Jump to content

Is your recording / mix any good? Find out here!


Recommended Posts

  • Members

Originally posted by Ivor The Engine Driver

Thanks for the comments!


When we rate rigs in the effects forum, the rule is you have to post a critique of the previous two or three before you can post your own for critique-ing. That seems to ensure that everyone gets their share of feedback and advice. A little bit more difficult here, as many people work during the day, making it hard to listen and evaluate songs. (Much easier to glance at someone's rig and say, "I like this, I don't like that....") But maybe it's an idea.


That said, I'll try to give some listens tonight and post my thoughts.

 

Great Idea ! I hope Phil will chime in too , with an expert opinion .;)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

Originally posted by TIP

Recorded this in my barn, in an odd way. First the singer and I recorded an acoustic guitar and voice guide track on to a 1/2 inch 8 track. Then a week later I had the drummer show up and record drums to the guide track. Only had 3 mics but they were good ones. I put a U87 about 6 ft in front of the kit about chest high to the drummer, then a AKG 414 over the drummers left shoulder about 6ft high pointing at the snare, the 3rd mic is anothe 414 on the right hand side of the kit pointing at the drummers shoulder. This is a common 3 mic technique and I think it worked ok to capture what the kit sounded like in the room.

Then we transfered the drum tracks and guide tacks to ProTools

and I started layering stuff,and got rid of the guide tracks. Guitars recorded with a 414 and U87 for some room, the amp was a Deluxe reverb, a Gibson Les Paul for solo, strat for rythm, Gibson B-25 for acoustic,B-25 restrung with Nashville tuning, Bass a G&L direct thru homemade passive direct box. Used a Lexicon PCM60 for most of the reverb. We ended up recording this again in a pro studio but this version still sounds better, probably cause I had so much time to mess with it and get the perfomances right.

Hope you enjoy


http://www.mp3lizard.com/download.cfm?id=7889

 

 

Beautiful Tune TIP , great use of the trem and just a smooth subtle cool vibe , should be on the radio right now ! Nice solos too ;)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

Originally posted by rhythminmind

well let me know what you guys think.. i'd like to hear some comments..


http://www.rhythminmind.net/temp/mp3/

 

Awsome musicianship, nice use of different ambiences in the mix.

I really like the guitar dry, with everything else with a bit a ambience. I listened to tk 8 and 11. This stuff would be a shoe in for the Windham Hill label. Nice job!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

Originally posted by TIP



Awsome musicianship, nice use of different ambiences in the mix.

I really like the guitar dry, with everything else with a bit a ambience. I listened to tk 8 and 11. This stuff would be a shoe in for the Windham Hill label. Nice job!

 

Thanks.. i'll add that label to the list..

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

Didn't get a reply in the recording forum, so i'm trying it here...

 

 

http://www.bowesknows.com/new/726-03.mp3

 

This track is a work in progress. Needs an intro/outro, and I havn't even touched the drums yet. Also, there's going to be a guitar solo over the open end part.

 

It's only 2 minutes long - give it a listen if you have a chance.

 

All vox/playing/mxing(what little mixing there has been) was done by me. Thus, the third person perspective is very much needed.

 

Thanks

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

Originally posted by Ivor The Engine Driver

Here are three of mine


...

 

The songs are actually pretty good for the genre - and for myspace - but remember that most songs like this have a few more breaks and dynamic changes in the arrangement.

 

I'm impressed with the recording quality considering your tools. Don't be afraid to slam the vocals a little louder - appropriate for the genre and performance, and it worked for the Killers!

 

I'll bet you mixed with very small speakers. There is definitely a problem in the bass area, with definition and balance.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

Originally posted by alcohol

Here's a submission of something I did with my son's band, Moxie Fever. I'm going to remix this so any detailed comments or criticisms are welcome. The guitar effects at the end are a mistake, please ignore those.


Give Me The End


moxiefever.com

 

The song really held me to the end - that's what surprised me.

 

I hear a lot of Boston triple-decker-basement in the drums (not that that's a bad thing), but I'd probably thin them a little and bring the snare out a little more. I'd listen to some Bad Religion to figure out how to treat the background vocals.

 

Your kid's pretty good.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

Watershed , alcohol, fretless, and younggunmn- thanks for the interest, and all of your positive replies!

 

Wow, I really expected at least some raggin' on my noodling little sketch there. Thanks for the compliments; I'm almost embarrassed, as if I tricked people somehow...

 

(I'm gonna hafta get a copy of Mark Knopfler's Local hero, a friend on another forum made similar comments regarding that comparison! Gotta be completely undeserved, though, Knopfler rules!)

 

The whole little schebang was really just done to have an example of the sounds of P-90 pickups on a 24 & 3/4" scaled guitar; maybe I'll actually make something out of it, someday, when I learn how to properly record!

 

Both tracks were recorded direct, with all effects and processing (respective to each of the two tracks) printed simultaneously live/in real-time. Les Paul Studio "Gem" with P-90 "soapbars", specifically set-up and strung for Open-D tuning, bridge-pickup selected, played fingerstyle, both tracks.

 

Johnson J-Station digital-modeling preamp. Clean track: "blackface Fender"-model, lotsa compression and EQ, speaker-sim turned OFF. Overdriven track: " '70s Marshall"-model, "Fane/Hiwatt" speaker/cab-sim, lotsa EQ, compression and noise-gate with attack-delay effect.

 

Recorded direct to n-Track Studio software, on a mediocre PC with NO soundcard or videocard (just the mobo's on-board sound capabilities). Analog 1/4" outputs of J-Station to analog stereo mini-jack on mobo via a cheap Y-cord.

 

I recorded the clean arpeggiated track with several false-starts, then when I decided it was acceptable enough for what it was, I improvised overdriven lead-lines over its playback three times to come up with a basic direction, then hit "record" on a fourth pass, and it was done, stick a fork in it and turn it over!

 

The "backwards" sounding, volume-swelled parts were all done totally live/in real-time and printed with the help of the J-Station's onboard compressor and noise-gate. I've spent some time cultivating my "touch", particularly with my picking-hand, and I pretty much NEVER use a pick. An initial note's attack will be "swelled" as the 'gate opens, and all following sound is then "normal" sounding, untill there's a low enough lull in signal-strength to close the 'gate again. Then it starts all over again; selective, touch-controlled volume-swells. You can get the effect on each note with muting and damping. I absolutely love volume-swell and "reverse" type sounds, and I've probably used nearly all approaches to get that effect before.

 

Yhup, P-90 pickups can be noisey, especially around a big ol' CRT (guilty!). Trust me, it could've been a LOT worse! But, you're right, it could've been better, with a quieter/lower noise-floor. I've got a less-than-perfect cable arrangement (of less-than-perfect cables), as well...

 

Thanks, again! And thanks to anyone who read this far, too!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

Originally posted by rhythminmind

well let me know what you guys think.. i'd like to hear some comments..


http://www.rhythminmind.net/temp/mp3/

 

Eric - really like the overall vibe. Anyplans to mix these in surround?

 

I don't hear bright so much as dimensionally-shallow. Everything seems to come from one plane. I think that the singer is not always behind the instruments - on my monitors (JBL LSR25ps, not necessarily bright speakers) her presence just seems a little inconsistent.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

yes i plan on doing a surround mix with this.. i like the idea of a cd/ DVD-a with ac3 aswell combo... It's been a fun in the box adventure..

 

yeah we are focusing on the vocals now.. so far the guitarist and myself have been working on the instruments for the most part..

 

I'm not sure what to do about the dimension i think i need to give me ears a break and come back to it..

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

Hi everybody,

 

I have a mix here called "White lie" and would like some help to see where i need improve or fix the mix. It kind of rocks. I am not sure what it sounds like though.There is a lot going in this mix i believe.lol

 

The vocals i have no control over on how they are recorded.

I know my buddy uses M-Box with a Rode NT-1. I try to help him and he is getting better. He sends me over the vocal tracks dry.

 

On my end i do all the music and mixing. What i use for this song is.

Protools 002R, LA-610 , Baby Blue Bottle, Vox amp, Gibson LesPaul, Fender bass and Alesis ION.

 

The drums are Drums on Demand and would love to replace them with a real drummer but maybe with your help i can make them sound a little bit better.

 

My monitors are Blue Sky.

 

Any input would be great. You can hear at the bottom of the page at...

 

http://www.freewebs.com/fracturecomposer/mp3s.htm

 

Bob

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

Originally posted by doug osborne



The songs are actually pretty good for the genre - and for myspace - but remember that most songs like this have a few more breaks and dynamic changes in the arrangement.


I'm impressed with the recording quality considering your tools. Don't be afraid to slam the vocals a little louder - appropriate for the genre and performance, and it worked for the Killers!


I'll bet you mixed with very small speakers. There is definitely a problem in the bass area, with definition and balance.

 

Thanks! I appreciate the feedback and the candor. My main purpose for these was to merely recruit band members to play these songs live; and then to have "sketches" recorded to flesh out with others. Definitely could use some upgrades gear-wise if I want to take these to the next level... most likely a preamp of some sort (right now recording right into the eMac via its line-in); a microphone (condenser... currently using the pinhole mic on the computer's monitor); and some monitors... (you guessed it: the eMac's built-in speakers are sufficing for monitors right now... hence the issues with the bass freqs). I will say, however, it's been fun and interesting trying to cobble together listenable recordings with so few tools -- helps me hone my ears and not rely on technology... but as proven, that can only take me so far. Thanks again for listening!!!!!!!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

i wanted to listen to and comment on some tunes here, as i intend to post a song of my own. i'm listening on my computer through sony mdr-nc6 noise cancelling headphones.

 

"white lie" (Spirithunter)-- i like the vocal treatment. left and right crunchy gtrs: maybe take some of the bottom off them and "hype" them to get them crunchier and give them their own place in the frequency spectrum. drums: try over-compressing them and/or distorting them to make them more violent. maybe add some sort of percussion on top of that, always keeping in mind that you are trying to make it more aggressive.

 

shivers (Watershed)-- "almost" and "think of you": nice smooth production all around. nice vocals and arrangements. i wish the lead vocal was a little more on top, more present or something. "all alone": it sounds like the singer is channeling christine mcvie...very nice. "roundabout": nice guitars. i wish the drums were up a little more. i like the fade out a lot--"hurry hurry hurry...." that's really cool.

 

"sometimes in love" (TIP)-- i second all the good things said. cool drum sound (interesting notes about the drum mic-ing. thanks for that). nice, fairly dry, vocal. nice guitar solos. i think the only thing i'd question is the slide fills during the verse. i don't know how well they fit. love the tremelo--especially at the end of the song.

 

C JoGo--how i'd like to hear a 1920 kalamazoo guitar! i couldn't open the link. (550/.public/MAJIK.mp3: No such file or directory)

 

that's all for now.

 

bruce.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

Originally posted by bruce lash


C JoGo--how i'd like to hear a 1920 kalamazoo guitar! i couldn't open the link. (550/.public/MAJIK.mp3: No such file or directory)


that's all for now.


bruce.

 

 

been doing this FTp stuff for years,,,just never no - when it might work ???

 

I just keep uploading everyday~~sometime the links works ...rocket science stuff

M A J I K

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

doctor, doctor

 

in craig anderton's old musicplayer forum, bruce swedien once described a stereo mic-ing techinque where an instrument is recorded blumlein and then recorded again, matching as closely as possible the first pass. the first pass is panned left all the way left and right 2 o'clock. the second pass is panned left 10 o'clock and right all the way right. if the second pass matches the first, it will sound like one instrument, sitting nicely big in the middle of the stereo field.

 

i tried this in the playroom of my house (a smallish room with carpeted floor, paneled walls, slanted ceiling, a big couch soaking up some of the sound), playing a three-stringed instrument called a strumstick, which i bought at an art fair. it looks a little like a martin backpacker. it's chromatic. the strings are tuned (low)g-d-(high)g. it sounds kind of like a banjo.

 

i recorded this using an mbox and protools le 6.4 through a pc laptop onto an external drive. the mics are cheap: samson c03s. i played the strumstick inches away from the mics, close, but far enough away to catch the first reflections from the instrument in the room (per mr. swedien's advice). after that, i strummed one pass of an acoustic guitar using the same blumlein setup. the bass is from reason: the "bass guitar" preset from subtractor with the decay set shorter than the preset had it.

 

i sang the lead vocal through one of the c03s, set cardioid, from 6 inches away. i sang the harmonies (a low one and a high one) through the same mic, standing four feet away to pick up some of the room and to thin out the sound of the voices using the proximity effect. i doubled the harmonies and panned the low one part way left and the high one part way right.

 

i mixed this on another system, a tdm system, taking a little bottom off the lead vocal and putting it and the harmonies through bombfactory 1176s (grouping the harmonies). i limited the mix just a touch to control peaks with an L1.

 

i didn't use any reverbs or anything like that, hoping that the room sound would surfice.

 

i was trying to get that matching blumlein thing going and to successfully use the proximty effect on the harmonies, as well as using the room's natural reverberence instead of a reverb plug-in.

 

would love to hear comments.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

Hey Bruce! Thanks for the listen and input! I will try some of the things you mention and that's funny what you said about the drums because i was thinking the same thing about them. They are kinda boring.

 

 

Doctor Doctor is a cool tune! I like the words.

 

Man i tell you "Doctor Doctor" sounds good to me!

 

Post more tunes in the future Bruce. Very nice!

 

 

-Bob

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

"darkness falls" (kranak)-- i like how all those different styles and voices work together. the atmospheric stuff sounds nice. the guitars sound cool (is that an ebow i hear?).

 

the only thing that i would take a look at is the relationship between the bass guitar and the kick drum. they seem to be fighting for the same piece of the spectrum. maybe brighten the bass-- take a little of the extreme bottom end off-- to separate it from the kick.

 

all in all, i think it's a really cool track.

 

 

spirithunter--thanks for the kind words.

 

bruce.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
×
  • Create New...