Members Dendy Jarrett Posted May 22, 2014 Members Share Posted May 22, 2014 (edited) Harmony Central is all about helping you make better music, but as they say, the proof is in the pudding. So we want to provide you with an audience for your music in Music Gear Weekly, our email newsletter with over 25,000 subscribers. Here’s how it works: Upload the song(s) of your choice to a service like Soundcloud. Visit this thread in the Backstage With The Band forum and post the link to your music, along with some background on the song, how it was recorded, gear used, etc. Each week, we’ll look through what’s been posted and pick one to feature in Music Gear Weekly. We’ll create a blog post on the main site where the community can comment and provide constructive feedback on your music (non-constructive comments will be deleted). It’s that easy! So whether it’s questions about production, songwriting, performance or musicianship, the best way to make better music is to bounce it off listeners and get honest opinions. Get to it! Edited May 23, 2014 by Dendy Jarrett 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Wein Posted May 23, 2014 Share Posted May 23, 2014 Here are three songs from my self-released album "Black Market Hearts". Scott Francisco produced the album and was kind enough to write up some notes on the process. We recorded in his home studio for the majority of the album although some overdubs were done at my music school and at Cerritos college for the Hammond B3 on one song. The basics were recorded at my place, which was cozy, but worked out well. I have a 10x20 drum room where Tyler and Martin lived. Martin was recorded direct with an Avalon 737, so there were no leakage problems between bass and drums. Ultimately it wouldn't have mattered since we kept all of Martin's takes from tracking with only a few little punch-ins. Mark was in the iso booth singing and playing various heads through a Demeter isolation cabinet with an 80 watt Celestion speaker. It was miked with an old Shure SM57 Unidyne III that I prefer over the new ones. The guitar went through Chameleon 7602 mkII and an 1176. Gary was playing a real Wurlitzer 206 through a Waves PRS Guitar interface DI. He also had a midi controller for controlling the virtual instruments we used on a couple of tunes. The drums were recorded using a pair of mics in the recorderman configuration as well as a Unidyne III SM57 on the snare, an Audio Technica 4053 on the hat, a Cascade Fathead ribbon mic under the snare that also picked up the batter head of the kick, an Audio Technica ATM25 inside the kick, and ATM25s on the toms. I also had an Audio Technica 4047 in front of the kick that I ended up never using. The low end from the Fathead was more than sufficient. All of these mics were recorded on every take, but in the mix I used varying combinations to suit the song. The recorderman mics varied from song to song: Audio Technica 4050s, MXL V87s, or Unidyne III SM57s, depending on the song. The kick, snare, and recorderman mics went through Chameleon 7602s and everything else went through a Millennia HV-3D. I used a little eq on the Chameleons, otherwise no other processing. For the room mics I used a pair of AT 4050s in a Mid/Side configuration at the other end of the room. They also went through the Millennia. I then delayed these tracks 10-20 ms in the mix to make the room feel a little bigger. All of my preamps feed into a Yamamha O2R96 and then digitally straight to Pro Tools at 96K/32bit. The Pro Tools rig was an HDX system running version 10. vVer. 11 hadn't come out when we started and it's never a good idea to switch mid-project. Most songs were recorded with click tracks, but a couple felt better without. There was some comping of takes and whole-band punch-ins and that sort of stuff, but very little editing after the fact. Several songs were recorded more than once before we "found it", and a couple we never did. That's why having ten or eleven songs does not mean you're ready to cut an album. Ultimately we whittled 17 songs down to 11. Working at my place made it possible to take the time to do that. In a commercial studio, where time is money, the budget would have necessitated mowing through all the material in a day or two at most. A couple guitar parts were keepers from tracking. All the other guitars were recorded at Premier, since it was easier to bring a little recording gear there as opposed to Mark's entire equipment collection to my place. Guitar overdubs were recorded with the trusty SM57 Unidyne IIIs, AT4047, or Fathead in varying combinations. Most of the pedal effects were recorded as-is. I also recorded room mics for the guitar overdubs with the mid/side 4050s. It quickly became evident that the room vibe was going to be a big part of the overall sound, so all the earlier guitars from my place were piped through the PA at Premier and the room ambiance was recorded for those as well. The bass was also reapmed using Martin's Ampeg B15 and an AT 4047/MP set to fig.8. Everything went through the Millennia with no eq or compression. The keyboard overdubs kept the same setup except for the organ. We went to Cerritos College (where Dr. Pritchard is a faculty member) and recorded the B3 using a pair of Unidyne III Sm57s on the top rotor and an MXL Cube on the bass rotor. Again I used the Millennia HV-3D and also had a stereo AT4050 to capture the room. All of the vocals were tracked through a Pearlman TM-1 tube mic and the Avalon 737. I didn't compress it much as we tracked, but I squashed it pretty heavily in the mix. Early on we tried doing vocals at Premier, but we had trouble with external noise and decided to start over at my place. All mixing was done in Pro Tools at my place. I mixed three or four songs before I felt I had nailed the sound, so I then had to go and apply these discoveries to the earlier ones. One of the best things about mixing in the box is the ability to live with a mix for a period of time and then go back and make changes without having to star over. For me, that makes all the difference! I used some artificial reverb, but the room mics really provide the ambiance you hear on the record. I also used the ReelTape and Waves Veq-4 plug-ins on every track to give it more of a tape/vintage console feel. I use this trick almost all the time now. Most of the songs took three of four passes to get right. Though we were going for a fat analog-ish sound with plenty of room, we weren't trying to be "vintage" or "retro." We just wanted to capture a live feeling record that sounded as if we were in a studio that had all the cool vintage toys making a contemporary record. Due to scheduling conflicts, we had to record the horns the day before mastering. The saxes were recorded with an Audio Technica 4060 tube mic, and the trumpet with an AT 4047 into the Chameleons. The arrangement was for two trumpets, alto sax, and bari sax. Scheila did a pass each on alto and bari, while Sean played both trumpet parts. As soon as that was done, I stayed up overnight to get the mix done in time to upload the files the next morning. It took a while, but I think we achieved our goal of making a great sounding record with a unique voice that avoids all of the "contemporary blues record" cliches. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Mark L Posted May 30, 2014 Members Share Posted May 30, 2014 This song is called Black Market Daydreams. Craig Anderton has done a great cover-version, but this is the original I recorded it on a standalone Zoom 16-track, using the built-in effects Drums - Zoom drum machine Guitar - Les Paul Bass - Squier P Keys - Yamaha PSR something-or-other Vocal Mic - Rode NT1-A https://soundcloud.com/songwriter101/black-market-daydreams 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members CrystalViolets269 Posted June 4, 2014 Members Share Posted June 4, 2014 This is my take on a porn groove. Well look im from Hell. Made with Reason 3=Chord Fairy (Modified code Reason 3 I use) Don't know how I did it but. Its like when I smacked the shinola out of Ally and killed her. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members CrystalViolets269 Posted June 4, 2014 Members Share Posted June 4, 2014 This is another one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Makdon Posted June 9, 2014 Members Share Posted June 9, 2014 I record my music out my home using a mac pro and garage band. Let me know how it sounds here is my link http://Www.reverbnation.com/makdon 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members micwalt Posted June 9, 2014 Members Share Posted June 9, 2014 Here's one from me: I wrote, played and sang everything. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members SbrickwallS Posted June 14, 2014 Members Share Posted June 14, 2014 Here is a song I wrote where I created all of the music and the lyrics. I originally played all of the instruments (guitars & bass via keyboards through my Pro Tools plug ins), sang the vocals and laid down the drums. I have since had some bandmates re-record the guitars, bass and vocals. Hope you enjoy. War Within' - https://soundcloud.com/sandyozzdrummer/war-within 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Iamthesky Posted June 18, 2014 Members Share Posted June 18, 2014 This song is called Black Market Daydreams. Craig Anderton has done a great cover-version, but this is the original It's a great song, and Mark sings/plays it very well. Look for the Fredfin Wallaby version of this in a couple of months. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Emory Posted June 19, 2014 Members Share Posted June 19, 2014 I am pretty sure they don't want to hear my music. If they do, perhaps a little therapy may be in order.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Mark L Posted June 22, 2014 Members Share Posted June 22, 2014 (edited) It's a great song, and Mark sings/plays it very well. Look for the Fredfin Wallaby version of this in a couple of months. Thanks, and I'll look forward to hearing what you and the guys do with it Meanwhile here's a vid I put together of said tune: [video=youtube;--s80vN8Yho]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=--s80vN8Yho Edited June 22, 2014 by Mark L Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Anderton Posted June 30, 2014 Members Share Posted June 30, 2014 This song, "Maladie du Coeur," is inspired by zouk and groups like Kassav. What's unusual about this one is that I post song mixes with an unlisted link in my Sound, Studio, and Stage forum, and ask people to make comments. The comments are invariably intelligent and spot-on, so I incorporate them into my "final draft" and that's the version that goes public on my YouTube channel. [video=youtube;fsp5hOxRX1M] All my recent songs have taken advantage of what I call the "SSS Production Squad," and I truly believe the final versions have benefited greatly as a result...yet another HC coolness. BTW you'll also find several covers of Mark's songs on my YouTube channel. I think he's a gifted songwriter and singer, and I like giving his songs a different spin...to me, one mark (heh heh) of a great song is that you can do it several different ways, and they're all valid. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Mark L Posted June 30, 2014 Members Share Posted June 30, 2014 Merci beaucoup, Craig 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members dfibraio Posted July 2, 2014 Members Share Posted July 2, 2014 My name is Damon Fibraio. I posted this track under the shortened name, Damon F. http://www.soundcloud.com/damonfmusic. This is an original piece I did in my home studio with the exception of the drums which was done by a friend of mine, Ian Baird, who also mixed the track. the guitars are actually keyboards, a sound from the Yamaha Motif xs7 run through revolver. The bass is from Trillian. The solo is actually a synth sound run through a lot of distortion. Everything else should be self explanatory. I hope I posted the link correctly as I am totally blind and this site is a little tricky to use with my screen reading software. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members fender4141 Posted July 5, 2014 Members Share Posted July 5, 2014 (edited) Hi, here's a little song called "Time" I knocked up in my home studio. I use Sonar X3 as my DAW of choice and together with a 12 string Martin and a Fender Strat going into Amplitube 3 created the rhythm. Kontakt 5 was a big contributor and Superior Drummer 2 sets the groove as well as heaps of plugins to get it to sound OK. This song was a labour of love which took me forever to mix but I am happy with the balance and proud of the song as it stands now. Edited July 6, 2014 by fender4141 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Bill's Friend Ken Posted July 29, 2014 Members Share Posted July 29, 2014 Hey! Waterline 42 is my band. Recorded basic tracks for the 10 on the album live in an afternoon with Three Dog Night drummer Pat Bautz- cool guy! Awesome that he liked the stuff enough to sit in with some local guys. Overdubs in a couple afternoons, got it up on itunes, Amazon etc for download in April. My PRS and Les Paul went direct from a Line 6 X3 Live. Mark's Line 6 700 modeling acoustic was direct, his Strat goes through a 70's Twin Reverb that was hand wired point to point. Dave's Jazz bass went direct. Will be out playing now that we have a permanent drummer so hoping downloads pick up. In the meantie would love to hear some feedback... and feel free to spread the word! http://waterline42.reverbnation.com/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Night_Music Posted July 30, 2014 Members Share Posted July 30, 2014 Here are two songs I wrote and recorded. I am interested in feedback and suggestions for improving the commercial quality of the songs/recording. Thanks in advance! Curtis Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Night_Music Posted July 30, 2014 Members Share Posted July 30, 2014 Not my style of music, but I am impressed with the sound quality. Very well done! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Night_Music Posted July 30, 2014 Members Share Posted July 30, 2014 Impressed. Nice job...cool song. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Night_Music Posted July 30, 2014 Members Share Posted July 30, 2014 The heavy parts are really good...the slow verse parts kind of lose me, but that is just me. Nice work. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members STM86 Posted August 11, 2014 Members Share Posted August 11, 2014 Scott here. I only now am halfheartedly making the changeover with a new username. Anyway- I have a new project called Entransient. We just put a single out this past week. Feel free to check it out! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members vinny stefanelli Posted August 22, 2014 Members Share Posted August 22, 2014 I've become infatuated with fretless guitar! The intonation is challenging but the possibilities are endless. I composed and performed Fretless-n-Free on a hundred dollar Greg Bennett model Samich Guitar that has had the frets removed (not seen in the video). The song was recorded on Garageband (MacBook Pro). The video footage was filmed with a Kodak Zi8 Pocket Video Camera and the piece was edited on iMovie (also on the MacBook Pro). Contact@VinnyStefanelli.com / 814.873.4500 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members vinny stefanelli Posted August 30, 2014 Members Share Posted August 30, 2014 Another Fretless Guitar piece... OK, it's sloppy, chaotic and the production quality is poor but I love the sound of this cheap laminated Samick Guitar that I ruthlessly tore off the frets... there's a lot of different sounds in between those damn frets! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members KB Gunn Posted September 20, 2014 Members Share Posted September 20, 2014 http://www.nimbit.com/kennybegun Download my albums for free. No charge. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members DMichaelJohnson Posted September 25, 2014 Members Share Posted September 25, 2014 This is an instrumental recorded with a variety of analogue, digital and soft synths. Thanks for listening. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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