Looking for feedback

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david123
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Joined: Fri Jan 25, 2013 10:31 am

Looking for feedback

Post by david123 »

Hey all,
I'm looking for feedback, recording tips, suggestions, etc..... Just pretty new to the Mixcraft 7 deal and trying to learn. Obviously this is a cover of an Eagles song, hope I don't get in any trouble over it...

https://soundcloud.com/user-493829494/love-will-keep-us
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freightgod
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Re: Looking for feedback

Post by freightgod »

Nice voice! Pop it in the center, please!

Are you direct recording the bass or what is that mud all about? So much noise there and on the "drums", which sound pretty awful and not in sync? But I like the guitar tones. Very pretty overall. Wouldn't mind hearing this with a clean bass track and no percussion at all, but that's just a thought.

But it's hard to listen to in headphones mixed like this, all that chorus is messing with my equilibreum haha :shock:

If this is one of your first efforts, good on you :D
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Mark Bliss
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Re: Looking for feedback

Post by Mark Bliss »

I also noticed what seemed like sloppy timing, especially at the start, but it seemed to drift closer into time as the song progressed I think?
Voice is good, but the vocal track seemed a little dry to me.
And there was something "busy" about the whole thing despite being a fairly simple arrangement. Perhaps that was the chorus getting to me too.
That said, I would have to agree, not bad if an early attempt, there's just a lot of room for "polish" IMO.

Hard to make specific suggestions without knowing a little about your process. IE, what's up with those drums? Etc.
Stay in tune, Mark

My SOUNDCLOUD Page
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AHornsby
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Re: Looking for feedback

Post by AHornsby »

Even with a cover you've got to own it and because it's a cover even more so than the original vocalist. The percussion is a little bit blah. Other than those two things, I believe you just need more vocal practice and to just keep on keepin' on. You have a good voice and the guitar is sounding good too. -h
david123
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Joined: Fri Jan 25, 2013 10:31 am

Re: Looking for feedback

Post by david123 »

freightgod wrote:Nice voice! Pop it in the center, please!

Are you direct recording the bass or what is that mud all about? So much noise there and on the "drums", which sound pretty awful and not in sync? But I like the guitar tones. Very pretty overall. Wouldn't mind hearing this with a clean bass track and no percussion at all, but that's just a thought.

But it's hard to listen to in headphones mixed like this, all that chorus is messing with my equilibreum haha :shock:

If this is one of your first efforts, good on you :D
Thank you for the feedback! As i said I'm very new with this stuff so how do i put the vocal in the center?
david123
Posts: 22
Joined: Fri Jan 25, 2013 10:31 am

Re: Looking for feedback

Post by david123 »

Mark Bliss wrote:I also noticed what seemed like sloppy timing, especially at the start, but it seemed to drift closer into time as the song progressed I think?
Voice is good, but the vocal track seemed a little dry to me.
And there was something "busy" about the whole thing despite being a fairly simple arrangement. Perhaps that was the chorus getting to me too.
That said, I would have to agree, not bad if an early attempt, there's just a lot of room for "polish" IMO.

Hard to make specific suggestions without knowing a little about your process. IE, what's up with those drums? Etc.
Thank you for the feedback! When you say the vocals seem dry, what do you suggest? Need a little help, no a lot of help with this recording stuff. Going to check the chorus deal out too.
david123
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Re: Looking for feedback

Post by david123 »

AHornsby wrote:Even with a cover you've got to own it and because it's a cover even more so than the original vocalist. The percussion is a little bit blah. Other than those two things, I believe you just need more vocal practice and to just keep on keepin' on. You have a good voice and the guitar is sounding good too. -h
Thank you for the feedback! Definitely going to keep on keepin' on friend.
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freightgod
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Re: Looking for feedback

Post by freightgod »

Vocal: It sounds like it's panned way left with lots of chorus or something on it. Pan it center and try lightening up a bit on the effects. It's a nice vocal I just find it a little distracting and unnatural sounding as it is.

Just try stuff, haha :)
elaw
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Re: Looking for feedback

Post by elaw »

freightgod wrote:Vocal: It sounds like it's panned way left with lots of chorus or something on it. Pan it center and try lightening up a bit on the effects. It's a nice vocal I just find it a little distracting and unnatural sounding as it is.
I agree 100%! I like it overall but the vocals seem a little "overcooked".

Also some EQ and/or de-essing on the vocal would be good - it seems like there's a bit of a peak in the low treble region. But not too much of any effect - my feeling is a song like that should sound simple and natural.
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Ajgi
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Re: Looking for feedback

Post by Ajgi »

As others have said, put the vocals in the centre.
Maybe put the rhythm guitar on the right and the lead on the left?
Work on your general timing with the guitar playing.

Not sure where your drums are from, but I'd prefer a fuller sound and a fuller bass sound, or no bass and drums at all, perhaps some minimal tamourine kind of stuff.
If you need a decent sounding drum track I could set you something up with NI Studio Drummer.
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david123
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Re: Looking for feedback

Post by david123 »

Thanks for all the feedback and tips everyone! I've made some changes from what I understand the posts to mean. I eliminated the drum track which was a Mixcraft 7 "off the shelf" track. If you have a few minutes to review it again I'd appreciate your input and mentoring.

Https://SoundCloud.com/user-493829494

Thanks again! :D
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Mark Bliss
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Re: Looking for feedback

Post by Mark Bliss »

Need to know more about what you are doing.

I hear some potentially good playing and singing, but the processing, whatever it is- isn't doing it justice at all to be honest.

The drum loop might have worked a lot better, had you played and sang in time to it, instead I think it sounded like you added it in later or something. Whatever it was, that's gone now.

There is something in the background (I think its in the vocal track) that sounds like a faint tambourine or odd click track. Also, there's some other background and low level noise here and there that is messing with your results. Maybe some interface or preamp fizz?

But mostly, I think there is just some overuse of effects that is unnecessary or causing undesirable results.
One example would be the chorused sound on the rhythm guitar. It sounds like a case of using things that might sound good in solo but when mixed with other tracks doesn't work so well. A questionable quality stereo chorus type thing maybe? Or perhaps just too much of it applied.
Stay in tune, Mark

My SOUNDCLOUD Page
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AHornsby
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Re: Looking for feedback

Post by AHornsby »

Frankly, I don't want to tell you how to paint your picture. But, since you asked...

It seems that there's an over abundance of guitars and by the end of the piece they become toxic to the overall mix as there was nothing to want me to continue any further with it.

Percussion would be fine if not overdone. Perhaps you could try some cross sticking or add a clave and a closed hi-hat.

The way I heard it was with a weak tambourine(?) and you could either lose that completely or add some gain to it.

It's all good! -h
david123
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Joined: Fri Jan 25, 2013 10:31 am

Re: Looking for feedback

Post by david123 »

Thank you for all the good advice and direction! I've uploaded the new track on 3-19-17 and reduced the track to some bare bones stuff. If you would give another listen I'd appreciate your feedback. (It's the track without the date attached.) Earlier comments about the chorus effect stumped me a bit since I had no chorus in the mixcraft selected. I believe I recorded from my PODXT floor board, which probably had some chorus added. I 86'd that and DI'd an Ovation acoustic for the main guitar. I'm using a Focusrite Scarlett 2i2/mic. Tried some de-essing on the vocals as well. Mostly have some Acoustica 31 EQ, some delay, and compression but that's all. I know how to fix the timing issues...practice! But the actual mixcraft work is totally foreign and it's where I tend to get impatient and frustrated. Tips, advice, and direction is always appreciated. :D 8)

https://soundcloud.com/user-493829494
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Mark Bliss
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Re: Looking for feedback

Post by Mark Bliss »

Warning. Learning to mix is not for the impatient. :D

I hear improvement. And on that note, all critique is intended as constructive, and meant to encourage.
Little steps.

The chorus on the acoustic guitar was definitely the Pod. Removing it is good. Keep in mind, these kinds of effects can sound good in solo, often really make a mess in a mix with other instruments. Especially similar sounding instruments. Clean acoustic just sounds far better here anyway.

That tambourine or whatever the faint background sound was is gone, that helped clean things up.
There is still some hiss that needs to be addressed. Don't know what it is, so its hard to help on that. It could be gain staging, a noisy preamp (Which the Focusrite shouldn't be causing, at least not this much) or a noisy plug in.
Could filter it out with noise reduction, but if it were me, I'd prefer to find the cause and minimize it. What plug ins are you using exactly?
There's also some kind of glitches, one particularly bad at about 2:45 (I think that's right) that sounds like a bad cord kind of noise. Need to find the cause of that too.

Here's what I would do next, mix wise.
Vocal track is pretty good.
Turn the fingerpicked acoustic down, its accompanying you not vice-versa. Try reducing it about 2.5 dB. Next automate a fade out/in during the section where the other guitar part (kind of solo section or bridge.) comes in. You could pan them for separation, but I would just have only one playing personally, both at once sounds cluttered to me.
Now turn the electric guitar track up about 1, maybe 1.5 dB and see what you have.

If all that works out, we have a rough mix. Now comes the hard part. 100's of little details. 8)
PM me if interested, I have a suggestion to offer we might try.
Stay in tune, Mark

My SOUNDCLOUD Page
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