The Watering Hole

Ok, so I have flipped my pickups, redialed my guitar sound a bit, trying for more clarity.  i also changed up my mix a bit and here is a new song in progress.  

Beware it is loud.

Wow, that sucked! :(









(Way too short of a sample.  ;) ;D)

I can't really comment on the sound... my iMac's HDD died so I'm iPad only for a few days which means no FireWire -> no audio interface -> no monitors... but, through Roland KC 300's (heh) it sounds pretty cool. and that's saying something since these things tend to bring out the worst in audio.

the way the heavy and clean blend together is particularly nice!

I'll start checking under drive-thru windows for any spare change people have dropped now.  I should have enough to buy his next CD by the time when it comes out.  ;)  :D

Thanks, I think, lol...

Sheep - I'll be really interested to see what you think when you get your normal setup back.

And Craig, it's going to be an EP so you might make it!

Cool!  I'm sure it will be so much better than this one:  ;D

ah, the question about acoustic bits in the other thread makes more sense in context... thx Craig!

;)

I'll give it a sheep approval as well.  Laptop at work, but sounds good.  

Wow! Sounds great !  CD needed !! :)

man, sounds so different on monitors... lol.

ok, I dig it. but... what are you using for reverb? just an opinion here - it sounds a little like everyone's piled into a small room. I get a kind of cramped feeling with the mix, like it's a boxed in - maybe it's the "loud" factor? dunno... just a feeling like it could be more spread out somehow - maybe just a more diffused reverb or less direct reflection or something? however... that does give it a very direct and focused, aggressive effect... which is pretty cool too. so, just opinion - it's certainly cool this way!

btw, the shaker sound that floats across the field in the cleaner section is so totally cool! didn't hear that on the other listen.

Ok, multiple listens with some good headphones.  yeah the shaker floating around is cool.  Subtle with headphones, will check with monitors.  

Also, maybe I'm hearing what I read....  This sounds great, no question, but I agree with sheep it has a bit that feel to it... just lacks space.  Not a bad thing, just comparatively speaking.  I listened to a couple other things to confirm and agree with Sheep.  Again, not bad AT ALL.  I probably wouldn't have commented if he hadn't.   :)  And it's never fair to judge that with headphones, but I hear what he's saying.  

I can't wait to hear this!  Sounds great!!!  

Thanks Marco!

Sheep - I hear what you mean and thank you for the constructive comments;  you kind of helped me zone in on what still isn't as good as I'd like - I feel my guitar sound is a bit too upfront and maybe a bit less big than I'd like.  I was dinking with different verbs and have not settled on one yet.  I'd love to use Valhalla Room but will probably have to wait until next year to buy it.

I'll try some different things out.

Oh - thanks on the shaker thing - this song has lots of stuff like that going on in other places.  There's one part after the main solo that breaks down and i literally built sounds by piling effects onto different synth patches...  Sounds like somebody beating on rusty pipes!   I can't tell you how many time I have been working on it and stopped because I thought I heard Dory or one of the kids calling me from upstairs :D

I love putting stuff like that in songs.

Woops you snuck in there on me Howie.  Ok, I'll see what I can do, I think you guys are right.  It can be better.

But I'm just talking about "space."  The tones.... man, you NEEDED that Mini Rec!  Seriously!  This is just "right" for you, IMHO.  

there's a percussion sound on the newer plankton album that will get me turn it down and check for something that's broken nine times out of ten. cracks me up... I still fall for it. sounds like a fan going bad... or a bearing about to fail. always gets me when driving... lol. love stuff like that.

:) :)

There is an Alan Holdsworth album with a knock on the door in the intro to a song.  I used to fall for it all the time.  When I finally stopped checking the door every time I listened, one night I ignored it, but it kept happening.  I was greeted by an angry woman (looked like my wife but possessed by some kind of demon or something) that said she KNEW I heard her knocking on the door and why was I ignoring her.  LOL  

p.s.  Paul, this kind of stuff is ok, as long as I won't go to hell if I play it backwards!   ;D ;D

lol

I still have a record player, you know. I can do backwards if the spirits tell me too!   :o

LOL!!!

CD's aren't accurate enough to send you to hell if you play them backwards.

btw, I listened to this again just now... it's definitely the reverb. the tones are great - don't start making those "better"!! heh. just need a reverb with a longer tail, I think... though no reverb at all would be interesting to hear...!

agree, digging the tones.  Don't change those!  

I love the sound of this.  Super-aggressive... there are some cool off-axis type sounds in the rhythm guitars, or some weird phasing, makes it sound real... though I'm thinking it's probably direct, it's convincing.  And really beautiful lead sounds and playing.  Everything sounds punchy and the bass is nice and round and fat, too.  

My only critique is in the drums, not the sound, but the parts.  It's a pet peeve of mine but I always listen to programmed drums as if I'm playing.  I think it's a good thing to take a couple of drum lessons if you're going to be programming something like an album... learn to at least feel your way through a drum part, moving your hands and feet separately. It really gives you a different perspective on how drums should be played.  But barring that, here are some specifics...

• from about :21 to about :35 the drummer repeats two 8th notes on the snare a whole bunch of times. First, a real drummer wouldn't do that that many times in a row, and second, the notes sound like they are at nearly the same velocity and thus the samples don't sound realistic.  Some programs allow you to do a sampled "left" and "right" snare hit to fix this somewhat.  And you can throw in a little more humanization, drag one of those hits off a little late or a little early. Personally I'd get rid of that repeated snare hit entirely, or occasionally add a tom accent or a flam on that second eighth note, if you need it.
  
• at :41, the solo starts, and you've got this great juxtaposition of drum feel with the bass part.  It's totally killer, but it only goes for 7 bars, and then there's a 1-bar fill, and then it switches to a double-time feel that is just not necessary, and not tied in with the bass part... especially considering that it's only another 8 bars before the song changes to a different part again.  Speaking as someone who's pounded some drums, I'd stick with that initial solo groove, ... there's never much advantage to switching to double time unless the whole song is going that way...

Ok awesome points Charger - thank you.  Drums are the bane of my recording existence, lol.  I will be replacing a few parts, the verse is definitely on the list :)  As far as the double time part - that is a foreshadowing of a middle section so that or something like it will probably stay.  Although it may be interesting to try it without it.

Again, thanks for the constructive points everybody.  

It's been 2 weeks since i was able to work on this (or play at all) and it looks like work will be psycho for Novemeber but I am so eager to get things done.  I have 3 more songs in various stages of production and I just want to get them all done.

Ok, here's what I had time for last night and this AM:

1) using mid distance mic settings, I really need to do some comparison clips as my ears reset by the time i make the change and listen again.

2) added a bigger/longer verb.  Maybe too much?

3) adjusted the verse drums on Charger's suggestions.  I think they sound much better.

So much for fun time today - time to go up on the roof and seal some tile leaks  :-/

I like that reverb better... maybe just a bit less of it? the guitars sound great - lead part has more space, :50-:53 - very cool. high hat (assuming that's it... on the right) standing out a bit... sounds a little... eh, I dunno, maybe just a little loud... it's not a big deal. good stuff.

yeah I have a lousy ear for reverb, but it seemed a bit too much for me too.  

Thanks for all the suggestions guys, I feel its getting better and better, and I am all wired up to work on it more :)

RectoZilla — Oct 26, 2013Ok, here's what I had time for last night and this AM:

1) using mid distance mic settings, I really need to do some comparison clips as my ears reset by the time i make the change and listen again.

2) added a bigger/longer verb.  Maybe too much?

3) adjusted the verse drums on Charger's suggestions.  I think they sound much better.

So much for fun time today - time to go up on the roof and seal some tile leaks  :-/

Can't comment on the mix because I'm at work, and I'm not one to trust in that dept anyway, lol...but dayum, as for the rest, composition, tones, playing, vibe, etc, it's amazing, possibly my fav piece I've heard of yours yet, and I only heard 1:20 of it at that! MORE please, that's primo music.  

woah, thanks Derek.  :)  I can't wait to get this song done...  Then on to the next!