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  • Thread starter Thread starter Thwok!
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Thwok!

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I've swapped out the stuff I had on NoWhere. You guys had some good input on the last ones I had out, so I hope you'll check this out and offer your opinions. To make this simpler, in this thread I'm looking for feedback mainly on this song:

I Come Back Up With You

This is one from our most recent effort, recorded in a small project studio and mastered at a larger studio which is not a mastering studio. The MP3 brings out some different things in the mix from the cd, I think. If you don't mind, let me know what you're listening on (little computer speakers, headphones, etc.) so I can take that into account. I wrote the song and play and sing lead. Comment on any aspect: song, singing, playing, tracking, mixing, mastering.


If you listen to the other stuff and want to respond, that's fine too. Our website hasn't been updated, so I'll take you right to them:

http://www.nowhereradio.com/artists/album.php?aid=2854&alid=-1
 
Hello Thowk!

Took a listen and I dig the 60's feel to it. It defintely has that raw 60's style and I like that. You also have a pretty distinctive voice that I think works well for your music.

Recording wise, I think the drums sound a bit like tin and could use a boost, and maybe some panning to give them a bigger sound. They seemed to be pretty far back in the mix and at times were covered over by the guitar.

Vocals sounded good, though they too might use just a tad of a boost. The playing sounded real good on this end. I'm just listening on some cheap computer speakers, but that is how it sounded to me.

Good tune, though.

:D
 
The dead sounding guitar in the beginning contrasts nicely with the livlier sounding second guitar and drums that brings the vocal in.

If you have used a volume envelope in the intro to 'expose' the very beginning of the vocal, you did a good job.

Vocal is mixed out on top, good job, can understand the vocals, but there's room to bring the vocals up higher.

Vocal is getting lost as the first verse finished.

Consult your meters in some places and compare the vocal level with other instruments. If the vocal meter and an instrument meter are the same ? ... which one is actually much louder ?

At 2:15, this guitar riff just kind of stomps on the vocal ?

These are real drums aren't they ?

At 3:25 the vocal enters well again, don't let the vocal sink below that level either as a result of increasting the volume of the other instruments, or when you add effects to the vocal, you will lose volume.

At 4:04, again the tail-end of the verse gets 'lost', as if you were turning your head away from the mic to look at your guitar ?

Thanks for sharing, I'm sure others will have lots more good technical stuff to say about knobs and such ...
 
I listened to it on my monitors and with headphones. I like the 60s vibe as well. Got that sweet 60s guitar tone. Good vocals as well. I can't hear any kick drum at all, though.
 
Really great bass sound. What kind of bass? Nice, woody sound to
it. Bluesy. Doors-like. 60's rock. Old Bowie. Is it just me, or is the
lead gtr slightly out-of-tune? It should probably be panned away
from center, for some clarity... the bass is a bit woofy when everything comes together... but sounded good in the intro...

Nice vocals! Kick drum seems MIA. Kind of melts into the bass. Jam
rock. This would be interesting to mix... cymbals too loud... would
involve un-muddying bass, moving some things around... not bad.


Chad
 
Thanks for the feedback, guys!

Boydrj, thanks for the kind comments on the vocals, etc. Yeah, the drum sound is a concern, though it probably doesn't sound as thin on better speakers. More panning could help.

Studioviols, I think we did boost the vocals a bit at the beginning (I'm not sure if that constitutes a volume envelope, maybe you can explain that to me), as I felt it was getting lost. Maybe we should have left it at that volume throughout, as you say it's getting lost in places. We tend to tweak spots, and sometimes I think we should just try to find the right level and leave it there.

I'm at work now, and I can't listen to it here, but I'll check out the times you mention. I think there are a couple spots where we left in some lead where it may step on the vocal. Yes, the drums are real, this is my band recording (one at a time).

I recorded the final vocals separately, so the loss of volume wasn't due to looking at the guitar. We may have boosted something else or I just didn't sing as loud.

Fattmusiek and Chad, I think I know what you mean about the kick. I need to learn to listen for it more.

Chad, I think what you may be hearing as far as intonation is the that the whole thing is not at concert pitch. This is one of two songs where we started recording without tuning immediately beforehand. The original guitar was slightly sharp. I should have done it over when I first realized it, but I liked the cut, so we tuned everything that followed to it. It seems to work this way, but if your ears are trained to A440, it could sound wielrd.

The bass was a 5-string Warrick, I think. We borrowed it from a friend, as we were using an old Peavey p-style bass at the time. Sounds like the bass is good by itself, but isn't sitting in the mix quite. Yeah, the lead is probably too close to center, now that I think about it.

Glad you all seemed to like the tune, and the retro feel! The lead was done with a '71 SG through a Fender Deluxe RI, and I used a boss DS1 pedal. All the comments have been very helpful. Keep it coming! I've posted on some other boards to get critiques, but it seems like there are lots of people posting songs, but very few taking time to review. This forum is great! :)
 
I LOVE THIS! It's so... so... 1967!!!

Seriously, sounds like a lost track from Surrealistic Pillow, replete with Paul Kantner (i think? Kaukonen? Balin?) vocals. All that's missing is Gracie on the backgrounds, and some more drug references...

Great garage-y feel to it. Very very cool.:cool:

Daf (speaking of the summer of love...:D )
 
I would add some reverb to the vocals and maybe a bit to the entire mix. Really go for that nostalgic sound. Besides, the lead vocal is not quite sitting right.
 
Thanks, Daf! I hadn't really thought about an Airplane comparison, but now that you mention it, there could be an influence there. I used to listen to a lot of their stuff from that period. It figures you would appreciate it, as it looks like you're almost as old as I am, which makes you about three months younger than dirt. :D

Actually, this is one of my most recent compositions, though the words have been around awhile. I had the verses laying around for a few years, and I had a poem which included what is now the chorus. The poem was free verse but this part almost rhymed. It was originally "memory's caricature", which I changed to "memory's lie" after we played it a few times.

I really like Kaukonen's lead stuff, and if the vocals sound like Kantner or Balin, that can't be bad. I've been planning to have my daughter do some background vocals on parts of this project, so maybe I'll see what kind of Grace Slick she can do!

We have a lot of fun playing this song!

:cool:
 
ashulman said:
I would add some reverb to the vocals and maybe a bit to the entire mix. Really go for that nostalgic sound. Besides, the lead vocal is not quite sitting right.
Click to expand...

Yeah, I'm always wary of adding too much reverb, but that might work with this one. Thanks!
 
Yeah there's some '60s stuff happenin' there but I hear Phish, too. (first two chords reminiscent of "Crown of Creation").
Cool lyrics and melody writing following smoothly to chorus and then back. Nice writing. Good edgy lead vocal -clean.

I'd like to hear you guys live for sure! Too bad I'm about 5,472.8 miles away. Nothing else to add that hasn't been said. Really needs the kick.

Very cool!!
Milan
...wishing to find some slack in the damnd chain
 
MC Gitarz said:
Yeah there's some '60s stuff happenin' there but I hear Phish, too.
Click to expand...

I can't deny it, the younger guys in the band have turned me on to Phish in the last couple of years, and I love their stuff. When you hear they're a "jamband", you think it 's going to be a bunch of unstructured jamming, but those guys seem like they can do it all! :cool:

More kick is definitely on the agenda!
:D

Yeah, that slack can be pretty hard to find sometimes . . .
 
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