Seriously, I need advice

  • Thread starter Thread starter Royston
  • Start date Start date
I'll comment on the performance first.

- The drummer drags, a lot. I think the song dropped about 4 BPM when the vocals came in. Whether this is intentional or not... it's not smooth. The timing of the whole song needs to be improved - A lot. Loose is cool, but there is a fine line between cool and sloppy.

Without a good initial performance, commenting on the mix becomes irrelevant. to me anyway.

But.

- vocals seem a bit upfront, bit of verb may help and drop the level a few dB.
- pan the guitar a bit more and maybe consider adding a second one to fill it out, panned opposite.
- kick drum gets very prominent at the end, either adjust the player, compress it, or adjust the level manually or automagically.
- What's with the cymbals? Sound like they are being choked intentionally, or dampened too much. Choking is good for emphasis but this may be a bit much. It would be good to let them ring the odd time. Again, maybe this is what you want though.

The vocals distort, but that's kinda cool. With a touch of reverb and other I think that might work.

Anyway, hope this doesn't seem like a bunch of negative feedback. I think the song could sound much better, potential for sure, just need to get the performance down better first, and then worry about the rest.

Forgot.. you didn't list your equipment or other details. This is always helpful in offering any advice on tweaking things.
 
Thanks Emeric,

My setup:

Fostex X 26 4 track recorder
One sm58 used for drums, vox & Fender Deville guitar Amp
Epiphone Sheraton guitar
Bass guitar directly in to recorder
Cheap drum kit

I play all the instruments myself (no drum machines) and I've only been playing the drums for 2 months so haven't quite figured stable timing yet.

When you say "pan" the guitar explain exactly what you mean. When you say add another guitar do you mean add the same part or like a lead guitar part.

Thanks a bunch Emeric,

ps. I downloaded Goldwave so i think I may give that a shot

pps. I'll tell the drummer (me) to quit draggin!
 
Nice tune .. liked the chorus. Besides the production, I think perhaps if you mumble a bit and show more anger/emotion and do the Jim Morrison thing, it'll be a hit !

Nice, keep at it !
 
Hongteck,

Thanks for the advice, but I would rather not imitate Jim Morrison, I'm trying to develop my own style.
 
Emeric you didn't answer yet

I'd like a few more reviews please, I'll be happy to critque your music in exchange.

Regards,

Roy
 
Hey your right I didnt!

I meant to record the same guitar part, and pan it opposite. And/Or, record another guitar part that would complement the current one, again panned. The guitar you have now could be panned more, but only if it's reinforced with some more guitar.

That's something you can decide, your music, your the producer.

One drum mic ain't gonna cut it for drums. You got some pretty decent results though with just one. Get another mic or two. Maybe one for overhead and one on kick and snare. Or two on overheads and one on kick.. the possiblities are endless, really. Drums are a tough thing to record.

Also, get rid of that auto-choke cymbal, or stop choking it, let it ring. A good 16" crash would help you out.

And, if your into click tracks.. they can help. Take a bit to get used to, but very worthwhile in the end.
 
I like the song and it sounds good considering it was done on a 4 track with one mic (in my opinion). I agree with all Emeric's comments. I'm assuming the "auto-choking" cymbal is just a really cheap crash, like the ones that come with a cheap kit? Buy a nice crash. I bought a $269 kit, and paid over $600 for cymbals (sabian AAX: 2 crashes (dark and stage), ride (stage), hats (stage), and a china (b8pro, never heard a china that trashy, especially for $50 used)). People hear it on tape and think I've got some DW kit I spent $10,000 on. Good cymbals help the sound of the whole kit. You seem to have a decent bass/snare sound, so cymbals would severlely improve your sound.

Practice, practice,practice, play to a click.

Dropping the vocal level should even out the whole song a bit. Maybe an echo/reverb/delay effect on the vocals? I think it would be very fitting to the song. I do my drum recording usually with a mic on the kick, snare and 2 overheads. If there is major tom usage I'll close mic them, otherwise I do the 4 mic thing. I got the bass drum mic along with 2 toms mics, that I have on occasion used as my overheads (gives a really punchy sound) for like $100 on eBay. Superlux mics I think? They do the job. The drums do soudn good for one 58 though. One more 57 or something, and you could get much better results. Either using them as a stereo pair of overheads, and being creative with placement, or one on kick one on snare. Most of your track is based on the hats/snare/kick anyways.

Doubling the guitar's might sound good, You'd just have to bounce tracks, and doing that sucks.

Anyways, I like the song a lot, just the production is kinda lacking (it was done on a 4 track, so that could be expected).

Jake
 
Thanks for the reviews guys, very helpful.

Ok now i know what to do with the guitar! JRELMONZ you were spot on when you said my cymbal was cheap! I bought one of those $300 kits with everything included, so when i can afford I will get a decent set of cymbals. When you say click tracks do you guys mean like a metronome or maybe a drum machine beat to play along with on the headphones so I stay in time?

Thanks for the help!

Roy
 
Yeah, I figured. I got one of them too, and actually use that crash bent inside out as a really bad sounding china, on occasion. Yeah a click track is usually just a metronome pulse, but a drum machine beat might be easier to do. Can't say, I've only played to a click. One of those little metronomes with a headphone out jack could do the trick. Just set the tempo and play. It takes practice though, it feels quite strange at first.

Jake
 
One More Question (If it's not too much trouble)

What genre would you folks say my music fits into and are there any well known artists that I could be compared to?

Thanks In Advance
 
Well, the chorus reminds me a bit of the song 'under the bridge' by Red Hot Chilli Peppers, maybe even a hint of the Rolling Stones. So, I'd call your stuff good old - Rock & Roll.
 
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