Phil O'Keefe Posted May 6, 2006 Author Share Posted May 6, 2006 BTW, I just came back from OYY's very first gig, and the place was packed shoulder to shoulder; the crowd was off the hook, and the guys did great! Congrats on a great gig guys (and yes, I know you're reading this - don't hesitate to register and say "hello" ) - you couldn't have asked for a cooler debut gig than that one. We had a great time. And it sure looked like you did too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil O'Keefe Posted May 6, 2006 Author Share Posted May 6, 2006 Pics of the gig to come later. Blas, thx for using your limited bandwidth on d/l and listening to that. Semper Fi. See you all on Monday! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members sizzlemeister Posted May 7, 2006 Members Share Posted May 7, 2006 The piano on Fall On Me sounds bad. Like a Casio piano. Too crisp - no dynamic. I'd try a different source on that. And there's no punch to the recordings. They sound clean and "sparkly" but there's no punch. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil O'Keefe Posted May 10, 2006 Author Share Posted May 10, 2006 Originally posted by sizzlemeister The piano on Fall On Me sounds bad. Like a Casio piano. Too crisp - no dynamic. I'd try a different source on that. First of all, thanks for taking the time to listen. Secondly, thank you for your honesty - it's appreciated! Okay, the piano... well, to be honest, I wasn't wild about the piano tones myself. And I have everything I need onhand to replace it too. When I tracked, I threw down audio and MIDI from the source keyboard - Tyler's Yamaha Motif 8. And to be honest, I think the acoustic piano in it is too bright and "digital sounding" on the top end. I greatly prefer the pianos in our Kurzweil SP88, or even some Gigastudio pianos I have. So, why didn't I replace it? Honestly, it was a time issue. The guys wanted to have something ready to give out to all their friends at college by the summer break, and I was working under a pretty tight deadline. However, we're doing a full-length CD this fall, and for that release, there will be some piano replacement. And there's no punch to the recordings. They sound clean and "sparkly" but there's no punch. Can I get your definition of the word "punch" please? For that matter, if anyone else wants to voice their opinion on what "punch" means to them, I'd appreciate it - I'd like to discuss this further, but I want to get on the same page as everyone first. Again, thanks for taking the time to listen and for posting your honest opinions. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil O'Keefe Posted May 10, 2006 Author Share Posted May 10, 2006 Originally posted by gsHarmony By the way Phil, is this a band that is local to Riverside? If so, I would love to support them by showing up to a few gigs. Two of the guys attend Azusa Pacific University, but are from Colorado. Nate is currently attending PIT in LA. I'm sure they'll be doing some IE gigs, and I'll keep you posted. Thanks for your support! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members seaneldon Posted May 10, 2006 Members Share Posted May 10, 2006 i'm on a megaphone kick. make them do the vocals over through megaphones. i'll fly out and bring one if you've got some of that good california wine for me. i'm paying the absolute stupidest prices ever for a decent bottle in new york right now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil O'Keefe Posted May 10, 2006 Author Share Posted May 10, 2006 I've fooled a few people - including a few reviewers - with the piano sounds on Julie Day's record - www.julieday.org (there's samples on the site under the "listen" heading). Those are all SP88X and Gigastudio - but mostly the Kurzweil. With a little work, those Kurzweil pianos can be extremely realistic sounding IMO, and the keyboard action actually is very nice. If you're looking for good acoustic piano sounds, and need a weighted-action controller or stage piano, the SP88X is a great deal. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members sizzlemeister Posted May 11, 2006 Members Share Posted May 11, 2006 You mean you didn't sequence the piano part so you can easily pop in another piano source? Tsk tsk. Seriously, though, that's what click-tracks and sequencers are for. It'd take all but a minute to find a better piano sound. By "punch" I'm afraid I may have to resort to other vague descriptions like "meat" on the bottom end, or it doesn't "swat your fanny." There's a lot of top end presence but the lower mid to low end is lacking in equal presence. Not that it sounds unbalanced (although balance in this context isn't an ideal anyway) but rather it doesn't have "girth" - the kick drum, the bass, the lows on the "piano" aren't as present as the other instruments occupying higher regions in the frequency spectrum (which is relative - meaning they're more than likely reading fine on the meters, but not to my ears). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Brittanylips Posted May 12, 2006 Members Share Posted May 12, 2006 I think it sounds great, particularly the lead singer. You recorded him fabulously and he's chock full of talent. I haven't seen any pics, but he sounds all sexual and stuff. If I had to nitpick, I'd say some of the guitars and drums sound a little tame by comparison. I'd make them dirtier and louder. I'd beef up the guitars and I'd make the drums, particularly the snares, snappier and just plain louder. How do they play live? Basically, I think the musical accompaniment just needs to be more sexual. It's more about sex than preamps. I'd also throw in a couple of pads at times to make the accompaniment more lush. Sometimes the unison arrangements get a bit much (e.g. on the third track I'd throw in piano chords, like half note pads playing rich chords not simple triads, when all that unison stuff goes on and on about two thirds into it). My own bias is to use a real piano. -peace, love and brittlips Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil O'Keefe Posted May 12, 2006 Author Share Posted May 12, 2006 BL, thanks for your feedback Brother - I really appreciate it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members chris carter Posted May 13, 2006 Members Share Posted May 13, 2006 Punchier? Piano tone? Sure, but you can always find things to nit-pick about with any recording - even the ones that sell a million copies. Bottom line: killer vocalist and great songs. That's what really sells records more than anything. I will point out that I love the quality of the lead vocal. You've shared the recording chain, I'm curious if you'd like to share what you did with it at mixdown. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members sizzlemeister Posted May 13, 2006 Members Share Posted May 13, 2006 Originally posted by chris carter Punchier? Piano tone? Sure, but you can always find things to nit-pick about with any recording. Right. No questions or criticisms please, just post if you have love. Don't be a h8er. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil O'Keefe Posted May 13, 2006 Author Share Posted May 13, 2006 Originally posted by sizzlemeister Right. No questions or criticisms please, just post if you have love. Don't be a h8er. I think he brought up a couple of valid points (ie vocals and songwriting being crucial elements of a successful production), but OTOH, I do NOT, repeat NOT expect everyoe to blow sunshine up my backside, and your comments and suggestions were HIGHLY appreciated. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil O'Keefe Posted May 13, 2006 Author Share Posted May 13, 2006 Originally posted by chris carter I will point out that I love the quality of the lead vocal. You've shared the recording chain, I'm curious if you'd like to share what you did with it at mixdown. I'll get some more comments on the signal paths and what I did in mixdown up within the next day or two. I'm currently painting my wife's office / home studio, and while I am already on coat #4 (dark colors are a pain ), there's still much work to be done. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members sizzlemeister Posted May 14, 2006 Members Share Posted May 14, 2006 Originally posted by Phil O'Keefe I think he brought up a couple of valid points (ie vocals and songwriting being crucial elements of a successful production), but OTOH, I do NOT, repeat NOT expect everyoe to blow sunshine up my backside, and your comments and suggestions were HIGHLY appreciated. I know Phil. The forum is about studio craft, not about songwriting and vocalists. Hence my comments were totally valid and there was no need to comment on my comments. That's all. I do have the love. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Brittanylips Posted May 14, 2006 Members Share Posted May 14, 2006 Originally posted by sizzlemeister I know Phil. The forum is about studio craft, not about songwriting and vocalists. Personally, I don Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Joe Cole Posted May 19, 2006 Members Share Posted May 19, 2006 Hello Phil, The tracks sound great. Good tunes. I really enjoyed the vocal meter at the start of Emily. Loved that. If I was to offer some critism.... while I liked the direction that you are going for the lead guitar tones, somehow I felt like it did not sit into the mix as well as it could have. Also, his note selection was... he'll get better, he is on the right track. and the singer...hot damn! Character! Loved the vocals to pieces. Very very good. I very rarely download mp3's, but these.... I will grab. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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