second song on the demo

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the mix is very present and live sounding......more like a live recording than a 'production', but with this kind of music, that is probably a good thing.......sounds good for a demo......good luck w/ the gigs
 
powderfinger: first of all, cool handle. one of my favorite NY songs. Seen you around and, being a Neil wannabe, I'm glad you took the time to check this one out. I know this isn't quite the lambchopped one, but a lot of my stuff is.

That said, I'm a little confused on the "live sounding." Maybe it's hard for me to separate considering I played all the instruments over the span of the weekend. It sure didn't feel live when I retracked those damn lead riffs twenty times!

Seriously, what I found from my last mix (David) was I drowned everything in this heavy blanket of reverb and it ended up dooming the vibe. I wanted it to be crisp sounding and I thought I had that here. What do you suggest for this mix in terms of polish to make this sound more "studio?" I had originally considered doubling the acoustic and panning them fill it out. Also, her voice is totally dry, save chorus cutting and pasting with a little compression. Maybe she needs a little 'verb?

thanks again,

stone
 
I like the natrual sound of this recording, glad you didn't squeeze all the air out of it. I really like the rushed vocal lines near the end. Nitpicks: the main rhythm acoustic sounds kinda thin and nasal-y and the bass is just kinda "there".
 
I liked this one... pretty clean... decent mix... nice song. etc. etc.

I agree aboot the "live" sound.. and I thought it suited the song quite well.. it needed that "bare naked ladies" feel to it. The live sound is usually the result of very little use of effects and compression (but mostly effects). It basically means that it sounds a lot more like a chick and three guys are sittin' in front of mic's playing the stuff live instead of something that was tracked and then modified, and then effected and then blah blah blah. It's not a bad thing, in certain instances (such as this one). In this case, it gave it that "coffee shop" vibe... but the "live" sound definitely doesn't mean that it sounded like you screwed up the licks... :p I thought the guitar sounded ok... (quality of sound-wise).. some of the levels could use some adjustment, but overall this was a good recording.

P.S. Pretty much agree with pglewis's nitpicks... I'll spare you my own "nitpicks"... :p

WATYF
 
pglewis: thanks for the spin.
I've decided I'm going to double the acoustic with a farther mic placement to de-emphasize the highs that make this initial one a little tinny.

In terms of bass, I'm just a guitarist making it up but I thought the playing was okay. by "just there" did you mean it didn't jump out at you sonically? Should I try to beef it up a little with some maximizing? I actually wanted it louder to make it "bounce" better but didn't want it to overpower the whole mix. Thanks for the input.

WATYF: I always appreciate someone willing to tell it like it is. I'm glad you think the live approach works here but I'm much more into precision in my head and heart than I think I'm showing with my work. I'm a huge steely dan fan so that should say it all. What is so indicative of a live sound here? I'm expecting you to say performance until I hear otherwise.

but seriously thanks guys. Anything else anyone has to add is still appreciated.

stone.
 
The vocals and playing are very good. It does sound live, but live in the living room kind of way. I hear too much of the room in the mics. Is this just to shop for gigs?
 
damn those room noises!

indeed it is for getting gigs but I'd like to hone my recording chops anyway if I'm going to record an EP for us that I'd actually like to sell. Of course, I would have it mastered by a pro but I'd like to do the tracking myself.

It's funny because last night I was thinking everyone here complains about noisy rooms/preamps/kids/stuff and I couldn't hear those things in my recordings. Obviously, I'm ignoring some of the more subtle noises that sneak their way onto the tracks.

Maybe it has something to do with the fact that I'm in a 30'x20' basement bedroom with no acoustic treatment whatsoever....:(

and I did have to compress her voice in several places. MAybe you guys noticed and maybe you didn't. Several places.

thanks TR,

stone
 
powderfinger said:
the mix is very present and live sounding......more like a live recording than a 'production',
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i agree with you somewhat, the basic production is good, but the vocals are weak, sung well, just not put down the best they could have
 
jono_3 said:
the vocals are weak, sung well, just not put down the best they could have
Click to expand...

I'll take part of the blame for that. Maybe I'll start a thread in Recording Techniques about how to get a hugely dynamic singer to stay more consistent or at least sound like they're consistent.
I told her I needed a more level performance but she said what makes her such a good singer is her range of volume.
I told her what she was using was a live technique and didn't apply here but, needless to say, she did not want to take my word for it. Her takes were all very hot in places but also relatively quiet in others. I tried to compress to even things out.

Thanks Jono.
 
Lithuania: From a production standpoint, the guitar sounds gorgeous. I wouldn't touch (change) that. Something I don't like about the vocals, though. They sound a little thin and "ringy," particularly when the harmonies come in, because then the ring is multiplied. My guess is it's a microphone issue. Or perhaps you eq'ed in too much highs. What kind of mic did you use?

From a performance standpoint, I'm liking it. Very well-thought out tune, and a good performance.

Again, I'm loving that accoustic guitar sound. Well done.

Bloom not Bloom: Alright, now I'm goint to say the exact opposite. Now the vocals sound really nice and sweet, warm, etc. But now the guitar sounds really edgy, ringing, the way I thought your vocals did on Lithuania.

My guess is the vocal mic for Bloom is the same as the guitar for Lithuania . . . and similarly, the same mic used on Bloom for guitar was used on Lithuania for vocals?

Am I close?

Wow. Great song. She sings with a lot of feeling. And the song has a lot of potential -- as in hit potential. She reminds me of Alanis.

David: This is my favorite so far production-wise. Great performance, too.

You guys are good.
 
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Hey this song rocks. I have it cranked and I love it. I am keeping in my faves. Thanks. Great mix. Great sound.

Steven
 
Yeah, there nothing wrong with the bass playing itself. The volume is a bit low, and the tone seems to lack some definition. It's hard to put it into words, and I'm not good enough to know what to suggest to improve it.

Personally, I like an airy "live-ish" feel on songs like this and I think the vocals don't sound too uneven. It didn't sound like you hurt 'em with compression, and that's what compression is there for. You might see if you can get her to work the mic more for control, but the vocs sound pretty good to me.

I think a little more present bass would solidify it a bit, but it's a good recording to me.
 
for the purpose you stated, this is perfect imo. i feel like i'm in a coffee shop when i listen. very live, unprocessed recording.

i think it's very good as is. the only thing i might change is bumping up the volume of the bass a bit. i really like the bass, just want to hear it more.
 
How's This for a long post?

Chessrock

Lithuania: From a production standpoint, the guitar sounds gorgeous. I wouldn't touch (change) that. Something I don't like about the vocals, though. They sound a little thin and "ringy," particularly when the harmonies come in, because then the ring is multiplied. My guess is it's a microphone issue. Or perhaps you eq'ed in too much highs. What kind of mic did you use?

I used a $20 Samson R11 dynamic for vox. It was all I had at the time and a particularly poor choice for a song I wanted to sound specifically studio, a la CSNY. I hear the same thinness but my hard drive crashed before it could be saved as a Cakewalk bundle so all I have is the stereo wav file. Do you think a mastering house could patch things if I wanted to throw it on at the end of an EP?

From a performance standpoint, I'm liking it. Very well-thought out tune, and a good performance. Again, I'm loving that accoustic guitar sound. Well done.

Thanks for the compliments. My whole intention was a not-so-perfect but obviously not live feel. Like I was playing to myself, which in fact, I was! Not that I sound anything like him, but I was listening to a great deal of Neil Young, After the Gold Rush and Harvest in particular when I wrote and cut this one. Actually, I’m still listening to a great deal of Neil Young but that’s another story…

Bloom not Bloom: Alright, now I'm going to say the exact opposite. Now the vocals sound really nice and sweet, warm, etc. But now the guitar sounds really edgy, ringing, the way I thought your vocals did on Lithuania. My guess is the vocal mic for Bloom is the same as the guitar for Lithuania . . . and similarly, the same mic used on Bloom for guitar was used on Lithuania for vocals?
Am I close?

actually, a very good guess but no. I recorded the guitar part for Bloom with my NT1 (which I am told is a bit strong in the highs) as the trebley part to fill in another more balanced acoustic track but then decided, for whatever insane reason, that it was good enough by itself. I’m in the process of going back to the original plan of recording a more full acoustic and fading this one back with some more reverb.

It’s funny because you’ve pretty much nailed what I spent more time on for both songs. I spent a lot of time on the vocals for Bloom and way more time with the guitar part on Lithuania. Good ears, man. It's like you know when I'm cheating!

Wow. Great song. She sings with a lot of feeling. And the song has a lot of potential -- as in hit potential. She reminds me of Alanis.

And, as ever, thank you for the kind words. They are always welcome. :D

David: This is my favorite so far production-wise. Great performance, too.

David is a song I really feel good about but am afraid I can’t do it justice in recording. First, I drown everything in 'verb and then I sing half the vox off key. Maybe I can hire Elliot Smith to sing it for me? Does he do demo singing? :rolleyes:

Imalion
Hey this song rocks. I have it cranked and I love it. I am keeping in my faves. Thanks. Great mix. Great sound.

Thanks Steven. I’ve had it on repeat in my car for three days so I know whatcha mean. My favorite moment is the really faint lead guitar intro after the first few lines.

Pglewis and Erichenryus

I’m definitely playing around with how the bass “sits” still. I’m glad I wasn’t alone in thinking it needed some tweaking.

Thanks guys! Hope I didn’t kill too many of you with this heinously long post!
 
Re: How's This for a long post?

stonepiano said:
Do you think a mastering house could patch things if I wanted to throw it on at the end of an EP?
Click to expand...

I'd still feel failry confident handing it out to bars.

The good ones will be able to hear the superior performance and look past any production issues. Most won't even hear production issues.

Still, if you want to get the really good gigs, it helps to have a professional-sounding, studio-quality demo (at least one where the vocals weren't cut with $20 mics). :D Makes a great impression. A good booking agent will tend to be more impressed if it sounds more polished.
 
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