With Emeric's help, a re-worked Rainbows End

R

RockinRobert

New member
http://heepheads.iuma.com/

Emeric gave me some helpful criticism on my initial version of Rainbows End. I took his advice (mainly in the area of compression...to calm down a wayward acoustic) and I think you will like the new version. Please give it a listen and tell me what you think. Thanks for the advice, Emeric!

Recording setup: Pentium 166 w/56mb ram (no shit)
Cakewalk 8.01
WaveLab 3.0 for editing separate tracks, various plugins
SM57 mic (thats it, no fancy stuff)
Mackie 1604 VLZ
Gadget Labs Wave4 card

Instruments:
Fender Mexican Tele
Line 6 AX2/212
Alesis SR16 (sorry, I know it sucks)
Alesis QR 6.01 Synth
Rickenbacker 4001 bass (bass track is actually an MP3
converted back to .wav format...no shit)

http://heepheads.iuma.com/
 
Hey there
I can't comment on the recording but the melody is very good,sounds a little like Boston, and youre voice is also one of the best I've heard on the board, I'll listen better and get back to you,
Shana
 
Not too bad....

I hate canned drums...sorry. Ask Slackmaster what he is using for canned drums, his are probably the best canned drums I have heard from anyone on this BBS really.

I think that the guitars are stepping all over the drums and bass for the most part. I would tuck them in the mix a bit more. The acoustic just blasts through too during the solo's. It really doesn't need to be up that loud during guitar solos, the focus should be the sole, and the rythem section!

It was hard for me to assess the overall dynamic impact of the song since the drum sequencing is really too quantized. Also, there is NO dynamics at all in the drum tracks, so everything else seems to be just as stagnant. Things got loud, but they didn't get POWERFUL when they got loud, just more crowded.

Overall, I would throw the mix back into Wavelab, and use the best EQ you have over the mix, and try boosting a bit between 90-160Hz. Apply the best limiter you have AFTER the eq and get those levels up a bit hotter. My meters where showing a pretty consistent -12 - -8, with some peaks here are there getting up high.

Anyway, you DO have a pretty good voice, and although I don't particularly dig this kind of music too much (a little sappy for me....;)) the song was well arranged. Maybe a bit long. Ask yourself if you really need an extra verse.....

Ed
 
Hey RockinRobert,

Probably not what you want to hear but...

I like the first mix you did, had way better low end, and the effecting was better. Did you do some eq'ing to the slide parts? They were much nicer before. Different encoder? Something has changed radically.

I do like the keyboard parts you added.

My number 1 complaint is that acoustic your using. Use another one. That jangling/buzzy sound detracts, and the song would sound so much nicer with a more 'acoustic' sounding guitar.

Your singing is still fantastic!
 
Wow, I'm humbled. I thought this version was much better production-wise...but I appreciate ALL CONSTRCUTIVE criticisms, so I will take what you guys have to say seriously. But I can answer a couple of things right away. I guess you would call these my excuses :)
This recording is actually 3 people from around the states, all recorded in separate VERY MEAGER home PC/workstation setups. On the original version, I was doing everything. This version has a different bass player, who didn't have a way of getting his bass part to me in digital form, so he made an MP3 of it and sent it to me, I converted it back to .wav and I inserted back into the tune in Cakewalk. Maybe thats where some of the bottom end went, although I was surprised it came out as good as it did. I only have $15 Sony headphones to mix with, so that is a problem area too, I realize.
Also, the keys were added by another who did it in his stand alone workstation, and the whole mix had to go through his equipment, EQ, and so on.....so maybe something was lost there too.
As far as the acoustic, I don't HAVE another acoustic ;) I am a poor family man with meager means, just trying to make the most of what little I have, which to me is the point of the HomeRec site.
I am truly flattered by the comments about my vocals though, because I have never considered myself a lead vocalist. So I thank you all for that and I am humbled for sure. Aside from my voice, wouldn't you say the quality ain't too bad for a 57?
And finally, as far as the song being too long.....I have no desires of fame/fortune/radio play and all that. I just write from the heart...so this is how the song came, and how it will stay. But I understand the point.
So thanks for the feedback, I will continue to check your material out too, and pick up what I can. bOb
 
Hey Robert, this whole deal of mixing stuff can get very subjective. Just opinions or e-ponions as the internet would say. A cross-US effort, that's excellent! Not an easy thing to pull off at all.

Anyway, it's a great song, good vocals, good writing, good playing. BTW, if you wan't some acoustic down on there, let me know. Got a few guitars that may or may not work better. Again, subjective.
 
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