Whew...first post at the Clinic

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Synesthesia

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Well, guys...I've been nervous about posting anything because I only have *one thing* to post and it's far from being close to finished...but I figured that I've been lurking and posting for the past month without actually contributing anything to the community, and it's time I started really getting into it.

Oh boy, this one comes with way too many disclaimers. This song isn't really indicative of most of my stuff. I chose my easiest, slowest song to start with. I obviously haven't done all the parts for it yet — I plan to do vocals (once I get my hands on a mic :D) and bass from scratch, but the guitar, drums and strings are pretty much as I'm going to do it (I might replay a few parts to fix up the obvious mistakes — I'm not a genius instrumentalist). Once I add the vocals they'll start at around 14 sec. and go through the whole song, so that's probably why the whole thing sounds a bit empty right now. Lyrics are already written if you wanna see 'em. Strings were originally envisioned as a real, live string quintet, but as is often the case with HomeRec'ers, ambition exceeded possibility so I settled for mellotron.

Any suggestions for making this thing sound better are appreciated (mix, tones, sounds, structure, etc.)...I know nothing about mixing, and this is my first recording ever, so assume you're talking to a 5 year-old here. It's been through about 20 versions already...looking forward to improving more...

Dammit. I've talked too much. Here it is.

(Old version)
*UPDATE
(Newer version)

"Something Like Sadness." Sorry about the song length, I'm not one for concise song structure. And I assure you, since I've gotten questions on this before, the half-step dissonances are all intentional. ;)

-Derrick
 
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I really enjoyed it. It's certainly a great start.

In terms of the mix, I found the drums too out front and quite boxy sounding and the guitar solo wasn't nearly loud enough.

You could probably tighten up the arrangement a bit, but it was a good listen.
 
Hi Jim,

Thanks for listening! I hear all your crits and am taking them to heart in my next attempt...I'll have to mess with the drums a lot more to get them to sound remotely good. We'll see what I can do!

*edit: New mix coming soon, if anyone cares to hear. :)

-Derrick
 
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I can't even get a 4.0 KB/sec transfer rate on download. Sloooow server.
 
I thought some of the same things as Jim Soloway. The drums are a bit upfront and the guitars are somewhat quiet. The same can probably said of the synth - a bit far back.

I'd say that I like the tones on all the instruments. That depends somewhat on the mood of the song, which I can't get yet without a melody line and words. But if it's what I suspect you're going for I think things sound ok.

So push back the drums a bit and push up the other parts.

Watch that guitar that comes in at 5:09. It has a sound that borders on being abrasive. It's not too bad as it is, but if it gets much louder, it's gonna hurt the ears.

Good start.
 
therage: Sorry 'bout the server. Sometimes it goes really fast, other times it slows to a crawl. Try again in a few minutes, maybe it'll speed up. This will be fixed soon (maybe I should sign up for NWR).

TripleM: Thanks for the tips, especially the heads up on the outro guitar. I wanted something a bit smoother, I'll probably re-record it with different distortion settings (right now it's set on my standard "crunchy metal" settings...probably not too appropriate for that part). The tone I'm looking for is somewhat on par with Dave Gilmour's harmonied guitar parts on Floyd's "Animals" (especially the song "Dogs"), but slightly more distorted.

New mix is bouncing as I type. Thanks for all your help!

-Derrick
 
Wow, this is slooooow........

doooowwwwnnnlllooooaaaadiiiiiiiiiinng..........................

Ok, here it goes..


I wasn't talking about the song but...

The intro is a bit long for me.
Nice blend of instruments. the snare seems over-filtered.
This song is begging for a far out lead. You have one I hear but it needs to steal the song I think. I like the changes they're just to long in the spare parts to me. Take this with a grain of salt as I'm easily bored. Nice MIDI strings...seriously they're not bad. I would add some nice open reverb to them to hide the synth vibe a bit.

Now I'll say the standard: needs more punch and clairity.

Ok now I know why the DL was so slow.

Here's that smokin lead we needed.

That snare fill was not needed at 5:27.

I would cut that down and add lyrics to a couple parts to finish it off, but who the hell am I to tell anyone how to make their music.

Nice first submission! Good job.
 
Wow, I can't believe how helpful you guys have been. Well actually I can, I fully expected you to be, which is why I came here...anyway, this is the next incarnation of the rough cut of "Something Like Sadness." Jake - I totally hear what you're saying about "punch," but I'm not quite sure yet how to add it. I'm banking on the hope that when I add the lyrics it'll sound much more whole. I'd add them immediately but I have no mic at the moment (looking at some low-end Shure models to start with my budget of about $0.00). I'll also think about taking out the snare fill at the suggested spot, but that'll involve setting up the drums all over again (I'll get to it eventually).



Version 2: Changed around a lot in the balance and mix. Changed the kick drum sound, as I couldn't hear it well enough in the first version. Tweaked the guitar sound at 5:09. Messed with reverb effects on the strings.

Thanks for your help again! This is part of my learning process. And sorry about the slow server, I'll work on it for future postings.

-Derrick
 
Derrick, I doubt the server is that slow, it was a six minute song. I'd be suprised if it was a snap.
 
it downloaded fast for me.. nice rhythm.. bring up the bass a bit and the solo A LOT..

It sounds empty now, but it leaves a lot of space for the vocals or more solos.. turn that solo up as loud as a vocal should be.. good start!

--edit-- I was talking about the first clean solo.. the later solo towards the end was loud enough, but there was a bit of sourness to it..
 
B.SABBATH - Thanks for takin' a listen! I'm noticing the "sourness" the more and more I listen, too. I think I'm using the wrong distortion pedal for the sound I'm looking for...I have a Boss DS-1 and a DOD Grunge (shoulda saved up $30 more for a Boss MetalZone), I'll try the DS-1 next time I re-record for a warmer sound.

Thanks a ton to everyone who's taken the time to listen. I hope I can sing well enough to fill the empty space there, now. I've sung many a time before, but not with the intention of recording...we'll see. Once I get a mic (I'm thinking SM-57 and an Audiobuddy to start off) I'll put up the next round of cuts, but I'll hold off til then so you guys don't get TOO sick of me. ;)

-Derrick
 
Sounds very good from here.
I liked the moody quality of it.

Guitars sound pretty fine,except where you play harder like at 00:58&1:32etc.
Loses that sweet quality.
Rythym guitar is direct or miked?

Nice lead playing.

Synth sounds very good.

Looking foward to the next take.

Pete
 
Hey Pete,

Everything's direct in this song so far, and swabbed with boatloads of reverb to make it sound somewhat more natural. I don't yet have a mic, so it's the only way. Once I get my hands on one though, I plan to experiment with miking and see what sounds better with my pitiful budget.

Thanks for the input!

-Derrick
 
Synesthesia said: Oh boy, this one comes with way too many disclaimers
Click to expand...

Exactly. This is nothing to be ashamed of. The other guys gave you already some valuable comments, so I won't repeat those.

jake-owa said:Take this with a grain of salt as I'm easily bored
Click to expand...

Wow, interesting statement from someone who likes to make songs without a hook. LOL :D You're a hilarious creature, Jake. I likey!
 
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