meds..

[B.SABBATH]

thanks for the comments guys!

man I love this place..


a few quick recording notes if anyone cares.. I used 2 drum machines on this.. the Alesis SR-16 because I am used to it's interface, but all the sounds were from a Roland TD-8 drum module.. I set each of the pads on the Alesis to be a different Tabla note, then I played it with me fingers in real time.. since I don't record with the computer, there is never any cutting or pasting..(comping) It's all just many, many takes until I get something I can live with.. I also had to use 2 keyboards.. an Alesis QS6.1 and a Roland XP-30.. Guitar was e-flat into a J-Station, into a Blue Max compressor, and then into a bbe sonic maximizer.. synth bass from the XP, into the blue max, into a sonic maximizer.. no compression on the drums at all, and all e.q.ing was done at the source.. Vocals were a very cheap dented EV mic, into a Digitech vocal 300, into the blue max compressor.. all e.q.ing was done at the source.. The tune was recorded on a Tascam 788 portastudio and mixed mainly on Event 20/20's.. (passive) Although I always check it through 3 different sets of speakers before posting.. (computer speakers, and consumer JBL's) I enjoy long walks on the beach, my favorite color is black or green and ooops!! wrong forum.











Track Rat - hey Track, the first ears to have heard this were yours.. thanks for easing my tension.. I look forward to hearing the saddam/ozzy tune..




Gidge - thanks Gidge.. I cheated with the sounds.. In fact, I don't even know what a tabla is or even what one looks like.. I just liked the sound and it said Tabla on the screen.. I appreciate the words man..




David - your right.. I should have laid some guitar solos.. Normally I would have.. there were many different vocal effects used and they were all printed as I was singing.. some parts had distortion, chorus, telephone effects, reverb, delay, much compression.. I gave a complete gear list at the top.. thanks!




fenderlikingood - you ARE helpful and always have been.. your comments are great because you don't seem to care about the technical stuff.. You just drop some comments off the top, and I thank you for it.. (even though it's obvious you hated the song) thanks fenderbender!




participant - "and you know just what it does when it's weighing on my head" I'm suprised any words are legible at all with all the vocal effects I use.. Chad, I gotta tell you again bro, I really really dug your song.. If you have any suggestions, you know I'm always listening.. thanks!




jitteringjim - I forgot to tell you that I also liked your song on the comp Cd.. thanks for checking this one out man..




Cranky One - yeah I started to bring the synths a little closer to the center when I realized the high hat was a bit too loud, and since I don't record the midi, I had to try some lame fixes.. One day maybe I will learn how to use midi and I'll be able to get better sounds.. For now, I just try to get it while I get it... It's obvious this song doesn't have the volume , clarity, or tightness of your mixes, but soon I may explore some computer options.. I really should try to use my computer for something more other than mp3 conversion and email.. thanks Crank!



---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------



Hey guys, I will finish the responses later.. I don't want to miss anyone and I have to go to a wedding today.. (not mine of course)


thanks a lot for the comments..


I'll be back later or tomorrowish..

 

[jcmm]

Sam,
I finally bought a pair of actual monitors (m-audio sp-5b's)
This is the first tune to bark through these things. What a way to break them in!!!

Damn Sammy.....I can appreciate your stuff so much more!!!
This is Top Notch..........again!!
I can finally hear well enough to give mixing opinions, and I can't hear a thing to bitch about!!!

Well actually I think that the .......well you can turn up.............wait...I think the mids are..................
Nope !!! This is Frickin GREAT !!







Lemme check again...............................
Nope............................Still great !
I'm going to spin your old stuff!!!

 

[Kramer]

Great Job sam!Im with Q,I could imagine arabian chicks all around when the song starts.You should have more than enough material for 2 albums by now right?I wouldnt change a thing.It sounds great.2 thumbs up and some stars!

 

[SLuiCe]

Now this is indeed a serious piece of work Sam! The vocal parts sound possibly your best yet.

In the first part there's a bass note that sounds a touch boomy...around 400khz I think...just a guess.

I like the guitar trail at 2:00 that leads the next section- brilliant. IMO, this is your best yet. It's a great ride that doesn't dull. You have multiple ideas/parts often, but here you have improved the transtions with dramatic effect IMO.

It's a great piece of music!

Downloading...

 

[jcmm]

Still checkin'

After the last spin I have come to the following conclusion...........


I'm getting depressed with the "wannabe commercial" stuff I have been spewing out..............

Sam,
Your method of flowing into different parts is really smooth in this one! Really holds together as a tune, and sonically (Is that a word?)

You and Cranky are inspiring to me!
Keep 'em coming!

 

[Sky Blue Lou]

Sam, cool tune. I don't know what to say other than I liked it. You certainly are a prolific sonofabitch. Keep 'em coming man. Thanks.

lou

 

[boydrj]

I haven't read any of the other comments, so if I repeat something, oh well ...

Great beginning...kind of has a Halloween/Indian feel (that is a strange combination isn't it) ... Very cool rhythmic meter you have on this...

I think your vocals are excellent and fit the mood the mood. Nice change at the 1:30 mark...This is seriously some scary stuff

Do you have your drums fixed yet, or are these still the machine? They sound good either way, and I love the tabla stuff you are doing. Gives the song a real interesting texture.

I don't have anything bad to say. If it didn't take me a couple of hours to download stuff, this would definitely make the cut...someday when I get hi-speed access, I'm going to download a ton of shit off of this site and make the most incredible compilation album. This one would make the cut because it is so interesting. I hope I'm not the only one that thinks so!

Great job!

 

[metal militia]

Some of the singing sounded like ALICE IN CHAINS OR OZZY. I liked it but I would like to hear you do some more heavy songs. Too much synthesizers and sound fx and not enough of guitars. Your guitars sound great so you should do more heavy songs. This is a good song. I like the middle part the best.

 

[Stratomaster]

Real nice B. Sabb- Not much to say-your mixing and playing are great as always. Cool song-I like anything with that mid-eastern feel. I would have tried to make it a little more mysterious sounding-maybe some verbs on the keys or one of your famous e-bow parts to give multiple layers and depth in the mix. Vocals sounded fine-guitar section was cool. This will work nicely against your other material in a cd context. Nice job.

 

[muzeman]

Really great Sam!
The writing on this was excellent.

I dig the way you mix things up,as usual!
Your the master of suspense!

Your voice was great,enjoyed hearing it upfront.

Really good production,only you could take an Arabic riff and turn it into rock,cool!
Is it based on a Eastern scale of some type?

Really enjoyed it,thanks!

Pete

 

[B.SABBATH]

cool..

mcmd - you may be right about the snare because someone else also mentioned it.. thanks for the word!









mixmkr - thanks for that man.. I wish it was like that.. I used to consider trying to do something, but I was crushed by the people around me.. Now I tell people that I get nice feedback from strangers on the internet, and they say, 'that's nice, have you met anyone special yet?' I know the main reason I get a lot of replys is because I listen to a lot of other stuff.. Your post really made me feel good man.. you paint a nice picture brother, but I'll probably be a plumber until the end.. if I can just do that and eventually make a family, that will be cool enough for me.. I hope you will always rip my stuff apart when it deserves it.. I'm sure you notice the difference in volume of my stuff, compared to say your stuff, or Cranky One, or SLuiCe's stuff.. I am really hoping that one day I can accomplish those sonics.. Anyway, I'm definitely rambling, and I'm very stoned.




SLuiCe - hey Tom, your definitely right about the boomyness, especially in the beginning.. that boom was part of the drum set, and unfortunately I don't record the midi.. I record everything as audio.. I try to get it how I want it to sound from the start so all I have left at the end is some minor e.q.ing.. It is obvious by comparing your sound and my sound, that your sound is better. I am technologically challenged and I need the shortest distance possible to nailing the idea.. I try to spend very little time on the mix after the performance.. and it shows. I did try to tame it, but I may have to go back in... thanks for the ears man! I can't wait until we have something to collaborate on.. I am sure it will be something for 'the smoking gentlemen.' I notice you have another tune up and I cant wait to get to it.. I am pretty baked at the moment..




powderfinger - hey powder, I never plan out what the harmony will be. I just say to myself that a harmony should be here because my voice sounds dumb by itself in this part, or something like that.. people will say things like, 'nice fifths' or something, and I have no idea that's what it was.. I just know it sounded better with it.. I do a lot of punching in.. I'll loop the first 2 lines about 80 times before I keep it, then I loop the next section and just punch my way through the song.. sometimes I fall short.. this song took me about 3 hours to sing, and that includes making up the lyrics.. I usually make up most lyrics on the spot, and figure them out after.. I found the most important thing I need to do a harmony, is a good mix in the phones.. I have to hear the voice I'm harmonizing with very loudly.. all the singing is done with a headphone volume that far exceeds recommended safety standards, but I try to emulate the volume of a live jam... only in the cans! This was probably of no help.. if there's anything you want to b.s. about, drop a p.m. anytime dude..





Gurenica hey G, I am glad to hear that your not in the mood to rip the vocals apart.. Seriously Mike, your last tune was something special.. I think I added the wind sound because I was feeling rather dark when I was singing this, and the wind added the empty barren space I was feeling at the time.. It is a coincidence that it goes with the middle eastern feel.. I was just really stoned (like I am now,) and I was in an experimental mood.. when I stumbled on the sound, I was like yyyyyyeeeeeeaaaaaaahhhhh ..... the rest is misery errr.. I mean history.. I'm looking forward to our thing if we can make it happen.. thanks G!




MISTERQCUE - thanks man! People don't usually like the vocal sound, so it's nice to hear someone does.. It's a very cheap setup though.. I use an old dented EV mic, (probably not even as good as an SM58,) I plug it into a Digitech Vocal 300 all in one pre amp/effect box.. I'm sure it is considered garbage to most people.. it costs about $250 at GC.. I try to e.q. here with some minor tweaks later sometimes, but not always, but I always run it through a Blue Max compressor and use one of three vocal presets it has.. I only use the presets from it, but there are some great ones for someone like me.. I'll usually add more compression from my Tascam 788 portastudio.. Check out powderfingers reply if you feel like hearing some other recording mistakes.. thanks again MQ2!




joro - thanks man! I appreciate the word.. I'll be checking out your new jam momentarily, ya know?




Myx62 - others have mentioned inconsistency with some of the drum volumes too.. thanks for the confirmation.. I tend to over do the dynamics sometimes.. I need to learn more compression techniques.. appreciate the word!




dtb - I think the only break that is coming to me, is maybe a coffee break when I'm done snaking a toilet bowl tomorrow! thanks for the comments man..




Toki987 - thanks Toke!




jcmm - thanks man! I am sorry that this was the first thing through those perfectly innocent new monitors.. It is always a careful choice what to play out of new speakers... you must have thought they were broke! I hear you about Cranky.. the first song he posted was a Judas Priest cover, and it stood above everything else I heard at the time.. I have been a fan ever since! We are working out a collab as we speak.. As expected, there is some slacking going on on my end.. high standards on collaborations nowadays.. However, I am working on a new standard.... a lower standard!






Kramer - bellydancers.. that is a cool image. Much better than the one I was thinking of! thanks for the word.. dude, I have about 95 songs (ie.turds), and I have been putting some thought into a real website, and maybe I'll put them all up.. not that I would expect anyone to want to hear three days of this crap! The funny thing is that most of them are about a girl! I had this funny vision.. You know how some people write a song or two for a girl? Well I could send her a box set with the lyrics and say, 'I wrote you a box set'





Sky Blue Lou - thanks for checking it out man.. If by 'prolific', you mean 'miserable sounding,' then I agree..




boydrj - it's funny that you mentioned hallowen, because that was what I originally sat down to write, but when I stumbled on this sound it took a different turn.. my drums are still down man.. this is actually 2 drum machines.. one for the beat, and one for the sound.. I played the tabla noises rapping the pads with my fingers in real time.. it was fun.. thanks for the good words man!




metal militia - cool handle.. 'Kill em All' is one of my favorite albums.. Yeah people always tell me to play heavier.. I used to play extreme death metal, then punk/hardcore, and now I'm stuck in the space rock worlld.. who knows, maybe it's the drugs.. thanks for checkin' it out!




Stratomaster - as I'm listening to it now, I definitely hear some parts that should have had guitar solos.. I may have my friend lay a solo.. he is a great guitar player, and he dooesn't rely on effects like I do.. thanks for the comments Strato.. I hear ya man..




muzeman - hey Pete, man, you would not believe how long it took me to type these replys.. I would be embaressed to tell ya! I'm not sure if it's an eastern scale because I just used the notes that sounded cool.. I wish I could tell you more.. The Roland TD-8 drum module deserves the credit here.. They made it easy.. it really is packed with some great sounds.. I'm glad it sounds good because I am still paying for it and it's almost a year old! I have been getting into some programming stuff.. at least there are no timing mistakes! thanks for the ears as always Pete!







Gentlemen, goooooooooooood night!

 

[JMarcomb]

wow.. definitly one of the finest tunes from you.

the middle eastern scales really give this tune a unique edge.

damn.... your popping these tunnies out left and right.. isnt your brain empty yet?

beautiful work!

 

[rushfan33]

I Fricken' love this tune!!

Dude....Sabbath, you kick ass! I should know this already but what's the basic rundown of your equipment?

I mean this in a good way.... I heard Godsmack meets Zepplin in this tune.

Great use of harmonies!

RF

 

[dobro]

Okay, I haven't read anything else here yet.

What do you want first, the good news, the suggestion or the criticism? Doesn't matter, right?

Suggestion: about the beginning - it was really dramatic, it could have gone on longer before the main music kicked in. It might *even* have segued into the main music. Think about it, and get your hands on a track by the Steve Miller Band on an album called Sailor - it's the first song on the album, and it's called 'Song for our Ancestors'. Do it, you won't regret it.

Criticism: it gets too loud at 1.20.

Good news: this is fucking excellent. Really good stuff. You're doing stuff with music that's interesting. Maybe even timely. Maybe even important. I mean, that little bit at 2.34 is... let's see, did I say 'excellent' before? (Not only that, but in line with my suggestion (above) you could have extended and exploited it more. Lookit, dude, how old are you? Do you have a restless urge to move on all the time rather than settle into stuff? )

Finally, two extras: I love your melodies. One of the things I like about your stuff is that you do so much of it, and it varies. Back in the old days, I would have said: you're happening, man. Don't abuse it.

 

[Guernica]

The greatest replies.......!

Hey Sam,
...after reading your replies to these posts, I just wanna mention how cool I think it is that you take the time to type out and explain everything so well. That shows alot of class and concern on your part.... ....and kinda defines what this forum is all about. I always get some useful info reading your threads.

cheers bro,



Mike

 

[SLuiCe]

Re: cool..

Now I tell people that I get nice feedback from strangers on the internet, and they say, 'that's nice, have you met anyone special yet?'

MUAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!

Dude, if for some fucked up reason music fails you, get into comedy!

 

[B.SABBATH]

JMarcomb - thanks Jeff! Yeah I am extra miserable lately, and whenever I go through one of these phases, I either buy something or record non-stop.. Since I'm totally broke, I have been recording a lot..




rushfan33 - here's the basic rundown of my equipment.. 4 guitars tuned different, 2 basses (one is a 5 string), drum pads (Roland Pd-5's. 7's and 9's.) I broke 3 of them so my drums lately have been programmed.. (except on this song I played the tabla sounds with my fingers on the pads of an SR-16 pulling the sound from the TD-8.) A Roland TD-8 drum sound module, an Alesis SR-16, a Roland xp-30 synth, an Alesis QS6.1 synth, a J-Station, Pod Pro, Sansamp TRI A.C., a Korg G-1 distortion processor, and a Digitech 2112, and a few Boss Pedals.. a Blue Tube pre, A Blue Max compressor, an Alesis Midiverb4, and a BBE sonic Maximizer.. I record on a Tascam 788 portastudio, and mostly mix on Event 20/20's passive, hooked up to a 4 ohm Technics reciever.. I always check it on a few different sets of speakers though.. that's about it recording wise.. thanks for checking it out man!






dobro - thanks for the thoughts man.. I am 31, but I'm aging faster than most.. I tend to move on very quickly.. too quickly it seems.. I give little thought to how things are put together, and it's never planned.. I am pretty suprised sometimes at the end.. especially when I go back and figure out the words.. maybe later on down the line I'll try to make something bigger from some of this.. thanks for the insight!




Guernica - puff, puff, pass man! Don't make love to that thing! thx bro..




SLuiCe - yeah, strangely enough your not the first person to say that.. people tell me I'm either very funny, or the most miserable person they ever met.. I guess it depends on the weather.. I love rain.

 

[Guernica]

If you only knew how right you were

 

[Lt. Bob]

Very cool............oh, a second part. I thought it was over.
I love tablas and you've managed to cop the eastern groove thing very well. I like the whole song, vocal lines, harmonies, the wind, the change-ups. It's all nice and even though it is a slight departure from what you usually do, it still has that signature "Samsound" that I can immediately recognize. I think that's the most impressive thing you've accomplished because having a unique and identifiable sound is one of the very hardest things to do and you've managed to do it. More....more please.

 

[Erik O.]

Hey Sabbath,

As usual, I didn't read the other comments before posting, so bla bla.....

I don't know how you manage to upload a new tune every single week, but I do know that I envy you .

It's a lovely song. I like the variation and contrast between the beautiful and very melodic "eastern" parts and the plain rock parts. It makes the song seem a lot shorter than it actually is.

The eastern/instrumental parts seem a bit muddy (who's talking ) compaired to the more open sound in the rock parts. It's actually a nice change and probably intentional ?

The vocal performances and production is very close to perfect. Personally though, I think I'd bring them a bit more up front. You've got a great, expressive voice.

I'm crazy about the drum machine in the eastern parts. It fits perfectly. Please, don't change that!
I don't know about the rock drums, though. They seem somehow thin and mechanic and less inspired. That's the only thing I'd suggest to be replaced.

But man, this is a beautiful piece.