My newbie effort

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rockabilly1955

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ok....here's my little jam band's first effort. We basically picked up instruments not more than a year ago and been playing together for a few months. Im sure there are wayyyy better musicians out there, but we just did like Johnny Cash and went on desire. This is also my first effort at recording/producing. My sister is on vocals. The download is called "The Butcher", and there is one other song. Any tips and advice and criticism is welcome. www.soundclick.com/bootlegrockers (couldnt get the link to work :confused: )
 
This sounds really good for your first effort of recording/producing.

Vocals sound too buried and distant in the mix. I'd tone down on the reverb a little too.

You should bring the vocals up because it sounds like she has a nice voice.
 
thanks for the input. I actually wanted that reverb effect to give it that spooky kind of feel, but i'll definitely look into my use of reverb. We record everything all together live and then i do my best to try to get a "studio" sound (if thats even possible??!!)
 
From a mixing standpoint, what this forum is supposed to be about but usually strays into the song/performance/writing quality....from a mixing/production standpoint there is some work to be done, but if this is a first effort, at least you are somewhat aware of levels. EQ...your sister's voice is cutting through the mix a little too aggressively. Forgive me for not being able to distinguish tonight whether it is that she has a strong mid tone naturally to her voice and you should back off the mids a little on her track or that she has a strong high end and you should back off the highs. I heard a bit of sibilance, so I would say to pull back the ultra high frequencies on her track. Recording techniques and playing sounded a little raw, but it kind of went with the vibe of the song for the most part, except for a few key changes.

The vibe of the song. I like the tune, personally. It was raw and unfinished sounding...reminds me of something I would hear as a soundtrack to a good Sundance film, which is a high compliment. As far as producing in the music world without a good film score, there is a little work to be done, but good start man. The only thing I really did NOT like was the recording quality/playing execution of the abrupt chord changes somewhere middle/late in the song. Like the percussion program as well...fits the vibe of the song nicely.
 
Not bad at all for a first effort. I've played in a few rockabilly bands myself back in the day, so this was sort of cool to listen to. I don't miss the pompadour though. :p

As mentioned already, you at least have an idea about panning and mixing. The upright bass actually sounds pretty good. Cut some of the highs off of it though. You obviously want to hear the 'slap', but I think its a little too clicky. The guitar tones are pretty traditional rockabilly, so you definitely captured the vibe of what you're trying to play. Both songs have a good foundation. Just keep at it. Keep practicing your playing and your production skills. My first effort surely didn't sound this good. Nice job overall. :)

I'm personally not digging the female vocals at all though. They're too 'cute' sounding for me. I like my rockabilly raw. Dirty. Tire smoke and switchblades. Theres no place for teenie-bop vocals in my rockabilly. Maybe thats what you want, but I aint digging them much. Just personal taste. No biggee. :)
 
diggin all the advice/comments/criticism. Keep em coming. Unfortunately, none of us guys in the band can sing a lick. I definitely wanna end up doing them wild Setzer like guitar solos, but i'm sure thats years away. I did alot of studying and research on recording/producing and been getting alot of good advice from this forum as well. I think i ran into you before Greg :D Good to hear from a fellow 'billy. And yeah, i dumped that pomp look in high school!! :)
 
Haha. Well I aint no 'billy' anymore. Hell, that was back in 1990-93-ish.The scene down here got stale a long time ago. I just outgrew it. I still like most of the music - although I prefer the edgier 'psychobilly' stuff. I just realized that its no longer 1955, so I dress and act accordingly. :p
 
The vocals are too buried in the intro.
the clicking rhythm hides the top of the bass - DON'T cut the bass' top end please. Could you OD some slap?
The girlie vox are ace - keep 'em.
The electric guitar dominates the mix because it has sooo much space to exist panned over to the side.
have you considered doing a trad mono mix. I reckon it's a goer.
Good song & coming along very nivley - post you changes please.
 
rayc said:
The vocals are too buried in the intro.
the clicking rhythm hides the top of the bass - DON'T cut the bass' top end please. Could you OD some slap?
The girlie vox are ace - keep 'em.
The electric guitar dominates the mix because it has sooo much space to exist panned over to the side.
have you considered doing a trad mono mix. I reckon it's a goer.
Good song & coming along very nivley - post you changes please.
Click to expand...

thanks for the input. Its appreciated. Not quite understanding what you mean by the guitar has too much space?? should it be more in the center instead of one side?? i got upright bass and vocals center and acoustic guitar on one side with electric on the other, but not hard left or right. I dont really like the mix in mono cuz it sounds to bunched up and more messy than it already is :)
 
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