Take Two....

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RAMI

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I posted the first version of this a few weeks ago....I re-worked it a bit, and took alot of good advice from the last thread.

I am going to probably re-do the drums. They just lack punch. I think I was pre-occupied, while tracking, with the monitering or something, because the playing even sounds a little tentative now that I listen to it.

Besides that, let me know what you think. I just finished tracking and mixing, which isn't a good idea, so there might be obvious problems I don't hear right now.

DOWNLOAD: LIFE IS MURDER

LESSER QUALITY STREAM: www.ramirami.com (should be the first song that plays).

Thanx alot!
 
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Man that bass and kick sound solid and thick Rami..... :cool:

I'm listening on my earbuds at work and this sounds pretty good. I'll listen to this a little louder later.....

The speaking vocals are a nice touch...the effected vocals after the solo are excellent. I'd like those up a tad in spots... Guitar solo is a hair low for me(but then I'm a guitar player :rolleyes: ).

Your high vocals at the end are fabulous - I dig it when you go for it. That range brings out a cool tone in your voice that sounds great. You have a lot of great vocal stylings that just keep getting better and better. Your layered harmonies for example have been very choice lately...

This song has a really smooth flow to it - very cool....The mix is well done, everything seems to sit nicely (some very minor vocal adjustment maybe as noted above). The processing (compression?) on the mix is great - nice and level but no fatigue and lots of dynamics.

Very nice groove on this one, I like the writing, the mix and the tempo....

:D :) :D :)
 
Damn man. I like the grumble low octave vocal being more than an afterthought; it adds lots of dimension. I don't hear anything tentative about your playing. (Except the pickup to the 2nd verse, but nothing major.) the harmonies RULE.

It astounds me that you don't track drums first. You get WAY too deep a pocket for such a weirdass technique. :)

I'm a bass player and a drummer and I agree with Gerry, the solo is a tad down in the mix and a little thin sounding as a result..

There's a certain lack of transparency in the ride cymbal and kick, like you de-emphasized overheads on this recording, or pulled some 6.3KHz out of the master mix. It's fat and nasty, but there's not a lot of air in it.

No issues with tracking or playing, but might could use a bit of tweaking in mix/mastering choices.

Excellent work, as always, man.

IN OTHER NEWS: I went and bought 7 drum mics, set my acoustic kit up, and I'm gonna learn to record them if it KILLS me. The V-Stage is clean, but just lacks the nuance I want, and is only a stereo feed.
 
Nice tune man.

Cool lyrics, Btw.

I think soundwise it sounds very cool and has a great kinda dark vibe to it.

Love the harmony part, very tastefull.
In all I think the vocal arrangment to this tune rawks in a big way.

I dont notice anything weird on the drums, just great playin as allways.

that guitar solo could come up a bit.

All in all great work mate :)
 
Hey guys....Thanx alor for the comments and tips. I actually took Ido's, Llarion's and Nak's advice and re-mixed it, turning up the guitar. I also worked on the drums a bit. Thanx alot guys. I think it's getting there.

I can't edit my original post, so the new link is here: LIFE IS MURDER.

If you have trouble downloading, you can hear a lesser quality stream of it here: www.ramirami.com. Should be the first tune that plays.
 
A great song, more dark RAMI - the harmonies are cool.
The bass really growls around.
I lke the spoken bits too & the high vocal to balance it works really well.
Solo is well placed in my ears.
The drop to one guitar at the end is good too - gives an idea of the contents of the foundation.
Can't download the song whether from the HR link or from your site after signing in - bummer - I WILL download it though as I'd love to hear this in better detail.
 
Badass shit dude!

How did you track the bass?

It's my achilles heel, ( and I'm a bassist :o )and I love how you captured it
 
Rami, I can't get the DL to work right now, so am listening to the stream.

The bass seems to have a little more punch....a little more prominent now. And I hear the subtle guitar lines a little better now. Vocals still sit really well in this mix.

Cool tune man...that's some tasty guitar playing. Very good choice of notes. And the bass sound, and notes really adds to this tune. Fills it out well.

The whole thing has a great vibe. :cool:
 
Nice work. I'm not 100% a fan of the lyrics, it's an attempt at being clever that isn't all that clever. I like the chorus and reprise at the end.

Musically it's solid. The drums are a tad tame but I also think that this works with the mid-tempo. Not everything has to be thundering or fast. This works good as a groove piece.

For self production this is really good and maybe one of the best things I've heard you do! :)
 
rayc said:
A great song, more dark RAMI - the harmonies are cool.
The bass really growls around.
I lke the spoken bits too & the high vocal to balance it works really well.
Solo is well placed in my ears.
The drop to one guitar at the end is good too - gives an idea of the contents of the foundation.
Can't download the song whether from the HR link or from your site after signing in - bummer - I WILL download it though as I'd love to hear this in better detail.
Click to expand...
Thanx alot Ray. A little different for me. Like Pinky said, not everything has to hit you in the face. Because of the lyrics and tempo, it's obviously not a "hit". Hopefully one of those songs that creeps up on someone who bought the CD for other tunes.

The download works now, by the way.
 
Rokket said:
Badass shit dude!

How did you track the bass?

It's my achilles heel, ( and I'm a bassist :o )and I love how you captured it
Click to expand...
Hey Rokket, thanx for listening.

I have an Ibanez bass that I play with a thick, hard pick. I don't do anything special, really. I record straight in and then compress and EQ while mixing. I'm glad it's a good sound. If it's a good sound, it's probably by accident. :)
 
Dogman said:
Rami, I can't get the DL to work right now, so am listening to the stream.

The bass seems to have a little more punch....a little more prominent now. And I hear the subtle guitar lines a little better now. Vocals still sit really well in this mix.

Cool tune man...that's some tasty guitar playing. Very good choice of notes. And the bass sound, and notes really adds to this tune. Fills it out well.

The whole thing has a great vibe. :cool:
Click to expand...
Thanx alot Dog. You can download it now if you want.

Again, I can't change the link in the original post, so here it is: LIFE IS MURDER
 
Pinky said:
Nice work. I'm not 100% a fan of the lyrics, it's an attempt at being clever that isn't all that clever. I like the chorus and reprise at the end.

Musically it's solid. The drums are a tad tame but I also think that this works with the mid-tempo. Not everything has to be thundering or fast. This works good as a groove piece.

For self production this is really good and maybe one of the best things I've heard you do! :)
Click to expand...
Thanx alot, Pinky. I appreciate your comment on the production, especially, since I like to hope I'm getting better at it. Still have a lot to learn in that field.

Thanx for the listen.
 
RAMI said:
Hey Rokket, thanx for listening.

I have an Ibanez bass that I play with a thick, hard pick. I don't do anything special, really. I record straight in and then compress and EQ while mixing. I'm glad it's a good sound. If it's a good sound, it's probably by accident. :)
Click to expand...
Ahhh.... Ibanez :D

That's where the tone is.
 
Yeah, I've had only ibanez for the last 2 bass guitars I've owned and when I finally get some cash together I'll probably go with Ibanez again.

BTW, last unteen guitars have also been Ibanez. Current guitar is an Ibanez (acoustic is an Alvarez, but it sounds the same! [by name and quality] :D). But I'm not a fanboy. :rolleyes:

:p

Oh, and the guy I do recordings with plays an Ibanez now. used to be a fender fan, but for price and utilitarian needs it's the best deal going.
 
Mmmmmm......yum...I love the slow intro of the guitars and your vox, with a dark Metallica feel to it...you do that very well RAMI. I kinda wish you would have kept this dark feel all the way through the song.

The cynicism of the lyrics and the tone of your voice in the verses add to the darkness of the song(especially the intro vox)...it reminds me of Hetfield. I don't care what anyone says about them selling out and all that crap...the man could sing and that awesome tone he had was killer!

I don't really care for the chorus vocals on the song...not because the singing is bad..but because the whole feel of the song,voice and instruments, take on an almost happy sound,(except for your whoops..I love em). It would just seem to be more impactive of emotions, to keep that dark feel going all the way through.

I love the 'stick hits' ...you know, that country western standard stick beat...? :eek: ...and the 'stick taps' or whatever you call them...what do you call them RAMI? :D

I love the drums all the way through.

The very end of the outro reminds me of a Spaghetti Western score...I like it.

The guitar solos are killer if not seductive, but too short and not in your face enough...once again, staying with the dark feel of the song...I would love to hear a much longer/louder one. I love seductive guitar tones. The slide..or I should say, 'slide sound' in certain parts, sounds excellent also.

You just may have produced the first dark-trippy-70's/80's-action-porn-spaghetti-western movie music score.

The bass is thick and deep....love it.

There is no counter on your player for pinpointing exact points of discussion....or I am blind.

A cool song RAMI...I think your dark and seductive flavour, is my favorite lick on the stick that you produce...and you have a talent for producing many.

If I've been naughty in what I have posted....you can spank me ;)

Love ya
True
 
Hey True.....Thank you. You make some great points.

I do tend to blend 2 different styles i one song often. It's not always deliberate. Someone once described some of my tunes as having "American verses and British choruses". :eek: Sometimes it works. In this tune, your point about having a dark feel all the way through is something to think about.

I think the solos are long enough considering that's pretty much all I can come up with. :D

My site player doesn't have a counter, you're right, so it makes it difficult to discuss precise places in tunes unless you download the song.

The "rim shots" is what you're refering to with the stick sound of the drum. Actually, technically a rim shot might not be that, but if you say "rim shot", most people would know what you're talking about.

Thanx for taking the time to listen and comment, True......xoxoxoxoxoxo
 
The vocal effects used are very effective on your voice. Striking difference in the opening vocal sound between this and the first version. Very nice. Interesting meter in this with the change between chorus and verse. I like the songwriting, arrangement and performance. All's very tight. Other than the quieter vocals I'd say maybe ease up on the compression a little.
 
Thanx Tim.....Glad you remember the first version....Now DESTROY IT!!! PLEASE!!!!

Do you find certain individual tracks too compressed? Or do you feel that the whole mix is too squashed? For some reason, I had to limit this more than usual just to get it up to an acceptable volume, so you might have picked that out.

Thanx again, buddy.
 
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