You Don't Say

[CrowsofFritz]

I'm actually proud of this one.


I'm getting better with the stock plugs in Garageband. I always try my best with stock plugs. If you can't get a good mix with them, I think there is little sense in using other plugs.

Now I just need a better acoustic guitar!

 

[Armistice]

Yup, you do... I like the passages where it's not as obvious better than those when it is...

I think there's a spot or two where you're getting ahead of your beat as well... 0.19, 0.25, and a few others later on.

You're presenting your voice like you absolutely can't stand the sound of yourself... heavily 'verbed and way back. Consider taking a bit of the effect off it, and putting it a bit more forward. Needs a bit more low end to my ears too...

I think your ending has promise but to my ears it needs to have something more than the tap tap tap of whatever "drum" your using, and a bit more bass, and I think your left guitar doesn't exactly play the "right" notes at times, but if this is the effect you're going for you can ignore me, it just seems to need more low end to me.

Keep it up!

 

[CrowsofFritz]

Yup, you do... I like the passages where it's not as obvious better than those when it is...

I think there's a spot or two where you're getting ahead of your beat as well... 0.19, 0.25, and a few others later on.

You're presenting your voice like you absolutely can't stand the sound of yourself... heavily 'verbed and way back. Consider taking a bit of the effect off it, and putting it a bit more forward. Needs a bit more low end to my ears too...

I think your ending has promise but to my ears it needs to have something more than the tap tap tap of whatever "drum" your using, and a bit more bass, and I think your left guitar doesn't exactly play the "right" notes at times, but if this is the effect you're going for you can ignore me, it just seems to need more low end to me.

Keep it up!

Thanks Armistice!

I don't really hate my voice. I just thought the effects suited this song.


You're really right about the lack of bass on the ending. I need to find the right notes to play, as I don't want to play the same as the melody. But it just feels empty doesn't it?


I just want to kick that acoustic. I have recorded a worse sound from it on other songs.

It seems like the acoustic would almost fit if I went for a lo-fi sound. Ya' know. To fit that crappy equipment - crappy instrument sound. Ehh.


Should I raise the bass in the parts where it has it as well?


I'll try to add some more rhythm in that last part too! It could sound pretty cool getting more complex.

 

[Greg_L]

Bad timing and too much effect usage kill this for me. I think all acoustic guitars sound bad, so that wasn't a problem for me. Interesting song, weird ending, I'd like to hear a cleaned up mix.

 

[CrowsofFritz]

Bad timing and too much effect usage kill this for me. I think all acoustic guitars sound bad, so that wasn't a problem for me. Interesting song, weird ending, I'd like to hear a cleaned up mix.

Will do! I'll probably use my classicals. The acousitcs alone kill it for me!

 

[SloppyJo]

Everything that's been said before I agree with: timing, laying back on the vocal effects... The only thing I can add is that the more effects you add to the vocals the more unintelligible the lyrics become (I'm pulling that statement out of my ass, but it does seem like common sense). For me I think you could lower the delay on the vocals.

However I didn't find the tone of the acoustic guitar all that bad. I've heard much worse!

 

[CrowsofFritz]

Alright..... I liked the effects, but I guess I'll lay off them


Yeah, my timing was bad. I gotta fix that.



You find the lyrics...................indistinguishable?

 

[SloppyJo]

Alright..... I liked the effects, but I guess I'll lay off them


Yeah, my timing was bad. I gotta fix that.



You find the lyrics...................indistinguishable?

Er... maybe I shouldn't of said that.

I'm going by the assumption that the lyrics are important and that you want them to be heard and understood... if the delay is too loud than you essentially have several people singing at the same time, which can be difficult to follow. I'm not saying you should scrap all the effects, I liked the direction you were taking it in, but by making them more subtle the lyrics/vocals will be much clearer

 

[CrowsofFritz]

Er... maybe I shouldn't of said that.

I'm going by the assumption that the lyrics are important and that you want them to be heard and understood... if the delay is too loud than you essentially have several people singing at the same time, which can be difficult to follow. I'm not saying you should scrap all the effects, I liked the direction you were taking it in, but by making them more subtle the lyrics/vocals will be much clearer

No, I mean I think you meant the word, "indistinguishable."


"Unintelligible" means you find the lyrics to be litterally more stupid when they're clouded with effects.

 

[SloppyJo]

I just googled unintelligible just to double check...

They seem to be synonymous to me??? But yes, indistinguishable would be a perfectly adequate alternate word.

Anyway, as long as we understand each other it doesn't matter

 

[CrowsofFritz]

Hmmm.... I think you actually might be right!


Embarrassing....

 

[Armistice]

Yeah, I get where you're going with the effects... just a bit less, a bit cleaner would work better for me... but it's your tune!

We all go through the "I hate my voice" thing.... in fact I'm still there. What I have learned to do is listen to it, uneffected, and then make decisions re. tone, phrasing etc. and change what I can instead of just accepting that I suck and drenching it with effects and double tracking to hide its essential suckiness... sort of separating singer me from engineer me, and getting engineer me to work with singer me to improve things without singer me telling engineer me to fuck off... which is when it all gets very tense...

I'm not suggesting you're doing that, in terms of covering up your voice, but if you're pushing the effects knobs harder on the vocal track because you hate your voice then it might be worthwhile taking a deep breath, turning off everything, and experimenting more with vocal styles.

After much agonised listening, I've discovered that my shouty voice sounds crap and my quieter huskier voice sounds much better, which fits in what what I'm doing. And that I sing better after at least two glasses of red wine....

It's a voyage of discovery.... YMMV! Keep at it though...

How are you recording the acoustic, and what is it?

 

[CrowsofFritz]

I used to really hate my voice. Now I have come to grips with it.


I have recently bettered my falsetto. You can hear it in the middle of the tune, though not so well because of the effects.


The acoustic is an old Aria from the mid 60's I think. It was my dads. The action is high as hell and sometimes you get that awful *plunk* because I just can't press my fingers hard enough.


I usually put an LDC about a foot or 2 away from the 12th fret, facing the 12th fret.