New band..... first tune

[Bassman]

Hey,

I was wondering if I could get some dead honest feedback on this recording. It is a cover of johnny b goode, done with a new guitar player and drummer I am playing with. We are working on original material, but first I wanted to cut something quick and easy to get them familiar with the way stuff works in my "studio"(read: glorified computer room) and work out some new "features". I ran cables to the basement for isolation of the guitar amp and when tracking the vocals. Worked awesome....

Obviously I am looking for critique on the sound and mixing, not on artistic or creativeness..(Although it does rock).

there is a link on my site

http://www.scott.veneziano.net

I would really appreciate some brutal honesty....

As for studio equipment list...

P2 400
SB Live
ART Tube MP (everything goes though this)
Alesis nanocompressor
Rode NT1 on the vocals
SM57 micing a Mesa boogie
Bass direct
Drums- sonic implants sound fonts, played on a drum Kat
Event 20/20 monitors for tracking and mixing

Thanks for your time

 

[Buck62]

Bassman...

Nice job on the playing, dude. It DOES rock!

As for the recording/mixing.... here is a bit of what I hear.
(Keep in mind that I listened at a VERY low volume, it was 3:00am when I posted this!)

The lead/solo part seemed slightly loud in the mix.
The guitar could also use a tad more on the mids and high-end. When the guitarist was playing the rhythm part, the bass and guitar seemed to cancel eachother out. There should be more distinction between the two.
Lastly, I expected a bit more clarity from that NT-1. What type of cables were you using with the mic and preamp? I detected a slight bit of signal loss or something. Words that began with a "J" or an "S" seemed muddy.

 

[gibs]

Yeah, that lead was a bit too up front I thought.....that drum sound worked out well.......anxious to hear how you'd mix an original...the vocalist has a good voice, by the way....gibs

 

[Emeric]

There is something about the vocals. A ringy/squelchy characteristic. The vocals sound good performance wise, just the tone. Was the MP input fairly cranked when you recorded it? Maybe try backing it off if so, and/or trying different distances from the mic. Could be the room itself - reflective or recorded close to a wall, I don't know, hard to say. The lead Vocals could also use a bit of reverb or heavier delay to get it not so upfront, some compression would help smooth it out but it won't get rid of the squelch - try and pinpoint that. Kick could be a little louder. Bass guitar is pretty cool. Lead vocals and guitar a touch loud. Left rhythm guitar could be panned a bit little further left. Anyway, these are pretty subjective. Overall think it's a great job.

Enjoyed listening to it, haven't heard that song for ages!

 

[Bassman]

Thanks Guys, It was exactley what I was looking for. I didnt notice the rythm gutiar bass thing, but once it was pointed out , I noticed it. Also, I compressed the vocal already, at about 2.5 :1 maybe lower the threshold??... Emeric, funny you should mention doing the vocals near a wall, now that I think of it I was facing a wall at about a foot and a half. I will try and center myself next time. Since I was singing, I can't engineer it at the same time, so Im not sure how the Pre was set up, the only thing is I use a 50 foot cable to get the mic downstairs, where it is quiet and carpeted.. think the cable run is too long?.. Anyway, there is moe to come, I will post some of our originals when they are done...

Thanks!

 

[drstawl]

Nice Cover. That would stand up in any bar in my town
any night of the week. The drums need to come up a bit
especially on the low end. The rhythm guitar needs to
come up a bit. Overall, it had a very country angle on it.
That's a good thang.