my first submission here...

[drossfile]

hi, this was done fairly cheaply, but i think it sounds decent...

song title: contempt
style: prog rock/metal

recorded as follows:
akai dps12
behringer ub2222fxpro for drum submix using onboard compression & eq
drums: (pearl export circa '88, yikes!) cad kbm412 kick, (3) tsm411 toms, (2) icm417 OHs, sm57 snare, c1000s hihat/rotos
vox: perception 200-->vtb-1-->line6 basspod-->akai
bass: squier p-bass-->line6 basspod-->akai
guitars: ariaproII-->line6 guitarpodxtlive-->akai
mixed on m-audio bx5a monitors, "mastered" on soundforge 7.0

this is a new song on my most recent setup. i wrote, performed, and recorded it all, so all blame can fairly be cast in my direction.

www.myspace.com/therealdross

all opinions are welcome and encouraged.

 

[jjtcorsair]

Cool tune, the intro pulled me in. The guitar sounds are nice and dark like the riff. I'm reminded of King Crimson a little with the counterpoint. I wish the drums were bigger when they come in, it seems like the intro wants to build to a big payoff and it doesn't. Maybe start quieter with the guitars so you have somewhere to go dynamically. Move those faders! Don't be afraid to pan more dramatically as well. Everything seems a little narrow. Also, there's some distortion in there (the bad kind) but that might be a Myspace problem. The big off beat cymbal at around 5:00 and again at the end is too loud. You gotta come up with a better ending than that. The song demands it!

Nice job for overall.

 

[drbyatch]

Very nice abstract tune

very nice, i would pull the the main guitar down a little ( the sustained one at the begging) for my taste.

but other than that very nice, cool drums too .

Edit : i also agree with what jjtcorsair is commenting on too.

 

[HangDawg]

Drums are weak. Kick is undefined. Bass guitar is muddy. Intro goes way too long. I got tired of hearing the same thing after 1:30 and turned it off.

 

[drossfile]

thanks to jjt--i agree with you about the drums, i wish they were bigger too. that's a problem i'm trying to correct. i know for a fact that i have phase issues on the tom mics, which is why they sound so thin coming in. as for the bigger ending--do you mean a bigger sound to the existing part, or just something completely different and explosive as a closer?

thanks to drbyatch-- for pointing out the sustained guitar volume, you're absolutely right. also thanks for the kudos on the drumming...

as for this:

Drums are weak. Kick is undefined. Bass guitar is muddy. Intro goes way too long. I got tired of hearing the same thing after 1:30 and turned it off.

thanks for offering a constructive critique of something you didn't even listen to.

 

[Pinky]

The drums sound real thin. I noticed Helmet on your favorites list. The snare is "Betty"-esque (lots of pop), but the rest of the kit needs more presence. The playing though is REALLY good.

The groove is all about Tool (keeping on the influences theme).

Play with a pick like Chris Squire?

Twangy guitar reminiscent of Closer to the Edge/Fragile Steve Howe orchestration. He was a real master at filling songs out with creative chords and patterns. That lead at 6:00 is very classic Yes.

I hear the Opeth influence too, although I'm not a huge fan of their style, you borrowed the attitude. That's probably the one thing they do right.

This is a long song. How about those Yankees?

Can't understand the vocals, perfect for the genre. lol

I like the drop beat time signatures. You're more prog than a lot of so-called prog bands like Porcupine Tree.

Wow, I'm very impressed. The production needs some work but your playing is top notch. Classical training certainly has payed off. For some it makes them sound artificial. You definitely have the groove thing happening, an often lost element in the more heady rock stuff.

 

[Greg_L]

Drums are weak. Kick is undefined. Bass guitar is muddy. Intro goes way too long. I got tired of hearing the same thing after 1:30 and turned it off.

I agree with most of this, but I listened to the whole thing. Not trying to be an ass, but that snare sounds pretty horrible and it seems to be leaning to the right? Phase problems? The rest of the kit doesn't sound too bad, but the snare kills the whole feel of the drums. Kick ain't great but it's not too bad. That's some fine drumming though. Guitars sound pretty good, but the lead is buried in the mix. Overall I think the performance is pretty strong. I can't really comment on the arrangement as this shit aint my style, but the intro is definitely too long/boring.

Good job overall though.

 

[drossfile]

the snare (as is the entire stereo mix of the drums) is indeed leaning to the right, and that is simply because my right OH was parked too directly above the snare when i tracked this. not only that, i had just bought the snare (a pearl mmx free-floating piccolo) and i hadn't yet replaced the head, so i had a frigging damper ring on it (ugh), and i'm pretty disenchanted with the sm57 in general.
unfortunately for the recording side of things, i had to value the performance over the recording (within reason) so i kept the track despite the tom phase/OH problems because it takes me so damn long to finish a song and i had a usable drum track after about 25 takes. i was trying to squeeze the best possible product out of this subpar setup as a one-man project.
ultimately, i've been working on this cd for almost 5 years, and i finally just decided i had to prioritize the act of making music above achieving the perfect recording of it. hell, i've been in the experimentation stage for 2 years now--i had to finish something!!!
but of course neutral opinions are valuable, so i'm looking for suggestions on how to improve on future efforts.

the kudos on the performance are some of the kindest words i've ever heard, and i greatly appreciate it. as musicians, we are all in need of the occasional affirmation, and if that makes me a big pussy screaming into a microphone, so be it.

thanks to all for the input--keep it coming!