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

[wfaraoni]

This vocal really sounds exactly like the Christian artist, Michael W Smith, to me!!!! Ever heard of him? Hes been one on the leaders in that genre for years.
Peace
Bill

 

[chrisharris]

This vocal really sounds exactly like the Christian artist, Michael W Smith, to me!!!! Ever heard of him?

Absolutely. That's a compliment if ever I've heard one, lol...(I heard one once )

Thanks Bill,
Chris

 

[mbuster]

did someone say something?

 

[chrisharris]

Hrm...my psychic sense is telling me that Dave deleted a post. Now I have to assume he was begging me to ass rape him, but he then thought better about it... LOL!!!

(nope, I'm not deleting this)

 

[twist]

Chris, after reading your opening post, I thought this thing was really going to suck! Man, I don't know what you were whining about, cause it's really pretty good. The vox were nice. I could still hear the auto tune too by the way, even before I read the post where you mentioned it. I guess that's what happens if you use it too much. Kinda like when your mom told you if you cross your eyes, they'll stay that way!

This question is not just for you, but in general, why are so many people posting unfinished songs? The deadline is not for another week! For example, you didn't even add a bass line when the song obviously was intended to have one, and you spoke of the drums being just a couple of loops? I'm not picking on you, cause there were several unfinished entries, I just don't get it.


Twist

 

[JR#97]

I'm way late. But it's not like you're going to give me a demerit, right? Anywho.. sounded killer. Long live the Roland Jazz Chorus. I'm going to have to try that unplug 1 speaker trick. That was clever. How's that working out for you... being clever... (what movie is that from?) Anywho... I loved the tune and SG. A little box that can help your SG immensly is the Sansamp Acoustic DI... yes.. the ACOUSTIC DI. It helps take off some of the edge that the JC puts in there. Oh.. and use it for you acoustic as well.

 

[David]

but he then thought better about it...

haha, you can bet that shit , I pm'ed you

 

[chrisharris]

This question is not just for you, but in general, why are so many people posting unfinished songs?

I can't speak for anybody else, but I'll tell you why I did it. I never have any idea how long something will take to record, but I usually try to do it the same day I write the song, lol. I put in just a basic drum loop (which is gone, btw...the version you heard had some "overly cluttery drums" to it, right?...lol). Anyway, I tracked the guitars, and with just the gits, and the drums, I knew there was no way I could squeeze a bass in here. I tracked way too many lows in the guitars; (no EQ allowed), so I thought I'd post the naked version, which then freed me up to work on a more refined version. I'm also incredibly lazy, and I have a horrible bass guitar, so I posted it with the hope that somebody would volunteer. (it worked ) I plan to keep the tune, and I don't want MY bass sound on here, lol. I also don't have a real feel for pop/rock bass lines, so mine would have sucked if I'd been playing Geddy Lee's rig, lol.

Oh, as for the drums, it usually takes me enough time to paste in tom rolls and crashes to totally lose interest in whatever song I'm doing, so I often post my songs with a glorified metronome in them, so I can get help WHILE I'm working on the song (i.e., pasting in drum fills). The only reason I mentioned it this time is because it's a more uptempo song, so the lack of drums was a lot harder to get away with without some explaination. I have this kind of 3 day cycle in the clinic when it comes to my own songs. I like to post them the same day I record them, then fix the major screwups as I get feedback...I also usually listen to the tune while that's going on, so I pick up some stuff all on my own, lol...By the 3rd day, I've usually uploaded 5 or 6 different mixes, and it edges closer to "done" the whole time. I call it "Building Music," lol. So the version you listened to is really very different from the one that I originally posted...hopefully, it's better. That's the goal, anyway. So those were my reasons. Oh, and I'm one of those people who just HAS to be included, lol...so other people postings of whatever happened to be in their DAW's was an inspiration to do something.

BTW - I just uploaded what I think is the last version ("wetter...ish" version) that I hope I can just stick a bass track into in a few days when I get it. All the help from this clinic made this song get done, good or bad...that's why I hang around here a lot...it sparks tunes for me.

Wow, you probably didn't care that much...lol. I type fast. Thanks a lot for checking it out.

JR - You ain't that late, man. It's just that I tend to post about 50 replies in each of my threads, so it probably looks like it's been here longer, lol. Thanks for the tip on the JC, btw. Your 120 has tremolo, doesn't it? Thanks for the tip on the sansamp, btw...I hear that name a lot, and seeing you endorse it tells me I've been missing something.

 

[muzeman]

I dug it from the opening notes,nice tremelo sounds!

You sound good doubled Chris,give your voice a cool pop sound.
Great job for dry,definitly a cool tune!

Pete

 

[WATYF]

Hhhhhhhmmmmmmm........



This sounds remarkably not brittle.....






hhhhhhhmmmmm....




Now... how ever did that happen??






Sounds good to me dude. Vocals are a tiny bit too "chorused" from all the doubling, but still... much better sonic quality then what you usually end up with... (there was a compliment in there somewhere... you may have to read it a couple times to get it. )


Anywhey... I'm off to see how bad you screwed it up by adding effects.


WATYF

 

[chrisharris]

This sounds remarkably not brittle.....

lol...I've been kinda' WAITING for you to post...

Well, good. We've limited it down to "user error(s),"...was there ever really any doubt? lmao.

The "wet" version, btw, shouldn't sound any more brittle...all I really did was verb the vocals and kit some...No way I was going to start compressing shit after I took all that time enveloping it, lol.

I think I'm slowly narrowing it down to either the compression I've been using, or the low roll offs and parametric EQ'ing...(which I haven't done to this mix, and probably won't). It could be just the sheer number of conversions I put the file through after mixdown...who knows...the next one should give a little more information.

This was a good idea, whoever came up with it, lol.

PETE = Thanks my man. I'm gonna' try doubling my bg vocals from now on for sure...I don't know about the lead vocals, though...It's cool on stuff like this, but I think it'd be too obvious on the quieter stuff. Maybe,...who knows..one big learning adventure, eh?

 

[groucho]

Hey chris, I remember reading once that you said you often apply a little reverb at the end onto the whole mix. I did the same thing for awhile and found that when I stopped, my mixes suddenly seemed a hellofa lot cleaner and less "brittle".

Not saying that the "reverb as glue" method never has its place - but it might be something to consider on the alleged "brittleness" (which admittedly I haven't particularly noticed).

my waffles are done,
Chris

 

[bpoco]

.... one of my favorite bands (this won't surprise anybody) is the Eagles, for that very reason...Every damned person in the band sang lead vocal on at least one cut per album (even joe walsh, lol).

Exactly !! I've always loved the Eagles - both for the multiple lead singers and the writing. The Beatles had that (multiple lead singers) to their advantage as well. Pardon me, my pop roots are showing .

BPOCO

PS - (ref: Joe Walsh) What? You don't think "Pretty Maids All in a Row" is vocal classic? LOL.

 

[WATYF]

The "wet" version, btw, shouldn't sound any more brittle...all I really did was verb the vocals and kit some...No way I was going to start compressing shit after I took all that time enveloping it, lol.

I think I'm slowly narrowing it down to either the compression I've been using, or the low roll offs and parametric EQ'ing...(which I haven't done to this mix, and probably won't). It could be just the sheer number of conversions I put the file through after mixdown...who knows...the next one should give a little more information.

Yeah... I'm just messin' with ya... I heard the wet version and it was fine. It's prolly one of the plugins you use. I remember that I used to use CEP's built-in plugins (like compressor, EQ, etc.) and I think they had a lot to do with the "digital" sound I used to get. Who knows. At least, for now, we know there's a way to avoid it. (even if we're not sure exactly why. )


WATYF

 

[CrankyOne]

Listening to the dry one...

A good mix considering it's dry. Vocals are good (they don't irritate me, so that's a good sign ). I'm not too picky anyway. The actual song is very radio-friendly and I'd imagine this being on MTV (seriously!), of course it would have to be over-over-over-produced and feature some dancing girls

Nice pop-song. Not my thing but I can still hear the hooks.

 

[Guernica]

Hey Chris,
NICE pop man. Very impressive mix too considering the HRC criteria. I love the fact that youre spreading out. You once told me that you felt you were limited to country..... I adamantly disagree. Your voice is way beyond being genre specific.... very very nice bro. I believe!

...I would like to add some criteria to the Toki/Ped bass player challenge:

1. -Best example of phallic prowess (necessary to any successful bass player)....cucumbers or other enhancing appendages do not count! (R.Sarzo loses points here)

2. -Ability to toss a full scale bass high into the air and catch it,without any damage to the instrument or self (C.Novesellic loses points here).

3. -Ability to play inovative bass guitar and not die.(J. Pasorius loses points here)

4. -Ability to play bass (N.Sixx loses points here but excels in Item #5).

5. -Ability to prove that hair IS more important than musicianship.

6. -Ability to prove that a well executed low-frequency fart does infact constitute a viable bass tone (Guernica loses points here )


very nice work Chris!!
gw/5

 

[JMarcomb]

this sounds great chris... very poppy and cool!
i was looking at those jazz amps... sound really good from what i can hear.
really liked this one.. great work!

 

[chrisharris]

Okay, I should be publicly flogged for bumping this again, but I wanted to say thanks once more to a couple of people. I think Toki's working on a bass track, and mbuster is working on an entirely new musical arrangement, lol...so MY WORK HERE IS DONE.. (for now).

Mr. Guernica Guy - Funny stuff. I didn't even bother throwing your name into the ring, knowing how you probably haven't slept in a few days...and won't for...well, months, really. Of course, being who you are, you took the time to check in, which you didn't have to do...thanks, man. I had some child related stress myself last night with my youngest...ER trip and everything... - Look in the Cave if you want an excuse to hug your kiddo extra tight tonight

"WATYF" - Thanks again, you picky bastard, lol. I'm gonna' use the same methods on the next one, and just keep going until it bugs me, then go back one step, lol.

groucho - Hey Chris...funny you should mention that...I did that on one of the "wetter" mixes with this tune yesterday, and it got instantly blurry...which probably has something to do with overlapping different reverbs...reverb on top of reverb is maybe NOT such a great idea. I'm ditching that part of my routine as well.

BPOCO - lmao. The man needs to just play guitar...hehehee...he's good at that.

C1 - Long time no post, man. Thanks for checking it out. The guitars took forever on this, but I recently picked up a demo version of "Revalver," which I thought you once said you used...Did you? Do you? I'm not using my Jazz Chorus amp for heavier tones from now on if I can avoid it, lol. Anyway...thanks for lending me your ears.

Jmarcomb - Hey, it's a fabulous amp for clean stuff, and I love it as an acoustic amp; I was kinda' surprised to see that some modelling amps actually include the Jazz Chorus as one of the featured tones, lol. I've never had ANY equipment that anybody wanted to emulate, except for that amp, lol. Anyway, it is VERY difficult to get a dirty tone out of the amp without it turning harsh quickly...but again, it's a great amp for what it does best. Yup, I recommend it (which should probably scare you). Thanks a lot for listening man.

SO WE'RE DONE WITH THIS THREAD!!!

Thanks a ton, people.

 

[fenderlikingood]

Oh no the hell we are not!!!!!!!!!

 

[smellyfuzz]

REALLY LOVELY VOICE !!!!

The harmonies are quite nice.

Nice, nice tune, very moving.


Sean