First song here

[trumpino1]

Hey guys I've really enjoyed listening to everyone elses stuff here so I thought I might put something up and hopefully you'll enjoy it as well. This is a song I wrote about a year ago. I wrote lyrics and everything for it and had an old friend of mine sing for it but it didn't turn out too well so I re-tracked everything and haven't been able to get him to re sing it. If anyone feels like they would like give a shot at doing the lyrics for this let me know. I have an old track with how they go if anyone cares to listen.

Anyways, any comments, ideas, thoughts, suggestions and just views and listens are really appreciated.

http://www.lightningmp3.com/live/file.php?id=25379

 

[kcearl]

remarkably clear if this is your first time mixing..cant be though??

Is the acoustic through a DI? doesnt sound bad for it if it is...nice stereo field...the solo/lead guitar is really on its own until the synth comes in, then they compliment each other...both sound thin on their own, I think you need to layer some stuff in there, I cant help with the guitar but I can with the synth...the bass is way too low, even on my PC speakers I think it needs to come up, maybe stick a little grit on it too

the really bad part is the drum machine, it sounds pretty awful..I could point you towards some free drum software if you dont want to make a financial plunge, it would improve the overall sound tenfold

sounds a good performance and there is a song in there..im sure the guitar guys can give better feedback but nice to see you break your virginity

 

[trumpino1]

remarkably clear if this is your first time mixing..cant be though??

Is the acoustic through a DI? doesnt sound bad for it if it is...nice stereo field...the solo/lead guitar is really on its own until the synth comes in, then they compliment each other...both sound thin on their own, I think you need to layer some stuff in there, I cant help with the guitar but I can with the synth...the bass is way too low, even on my PC speakers I think it needs to come up, maybe stick a little grit on it too

the really bad part is the drum machine, it sounds pretty awful..I could point you towards some free drum software if you dont want to make a financial plunge, it would improve the overall sound tenfold

sounds a good performance and there is a song in there..im sure the guitar guys can give better feedback but nice to see you break your virginity

Hey thanks for the feedback KC I really appreciate it. The acoustic guitars are actually not DI'd but my tracking environment is not that great so that is maybe why it sounds that way. As for the leads, I think you got a good point there. I never thought of doubling the lead parts. I just might give that a try and maybe get some more sound to it. I would really love some more advice on synth. I don't have any type of MIDI hardware other than a Boss DR 5 drum machine so I just run through the drum machine with left and right into a Zoom R16 and then hard pan left and right. Not the best I would guarantee but it is my only option at the moment.

As for the drums. . . They are exactly the worst thing that I feel I have on any of the songs I have. I would like that if you could tell me some freeware programs for drums that aren't that tough to figure out. It would help a lot. It would be way more fun to me to record actual drums but I don't have that option right now, maybe in the future. About the Bass, and I guess you're talking about the bass guitar, when you say grit what do you mean. I would like to get more grit. The bass was actually recorded by my cousin and I plan on retracking that because it has some flaws, but I do realize that there are flaws all on this so retracking is definately an option.

Anyhow thanks for the response and the detail. It is really appreciated.

Trump

 

[Washburn100]

What kcearl said. I disagree somewhat about the guitars though. I like em. A little reverb on that acoustic and I think it's great.

Can't hear the bass enough and better drums would really help.

I'll sing it if you want me to give it a shot. If you send me the tracks without drums, I can put some better sounding ones on there as well. Nothing special, EZ Drummer or Session drummer (not real drums) but better than the drum machine you have and it will give you an idea of what some of the programs sound like.

But, yes, there is definately a real nice song in there. Excellent work.

PM me if you are interested

 

[arcadeko]

I like all the guitar work -

I have the worse time with drums myself - they are a pain in the ass to program (for me anyway) and I can't ever seem to get a natural sound so I just make them totally mechanical - not really an option with this style music but I feel your pain

nice and clear and balanced - I'd like to hear it with the vocal track -

 

[trumpino1]

What kcearl said. I disagree somewhat about the guitars though. I like em. A little reverb on that acoustic and I think it's great.

Can't hear the bass enough and better drums would really help.

I'll sing it if you want me to give it a shot. If you send me the tracks without drums, I can put some better sounding ones on there as well. Nothing special, EZ Drummer or Session drummer (not real drums) but better than the drum machine you have and it will give you an idea of what some of the programs sound like.

But, yes, there is definately a real nice song in there. Excellent work.

PM me if you are interested

That would be cool Washburn I really would like to have someone put the vocals to this song so I can get it over with. The drums would be cool too. About the only file I can send is a Wave so I hope that will work. I can make that happen without drums and have a click track if you need. Hope that works. Unless you have another idea.

I like all the guitar work -

I have the worse time with drums myself - they are a pain in the ass to program (for me anyway) and I can't ever seem to get a natural sound so I just make them totally mechanical - not really an option with this style music but I feel your pain

nice and clear and balanced - I'd like to hear it with the vocal track -

Thanks arcadeko, you're right the programmed drums are a kind of pain for me as well, especially with my setup. There is no way I can get a good sound with a drum machine and two wires. I would like to get those good drum samples that I hear on here that sound great but I get by with what I can. Thanks for the listen.

 

[kcearl]

Hey Trump,

just shows withb the acoustic, I thought you'dmaybe DI'd it as it sounded so clear/clean...doesnt sound like it was recorded in a bad environment, well not to me..

heres Drumcore free..give it a shot, it only comes with a couple of kits but they sound good, very good

http://www.drumcore.com/TemplateMain.aspx?contentId=65

what DAW are you using, just stick this in as a vst and either paint or play the beats in, if that all seems a bit complicated (sorry I dont know how much you do this) lemme know what bpm this is and Ill chuck you some midi files you can slot in and mess about with

 

[trumpino1]

Thanks KC. You the man. I'm gonna give this a shot and I definatley appreciate it.

Trump

 

[joeym]

Nice tune.
Very well played and recorded pretty well too. Drums aren't all that bad, but yes, there are better programmes out there. The only thing I didn#t like too much were the strings, they sound too plastic to me. I can imagine some sick hammond organ playing there instead of those strings. Nice work.

 

[Greg_L]

Not bad. The lead is pretty wongo. Lots of sour notes in there. I'm not crazy about that tone either, but whatever. That's just me. The mix itself is pretty good.

 

[Washburn100]

That would be cool Washburn I really would like to have someone put the vocals to this song so I can get it over with. The drums would be cool too. About the only file I can send is a Wave so I hope that will work. I can make that happen without drums and have a click track if you need. Hope that works. Unless you have another idea.
.

Wav is good but for e-mail, I think I have a 25 meg limit so if it's bigger than that it could be a problem. You could send me the mp3 and I will keep my tracks seperate. Then I can send them back to you as wav that you can mix with your original tracks. PM me and we can discuss.

 

[TripleM]

I liked the sound of the acoustic guitar. Generally tight doubling, but I caught a spot or two where it was out of sync. The track on the left is a couple of db's louder than the track on the right. Don't know if that's what you want or not.

The lead guitar, to me, is way too thin sounding. Just too abrasive and weak.

The drums... well... they're a bit "programmy".

Synth sounds OK I suppose.

 

[Chili]

It'll be nice to hear this with vocals.

Lead guitar tone is okay if it is going to sit behind a vocal track, but if it is a lead solo, it needs more meat.

I like your acoustic guitar sound.

Drums need work as mentioned already. The same beat gets old quick.

Cool, thanks for sharing.

 

[trumpino1]

Nice tune.
Very well played and recorded pretty well too. Drums aren't all that bad, but yes, there are better programmes out there. The only thing I didn#t like too much were the strings, they sound too plastic to me. I can imagine some sick hammond organ playing there instead of those strings. Nice work.

Hey thanks for the listen and the ideas Joey. Yeah I might try to think of something better than what I have for the strings. You're right an organ probably would sound good there. Thanks for the input.

Not bad. The lead is pretty wongo. Lots of sour notes in there. I'm not crazy about that tone either, but whatever. That's just me. The mix itself is pretty good.

Yeah I played the lead parts on a BC Rich Bich and had a little work done for the intonation and I think it may be a little off still but most of it was probably out of practice piece of crap guitar playing. I'm thinking of retracking when I get off my lazy butt and try to get better results. Thanks Greg I appreciate the comments.

Wav is good but for e-mail, I think I have a 25 meg limit so if it's bigger than that it could be a problem. You could send me the mp3 and I will keep my tracks seperate. Then I can send them back to you as wav that you can mix with your original tracks. PM me and we can discuss.

Sounds cool man. Yeah I don't think I would be able to send a large wave file like that either come to think of it. I'll PM you with the file. Thanks.

I liked the sound of the acoustic guitar. Generally tight doubling, but I caught a spot or two where it was out of sync. The track on the left is a couple of db's louder than the track on the right. Don't know if that's what you want or not.

The lead guitar, to me, is way too thin sounding. Just too abrasive and weak.

The drums... well... they're a bit "programmy".

Synth sounds OK I suppose.

Thanks Triple. Yeah believe me there are definately spots that are not all that tight. I really need to retrack or learn how to punch in/ punch out to make it better. I'll have to check on the left/ right levels I must have just not noticed it. The drums are what they are and I could probably have done better but I hate using this Boss machine it takes way too long. Synth is something I know nothing about so I guess that is the best I could do there. I really appreciate the feedback.

It'll be nice to hear this with vocals.

Lead guitar tone is okay if it is going to sit behind a vocal track, but if it is a lead solo, it needs more meat.

I like your acoustic guitar sound.

Drums need work as mentioned already. The same beat gets old quick.

Cool, thanks for sharing.

Thanks Chili. Yeah most of the lead will sit behind vocals so that may not be a problem. Glad you liked the tone on the acoustic. I know the drums suck hopefully I can get that fixed soon. I appreciate the comments.

 

[heatmiser]

Alright...this was a long time coming. Great to fnally hear some of your work! I am so relieved it didn't totally suck or anything 'cause I probably wouldn't have had the heart to tell you as you've been such a positive presence around here.

I like the fact that the acoustics are kinda meaty sounding and not all thin and whimpy. The mix overall is pretty clear and I can hear everything more or less ok. I'm getting the bass fine, but I guess others find it lacking...

I found the tune itself to be a bit repetitve, but vocals would certainly help. Kinda sparse ya know?...but then agin that leaves plenty of room for other things if you so desire.

Ah...the drums. I have used a Boss DR 550 for several years up until the last 6 months or so, and while I never quite got what I wanted out of it, I can assure you that you can do more with it than you have here if you spend a little more time and experiment.

Try layering 2 or more snare and kick sounds over one another to get a fuller and more varied tone. Play around with the other settings (decay?...color? what else does it have?) for each snare sound to customize it a bit. Also try tapping out as many different patterns as you can and string them together to make the whole song. Maybe take a verse section - copy it to a new pattern, but add a different cymbal in there somewhere to mix it up a bit. I did hear some fills in there, so I know you did some of this, but I think the "verse" and "solo" sections could use more variation - even if it is subtle.

Also, eventually, I gave up trying to get the Boss to sound "real" and just started playing around with crazy effects. Maybe not appropriate for this tune, but maybe something to think about in the future if you keep using it. It can sounds pretty cool...just not that cool I guess

Keep 'em coming man.

 

[trumpino1]

Alright...this was a long time coming. Great to fnally hear some of your work! I am so relieved it didn't totally suck or anything 'cause I probably wouldn't have had the heart to tell you as you've been such a positive presence around here.

I like the fact that the acoustics are kinda meaty sounding and not all thin and whimpy. The mix overall is pretty clear and I can hear everything more or less ok. I'm getting the bass fine, but I guess others find it lacking...

I found the tune itself to be a bit repetitve, but vocals would certainly help. Kinda sparse ya know?...but then agin that leaves plenty of room for other things if you so desire.

Ah...the drums. I have used a Boss DR 550 for several years up until the last 6 months or so, and while I never quite got what I wanted out of it, I can assure you that you can do more with it than you have here if you spend a little more time and experiment.

Try layering 2 or more snare and kick sounds over one another to get a fuller and more varied tone. Play around with the other settings (decay?...color? what else does it have?) for each snare sound to customize it a bit. Also try tapping out as many different patterns as you can and string them together to make the whole song. Maybe take a verse section - copy it to a new pattern, but add a different cymbal in there somewhere to mix it up a bit. I did hear some fills in there, so I know you did some of this, but I think the "verse" and "solo" sections could use more variation - even if it is subtle.

Also, eventually, I gave up trying to get the Boss to sound "real" and just started playing around with crazy effects. Maybe not appropriate for this tune, but maybe something to think about in the future if you keep using it. It can sounds pretty cool...just not that cool I guess

Keep 'em coming man.

Thanks Heat, I'm definately glad to hear you don't think it totally sucks. To be honest I was kind of hesitant to put it on here because of all the little mistakes here and there, I'll usually always be my biggest critic. Glad to hear you like the acoustics and the mix is pretty clear. Yeah the song is kinda boring without the lyrics I hope to get that taken care of soon. I'll try some more on the drum machine like you say and see if I can get some better results. I appreciate all the advice. Thanks and take care.