folky female music critique

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guitarhunny

guitarhunny

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Just wanted to see what comments come back to me as to the mix and overall presentation of some of my songs. There are nine songs on this page, pick one or all. I am trying to put together a demo CD and want to know if I hear things the same as others do. Any comments would be welcome and appreciated.

http://www.ruthsharpmusic.com/my music.htm
 
I listened to the first 3 (little miss/again/seasons) tunes. You have an absolutely amazing voice, and your recordings are absolutely horrible, lol...but the good news is that you have the talent to do a lot better without changing too much.

You're obviously plugging your acoustic guitar into something and recording it from the output of the guitar instead of mic'ing it...and it sounds like there's some pretty extreme compression on it too. Quit doing that. Put a mic in front of the guitar and record it...if you're going to have 2 part mixes (guitar/vocal), you shouldn't have to do much (if anything) to the guitar in terms of EQ or compression.

Your vocal is distorting BADLY in places. Quit doing that, lol. Even using a cheap SM58, you could get MUCH better recordings by just watching the input meters...this sounds like you clipped when singing.

Again, if you sucked, I wouldn't take the time to type this, but you don't...you just need to read EVERYTHING you can find on recording acoustic guitars, and if whatever you're reading talks about how "handy" it is to be able to record from the jack on an acoustic guitar, move on to another author, lol.

Best of luck,
Chris
 
You're absolutely right. I just don't know if I have the energy to start over again.
 
here's what I'd do...pick your strongest song. Redo that one. Post it and blow people away...you'll be inspired to redo the other ones after you've gotten that first one under your belt.
 
That's kind of a shame Ruth because back in July, you posted one of your songs and you did get similar critique. You do have an awesome voice and you would be much better off having the songs recorded properly. If you insist on using that piezo pickup, the stuff will be honerable mention at best.
 
guitarhunny said:
You're absolutely right. I just don't know if I have the energy to start over again.
Click to expand...

Oh, we know that feeling ;) Especially on your own, it's hard to motivate yourself. I think Chris is right, just do one. Or find somebody to help?

(Just read the bio on your website - my user name is my real name - good grief!!)
 
I'm sorry for the comment out of frustration. I am trying to promote myself here in Vegas and have people asking me every day for a CD and I can't keep up with recording, performing, practicing, writing along with daily life. I keep thinking it sounds good, then I come here and find out that my musician friends in Vegas are sugar coating my recording efforts just to be nice. They have recently told me that it sounds good.

I'm trying to do the best I can with what I have. I want better recordings more than anything but can't make it work in a timely fashion. I am extremely frustrated and am adjusting poorly. I again appologize for the rant. I hate feeling left in the dust and just want to be able to support myself. The business of music is sucking for me right now. it will get better, I hope.
 
Rants are cool. I'd much prefer to read a rant from somebody who cares than a polite response from somebody who doesn't give a shit, LOL.

Here's the thing...your friends probably aren't lying to you, it's just that they don't listen to 15-30 demos per day like some of the people you're interested in impressing. If this were a hobby to you, I'd say they're all good, but you obvioiusly want them to sound better than homemade, right? It's not THAT hard, really.

Listen, I'm not trying to hijack your thread, but here's an example of something my daughter and I knocked out in one afternoon to send to clubowners. The reason I'm posting it is to show you how easy IT REALLY CAN BE, lol.



If you listen, you'll hear that all that's in there for the first 3 clips are 2 guitar tracks. That's the entire musical bed, but to me, it sounds bigger. If you're interested in how cheaply and quickly it was recorded, just ask, and if you think it sounds like garbage, then you'll know to ignore my comments, lol.

Hang in there...lots of people (like me) just LOVE to ramble on about how to achieve the best possible sound out of crap equipment. What are you recording with?
 
Back to the unranting world!

Ok, I am recording with a Fostex MR-8, SM58, MXL990. PC mixing with Cakewalk XL.

I am recording right now and am trying to be patient. I will post a new recording in a little while. It will be not be fiddled with, just raw sound.
It will be the song Little Miss Nowhere on my site.
 
Cool...just stick that MXL somewhere around the 12th fret of the guitar and listen to it in the headphones and move the mic around some until it sounds the best to you. Personally, I like to mic it pretty close and then take out the lows later if I have to.

Oh, and record the guitar track twice. Pan one about 50% left and the other 50% right. Stereo guitar tracks make it better, lol.

Hang in there.
 
Much better. Your guitar's in tune, and it's in stereo, and it sounds like a real guitar. Your basic tracks are in good shape...now it's just a matter of producing them a bit.

Okay, I have to say...in my opinion, you need to cut out a LOT of that intro...Your strength is your voice, and you need to grab the listener right away with that. As it is, there's :35 seconds of sheer wasted space.

Secondly, you need to EQ the guitars a bit to brighten them up some. If you like this general sound, then let me know and I'll be happy to tell you what I did. Since all I have is the full mix, I can't EQ the guitars as I'd like to, but you can get an idea maybe. I also put a splash of reverb on the mix :D - and cut down the intro (don't hate me)

 
Wow... now that sounds loads better than othe older version you had...
The only nit I have really is that your voice seems to suit a musical (play)
Much more than as a performing songwriter.

Great voice though.
 
Singing in musicals is how I started out. This is the first song I ever wrote and in my own personal opinion sounds a little generic. I have developed some since this song, I just would like to put my older stuff into something I can be proud of so I can move on.
 
Chrisharris,

I don't hate you. Why would I? I appreciate every bit of help I can get. I think I will cut down the intro a bit, I like the way it started the song off to include my voice because this song is a little boring.

Caryindy has been great too.

I like the way it sounds, a lot. It sounds more warm, my mix sounds more harsh.

When it comes to EQ on acoustic guitar, I don't know how to really work with it. What frequencies need to be taken into consideration? Reverb has always been a struggle for me because when I add it to a mix it sounds like the vocals push back so I usually use a little delay instead. What settings did you use for reverb?
 
Hi Guitarhunny.

Chris knows his stuff, so if he's offering to help absolutely take him up on it.

Just one comment I would make. If you can do it, an upgrade in the mic department will help you loads also. An sm58 on an acoustic guitar is not doing you any favors. There are plenty of cheap costing condenser mics out there that will do a good job for you.

Keep it up !
 
I have a MXL990 Condenser. I just misplaced it in my mess, so I used the Shure.
 
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