Shotgun Blues - Original - Listen and Critique Please??

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ziplock43

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Finaly back from college and had the chance to record a song that I wrote while I was away. The music is mostly a rip off of Jimmy Page's "Prison Blues", but aren't all blues basically the same music anyways? The lyrics are so simple it's rediculous. Woman walking out, I've got blues, walkin down the street, etc. I just wanted to take a really basic, fundamentally blues song and see what I could make of it.

I used a Epiphone Les Paul through one of those cheap Crate half-stacks, which explains why the guitar sounds like garbage, so take it for what it's worth.

This is the first song I recorded being able to mic my whole drumset. Well, not all of it. . . I've got a Mic on the Hats, the Snare, one side tom, the bass, and an overhead. I only have one side tom, and the floor tom is the only thing that isn't directly miked. They're crappy $40 dynamics too -- all of them. . . so take that into account. No room treatment. . . very rudementary stuff.

The singing's not great. I'm getting better w/ tone, but it's still a little scratchy. And I still have alot to learn in terms of mixing/compressing/limiting/EQing the vox.

What does everyone think of this song?
 
Good solid blues track - don't worry about rippin' off JP...he's got enough money already...lol.

Are those the stock pickups in the EPI? Any pedals happening here? I'd dig some more mids on the guitar and maybe less gain for a fatter blues sound, but that's just me. Your sound is good - especially in reference to the mix.

Like I said the mix is great iMHO. Balance is good. The reverb/echo gives it a real live vibe.

Considering the modest mics, I'd say you nailed it pretty well, recording-wise.

Your playing is outstanding - I feel your pain as you dig into those notes....:cool:
 
ido1957 said:
Good solid blues track - don't worry about rippin' off JP...he's got enough money already...lol.

Are those the stock pickups in the EPI? Any pedals happening here? I'd dig some more mids on the guitar and maybe less gain for a fatter blues sound, but that's just me. Your sound is good - especially in reference to the mix.

Like I said the mix is great iMHO. Balance is good. The reverb/echo gives it a real live vibe.

Considering the modest mics, I'd say you nailed it pretty well, recording-wise.

Your playing is outstanding - I feel your pain as you dig into those notes....:cool:
Click to expand...

Yeah, stock pickups, no pedals. As bad as this sounds, I can not take any distortion off of the guitar. My amp just can't do it. I have the "gain" setting at about 9 oclock, and if I go any lower I just flat out lose some pick-up. I wouldn't be able to hold notes if there were less gain on it. I REALLY need a new amp, or maybe some pedals at least. It's not a good amp at all.

I'm still trying to figure out the difference between mids and highs, and how to make either stand out in my mix.

Thanks for the thoughts, greatly appreciated.

What do you think about the Bass? I had alot of trouble w/ it. I feel like it doesnt have enough presence -- that it's just a bundle of low-frequency energy sitting at the bottom that doesnt really stand out. It may just be my crappy speakers, though, I don't know.
 
Bass is holding the bottom end of the spectrum fine in my headphones.

I set my gain at about the 10:00 which is about the same as you.

You might try an OD pedal when you get the chance into the clean channel. Try before you buy at GC or somewhere first though because that's a lot of $$$ for something that might not be what you like. ;)
 
The bass is just right for this style - not toppy, providing a bottom end.
The drums sound good regardless of the mics.
The guitar playing is really in the zone.
The vocals - they're a weak spot - what have you done to it? Seems to skate across the note a bit too.
Lyrics - not ridiculous. The blues is a single story retold from different perspectives that's all. there are better & worse ways of telling the story than you used that's all.
Zep I was almost totally a borrowed album of somebody else's blues with a newer arrangement.
 
I have to agree that the guitar is pretty bright toned for a Les Paul, are you using the bridge pickup exclusively on the solos? If so it would help to use the middle position on the selector switch and mix in the neck pickup with the bridge to beef up the midrange.
A track of rhythm guitar would help it out too.
 
I agree with you that the middle switch btwn the 'Treble' and 'Rhythm' settings may have been better. I just personaly like the bright guitar, I think it works better for the solo. If I was playing this song live I might switch, but I like having one sound go throughout.

The rhythm guitar track is something I wouldn't want to put in though. I'm aiming for a simple, basic, 4 track song, with kind of a live vibe.

Thanks for your input
 
great song

you have great tone as is. i wouldn't change a thing. Nice playing. would love to hear more!

JasonBird
 
Thanks Jason! I'll be pumping out a few more songs in between December 10th and Jan. 5th when I'm home
 
That's real good, nice groove and playing. The tone you have there actually has somewhat of a Pagey feel and nice raw live crunch to it. It's fine without a rhythm track for the mids... you can try filling in the mids a bit more with the lead guitar or bass to make up for it. Probably EQing the guitar or bass roughly in the 400-1000Hz range you can fatten up the mix a bit. Nice work, dig it :)
 
Wow that's a helpful chart.

I've always wondered what people meant exactly when they said "warmth", "presence", all that stuff. Thanks for the link.

I'm gonna leave this song alone, but I'll be recording a few more songs of similar form to this (4 tracks, 12 bar blues, all that good stuff), and I'll take all of these tips into advice.

Thanks.
 
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