the song, the better the recording will be across the board.

Final impression: Get a pop filter and back away from the mic a little bit. That'll clean up a little of the noise (lip smacks and plosives) that distracts listeners.

Sorry if I'm coming off as curt or judgemental. It sounds like you're pretty new to this and have a lot that you haven't learned yet. Stick with it tho. Once you get past a few humps, you can start getting some tracks you'll be really proud of.
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Not at all, thanks for the advice, it's easy for me to record a song with just an acoustic guitar and voice, but when I try to do it eletric, it always sounds off. The guitar is in tune, might be an intonation problem since I've modified it. I already have a pop filter ahah, but I'll back away from it! About the pitch, yeah I don't consider myself a singer, I don't have a good voice, so I just try to do it the best way I can (something like Elliot Smith or Sufjan Stevens). My goal is to make something that's hearable, just to be heard, I don't have the talent required for hi-fi productions. But yeah, you're right on the hesitation, this was just a test I uploaded to get some feedback.
 
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Ok, my knee is killing me for reasons of my own doing, so I'm not in a charitable mood. The overall advice you just got is exactly right - don't diminish it by suggesting that you think at least part of what you did is Ok because your personal bar is lower.

Since you mentioned a couple names that can sing, let me just re-emphasize what [MENTION=45867]VomitHatSteve[/MENTION] said, and that's work on your singing. You have to sing in tune, and even if you don't want to belt it out, but use a restrained delivery, if you expect people to listen to the words, it's got to be in tune, or a lot closer than that. If you can't hear the difference between what you are doing and those two did, get a vocal coach.

No, the guitar is not in tune. If the intonation is out, it cannot be in tune. If you have a tuner, and I assume you do, since you say it's in tune, play those chords and check the intonation of the individual chord notes. Get them a helluva lot closer than they are in that recording.

You could make the words more intelligible with some EQ on the vocal track, assuming it's been done with a separate mic. A high-pass filter (HPF) might be enough to get past the woof but you can try other cuts in the lower-mids and see what helps best.
 
keith.rogers said:
Ok, my knee is killing me for reasons of my own doing, so I'm not in a charitable mood. The overall advice you just got is exactly right - don't diminish it by suggesting that you think at least part of what you did is Ok because your personal bar is lower.

Since you mentioned a couple names that can sing, let me just re-emphasize what [MENTION=45867]VomitHatSteve[/MENTION] said, and that's work on your singing. You have to sing in tune, and even if you don't want to belt it out, but use a restrained delivery, if you expect people to listen to the words, it's got to be in tune, or a lot closer than that. If you can't hear the difference between what you are doing and those two did, get a vocal coach.

No, the guitar is not in tune. If the intonation is out, it cannot be in tune. If you have a tuner, and I assume you do, since you say it's in tune, play those chords and check the intonation of the individual chord notes. Get them a helluva lot closer than they are in that recording.

You could make the words more intelligible with some EQ on the vocal track, assuming it's been done with a separate mic. A high-pass filter (HPF) might be enough to get past the woof but you can try other cuts in the lower-mids and see what helps best.
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I didn't diminish it, I'm aware I can't sing. Also I don't like EQing the voice, music is supposed to be listened raw and with every detail that comes with it, not with hi-fi production that makes it fake and sound like a robot. Thanks for the advice, I will practice my singing, but I will never use EQ on my vocals.
 
Woh. Is that a kazoo in the beginning?

Your mix is poor. The vocal needs reverb and/or lower volume to sit in the mix, and the guitar has to be recorded better than that. Even Elliot Smith recorded better guitar tone in his bedroom on a cheap Yamaha. This sounds like an electric guitar that is either DI or through a bad solid state amp. If you tell us your setup maybe we can help you get a better recording with your gear.

I agree with the other guys you need to work on pitch some more. Do ear training each day and sing the notes, and you'll get better.
 
rfpd said:
I didn't diminish it, I'm aware I can't sing. Also I don't like EQing the voice, music is supposed to be listened raw and with every detail that comes with it, not with hi-fi production that makes it fake and sound like a robot. Thanks for the advice, I will practice my singing, but I will never use EQ on my vocals.
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With that response, I'm baffled what you posted this for.

This is the "MP3 Mixing Clinic" subforum, after all, not the poetry corner. EQ is an essential part of mixing that typically follows recording, at least in the home environment I live in. It's an extremely rare voice/instrument and mic/room combination that doesn't require some EQ, and that's usually to make it sound more natural, and has nothing to do with robotic sounds. Are you confusing EQ with auto-tune?
 
Nola said:
Woh. Is that a kazoo in the beginning?

Your mix is poor. The vocal needs reverb and/or lower volume to sit in the mix, and the guitar has to be recorded better than that. Even Elliot Smith recorded better guitar tone in his bedroom on a cheap Yamaha. This sounds like an electric guitar that is either DI or through a bad solid state amp. If you tell us your setup maybe we can help you get a better recording with your gear.

I agree with the other guys you need to work on pitch some more. Do ear training each day and sing the notes, and you'll get better.
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Thank you for the answer! I play more often the acoustic guitar so I didn't notice the intonation problem!
 
keith.rogers said:
With that response, I'm baffled what you posted this for.

This is the "MP3 Mixing Clinic" subforum, after all, not the poetry corner. EQ is an essential part of mixing that typically follows recording, at least in the home environment I live in. It's an extremely rare voice/instrument and mic/room combination that doesn't require some EQ, and that's usually to make it sound more natural, and has nothing to do with robotic sounds. Are you confusing EQ with auto-tune?
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No, I'm not, but I just don't want to show some really good singing and then trying it live and suck. I'm bad but I practice, I'll eventually get there! Anyhow, thanks for the answer.
 
rfpd said:
No, I'm not, but I just don't want to show some really good singing and then trying it live and suck. I'm bad but I practice, I'll eventually get there! Anyhow, thanks for the answer.
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I don't think you understand the purpose of EQ and what it's used for.
 
EQ isn't cheating, and it isn't fake. Microphones are imperfect, and rooms are imperfect, so by using EQ, you can actually make the voice sound more natural.
 
He seems to not understand what EQ is and also seems to be in the "romantic" stage of writing and recording where you think processing is less authentic of the soul and things like that. He will figure it all out if he keeps going.
 
Nola said:
He seems to not understand what EQ is and also seems to be in the "romantic" stage of writing and recording where you think processing is less authentic of the soul and things like that. He will figure it all out if he keeps going.
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EQ is the balance of the music frequencies, improving the bass would mean the low frequencies, improving the treble, the high frequencies and so forth. Some noises like "S"s have a unique frequency, therefore they can be silenced without affecting the vocal range. There's also the noise cancelation in which you subtract a pattern of noise to the song. I'm an engineer, a good one, and believe me I'm well aware of what frequency and eq are. But like you said, I know nothing of producing and it felt to me like cheating since I'm a noobie. Not trying to step on anyone's toes, if you took the effort to respond it means you are trying to help and I appreciate it! I also know when to admit I'm wrong, I will take into consideration your advices about EQ!
 
+1 on learning to use EQ.

It can be easy to over-use and ruin a mix, but used right it's the difference between a good mix and a muddy wall of noise.
 
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