first mp3 post - Caesar's Law

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ruebarb

ruebarb

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Here's something I tried with my some of my new equipment for the John Lennon Songwriting Contest. Not the best vocal in the world, but I"m trying to highlight the song, so no big deal. WARNING!!! ACOUSTIC SONG - NO SHREADING HERE!!!!

http://artists.mp3s.com/artist_song/898/898116.html

I tried to get everything to sound the way I wanted. Either it's going under folk or inspirational, but Folk has stiff competition, so it might squeak in under category B.

Gear - Yahama 01V with built in effects running digitally.
Headphones for mixing (still waiting for monitors) -
ADAT XT20
Shrue SM58/57 (took the cap off to mike the guitar)

Let me know what you think.
 
Good song, and I like the way you do it. The best sound is on the vocals, and the acoustic. But the wah/reverb guitar is buried in the mix, and is that a piano I hear in there? It would be lovely to have some of those relentless piano chords hitting the beat again and again:

tank tank tank tank tank tank tank tank

As for the JLSC, don't kid yourself. Have you listened to the winning tunes? They're very good demos. In other words, the quality of the sound and performance *is* a big deal, although they don't come out and say it. So if you want to make your song more cosmetic, get a big ass bass and drums to come in somewhere around 2.00 with a soaring electric guitar solo in the break (or soprano sax if you have more interesting resources), and throw in some hand percussion with a shaker somewhere on the third or fourth verse double the time of the piano.

chk chk chk chk chk chk chk chk...

I'm throwing my weight around with these suggestions of course, and I don't expect anyone to take them seriously, but you get what I mean? Make it pretty. For the JLSC, it's not enough to get the kite up - once it's airborne you have to do some tricks with it. Damn. Did this come across as harsh? I didn't mean it to. I like your song. Reminds me a bit of Counting Crows.
 
Excellent song dude...Counting Crows definetly. I loved the rythmic wah guitar that comes in in the middle for a short time.. The acoustic sounds great.
The piano sits perfect in the mix. It's there, but just enough.
 
Everything dobro said....liked the overall song and lyrics were great....but production is everything in the contest scene......more drama equals more notice......but hey, maybe one of the judges will dig it instead of the usual slick stuff by that one guy (name escapes me) who seems to win a lot of the contests......you're a good writer and I betcha you get bored with the detail work....I know I do, but it's worth it....gibs
 
mucho gracias

thanks for input. I guess it's still pretty rough, but I was kind of going for a sound I call the "Verve B-side" sound, where you get an electric, acoustic, and maybe a bit of piano. (aka So Sister/The Drugs Don't Work) - It's actually a piano song and was written on one, but I'm a terrible piano player.

The original plan I had was a live recording in a coffeeshop on a piano that had a couple of strange keys (think fret buzz on a piano) and so it felt more like a casual song, but I figured I'd better put a little effort in it.

Oh yeah, wah guitar - Line 6 Pod with their built in wah on the floorboard - I love that thing

And otherwise, the nail's hit on the head, I hope. I'm one of those "songwriters who had to become an engineer to get the music done" people, so that's what I'm working for, but if a friend needs a demo or something done, I'm in. When I pick up my Event 20/20 bas next week, I'll be getting better mixes.

RB
 
Agreed

I agree with the previous posts.

I really like that spacey guitar that sits in the back ground until the middle. At that point I would have bumped up the level a tad to make it the focal point. Other than that, I like everything else about it. It's really a nice tune. I hope everyone is wrong about the JLSC, but I doubt they are. But that's ok, use the contests for a way to get your name out there. Good luck!

Mark
Alpha Dog
http://www.mp3.com/alphadog
http://alphadog.iuma.com
 
Who let the dogs out?- I'm not gonna coment too much on the recording, I'm listening on a different system than I'm used to, so my frame of reference is all screwed up. The harmony especially early in the song sounded a little low to me. Otherwise, I don't know exactly what you were singing about but it sounded pretty deep and well-written. It also sounded like you were "feeling it" when you were singing. (a good thing) nice job. I don't think anyone in here will hang you for doing an accoustic song.....Ray J
 
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