Introducing myself through music

  • Thread starter Thread starter Chris Tondreau
  • Start date Start date
Chris Tondreau

Chris Tondreau

Member
Hi there;

This is my first post here, though I've been lurking for a while. I am presently working on recording some of my own material, and am interested in what people think of it so far - whether you would like to critique the song, the performance, or the production. Without typing an essay here, you can find out a bit more about me if you wish at http://home.cogeco.ca/~christondreau . You can download two of my songs at www.soundclick.com/christondreau and (since I'm changing ISP's) two versions of a third song (acoustic and electric) until Wednesday, at the home.cogeco address.

A BRIEF rundown:

Drums: Steinberg LM4. Played with a live drummer on a Roland SPD8 midi trigger pad.

Bass: Used a Peavey TMP-1 mic pre as a sort of DI box. (the TMP1 is essentially the same as the VMP2, only it is a single-channel mic pre with the same circuitry, and does not have full 48V phantom power, which requires a phantom box when using my NT1)

Guitars (electric): SM58 right up against the cabinet, and a TOA (I believe a Japanese knock-off of a 58 - looks and sounds pretty well the same) a foot away and pointing off-axis to the cabinet. Both mics plugged into a Behringer MX802 Eurorack mixer.

Vocals: Rode NT1 into the Peavey TMP1 mic pre.

Using Cubase VST 5.1 (24bit version) with mostly standard plug-ins.

Acoustic guitar on Don't Change Your Mind (found at home.cogeco address): Rode NT1 about a foot away from twelfth fret through TMP1 mic pre; SM58 off axis pointing towards the guitar about two feet away near the nut of the guitar. - quite happy with the sound I got here.

My own assessment - perhaps you'll agree/disagree, or help me by elaborating.... The relative levels are pretty good, and the performances are pretty tight. The vocals on Cool Like You and Temporary Insanity could sound a bit more confident/energetic. The mixes are a bit murky in the bottom end, but not terribly so - I attribute this to a lack of proper monitors, and at the time these songs were mixed, bad monitor placement. The mixes are pretty one-dimensional, which is perhaps the biggest crime here. I think it might be due to a fear of adding reverb and stuff to drums, because when doing so live, it tends to wash them out. I'm sure that some of you will have some suggestions! I think there is also too much reverb on the acoustic version of Don't Change Your Mind.
 
don't change your mind(acoustic)

first, WELCOME ABOARD!! your a brave man;) i really like the sound of the acoustic git's in this song, very nice stereo spread.
good song as well. there are other people here that can serve you better than me, but i'll take a shot.

it sound's like the vocals are off key in a few spot's and sit to far behind the git's(don't know why??) seem thin??

i.m.o. the song is to long, not enough going on to keep your attention. (sorry, i don't have any suggestion's)

these are just a couple of thing's i picked up on. and with me, it's like the pot calling the kettle black:p

the recording sound's good to me though. and again i liked the song!!!

thank's for sharing man!!! i'll listen to your other stuff as well.
but it's late, and i gotta hit the sack!

peace

rick
 
Welcome Chris.........glad to have you here. if you've been lurking around you know that folks here are pretty direct with their comments so here goes.
First, the singing is offkey in several places. fenderlickin mentioned that already and I second it. They seemed out in a lot of spots to me. That's the first thing I would work on. As for the mix......it is fairly balanced but a lot of your sounds need tweaking. The vocals need more "sparkle" on the top end and maybe a bit more "body". They have a harshness to them that I think you could alleviate some by EQing differently. You might even try using that SM58 for vocals. It might suit your voice better than that NT-1. The bass and drums are decent for a starting point but I feel the same way about the gits as I do about the voice. They don't really have any presence so they don't stick out in the mix at all. The song's fine but it has a kinda blah quality to the sound that detracts from the songwriting.
The playing is nice and tight and I think you're in good shape there. There will be some others coming by that can be more specific on how to change your EQ I'm sure. I look forward to hearing more of your stuff and I'm sure you're gonna enjoy the BBS. ;)
 
Listened to 'Cool Like You.'

I liked the song. It was well written IMO.

There are pitch issues that you should probably address. Some of the backing vocals don't hit at the right time.

The rhythm guitar needs needs to have some mid-range tamed. Ditto for the lead. The lead parts were nicely played though. But they seriously interfere with the vocals.
 
I think this is my new favourite forum!! Thanks so far for the critiques. Keep 'em comin'!! It is nice to have a place where people will listen to your stuff and give you *honest* criticism that is both constructive and positive. I've noticed this with other people's material also. This is great!!

About the vocals.... yes, I'm still working on those, and admit that there is room for improvement. I'm happy that I've come a long way in that department (used to be brutal, now I think I'm somewhere between okay and pretty good.... what ever that means....) I continue to improve all the time, but it does take work.

I agree that the acoustic version of Don't Change Your Mind could/should be shortened.... maybe a "radio edit" that sees the song fade out after the first chorus (after the "promise you a better day" bit, after the third verse....

The electric guitars... getting rid of some mid range. Hmmm... I'll give that a try. I find that sort of interesting in that they share many of the frequencies of the vocals in the mid-range, so cutting some of that out from the guitars would give the vocals a bit more room. I tried the vocals with the SM58, and it sounded like I was singing through a heavy quilt. Worth a suggestion though.... I'm wondering if my perceived "murkiness" in the mix isn't in the bottom, as I was thinking, but being too heavy in the mids here? This could also be contributing to the "brittle-ness" of the recording also?

Thanks for the comments so far!! :-)
 
I thought I'd check out Temporary Insanity...

Good time rock and roll feel is right on. The tune is pretty good but you might analyze your chord proggresion throughout the song and how it relates to the melody. You might find that a simpler progression and drum part would support the melody better especially in the chorus.

The guitar sound is kind of a mess, way too washy and effected. It lacks any definition. The flangy, chorus is just too much. The licks that sweeten the vocals are nice but again they are too effected.

The drums get lost in the mix , the cymbals are too brittle and panned too far left and right.

You've got a good voice quality, kind of a cross between Kevin Cronin and Green Day. You're a little out of your range at times though.

As a general comment, I would spend some time listening very closely to some of your favorite recordings and as an excercise try to emulate them. Start with your guitar sound.

Don't mean to be too harsh. You've got the basics in the ball park it's just a matter of honing your sound and technique. This is a great place to get feedback, I know I find it invaluable.

Good luck and keep 'em coming.
 
Okay.... I've moved all four songs over to the soundclick site, as today is the day I change ISP's. Damn, cable internet is way too expensive.... so now, they're all at www.soundclick.com/christondreau .

I agree with the guitar sound lacking a certain amount of definition. I didn't think there was that much chorus on it, though. Do others think so, or does it maybe just seem so, because I've double-tracked them? Might this be where I'm losing my definition, or would there be another solution? (perhaps getting more defintion on the sound going IN??)

My drums are getting lost in the mix. Yes, I think I need to turn them up a *bit*. There has to be more to the solution here. Are they competing too much with other instruments, in that if I scoop out certain EQ freqs, that they'll be less masked? (which freqs might you suggest?) Cymbals panned too hard L and R - easy fix. I think you're right there too.

You know, it's always interesting to hear the comparisons that others make about your music. A lot of people pick out the punk-type influences (which surprisingly, aren't really that prominent in my listening repertoire, but they are there... I grew up listening to all the '80's metal... Helix, Aerosmith, Ratt, etc.), but I had to look up who Kevin Cronin was. REO Speedwagon was a first for me. I laughed out loud at that one! :D I remember *almost* buying Hi-Infidelity "back in da day..." I'm not really a fan, but it was an interesting comparison! (oh, great, now I can't get this tune out of my head.... heard it from a friend who heard it from a friend who heard it from another...... aaaahhhhh)

It is the guitar sound that seems to be confounding me the most. I think it has something to do with the mids, though. Recently, I finally got what I think is a great sound. Here's what I did... I recorded the part clean with all effects, distortion, etc. all bypassed. I then routed from an aux master bus back through my guitar processor, through my amp, and then back in to the soundcard, and monkeyed with the processor, amp, etc. with my ear right up against the cabinet listening to what the mic would hear. I was surprised at how much mid range I took out!! This might give my vocals a bit more room to "breathe" too.

Does anyone have any suggestions as to what I can do about the murkiness in the bottom-to middle-bottom range? (or is it just me who thinks this?) Or about the one-dimensional character of the recording?

Thanks all!!

Chris
 
Sorry.... one thing I forgot to mention. I think the best mix of the bunch where I experience the fewest of these problems is the electric version of Don't Change Your Mind. I don't know what I've done differently there, though, as all my techniques, signal paths, etc. have been the same. There are fewer cymbals, as the drum part there was all "point and click" programming by me, with a bit of humanizing, but not much. Bass, guitars, vocals, were, as I recall, all recorded the same. The guitars aren't as loud, but they're not supposed to be for that kind of song, compared to the other two electric ones. EQ being the difference? Does anyone hear anything else?

Chris
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top