sgulley
Superstar
If you really like music and recording it then never stop trying to get better at it.
Posts: 2,994
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Post by sgulley on Feb 19, 2006 4:16:33 GMT
I was reaching for an alternative-style (including the lyrics) song from the very beginning. The song is categories as "Christian-Alternative." Probably not the most popular genre, but that is what it is. MIXING3 guitar tracks:1) condensor miced Alverez acoustic 2) Les Paul with a Nirvana effect 3) Tele through a VOX amp combo & stomp-box "on" Bass directly in EURORACK & sonic maximizer (no other effect) Main vocals through condensor mic Harmony vocals through Sure dynamic mic 7) MIDI drum track run through sonic maximizer. Does this have sound? Yeah, probably too much. Stan
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Hansur
Gold Record Member
There are no wrong notes; some are just more right than others. – Thelonius Monk
Posts: 144
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Post by Hansur on Feb 19, 2006 11:55:53 GMT
Hi Stan, great song, greater lyrics and very much improved vocals. You know what you want to tell us, don't you? Here is what i think could sharpen up the song: A less counterpointish, more simple drums. What about a straight to the rhythm 4/4 drums? The Alvarez is underrepresented, sorry. Here is my suggestion: strum it with a soft pick, use a steady rhythm, let her ring, leave out the bass strings and the straight beats (1,2,3,4), give her a medium size reverb and maybe a very slight autopan. Than mix carefully drums, bass and accoustic guitar and make sure to have a tight rhythm and a balanced sound with clean and neat room. That should make a stabile fundament for the song. Hope i haven't been too offensive with my remarks. Have a nice sunday! Hans
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sgulley
Superstar
If you really like music and recording it then never stop trying to get better at it.
Posts: 2,994
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Post by sgulley on Feb 27, 2006 22:50:42 GMT
Hans, Thanks for your input. I'm usually overloaded with sonic (EQ) collisions just before the mixing step. I was reaching for a more alternative sound this time, but like you said, the drums were "too much" to start with, and quite difficult to follow during several change ups. I felt fortunate just to sqeeze in what I did without everything being an out-of-sync mess. Keep your input coming. I'll learn one of these days. I just don't want to fall into a single pattern for doing things or I might get bored with the process. I guess I don't feel comfortable locked into a single style of playing. BTW, drums are becoming my biggest stumbling-block right now. If I do straight 4/4 repetition, the drums always sound fake. Too many change ups, and its a mixing nightmare (2 most important tracks in a song for me to balance are (1) drums, and (2) vocals. Thanks for listening, Stan
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Hansur
Gold Record Member
There are no wrong notes; some are just more right than others. – Thelonius Monk
Posts: 144
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Post by Hansur on Mar 1, 2006 21:47:06 GMT
Hi Stan, Alvarez sounds nice, now. Everything in the song, exept drums, is straight 4/4, but around min 1:00 in "The Promise" the snare is on the first beat of the bar - That's, errrmm, interesting. It gives the groove sort of a wooden leg type of rhythm............ What I found and still like are the easy to handle drum patterns on the PS5, and also they sound great! Maybe your drum-worries could be solved, if you'd write a leadsheet of your project and count exactly the bars (intro, verse, bridge etc.), program the virtual drummer and start with a pilot track? Guess you know all of this already...
Yes, drums always are a huge part of the problems... What I learned from a recording engineer is: always play (the first pilot-tracks, mostly git & vox) to a grooving drum pattern. You might replace that later with a more "fitting" drumtrack. That did help me a lot, because playing to a click (metronome) kills inspiration, well, specially in my Case. Timing is the most important task in recording!
Keep the chimney smoking!
Hans
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sgulley
Superstar
If you really like music and recording it then never stop trying to get better at it.
Posts: 2,994
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Post by sgulley on Mar 1, 2006 23:19:45 GMT
Hansur, You bring up a really good point to just start out basic, and then expand, so that it simplifies decisions faced during mixing; meaning that things like EQing may not even be an issue. I use to follow: the drums, git, then vox pattern but have deviated somewhat & should probably go back. I think most people like songs of a clean/expected nature which fits a particular mood. I think I shift things in & out too much which distracts the listener. Maybe this deviation process is to distract attention away from the vocals (psyco-analyzing somewhat ) Lately, I've been doing everything including bass first, then finally doing vocals, which means that the support instruments are not feeding from the vocals. I've been generating vocals off from the guitars' feel. This was not intentional but is probably due to a better chance of success on a take. My vocal takes outweigh my guitar tracks as much as 3-5:1. Needless to say I'm ready throw in the towel when vocals are finished. Man, sometimes I just confuse myself. Stan
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