Hyena cover (Rancid)

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NotThatBright

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I recorded this last night at the same time I did the Quiet Riot love song, but mixed it just now after looking at the QR feedback. This song here is a little more my normal style. I don't like this mix, but I'm not sure what to change. One thing I know I screwed up is the bass tone... this should be played with a pick, but I suck with a pick and couldn't pull off this bassline with one. Some universal feedback on the QR mix was that the drums were too dry, so I added some reverb to these. Not sure if I added enough, though.

Any comments are appreciated. Thanks.

WORST MIX- DELETED


UPDATE- NEW MIX

I put a shitload of reverb on the drums (by my standards)... they were so dry before that I think it sounds about normal now. I also redid the bass with a better tone (though still not that good) and included the guitar solo that I forgot to include last time like a dummy. Also redid some of the lines with more PASSION, or at least more FEIGNED passion.

This is as good as I can make it just using the DP-24. Now screwing around with it in Reaper. I don't know how to use Reaper yet, but when I figure it out I should be able to fix all timing problems, improve guitar/bass tones and make drum sound much more polished. I think!

https://soundcloud.com/user92696274096/hyena2/s-2YyP9

I recorded this with a thicker bass track... I got away from thick bass tracks for a long time because I thought they muddied mixes too much, but since I now know to cut mids in bass guitar tracks, I gave it a shot to see how it sounded. Track still mixed entirely with DP-24; still learning the basics of Reaper.

https://soundcloud.com/user92696274096/hyena3/s-Vju20
 
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I don't think you give yourself enough credit on playing the guitar and bass! Of the stuff I have heard from you, it sounds like you have a pretty good grip on it.

Never heard this song but looked it up on youtube. The beginning bass line does sound a little muffled for the line your playing and playing with a pick could introduce some of the more clearer note definitions. It also sounds like in the original a "slide up" on the strings where your just playing solid notes. Its like the 4th or 5th note....

The bass gets lost on the rest of the song. It lacks the bottom drive from the bass. Could be just an EQ adjustment.

The original song is rough and dirty and you definitely captured that. Your vocals are really great on this too. I think they are perfect in this style of song. And of course, your drumming is great.

How do you have this much time on your hands to record TWO songs in one night? lol I barely have enough to record half a song in a week lol
 
Bruthish said:
How do you have this much time on your hands to record TWO songs in one night? lol I barely have enough to record half a song in a week lol
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I want to know this, too. It took me two days to get the Joe Jackson bass good enough to record. :mad:
 
Nothing to add to the conversation, but just want to know one thing: When I post a link to a private song on Soundcloud, no one can listen to the song...how do you do that?
 
I like the vocal sound on this. Just fits the genre well. I think I've said this before, but the vocal reminds me of the vocal on that "TV Party" song. Was that Black Flag? Anyway, sounds very similar.

I liked the bass tone myself. I liked the part too.

I haven't heard the original, but the guitars sound too thin for me. Maybe that's what the original sounded like. But I'd like them to be fuller.

Cymbals sounded good. Snare was a little muffled. It could use a little more punch. I thought the kick sounded pretty good.

Love the energy in the performances.
 
Another good cover... I actually would add a touch more reverb to the drums, and also a bit of high band EQ boost to bring out the snare and hi-hat.
 
There is a clipping sound at 0:12 when your vocal kicks in.

This sounds a lot tighter on all instruments than your Quiet Riot cover. Like it's really a lot better.
I might bring up the vocal 1db.

I might give the kick more low end and less top end.

Love the bass.


Really good.
 
I'd like to hear more low end in the bass. It kinda sounds like it was recorded though a guitar amp. I like the tone of it, but I feel like it needs a little more heft to hold down the low end.

Drums sound great for the song. I'm always a fan of hearing more kick and snare, and a little more brightness to the overheads. But it all totally fits with the song at hand.

Maybe a little more guitar in the mix wouldn't hurt. But I'm a guitar player, so that'll always be my opinion :)

OK, I think that I just said to turn everything up except the vocals. Then you'll need to turn up the vocals. Then turn everything else up again...and so on, and so forth...ugh, I suck at this.
 
@BroKen_H I think you have to post it as public or noone but you can listen to it
 
BroKen_H said:
Nothing to add to the conversation, but just want to know one thing: When I post a link to a private song on Soundcloud, no one can listen to the song...how do you do that?
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I think you can only send the song as a private link ON soundcloud if it's private.
 
Bruthish said:
I don't think you give yourself enough credit on playing the guitar and bass! Of the stuff I have heard from you, it sounds like you have a pretty good grip on it.
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I appreciate the remark, but don't be fooled... I might get 1/4 or if I'm lucky 1/3 of the way through a song and fuck up, but then just try to pick it up at that point on the recording rather than start from scratch. I probably couldn't even get through the bass on an entire AC/DC song without doing that.
Bruthish said:
Never heard this song but looked it up on youtube. The beginning bass line does sound a little muffled for the line your playing and playing with a pick could introduce some of the more clearer note definitions. It also sounds like in the original a "slide up" on the strings where your just playing solid notes. Its like the 4th or 5th note....
Click to expand...

This guy is an insane bass player. This song is relatively simple compared to most of his playing and I thought I might be able to pretty much match it, but then I went and played the song faster than the original on the drums, which eliminated any chance of that. I'm still going to re-do the bass with a better tone and see how it comes out, but it won't be quite like the original. Though I'll give being true to the original bassline another shot before throwing up my hands again.

Bruthish said:
The bass gets lost on the rest of the song. It lacks the bottom drive from the bass. Could be just an EQ adjustment.

The original song is rough and dirty and you definitely captured that. Your vocals are really great on this too. I think they are perfect in this style of song. And of course, your drumming is great.

How do you have this much time on your hands to record TWO songs in one night? lol I barely have enough to record half a song in a week lol
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Thanks for the kudos. I am an impatient man, far too much to be anything near a perfectionist with this stuff... and since having fun with this is my main goal, I generally take a few whacks at each instrument and just go with the best one. My current philosophy, if you want to call it that, is that I'm not good enough to spend a lot of time on any song... it'd be sort of pissing in the wind. As soon as I stop believing that, I'll get anal (not in the gay way) and this will become more of a chore than just having fun at home after tying one on at the bar!

Though I must say I'm trying to learn how to use Reaper so I can actually make these things sound less shitty. That will add time to my formula, but from what I've seen Bubba do to my off-time drumbeats with real software, I believe that's time worth spending.

bubba said:
I want to know this, too. It took me two days to get the Joe Jackson bass good enough to record.
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It's all relative, my limey buddy! It would have taken me THREE days to get that bassline sounding as good as you did.

Broken_H said:
I like the vocal sound on this. Just fits the genre well. I think I've said this before, but the vocal reminds me of the vocal on that "TV Party" song. Was that Black Flag? Anyway, sounds very similar.

I liked the bass tone myself. I liked the part too.

I haven't heard the original, but the guitars sound too thin for me. Maybe that's what the original sounded like. But I'd like them to be fuller.

Cymbals sounded good. Snare was a little muffled. It could use a little more punch. I thought the kick sounded pretty good.

Love the energy in the performances.
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Thanks. TV Party is a BF song, yes. Same genre.

Thanks to the rest of you guys, too... noted your comments and will take them into account when I redo the bass and remix it. I don't want to get carpal tunnel before I can redo this bass with a better tone.
 
Hmm. The system credited me for TripleM's comment. Wonder if the quote system is freaking out again?
 
Tadpui's comment about the bass having no bottom end grew on me after a while. I recorded this again with a thicker bass track- the link is in the original post (3rd mix). If anyone would give an opinion on the 2nd mix vs the 3rd mix, I'd appreciate it. Only real difference should be the bass tone.
 
That bass really grabs you. Great tone.
BTW, I hadn't heard the first two mixes because of the red screen of don't go there...so I'll do a bit of critique.
I love the way the vocals are in your face without being too loud. I mean they REALLY jump out at you.
OTOH the "hey"s in the background really sound background in comparison...
Decent performance. You've come a long way in the past few months.
AFA differences between the second and third mix. I prefer the cleaner bass tone in the second vs the gritty one in the third mix. YMMV. :D
 
Yep, loved the bass. The track just about hangs together, like it's on the brink of collapse, but I like the energy nonetheless. The guitar is a bit fizzy and cheap sounding compared to some of your recent recordings with the new amp. Improving all the time. :)
 
Your voice works really well for upbeat faster paced punk rock type stuff. I liked this cover, it wasn't too bad. I also listened to the other cover of quiet riot and enjoy the metal stuff, but I didn't think your voice worked as well for that style as it does for this. :thumbs up:
 
FoulPhil said:
Your voice works really well for upbeat faster paced punk rock type stuff. I liked this cover, it wasn't too bad. I also listened to the other cover of quiet riot and enjoy the metal stuff, but I didn't think your voice worked as well for that style as it does for this. :thumbs up:
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Yeah, that Quiet Riot thing... I could have at least done "Metal Health" or a song that I liked by them. I don't know what the heck I was thinking. I guess I wanted some variety. Oh well.

Broken_H said:
That bass really grabs you. Great tone.
BTW, I hadn't heard the first two mixes because of the red screen of don't go there...so I'll do a bit of critique.
I love the way the vocals are in your face without being too loud. I mean they REALLY jump out at you.
OTOH the "hey"s in the background really sound background in comparison...
Decent performance. You've come a long way in the past few months.
AFA differences between the second and third mix. I prefer the cleaner bass tone in the second vs the gritty one in the third mix. YMMV.
Click to expand...

Thanks. I think I might like the tone in the second one as well, but I might punch it up +1 or even +2 at 200Hz.

BubbaPo said:
Yep, loved the bass. The track just about hangs together, like it's on the brink of collapse, but I like the energy nonetheless. The guitar is a bit fizzy and cheap sounding compared to some of your recent recordings with the new amp. Improving all the time.
Click to expand...

Thanks. Yup, that was hanging by a very cheap, thin, and frayed thread! By the standards of many, that thread probably broke by the second verse. :)

Thanks, guys.
 
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