Unmastered, Unverbed, Untuned, UnEQ'd, Uncompressed...Downright Unpleasant

[groucho]

Ahhh... I *love* yer voice un-tuned. I mean, you got a great voice anyhow you cut it. Like a cross between Townes Van Zandt and this guy from a band called Ed's Redeeming Qualities that I'm sure no one here has heard of, but, um... he's got a neat voice.

It'll be interesting to hear the "processed" version of this, because I actually think it sounds great right now. Obviously there's a few eq tweaks, etc. to be made. But a freakin' good dry recording.

Hey, what snare sound do you use and where can I get it? I like that snare sound.

Chris

 

[chrisharris]

Sounds great. Mixed a little bottom heavy, lol...
I don't know what it is you usually autotune out of your singing, I could have sworn I heard a bass in there a couple of times, are the guitars close mixed through condensors? wait you posted all this...nope didn't mention. I think there must be a reason why the left guitar is so bassy. hmm...wait there IS a bass...???

1. Autotune - I know this will sound like total bullshit, but I don't usually use Autotune for pitch. Flame me, but I love what it does to the sound of 2 or 3 vocals together.

2. Guitars - I neglected to mention that the rhythm guits aren't mic'd at all...I ran direct out of my Jazz Chorus...I did mic the leads, but those aren't in here b/c they sounded like bathroom, lol. I'm working on it. I don't want the lead work to be direct. The left guitar is super bass heavy, b/c every knob on the guitar was on "1", and the lows on the amp were on "10," lol. I recorded it first, and it had enough low end to hide the sound of the amp some...the one on the right actually sounds pretty bad solo'd...so it's not, lol. And there's no bass in here (yet)...I'll have to do some serious EQ carving to make it fit, I think. I don't know how to EQ electric guitars, so I'm just not doing it for now.

Tex - Lol...well, for one, I picked something super easy. There are only 3 instrument tracks... (1) drums; (2) guit #1; (3) guit #2. LOL...Plus, I knew the electrics would be a ton easier to record than the acoustic. As for the rest of it, I'm kinda' surprised actually...I didn't A/B this with ANYTHING, I didn't do jack shit after I got it to the right volume...I'm thinking maybe the compression I usually use on my vocals really does hurt me...God, this took forever to move all those dots around. Just tell me it sounds as asslike as all my other crap...please?

 

[chrisharris]

Hey, what snare sound do you use and where can I get it? I like that snare sound.

Chris

Okay, cool...one more vote for the snare sound... You use "loopology" loops, right? It's one of those kits. Rock Drum Kit #2, at least that's what it was when I downloaded it. They only had 2 "rock" kits when I grabbed those loops.

Thanks for listening...and in case you didn't catch it..."LEVON" HAD NO AUTOTUNE, lol...that's probably why you don't hate it. It was cool of you to mention it, btw. Later!!

 

[crawdad]

Holy shit! Wheres the Autotune?!!!!!!

Which brings up the question: Why would a man who can sing a vocal track with perfect pitch put an Autotune plugin on it?

First--fucking awesome tune, Chris! I love this one! Its got the alternative (whatever) edge to it, bu the vocal and the lyrics have HEART--big time! I give it major props for that--because thats precisely what I miss hearing in so much stuff in this genre. Great writing, singing--playing is great too--perfect for this song.

Bass--it will fit fine--just find the right part--its gotta move around--kinda walking through the notes. It will work--just stay on the lower stings all the way.

One thought---just a pesky thought, not a must. In your chorus, I really, really, really wanted you to say at the end "I believe, theres a time to leave". C'mon--its got the internal rhyme and ties together with the chorus opening lines so COOL--would just be the bomb! OK, I'll shut my pie hole now. Chris, you are diving into some fresh waters and they seem to be good for your music.

 

[erichenryus]

i really like the vocal on this. now that you're not burying everything in mounds of effects and eq i can hear it a lot better

stick with this sound for your vocals please.

 

[crawdad]

Did I mention how GOOD this is?

 

[jake-owa]

Nice!

you should throw that autotune in the recycle bin...you sound fabulous baby!


Ps. I know you're full of shit, but I love you anyway.

Great song man.

 

[M.Brane]

Well, considering what I just heard...

You are hereby forbidden to use any kind of dynamic, equalization, time domain, or pitch correction processing on your vocal tracks!

You must now edit all your vocals manually.

































J/K

It sounds good, dude!

Oh yeah, I like that snare too.

 

[flat-9]

Man,
This style suits you just fine lawyerman! Very versitile musician.I like most of the stuff on the 'mango' page, but I think you 'shine' here as opposed to the more folksy type. Unquestionably chrisharris! Do you have any idea as to how much you sound like 'you'? ( stylistic comp ! )

Why would you even consider covering tunes when you can pen gems like this? ( oh, ya ....gigs )

I moved by your ability to emit sensitivity and emotion here in this genre which usually void of this.

Vocals are superb! You have no need for the Antares!....whatsoever....except for mere convenience and as a time-saving tool, in which case I'm all for it.

A little CEP, a few tweaks, a tad of verb to glue it together and your ready to roll.

I don't miss the bass at all! However, once you roll-off the bottom end, I'd send it to Toki or Pedullist for a nice smack an the ass-end!

Ralph

 

[chrisharris]

Hey Crawdaddy - Cool of you. You know, I finished writing this this morning, and after reading your post, I looked at the lyric sheet, and there it was ... "'there's a time to leave"...bigger than Dallas. Then I listened to the tune again, lol. Yup, I'll say without reservation that YOUR LYRIC IDEA IS BRILLIANT, lol...I wrote it that way, my brain changed it when I tracked it...that happens a lot, actually, but I hadn't even noticed. I'll say this, it's VERY easy to punch in vocals this way...just make sure you use the same mic, lol...no reverbs or EQ settings to remember. I'll take YOUR advice and change that line. Your writing comments were nice to hear, btw.

erichenryus - I actually thought you'd like the vocal sound on this if you heard it...you're mr. "Anti-Reverb," lol. I gotta' admit, I'm rethinking a lot of things b/c of this thread. I'm a lot of things, but "closed-minded" is hopefully not one of them. I think the dry/doubled vocal works better on stuff like this than it would on most of my slow, depressing, morose stuff, lol...but I actually will try it on the next one.

Jake - I don't know what you mean, but please know that I love you too...in fact, I was thinking about starting a thread about it, but then I realized that I already proved my love for you in one of YOUR threads, lol.

Mbrane - You're so full of shit, lmao...the vocal is WAY TOO LOUD, and THERE'S NO BASS...hehehehee... But I'll say it again, I'm rethinking a lot of things about my vocal. I usually do all kinds of massive compressing, which leads to a need for de-essing (i.e., more compression), which, by the time all that is over, has made the vocal pretty damned "middy" sounding, so that leads to an EQ adjustment....etc. I think it probably actually takes more time to do the other route, b/c I have to listen, and tweak, and EQ, and compress again, and listen...lol...But the moving around of dots on a computer screen, FUCK, I HATE THAT!!! And "cool" on the snare comment, btw...I'm too lazy to change it.

I'll stop posting in this thread soon, I promise...but I suddenly find myself excited about the recording deal again...(I'm sure this'll sound like a washed out muddy mess in my car, which will bring me back down to earth, lol).

 

[chrisharris]

flat - 9 - Posted over you there...What a cool post. Thanks, man. As far as the genre thing goes, as we all know, there's very little use in this world for a songwriter outside of Nashville, at least, none that I've been able even dream about finding, lol. Pop/Rock songs suck, mostly b/c the bands that play them write them. Call my cynical, but the song just doesn't matter as much...and I can say this without a hint of snobbery, b/c 90% of my favorite tunes are pop/rock songs, the actual subject of which I couldn't tell you if you had a gun pointed to my head, lol.

And yeah, I'm all over the PLEASE PLAY BASS FOR THIS thing, lmao. ANYBODY? Again, thanks.

 

[crawdad]

Well, I was wandering around Waco with a hangover this morning and I saw this house where all the shingles looked perfect. I figured that somebody used Autotune on this roof, and it hit me: this is where Chris lives, dammit! So, being the curious type, I knocked, but nobody answered. Hell, I let myself in! I saw this lyric page sitting by the computer and picked it up. Sure as hell, it had those EXACT lyrics. As I put it back down, I muttered, "f'ing brilliant. Chris has written the PERFECT song."

Well, I got home and downloaded the new masterpiece (after a brief skirmish with the Homeland Security crew in Waco) and I couldn't wait to hear the real deal coming across the net. WHoa! he changed the best freaking line--I thought.

So, glad to hear you had that line originally, but it dashed my hopes of getting writers share on a piece of future big royalties, LOL!

The thing that bothers me the most though is this: if I would have had 15 more minutes, I could have gotten into your computer and deleted that Autotune program. Oh what joy! To hear you sing beautifully without that shadow over your shoulder. I would have done it, but I was really afraid of what might happen to your roof. You know, lawsuits and all.

 

[chrisharris]

Funny stuff, followed be more funny stuff...

Hey man, first off...if you can figure out some way for this tune to make money, lol...then as far as I'm concerned, you wrote half of it, lmao... Because, after all, if you hadn't pointed that out, I probably never would have even thought to change it...so really.....

Oh, and I think I'm throwing in the towel on the Autotune...at least for the clinic. Not because of your comments, which I know were intended in fun, but b/c it's just become more of a distraction than anything else. Plus, since most people in the clinic won't ever see this post, I'll have tons of fun nailing people when they tell me I'm using too much Autotune, lmao. So I guess this has actually (and officially) been the most productive day I've had in music, lol. I've always kind of taken a little bit of pride in at least being able to record QUICKLY, if not well...lol...ditching the EQ, Compression, Limiting, and FX stages is gonna' save me TONS of time. Hey Al, do you know if most "pro" vocals are doubled? I've always kinda' doubled sporadically to beef up a part of a chorus or something, but never like this...More importantly, do YOU double your vocals?

 

[crawdad]

Chris--NEVER. Here's my take--and this comes from people FAR more skilled and talented than I--the heart of the song comes from the singer. Whether its NY, LA or Nashville, engineers and producers will spend ridiculous amounts of time getting that perfect vocal take. Look at it this way. If you have a great melody and lyric, the only thing that can make it resonate with humanity is the vocal. So, you may punch in a hundred times to fix the things that aren't quite perfect, but doubling is a trick to get punch and thats about all. Sure, the Beatles did it often, but these days, I don't hear it used at all. Like a great photograph, what we want to do is capture the singer in the moment of the most perfect and sublime expression of the song. Thats one track at the right time, sung with the right feel and the right emotion and phrasing.

Hearing your "naked" vocal, I learned something about your voice. First of all, you sing in PITCH. Autotune is used to correct people who can't quite get it right. Before Autotune, they had this device in Nashville called--I'm not joking--the Infernal Publison Machine. It sampled a phrase or word of a vocal, -tuned it, then they'd fly it back into the track. Same idea as Autotune, but an earlier incarnation.

So, basically, you don't need pitch correction. In fact, it is adding artifacts to an otherwise great performance on your part. In essence, you are running your soul through a sieve. If it were somebody else, I'd say use the damn thing so I don't have to suffer the out of tune BS. With you, its, quite honestly, a waste of time and a watering down of a naturally great performance. May I add, you do--as flat-9 suggested--have a unique and signature style to your singing. Thats good. Really good. All I'm trying to get you to see is that you do not need any "help" in that department. Beyond that, you write from the heart, so the vocal performances reflect that. Voice+ heart+ talent= communication. No need to fuck it up with anything. You are THERE.

Do I make myself transparently clear? LOL!

One more thought on doubling. Its most effective with background vocals, where you want to get a full sound--especially those oohs and ahh's, but all the parts in general. On those parts, I say yes! Go for it. On the lead vocal--NO. get that wonderful take (or composite take) and let it do its thing.

There is a difference between talented and gifted, by the way. Its about time you realize you are in the latter category.

 

[wfaraoni]

You know!!!

















This isnt helping my depression one bit




Just kidding, But this is yet another great recording.

I thought the purpose of this was to show that even you guys who sound good all the time actually suck too , and that your all some kind of recording gurus who do amazing magic tricks. Apparently NOT

Oh well



Peace
Bill

 

[Khompewtur]

Well I almost missed this one, where's the properly formatted "HRC" in the title? Glad i caught it.

I can rarely add useful info about mixing. Anything I might've thought about chiming in about has already been said. I'll stick to content.

This song in my opinion is the first one that would hold up in commercial rotation. Not just barely bottom of the barrel make it, but hold it's own. I've heard a lot of great stuff on the board, and some very artistic pieces but this has done the best job so far of capturing that "common denominator" that is so requisite for commercial success.

I don't think it would stimulate album sales or anything just yet, but it could be a serviceable #3 or #4 track on an album. You are very close to something here, I think a few more tracks of just slightly highly caliber in terms of "Wildcardness" and you will find yourself and your music getting pulled out of here and pushed out into the world.

 

[badgas]

Good song, Chris.

I'd like to make a comment on Juliet, if I may.
The song hit me as if the hammer of thor slammed it in my head.
My song is Kathy.
Same theme, the same. Only instead of a decade, thirty-five years have gone by and we meet at a reunion.
You did a very good job.
I like yours much better.

 

[mbuster]

Well, chris, I bestowed upon you the honor of giving someone ELSE's music the car test this morning. I wanted to learn all the progressions so I can mangle this thing. You know what I discovered? The vocals were so damn good that I didn't even notice the robot kick and snare. Are you going to hook me up with the "fills"version? I'm more excited about this song than my own right now. I gues because it's so much more "listenable" than anything I write. This song just has hook after hook. Even Jake-owa likes it.

 

[bpoco]

Just a quick note:

So this is Chris Harris "naked". I've been bugging some of the more advanced posters to try something other than their usual style ..... and this is it !!! If I had heard this "blind" I wouldn't have believed it was chrisharris. Very nice. Not even a hint of country. I guess under that cowboy hat, boots and jeans lives a pop/rock musician. LOL.

I'll check out the mix tonight, but first impression (laptop and headphones) thinks it's GREAT. You suck man !! LOL. Your dry stuff is way better than any of my "mastered" (or mangled) stuff.

BPOCO

 

[Gidge]

Chris, this sounds frickin amazing.....

you sound great naked....

Hehehe....umm, while I appreciate the heart of my friend Gidge, I'm about as "rock" as Liberace, so...

yeah, tell that to someone else......


btw, whats that clip "Git tone I like"?....


MIKE