Hey Good Lookin'

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antichef

antichef

pornk rock
OK - finally here's one for Mrs. Chef. She's always been a Hank fan. Other factors converging to make me do this: 1) I can't sing, but I see that I must learn how, and so I've been practicing pitch with one of those pitch pipes while I drive (with the windows down); 2) I've been mouthing off about vocal mics in the microphone forum, with no real way to put up or shut up.



I definitely can't sing like Hank, and I definitely can't play the lap steel like Don Helms, and I definitely can't sing like Hank, and apparently I couldn't twang if you put a gun to my head, but there you go.

My wife is so sick of me trying to sing, that she has dismissed this as crap (the singing - she thinks I'm a pretty good guitar player) -- I want to believe that it sounds OK, but you know how hard it is to be objective about your own stuff. As I mixed it, she heard it again, and seemed to be warming up to it a little, so maybe there's hope. I think it's big progress for me, since I usually sound like a pitch-challenged Kermit the Frog. No autotune on this one! :D

I decided to go Audio Technica on the mics, since I've been spouting off about them -- the vocals (mine and the baby's) are miced with an AT4040 that I got from Mr. Bowes. The acoustic guitar (Martin D-28) is miced with two AT4033s. The bass (Alvarez) and lap steel (Supro student model) are direct, and the drums are samples. I used the ART Digital MPA for the mics and guitars.
 
I love this arrangement! :D

The percussion and guitars are way cool. The tone of the bass sounds odd when paired with the other instruments, but that may just be me. I am hearing a simpler bass line in my head as I listen.

Your voice is perfect for this tune. I love the way you sang it and recorded it...nice and clear. Seems as though maybe you rushed a bit at times with the timing? Not sure...it is close. Nice job! :D:D
 
Its a clever song, and I like the light-heartedness of it. I agree with heatmiser that the timing at times it at odds with itself. Its a cool little mix, though.
 
Thanks guys!!! I updated the original link to remove half of the bass drum hits, which I think cleans up the rhythm some. It also makes it less clubby, which is good -- I don't wanna get pistol-whipped around here :D

heatmiser said:
Your voice is perfect for this tune. I love the way you sang it and recorded it...nice and clear.
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*in your face mrs. chef!!!* :D:D -- maybe she'll give it another listen if she reads this.

heatmiser said:
Seems as though maybe you rushed a bit at times with the timing? Not sure...it is close. Nice job! :D:D
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Actually, I had deep, serious, pathological timing issues - what you're hearing has been "nudged" in the box, to put it euphamistically. I did what I usually do when I'm doing something new, which is sub-smart - I made it harder than it needed to be. I sang the track with just a metronome and whole note piano chords (no longer present in the mix), thinking I'd be ruff n tuff about it. Next time, I'm playing first, then singing :)
 
Your voice is fine on this, but I'd redo the vocal track with the music. It is out of whack in a few spots. Nice playing too.
 
I didn't hear the original, so naturally I don't hear the timing issues. Nice tune, I think Hank would be proud.

My dad loves Hank, but he hates junior to the core. I jokingly told him I was giving him Hank Jr.'s greatest hits for Christmas, he replied, "All two of them?" :D
 
Ooops, spoke too soon... as I was typing. There are a couple timing issues, but not too bad.
 
Pretty cool, yeah the bass is a bit different from the country standard of the root & 5th-I guess we have all come to expect that on country songs. The vocal pitch is pretty good, some of the lines are just rushing a bit, it happens to us all-a think a standard bass line would do wonders for the song..
 
something is really wrong with the time. not sure if its the drums or how the other parts sync up with them but it's pretty off. the vocal sounds themselves sound decent though as well as the steel

ug sorry if that sounds mean or whatever. it's meant constructively
 
second skin said:
ug sorry if that sounds mean or whatever. it's meant constructively
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Don't hold back, lay it on me :) (and Mrs. Chef is a tough act to follow when it comes to criticism, anyway :D)

I suppose the people have spoken -- time for Mix#2. I had been in the habit of updating the original file with small changes, and I'll probably keep doing that, but since this is a larger change, here's a new file:



with a more standard bass line. Improvement? Or does it merely expose the next "opportunity" for improvement? :D
 
Drums need work here.
I'd focus on Timing, Volume, and position in the mix.

The actual Bass line is ok, it is a basic song and what you are using works in this particular arrangement.

Sonically you have a ways to go, it's getting there. I look forward to your up coming touch-ups;-)

Hope this helps.
 
The only problem I hear is the vocal is occasionally just ahead of where I hear the moldy usually being & a little rushed at that.
A simpler bass line would uncomplicate things.
Nice!
 
Sounds like the drums are ahead of yuor guitar or the other way round...like you accidentally dragged the drum track clip out of sync by an eigth of a second or something. I like what you've done to the song...it's good...but that timing is dodgy.
 
Thanks again!! I feel another mix coming... But probably not until the weekend.
 
antichef said:
OK - finally here's one for Mrs. Chef. She's always been a Hank fan. My wife is so sick of me trying to sing, that she has dismissed this as crap

snip snip

I decided to go Audio Technica on the mics, since I've been spouting off about them -- the vocals (mine and the baby's) are miced with an AT4040 that I got from Mr. Bowes. The acoustic guitar (Martin D-28) is miced with two AT4033s. The bass (Alvarez) and lap steel (Supro student model) are direct, and the drums are samples. I used the ART Digital MPA for the mics and guitars.
Click to expand...

Mr.Chef, I simply love your stuff!! I'm not even going to go into why I love it. I just do!!!
Your voice, by the way, sounds a lot like Marty Stuart, (more crow for the mrs)a quite famous country music artist, who, by the way, is a steward of many of the most spectacular articles of clothing and guitars ever owned by one Mr. Hank Williams.


antichef said:
with a more standard bass line. Improvement? Or does it merely expose the next "opportunity" for improvement? :D
Click to expand...

I like the second mix a little better because the first bass was a bit out of tune, I think??

As far as any timing issues with your voice (there are a few), I think that you have it in you to sing in time, because you can play the guitars in time... (that lap steel is excellent, by the way!) I think you just need to relax and believe you can do it. So many times, we sabotage ourselves musically because we don't think we can do something, and it comes out tentative, and sometimes that translates to "out-of-time." And then there is the PTSD that you may or may not have acquired from Mrs. Chefs emotional abuse ;)

Peace!

~Shawn

EDIT: read about Marty's collection here http://www.martystuart.net/collection.html
 
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I agree with the comments on the timing. I'm not 100% sure but I don't think think the drum pattern and the guitar strumming pattern are suited to this song. The vocals are fine - a few timing issues like rushing, but the tone is a-ok for Hank....The mix, tone and recording are good so write down those settings.... Good song choice... :D
 
Yeah this one's kind of a mess. I like it, but the timing is way off all over the place. It almost sounds like it's off intentionally.
 
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