New Mix on this tune - feedback please

[ido1957]

I re-recorded this song, using a mic on the guitar instead of direct out of the amp. I'm looking for your comments and feedback mostly on the tone of the guitar(s). The rhythm guitar(s) are a Kramer Pacer into a JCM900 mic'd with an SM57 on the high gain channel. The Lead guitar is done with the same set up on my Strat. Also looking for any comments on how the guitars sit in the mix. I'm not 100% done with this but thought I would post it to see how it sounds so far.

The song is called Come Let Me Love You Sept 06.

This should open right on the song page.
LINK = http://www.soundclick.com/bands/songInfo.cfm?bandID=395006&songID=4488201

The older version is still posted on the songs page if you want to compare the two.

BTW - Mike and I are getting together shortly to remix a number of songs (new and old) from the band. We'll post those once we're done....

 

[blueroommusic]

I like the tune...very reminiscent of Neil Young

as far as the guitars go, I think they sound generally "ok"...

I think you need another mic on that cab (sdc or ldc) to capture a little more of the grit of the amp....maybe you can re-amp it....that being said I also think the tune could've benefited from a little more gain & volume coming out of the amp...

hope this helps.

 

[ido1957]

I like the tune...very reminiscent of Neil Young

as far as the guitars go, I think they sound generally "ok"...

I think you need another mic on that cab (sdc or ldc) to capture a little more of the grit of the amp....maybe you can re-amp it....that being said I also think the tune could've benefited from a little more gain & volume coming out of the amp...

hope this helps.

blueroommusic - thanks for taking the time to listen. I think it sounds generally "ok" too and I appreciate your suggestions on gain/volume/diff. mics to improve the sound....

 

[blueroommusic]

also...as far as addt'l mics, If you have a decent room, getting them anywhere from 3-6 feet from the amp will help the guitars sit better in the mix IMO...they are a little dry for that song I think

 

[in control]

This,madame is one of the poorest excuses for mixing a track that I have ever heard.get back into your mom's basement and practice,practice,practice!
you should be quite ashamed of yourself.
tell your mother Ted say's "hi".
Ted Philips/Mystery Records

 

[DavidK]

Sounds good Gerry, very nice song. The guitars sound fine to me and I know squat about recording them. If anything, perhaps they sound a little "lite", a harder, grittier "ZZTop" sound might work. I honestly think they sound fine the way they are, they dont get in the way of the vox.

 

[bigbubba]

Dude, waiting for quite a while to listen to one of your tunes.

Really really nice song. Really an enjoyable listen. Your lyrics are that perfect combination of simplistic and meaningful that they tell a story the best way possible to relate to an averge listener. No, I'm not just throwing out big words.

Nice solo. Very effective and very communicative.

The only thing I have is about the guitars. Not the playing, just the sound. The playing is really really nice. Very passionate.

The guitars sound like they should either have slight more gain or maybe put some verb/simple_echo on them to give them a hint of pop rock. So either add a second track with slight more dist, and heavier to complement this (or retrack this with more gain [sounds like too much]), or just add verb and let's see how that goes.
Edit: I'm only talking about rhythm guitars. The lead sounds great.


Alternatively wet the entire music track (minus vox) with ever so slight verb.

The bass is pretty nice and sits well.

Dude, this is a rockin' song. I gotta say I really really enjoy listening to it.

Rock on.

 

[Greg_L]

cool song. good riff.

the lead tone is great. wouldnt change a thing. the rhythm tone is sort of bland to my ears. i mean, its got a nice vintage marshall classic-rock sound, but it doesnt really have the punch that i think this song should have. just my 2 cents.

 

[Dogman]

Nice man...how many guitars is this? I like what I hear, but it could use more meat...maybe it needs some more guitars, not just more distortion...I dunno. Maybe try 4 if you haven't already...2 panned pretty far, and 2 slightly closer...I usually go 2 at 100% Land R, and 2 at 75%. Just seems to work for me....

Other than that, it sounds good so far..has a ZZ Top vibe, and the guitars might fit that also. Fun song to listen to man....

 

[ido1957]

blueroommusic - my room is not the greatest but I have an LDC and will try the mic technique you describe when I record. Thanks again.

DavidK - Thanks for the listen - appreciate the comments....The previous version's tone was kind of buzzy, like too much SS gain. So I'm happier (relatively) with the tone. I eq'd the guitars away from the vocals so that worked as I liked - wonder if they lost some punch/grit as a result...

bigbubba - Thanks a lot for the kind words...I've been a bit busy working on some new tunes and mixing some stuff with my co-composer Mike. We've posted a few of his tunes (more to come) and we're reworking a few mixes referencing the great feedback received from here.
You're right about the rhythm guitars - they need more gain or verb to make them pop a bit. Great ideas to look into....

Greg_L - Cool man - I totally agree - the rhythm guitars need something.....getting lots of good ideas to work with here...

Dogman - Thank you man. I'm using 2 rhythm guitar tracks, and 1 for lead. Wouldn't mind the tone that R4M has on his Hook, Line and Sinker tune....that was cool.....anyone who hasn't heard it should check it out.....
My 8 Tracks are pretty much loaded though.....so I'll need to work with gain/eq maybe instead:
1- Lead vocal
2 - backup vocal
3 - main rhythm
4- bass
5 - lead
6 - second rhythm
7 + 8 - Drums

 

[rayc]

Gerry,
In a fair world this would be on a squillion stereos. It's a great tune. I like the change to the guitars.
One of the rhythms could use a little more meat but the limitations of 8 tracks is fix or replace I guess. I'm not convinced it needs more distortion though - just some careful EQing so that no conflict with the vocal & bass comes up. If that's the real issue then leave things as they are. The vocal comes through really well at present - you've jugled well. Play about & experimment BUT save this mix if you can because it's hot.
The lead tone is excellent.
The singing & narrative are really, really special.
This song is popular at my workplace.
I'm listening on a pair of h'phones & can't really hear the bass but since I've commented on basses a lot in the last coupe of headpjone wearing days it may well be my cans are duds & the bass is fine.
ZZ Tops would like to aquire this I'm sure but then again JJ Cale would similarly. This is such a nice amalgam of those stylistic touchstones & your own thing that it's an instant gem.

 

[RAMI]

This is a very catchy and cool tune, IDO. Like everyone else, I think the guitars can bit a bit more bite, but they're certainly not wimpy by any means. Just seems as if you had the gain on 7 when it should have been on 11 . Nice tone though and nice lead. Good overall mix, too.

 

[ido1957]

rayc - you are too kind. Just how many is a squillion - it sounds like a lot

I'm slowly getting around to re-recording the songs that used that high gain line out. Quite a few people commented on the not-so-great tone on the previous recordings. I've noticed it and agree they need redoing.

I'll remix using the eq suggestion. I'm hoping that will do the trick and I won't need to re-record. I think the sound is there and just needs to be pulled out a bit.

PS - hope you have a great vacation....

RAMI - My amp actually goes to 11 no really......Thanks for inspiring me to use my Strat - that's the lead tone and I'm liking it more each time.

 

[Gorty]

I re-recorded this song, using a mic on the guitar instead of direct out of the amp. I'm looking for your comments and feedback mostly on the tone of the guitar(s). The rhythm guitar(s) are a Kramer Pacer into a JCM900 mic'd with an SM57 on the high gain channel. The Lead guitar is done with the same set up on my Strat. Also looking for any comments on how the guitars sit in the mix. I'm not 100% done with this but thought I would post it to see how it sounds so far.

The song is called Come Let Me Love You Sept 06.

This should open right on the song page.
LINK = http://www.soundclick.com/bands/songInfo.cfm?bandID=395006&songID=4488201

The older version is still posted on the songs page if you want to compare the two.

BTW - Mike and I are getting together shortly to remix a number of songs (new and old) from the band. We'll post those once we're done....

Hey ido1957,

I have said it before and I will say it again that this tune is great, I really love it along with "Overtime" and others.
Ok, onto the guitars, I like the overall tone that you have captured with the mic technique! The digitized fuzz has been lost in this version as opposed to the original version, however I think it gives the guitars a more rounded and fitting tone for the tune. I think that the mids could be bought up slightly on the guitars to remove some slight boxiness that may be from the acoustics in the room or just some overpowering of the lows.
On a second listen to both versions the cymbals could maybe have some more sibilance to them, the high hat is fine. I know you didn't ask for any comments on the drums etc it's just that I honestly love your tunes Gerry and I too want you to bring the best out of them.
I know I am treading over ground that I have trod before but the solo on this tune is brilliant in the fact that it compliments/mirrors the vocal line in sections and yet deviates enough to be what a solo should be!.. You really have got this solo playing down to a "T" in the context of the song!

Thanx again for sharing the advancement you are making in your Homerecording/songwriting prowess.

Gorty..

 

[ido1957]

I have said it before and I will say it again that this tune is great, I really love it along with "Overtime" and others.

Thanks Gorty - now if I could write a couple more like these....trying.....

I think that the mids could be brought up slightly on the guitars to remove some slight boxiness that may be from the acoustics in the room or just some overpowering of the lows.

Listening again I definitely agree - I've taken note for next mix....

the cymbals could maybe have some more sibilance to them, the high hat is fine.

I think I can tone that cymbal down some with eq also.

the solo on this tune is brilliant in the fact that it compliments/mirrors the vocal line in sections and yet deviates enough to be what a solo should be!.. You really have got this solo playing down to a "T" in the context of the song!

Thanks - that's my goal cause I'm not that great a lead player. If I get one that sounds ok, hopefully it's simple enough to remember and replay .

Thanks Again!

 

[bigbubba]

Thanks - that's my goal cause I'm not that great a lead player. If I get one that sounds ok, hopefully it's simple enough to remember and replay .

I disagree. On this song the solo is brilliant and that does say something about your skill level. But I do understand the comment about improvising and then hoping you could play back what you really liked. That's why I keep the record button pressed while improvising and then slow it down if I can't figure out what I played. It's a hack but once I learn how to make that specific sound, I don't have to learn it again.

 

[Perdicament]

I like this tune, but me being a guitar player, I have a more critical ear on guitar tone.... My biggest nit is the same as stated above...The rythm guit is not doing this justice... I think it can be alot better, with doing two things...

First off, the quick and easy fix... add a bit of bite to the existing track by boosting it a bit at 2k and 4k or somewhere between.....

The pretty quick fix is recording another track and mixing that in to make the guit's bigger thicker...and add that bite to it...

The guit is just not big enough and muffled as is... Good fitting lead and good tome/mix on the lead...and the vox sit nicley too.....

Almost reminds me of old Cheap Trick... (Taxman Mr.Thief) vibe.... cool stuff!

 

[XLR]

Great song... great vocal. Lead guitar is finely done in playing and recording... it's got a naturalness in the articulation but it still growls! I think the thing that's missing with the rhythm guitar is the clarity of articulation in the midrange and highs... kind of lacking in "picking note by note" dynamics... you know, the way a guitar can growl with distortion but you still hear the pick attack to give it rhythmic bite. Is the rhythm gtr compressed in the mixing or is that its original tracked sound?

I'd reduce the compression on the vocal too. But I hate compression generally.

Tim

 

[jpw23]

Nice tune....liked it a lot! Nothin to say that has not beem said before.....maybe a little more verb...I just really like verb!!!! Good work!!!!

 

[gbav]

Typing while listening. Really like that guitar riff to open it up, gets my head nodding for sure. Vocals sound great as with everything i've heard you do, great pitch/tone for sure. Love the guitar solo man, fits perfect with the song. I always love guitar solos that kind of play off the melody the song has already established. Really liked this one man, it's going on my mp3 player for sure.

Take care

gary