More Than Words

[Misha]

I'm learning the song.

 

I just recorded a few seconds (before I screwed up!)

 

I want to know where should I place the voice and the guitar? (pannel?)

 

I did it this way:

 

guitar: -20 left

voice: +10 right

 

http://soundclick.com/share?songid=8691979

 

Also, feel free to tell me what I need to improve in my playing for the song... (I know I still have to learn the 221 seconds missing! )

[bfloyd6969]

There are many ways to do this:) One of my favorites for just a single guitar track and a single voice track is to use a stereo imaging effect on the guitar that delays the left and right channels from each other approx. 10 ~ 20 ms. This really adds a nice thickness to the single guitar part. Then I almost always put the main vocal right in the middle. I almost never pan the main vocal from center (unless I'm going for a certain effect). I'll pan vocal harmonies but not the main vocal. I believe this song has alot of harmonies so if you choose do overdub the harmonies in you can have fun with panning them.

 

You're off to a great start! I've always loved that song. Vocal timing sounds off a bit in some areas but you'll get that down with time:)

[rhythmguitar28]

The placement appears to be OK for the recording. You can always fine tune that later. I'd just practice the crap out of the song. Sounds like your vocals are way out of synch with the chords from what I hear. Keep practicing. You'll get it.

[rickoshea]

bit out of synch Misha but hell, thats just practice and I certainly cant sing . Its easy enough to record the guitar then the vocals to the recording seperately to help with timing. Least its helped me with the few that I dare to sing to

 

great song to play though - I learnt it a while ago from this :

 

8VANsSfQTFg

[rhancox]

I thought the recording was just fine. Kind of placing the guitar a little left of center and vocals a little right of center. A nice effect.

 

As for the playing, I agree with the others, you timing is off. In spots it's the lyrics not being in time and in another spot the playing got out of time. As everyone else has said, you'll get it down with practice.

 

I will say though, I love your voice, from what I've heard so far. And your playing of this song was sweet sounding. The subtle slap and picking comes out nice.

 

Thanks for sharing, Misha. I can't wait to hear the finished product.

[garthman]

It sounds pretty good to me, Misha - just a matter of tightening up the timing - a lttle more practice and you will have it spot on.

[Misha]

Good morning!

 

Thank's for listening to the clip!

 

I'll work on the timing... and I will use my metronome as soon as I'll know all the parts well enough to use it.

 

I will also try to pronounce the words better... I can't hear what I sing myself. I have a big accent, I speak "

[bfloyd6969]

 

And bfloyd6969, I know nothing about stereo imaging effects... first time I hear about it! I like the idea a lot! I just don't know what to use to do it... For now, I'll try to play the song correctly, with a good timing but I'll certainly give it a try in the near future.

 

 

There are some freebie vst effects out there that can do this for you. What are you using to record with? Is it computer based? If so, you can use them as a vst effect. Let me know and I can link some to you.

 

It must be difficult singing in your non-native language so you are doing a fantastic job!

[missedmyexit]

This song is my nemesis, for some reason I can plan the song fine but it all goes to hell in a handbag when people start singing. I've never had a problem with another other song, and can sing while playing without effort. (Well I can say the words while playing any other songs the quality of my vocals would be called suspect by someone trying to be very polite.)

 

It's actually a running joke with my friends. Anytime I got the guitar out and we're having some drinks and a little sing along they heckle me to play it while taking bets on how far I can get before the wheels fall off.

[Glenn F]

Next time, stay sober! That'll teach them. Good start, Misha! Are you going to do the vocal harmonies with yourself? The panning is pretty much what I'd do with one guitar and one vocal.

 

Cheers,

 

Glenn

[Queequeg]

Misha, your voice is wonderful. My car is trying to cruise-control to Montreal.

I could listen to your voice all day.

How you say? "ooh la la!"

[Samilyn]

Lovely, Misha!

 

Don't worry too much about the timing - I'm sure this tiny bit of out of synch is only because you're still learning the song. It will be perfect once you're more comfy with the song.

 

As to your recording - it's nice. As has already been suggested, play with panning the tracks, adding harmonies, etc. I usually keep my voice on center and play with panning the guitar and instrument tracks until I achieve the desired effect.

[sixgunner455]

 

Good morning!   I will also try to pronounce the words better... I can't hear what I sing myself. I have a big accent, I speak "

[cratz2]

Funny, I just revisited that song for the first time in maybe 10 years just yesterday. I was playing More Than Words, When The Children Cry and Fast Car which I played back when they were new, but I hadn't played in a long time.

 

Great song. One of those songs that you can stumble through fairly easily after a few minutes, but takes quite a while to nail if you are the perfectionist type.

[missedmyexit]

The recording quality sounded nice the way you had it. There were as mentioned timing issues but once you get the song down that should go away.

[kwakatak]

Well done so far, Misha! The guitar just needs some tightening up on the tempo and like you said your enunciation on the vocals just needs some cleaning up. I'm not gonna fault your accent because it really brings something nice to this song. That being said, it sounds like you recorded this in two separately-recorded tracks, am I correct? If so, then I think there's a little lag somewhere and they need to be synced up a bit.

[Misha]

Well done so far, Misha! The guitar just needs some tightening up on the tempo and like you said your enunciation on the vocals just needs some cleaning up. I'm not gonna fault your accent because it really brings something nice to this song. That being said, it sounds like you recorded this in two separately-recorded tracks, am I correct? If so, then I think there's a little lag somewhere and they need to be synced up a bit.

 

So you can live with my "Engrish accent!!"

 

You are correct, I did 2 tracks. I think I deleted them though...

 

I hope I'll be able to do better with practice... (I need to do better, otherwise, my efforts are useless!)

 

Thank's Kwakatak!

 

-------------------------------------------

 

Thank's for your time, everybody!

[Glenn F]

I use Cool Edit Pro. It's an old program that has more features than Audacity without being difficult to use. I'm French from Quebec (wich is different from being French from France, sometimes they don't even understand us and Vice-Versa!) We have a strong accent maybe because we are surrounded by Angophones and our "French" is greatly influenced by English!

 

It's funny, Misha; we get TV5, or Canal Cinq as I think it is known in Quebec. They show a couple of Quebecois sitcoms and soap-operas for the French, and they have to subtitle it so that the Parisians can understand it! It makes me laugh every time I see it. My wife is a linguist, and is greatly amused by the Quebecois accent, especially when I swear in Quebecois French! Maudit Tabernac!

 

Keep up the good work with the recording, Misha. I wish my first recordings were that clear!

 

Cheers,

 

Glenn

[RKO]

Good job. Way better than me!

[bfloyd6969]

I remember Cool Edit Pro and it is a nice software for recording and mastering. If you get the time, try Reaper. It is a very well made DAW and is strong in recording audio. It comes bundled with very many effects and some nice ones at that. There is a stereo imaging effect bundled with this called the JS Stereo Delayer. It takes a mono signal and splits it into a stereo image that you can determine how much you want both sides offset from each other. I find that anywhere between 10 ~ 20 ms has a nice lush feel to a mono source. The good thing is that you can demo this for free for as long as you like. I think I used this software for about a year before I actually purchased it, which is a very modest price of about $60. Maybe give it a look:

 

http://www.reaper.fm/

[kwakatak]

I remember Cool Edit Pro and it is a nice software for recording and mastering. If you get the time, try Reaper. It is a very well made DAW and is strong in recording audio. It comes bundled with very many effects and some nice ones at that. There is a stereo imaging effect bundled with this called the JS Stereo Delayer. It takes a mono signal and splits it into a stereo image that you can determine how much you want both sides offset from each other. I find that anywhere between 10 ~ 20 ms has a nice lush feel to a mono source. The good thing is that you can demo this for free for as long as you like. I think I used this software for about a year before I actually purchased it, which is a very modest price of about $60. Maybe give it a look: http://www.reaper.fm/

 

+1

 

I love Reaper because you can record with VST filters running in realtime. My laptop is pretty basic so there's always a problem with lagging, but I found a driver called ASIO4ALL that seems to have solved it. That really helps when multi-tracking which Reaper is also really good at.

 

On the electric side I also like to play around with a plugin called Freeamp which simulates any effect you can think of - and the interface actually looks like a bank of stomp pedals!

[kiiaz]

use your inner metronome

 

feel the song don't try to be so technical

[kwakatak]

 

use your inner metronome feel the song don't try to be so technical

 

 

^ that too.

 

I was actually a bit confused by the OP too. It seemed more like a tech question than an actual technique question. Ideally you should just be able to pick up the guitar and sing along without any help.