Some New Old Alt. Metal...

G

glimmer_doll

New member
well...i offer a link to some stuff i've been tinkering on for the last while.
WARNING: do not expect some highly polished glossy new rock...that is the opposite of my goal...

FYI: these are rough mixes i did through my home stereo. I recorded using a tascam cassette 8-track and i have absolutely no FX gear or anything (other than guitar pedals) the snare drum was recorded with a $5 mic from radio shack, and well....i'm just warning you...

anyway..tell me if you think i'm heading in the right direction here, or if you have any comments on the actual songwriting...

http://www.nowhereradio.com/artists/album.php?aid=4135&alid=-1
 
hmmm...let me see.

Very 90's Seattle Sceneish.

I think you have to keep in mind that you still have to track your instruments properly to have a fighting chance of achieving a succesful true creative lo-fi grunge that I think your looking for with this song.
 
I connected with the feelings and "mood" of your tunes bro..and downloaded em for for keeps. Now you need to connect with your direction and take it to where you want to go.

In your message you seemed to have an undertone as if you weren't sure that what you are doing is really the right thing or not. (The warnings and such.. hehe)

You need to be SO sure of what you are doing that you'll have the confidence to maximize your potential and hone your craft. Accept critique's that will nourish your direction and dismiss the literary rails that simply mislead you into another artists vision of what your art should convey.
No one imagines that a symphony is supposed to improve in quality as it goes along, or that the whole object of playing it is to reach the finale. The point of music is discovered in every moment of playing and listening to it. It is the same with the greater part of our lives, and if we are unduly absorbed in improving them we may forget altogether to live them.
 
glimmer_doll said:
WARNING: do not expect some highly polished glossy new rock...that is the opposite of my goal...
Click to expand...
I'd say you have accomplished your goal, lol. Man, I'm a dick. But seriously, I don't know what you're going for soundwise, so I guess offering "advice" would be arrogant of me. Rock On.
 
thanks guys

I guess what i really want to do recording wise is make something that has the emotional connection that is there when you're actually playing in front of people....that is kind of hard to do though when i'm playing everything myself, and there is absolutely no other human interaction. Plus...i'm not the best drummer...i'm ok, but hella sloppy...

I think ultimately, i need to step up my efforts to find people to play with...what i really want to be is a good live band...
 
I liked suffocate quite a bit.

Recording-wise, it sounds like a late 80's porta-studio demo.
 
glimmer_doll said:
thanks guys

I guess what i really want to do recording wise is make something that has the emotional connection that is there when you're actually playing in front of people....that is kind of hard to do though when i'm playing everything myself, and there is absolutely no other human interaction. Plus...i'm not the best drummer...i'm ok, but hella sloppy...
Click to expand...


Same here. I bought a kit to record with but I'm not a percussionist.. just a guitarist who likes to play "drums'. However, it's not uncommon for me to trash my acoustic track and just go with samples using Fruity loops because I'm unable to play the proper rythms that the song needs. Then again, I'm more of a home recording guy who likes to make "ditties" for enjoyment. I'm no longer interested in playing live or touring. I get more of a rush out of trying new mic placements, different mixing techniques, or spending 8 hours playing with an EQ on the same song.

Keep doing what you are doing and write more music. Write record re-record and re-write...rinse-repeat until you've got 50-70 songs you can use to shop around for musicians. If you want people to collaborate with you can start sooner but be sure to find others who share a similar taste in music or can bring the "proper" ideas to move your songs forward in a direction you are pleased with. If you want to connect with other musicians and develop a live band you've got everything you need right now. Don't worry about the quality of the recording or what mic you are using to record the drums. A percussionist can listen to what you've written and have a clear reference to work off of.

Goal setting, focus, and motivation are your friends. :)
 
Re: Depression in a Box, you mention that "the lyrics are so good" in your blurb about the song, but I can't really make them out at all on my rig. I really like the lyrics of songs. I'm using PC speakers with a subwoofer (they're pretty good sounding for PC speakers). Great emotional feel, though. And that nice warm, analog tape sound; I can hear that. I'm guessing it's pretty hard to give the vocals enough upfront sound when mixing on your stereo, so I'd say good job!

(Hey, I think the drums are OK; they add to the feel of the song and I don't find myself wincing. I actually like their placement in the mix.)

Re: Suffocate, vox are more upfront and somewhat clearer (less instrumental sound to compete with for at least parts of the song). I can hear the problems with drumming skills a bit on this song; sounds like maybe you were going for a slight delay on some of those drum fills, but it didn't always come off smoothly. But, I gotta say, I can't play a lick of drums, so that's just an observation from "out here," no criticism!

Wow. You must have worked pretty hard on these; they sound good to me! Based on our own experience with Tascam 4-track and mixing on a home stereo, you must have put a lot of work into getting these tracks put together.

How did you get that reverb sound in your vocals or is it something else (that analog warmth or something else, multi-tacks of the same vocal part)?

I like the songs. Moody. I'd say you got the emotion thing down. Maybe the relationship you describe is between you and song, not so much the audience. That's my observation as a novice vocalist: I develop a relationship with the song that I try to put into the recording (but I have a long way to go). Maybe the audience is getting off on watching the performer relate to the song, which intensifies it for the performer, no doubt.
 
there aren't really any effects on the vocals at all...i mixed from the tascam into my computer, and put some compression and some reverb over the whole mix (in acid pro)

lyrics for depression in a box:

in this world,
my soliloquy.
I stare into this solitude,
this un-opened box that sits under me.

A velvet rope surrounds my heart
the line that can't be crossed.
but even the strongest of walls can crack
leavng it open to bleed

In her box
from all possiblity
a lonley girl set free
not knowing where to go, she runs from me.

A velvet rope surrounds my heart
the line that can't be crossed.
but even the strongest of walls can crack
leaivng it open to bleed

little girl footprints
found all over the room
little girl hands on the knife
but one of those things that cannot be explained

my depression in a box was ripped away from me
no one will know what is there
and even though I've risen to the top,
my box is still under my chair.

little girl footprints
found all over the room
little girl hands on the knife
but one of those things that cannot be explained,
that is over and done with tonight
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top