One tin soldier (from The Legend of Billy Jack)

Hi all,
This is a favorite song from my childhood that's all about peace on earth. Hope you enjoy it. Two tracks and learning the ropes. I've kept it really simple. Any comments welcome. I realize that timing is one of my greatest challenges. :)
Cheers,
HV

 
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That one brings back memories. It was one of two songs that were my first girlfriend's favorites. The other was Angel of the Morning. Every time they came on the radio, she would grab the volume knob and turn it up, singing along.

I'm glad folks still appreciate some of these great old songs.
 
It was a nice version of the song.

The singer has a nice voice.

I detect some small tempo issues - like every now and then the singer and guitarist weren't locked in. As you mentioned. Maybe record the guitar to a click if possible?

The guitar is a little boxy sounding. It's missing a bit of high end. Not sure about: the guitar used, the mic used, where the mic was positioned.

Maybe for another time... But this would be a good song to stereo mic the guitar.

But I loved the simplicity of the arrangement. Worked extremely well for a song like this.
 
It was a nice version of the song.

The singer has a nice voice.

I detect some small tempo issues - like every now and then the singer and guitarist weren't locked in. As you mentioned. Maybe record the guitar to a click if possible?

The guitar is a little boxy sounding. It's missing a bit of high end. Not sure about: the guitar used, the mic used, where the mic was positioned.

Maybe for another time... But this would be a good song to stereo mic the guitar.

But I loved the simplicity of the arrangement. Worked extremely well for a song like this.

Thank you for your comments. Even when I use a click track, I somehow find myself getting emotionally carried away and lose the tempo.

I played an Iris DF (adi/hog) dreadnought and plugged it directly into the interface. I didn't do anything to it other than use the Studio One guitar track standard settings.

Perhaps I can think about a condenser mic for the guitar instead of plugging it in and go stereo as you suggest.

Cheers,
HV
 
The guitar sounds upfront, but the vocal's standing back. I think you'd get a better sound overall if you sang closer to the mic. The vocal's the focus, after all. Also, you could play around with reverb on the guitar and vocal to make them sound like they're in the same space.
 
Perhaps I can think about a condenser mic for the guitar instead of plugging it in and go stereo as you suggest.

Cheers,
HV
Probably you would want to do both on two tracks and then blend them or pan them. But that could get you a nicer tone. Also, think about a double take on the guitar. Click is important here, but recording twice can really give you some fat acoustic.
 
Probably you would want to do both on two tracks and then blend them or pan them. But that could get you a nicer tone. Also, think about a double take on the guitar. Click is important here, but recording twice can really give you some fat acoustic.
Thank you. Is blending and panning two stereo tracks a difficult procedure?
 
Thank you. Is blending and panning two stereo tracks a difficult procedure?
No and yes. No in that it is simply two tracks and you get the levels the way you want them. Yes, in getting them the way you want them.

I would simply say, do it and see if you find something you like. While there are many different ways to get there, at the end of the day you just have to play with it until you like what you have.

One thing to remember, this music recording is a journey, not a destination.
 
I noticed several hesitations, as did others. I actually thought you might have recorded it in one take, as it's something that happens to me if I'm not really completely comfortable with the song. One is worrying about the next lyric and you get stumble in tempo, or the movement to the next chord doesn't hit. My bad habit is speeding up when I hit the record button. I don't do well with a click, but if I can put a simple midi drum track, just a thump pop, thump pop, I can lock on to that better than click click. Then dump the drum track.. .it's just for timing purposes.

I think that given the quality of guitar that you have, I would definitely look at getting a microphone. A good small condenser mic is well suited to recording acoustic guitar. You might also just try using your vocal mic. I've used the same mic for both before. It's all about finding the right position.

You might also record both direct and with the mic. It's not like you're limited in the number of tracks, or that it will cost you anything (assuming you have an interface with two inputs). Then pick the better sounding track for the mix.

Keep at it, the more you do it, the better you get. And the most important thing... have fun doing it.
 
I noticed several hesitations, as did others. I actually thought you might have recorded it in one take, as it's something that happens to me if I'm not really completely comfortable with the song. One is worrying about the next lyric and you get stumble in tempo, or the movement to the next chord doesn't hit. My bad habit is speeding up when I hit the record button. I don't do well with a click, but if I can put a simple midi drum track, just a thump pop, thump pop, I can lock on to that better than click click. Then dump the drum track.. .it's just for timing purposes.

I think that given the quality of guitar that you have, I would definitely look at getting a microphone. A good small condenser mic is well suited to recording acoustic guitar. You might also just try using your vocal mic. I've used the same mic for both before. It's all about finding the right position.

You might also record both direct and with the mic. It's not like you're limited in the number of tracks, or that it will cost you anything (assuming you have an interface with two inputs). Then pick the better sounding track for the mix.

Keep at it, the more you do it, the better you get. And the most important thing... have fun doing it.
Thank you, Rich. I hate click tracks and find them nerve wracking. The hesitations came from my trying to stay on the beat. I will try a drum track as you suggest. I will also try my vocal mic and see how that works. I'm sure I can find a used condenser mic as well. Yes, I feel like this is like baking or something like that. You tweak and find the process more natural in time. I appreciate your comments.
 
Reverb on the vocals is different than the guitar. That puts them in different locations. Guitar is upfront, reverb on the voice is pushing it back.
 
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