First Clinic Post.....

  • Thread starter Thread starter Barometer
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I listened to both...
I didn't find the songs to be monotonous despite the tendency of some instrumentals to do that (I realize this was stated previously).
The guitar really carried the interest for me. It sounds like he (maybe all of you) may have listened to some "Yes".
All in all, playing wise, not too bad. Keyboard and guitar seem to be fighting a bit. The keyboard is a bit too out front to me in light of how busy the playing is.

Mixwise, you need to get the drums tighter - not the playing - the relative mix, eq, panning, etc. Specifically, the snare needs to be focused. Read up on some of the threads on drum micing. Lots of good stuff.
 
Thanks for listening Chuck,

Yes is one of the bands that influences some of us, but not really the guitarist. He's a funny sort, really likes sleepy cheesy jazz and stuff like that.
I'm working on the guitar and keys fighting, I think I said earlier it's one of our tendencies that needs work. And I definitely need all the help I can get with the drum micing. I do have a new much better setup, shouldn't be too long before I have a post or two recorded with our new gear. But there are some gigs in between so we'll have to see how it goes. I'll be posting fixes on these songs soon.

BTW, I like the new avatar.
Bet you were happy with the game last night! :D
 
OK, I've made some changes and reposted the songs

http://www.nowhereradio.com/artists/album.php?aid=1853&alid=-1

I tried to put the panning more towards center, bring up the guitar and lay back on the keys. I also did some work on the drums, but I can't seem to get the snare and kick to come out. Please let me know what else I can possibly do to make these sound any better, all parts. And I apologize again for the sloppiness. The more I listen to it the more obvious it is to me. :o :p
 
Barometer said:
OK, I've made some changes and reposted the songshttp://www.nowhereradio.com/artists/album.php?aid=1853&alid=-1
Click to expand...



from what I can remember, 'Spice Clock" sounds better.. This is one of those jams where I don't really pay attention to the recording because I get sucked into the groove.. Maybe a bit more bass drum would have been good, but for live, this sounds real good to me.. I have heard studio songs that sound a heck of a lot worse than this! :eek:

I'll check out the other one eventually... (this one played several times in a row before I realized it was still going)
 
much better in headphones!

thanks for fixing the panning. much easier to listen in headphones. i didn't check out spice clock in the first post but did this time around. nice groove. great drumming btw. very solid.

so did you say you have six mics total or six on the drum kit alone or two on the kit or....what?

i still hear a bit more of the ride cymbal than i want to. the snare sounds really good, maybe just needs a little eq'ing and other things that other people here know about better than me. i really can't hear the bass drum that well.

much better than the first time anyway. ain't this place great? someone always comes along and points out something (usually not me though) that you totally miss although it's right in front of you.
 
Thanks for checking the changes.

B.SABBATH: Aren't you gonna shred me? After yesterday's thread I thought "maybe he'll really lay into to my music with the critical comments now" :eek: ;) :p

Seriously though, I really dig your tunes and production and it means alot that your feedback is so positive. :D

Eric: I'm glad you think the panning is better. It seems I have a real hard time with fine adjustments after spending alot of time with a song. After a while the subtle changes I was trying to make became a blur so I really need some fine tuned ears to let me know what's up.

I now have a six mic setup on the drums, but on these two the drums were recorded with just 2 poorly placed ambients and a kick mic. If someone out there can help me clean and punch that snare some more and bring up the bass drum and lay back on the ride I'd be stoked, I'm having tons of trouble trying to do this with a crappy stereo track. I'll probably go through one more revision here soon and try to leave it at that. Glad you think this one was better, I was worried :rolleyes: :p
 
Yeah, nice one. Good live feel. I like it when the band comes in around 3.00 after the bass riffs a bit - everybody having a good time and wanting to PLAY! LOL

Sound: really good for a jam! Whew!

Question: why'd the keys and the guitar change pan positions at 0.54 and at 1.57? I don't mind it, actually.

Arrangement: if you ever do this one again, get the guitar player to wait longer before he starts to play it'll be twice as powerful that way.

Mix: that bass player is doing wonderful stuff, but maybe gets a bit lost in the mix when everybody's full on. I got my 'good-for-listening-to-bass' headphones on too... I think it's the tone on his bass, basically. I like that sound on bass a *lot*, but it tends to get buried a bit.

You don't play guitar, do you? I think the guitar player's the one having the toughest time staying in the groove on this one. I ain't one to talk. :D

Really nice high-energy tune.

Spice Clock's a good name, too.
 
Thanks for the kind words dobro, coming from you it means alot to me :)
We tend to do our songs a little different every time for the live situations, we like to improv. But we're serioulsly working on some studio stuff, so I will keep your guitar suggestion in mind for that. I could see how it would build a little tension for a nice release.
Since this is my first attempt at mixing I thought I'd play around with some interesting panning, nothing complex, but noticeable. I was a bit worried about it, glad it doesn't bother you too much
;)
I'm just the drummer, we're a real band with 4 members. The guitarist is really good, but really rigid (technique, not style), so when he's a bit off it's apparent. Just the opposite on the keys, he's real loose and that sometimes feels awkward in the timing. Hope it's not too annoying, I warned about our sloppiness :rolleyes: :p
I'm still playing around with the bass track and the kick and snare, hopefully post some fixes soon. Thanks again for listening :D
 
FAKWATYFUSA#1

Okay, so I can't remember the name of the tune....I still like it a ton.

For the last 2 minutes, I'm voting for less ride and EVEN MORE guitar (although I don't think it's fighting with the piano NEARLY as much in this version).

What can I say, I like a loud fucking guitar when it's playing something this cool.

Again, nice job,
Chris
 
FKAWBT damnit! :p

less ride, even more kick and maybe snare and even more guitar is coming up for you chris (soon). I think the same thing now that I've listened to it on a few systems. :)

Thanks for the interest, I'm very happy people are liking the song :D

Hey now that you mention it I haven't seen WATYF on my thread. Actually a few I would have liked to get an opinion from. I hope it's not so bad that they can't even shred me for it :eek:
 
Hey Barometer,hows the weather?
FKAW..??
Yeah that tune cool groove,definately reminds me of Yes and that 70's prog rock kind of jamming.
Could'nt hear the vocals at all though.;)
Keep up the good work!

GO PACK!
 
Acidrock, the weather's always perfect at the beach in San Diego :cool:

Doh! we forgot to record the voice tracks.....actually I'll have some stuff with vocals posted at a later date. These two songs were written as instrumentals. I know that may not be popular, but we go about half and half with our originals.

Thanks for the listen. GO PACK! :)
 
Everybodys made tons of comments, but I'd just like to say I thought this was a very cool jam! Sounds like a band I'd want to play with sometime. If this is your first effort, you are gonna do real well!
 
Thanks for the listen crawdad (and the bump ;) )
It is indeed my first attempt at recording and mixing. Glad you like it
:D
 
The remixes are a definite improvement. I still would like to hear more drums and less keys - or maybe soften him a bit with FX.

I understand you limited yourself with a stereo drum track. In the future if I were you, I'd hog at least four tracks for myself for more control and one each for the rest of the gang. Your system and your 1010 can certainly handle 8 simultaneous ins. Wait. That's only seven! You can give the guitar two or add another drum track, or a vocal.

Anyway, good effort. If you have some loose change (about $35 ea) lying around, I highly recommend a pair of the Behringer ECM-8000 condenser mics (you'll need phantom power - no batteries) for drum overheads. These have been exhaustively written about in other forums. I use 'em.
 
Thanks for the tips Chuck,

I was limited to a stereo drum track, but now I'll be using a 6 mic setup with individual tracks for each mic. I'll look into those mics you mentioned, I've been wondering about a good set of condensers to get for the kit. I'm working on the next fix and will post this weekend, probably the last fix I'll post (don't want to bump myself too much ;) )

BTW, I just picked up Cam Cleeland for my fantasy team, decent choice in your opinion?
 
hey barometer,

I like it very much, maybe a little too soft recording (if that hasnt already been said). But the musicianship was excellent.

Nice git playing, and piano. I love both those instruments - maybe a different effect on the piano - you know like some kind of organ thingy? anyway loved it.

yiordanaki
 
Barometer....I think for your first recording exercises, this is really good stuff. Nothing major to really complain about. The guitar playing got a little old for me, and the dynamics of the jam was kinda a one level thing (in spice clock), but that is more a personal preference in the kinda music, I would think...mainly because if I was hearing it live, I would be much more interested...as the visual would be there too...etc. On its own, I need something really special to hold my interest on a "jam" style session. The same comments really apply to fkawbt too. On the gtr...the sound is what I am not too crazy about. I'd almost prefer a more mellow, hollow body sound, or a Pat Matheny sound. This is kinda trebly, and the slap back echo just adds to my distaste for it. The playing is a little sloppy too, for "no boundaries style" soloing. The pno sounds pretty decent...stereo would be nice. I could take the drums up in volume a tad too and a stereo field too. That might help to spruce things up, audio wise. I really liked the bass. Held the bottom down, and some nice playing too. Nice sound also. I would imagine your "studio" stuff to be more polished, and understand you just wanting to put something up. This was fine stuff to listen too, and you can pat yourself on the back for getting a great start in recording. Actually, one of the better starts I've heard...being that it is a lot better than some stuff I've heard from people doing this for some lenghty times. (listen to my last two posts!!...ha!! pure trash there...eh?)
 
Mixmkr,

Thanks so much for the comments. I understand everything you said loud and clear, they are alot of the points that just made me kind of leary of what I was doing. But with live tracks from amatuers, eh what R U gonna do? :p These jams are much better to see live of course, glad you recognized that. I'm having to "fake" some of the guitar with synth effects since the guitar was a direct line in, so I agree that they don't work the best. I wish I knew more about stereo vs. mono tracks and how and where to use them. Any help there would be greatly appreciated. And I definitely know about the sloppiness. Working on the first studio tracks now, hope they work out. Not all of our stuff is this jammy, though we do a lot of instumentals.

From you this is a great compliment and I'm so anxious to keep learning and sharing with everyone here? Thanks again :D
 
Listened to fkawbt - I really like this song - I like the way it shifts from a sort of shambling Grateful Dead feel to that high blistering joyful bit at the end.

My comments about the recording and the playing are the same as before. Really good sound for live tracking (although this time I noticed how the guitar sounds like it's in a different space from the rest of the band - he's got room sound on the guitar, and the rest of the band sound more present... myabe stick goboes and mattresses round his amp next time). Good playing, but again, maybe it isn't tight enough, and again, maybe that has more to do with the guitar - his tempo's fine, but it's like the attacks of many of his notes just miss the beat. Maybe he thinks that playing guitar is more about chords and lead lines rather than rhythm. That happens with guitar players sometimes. (Ask me how I know :D - I'm not a very good guitar player, but I started getting better than I was at the VERY moment I started to play tight on the rhythm. ) Ask him about it.

Gee, I'm on my fourth run through the tune - really, really nice piece of music. That rhythm section's tight, barometer. :D
 
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