I wrote a new ditty.... [now with basslines!]

Drew_TNBD

Wouldn't mind some opinions on this if you peeps have the inclination. Particularly the vocals as I'm still new to it:
https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/630473/Garbage People_roughvocals5.mp3?dl

Tis a bit rough around the edges, but the core ideas are there.

I'm working on some vocally stuff right now, gonna try and put an EP out later in the year. Four or five songs, plenty of ambient guitar going into riffs, standard Drew approach I suppose!

Moss

Excellent work - awesome guitar tones, although I think the vocals could be a little more effected to fit the mix better

Bellycaster

That's really good, even though it's not my immediate taste in music, you created a really great beat and instrumental layers there, you also have a distinctive edge to your vocals.

monquixote

You are making great strides in your vocals. 

My only comment would be to clip the notes and make it a bit more staccato and rhythmic rather than letting the notes bleed into each other so much. 

Other than that top stuff.

thecolourbox

Sounded good to my cloth ears. I enjoyed it. I'll venture a few things though if I may, though please bear in mind I'm pretty rubbish at these things, so these aren't really based on me knowing what I'm on about at all:

Are the drums real or software?

I too think the vocals need some kind of reverb or "space", could you double it to either left or right at lower volume?

Would you consider slightly overdriving them?

It builds really nicely and I like how after it has built it sort of calms down but in a really uncertain kinda way - stuff doesn't always need a definite resolution and I think you got that there.

Please feel free to ignore the above as worthless

Gassage

Well, it's a 'yes' from me too.

Four yesses, so you're through to the next round...

ourmaninthenorth

Make that 5.

Don't know fuck all about production and stuff, but can you bring the vocal forward a bit ( if that makes any sense to you whatsoever? ) 

Drew_TNBD

Well at least it seems it doesn't sound like utter shite! Thanks dudes!

ourmaninthenorth said:

Make that 5.

Don't know fuck all about production and stuff, but can you bring the vocal forward a bit ( if that makes any sense to you whatsoever? ) 

You mean in terms of volume?

thecolourbox said:

Are the drums real or software?

Software!

I too think the vocals need some kind of reverb or "space", could you double it to either left or right at lower volume?

Yeah I could do another couple of takes and hard-pan them like you would guitars. But I've been deliberately trying to not hide behind too many production techniques.

Would you consider slightly overdriving them?

I did try that but @Guitarfishbay hated it! )

But yah, a bit of saturation might help bring it out a bit more.

It builds really nicely and I like how after it has built it sort of calms down but in a really uncertain kinda way - stuff doesn't always need a definite resolution and I think you got that there.

Cheers!

monquixote said:

My only comment would be to clip the notes and make it a bit more staccato and rhythmic rather than letting the notes bleed into each other so much.

I'm deliberately trying to bleed things together as a stylistic effect. But maybe I could try more of a straight up thing.

guitarfishbay

I didn't hate it, but I did feel there was too much of it in the version I heard.

Tonally it felt a bit too 'hard' and sitting on top of the mix rather than gelling through it.  Possibly a different plugin would've given a saturation I would've liked.  But what I like is just an opinion, you're in charge of this.  

Drew_TNBD

guitarfishbay said:

you're in charge of this.  

I'm really not! My balls haven't dropped yet!!

thecolourbox

You're welcome, it's very nice work.

Re the drums, the samples sound good but a little too metronomic maybe to me, which I guess is the downfall of software drums. Is there a way to "relax" them a bit? Is there still a plugin type effect to add a bit of random "humanization" to midi tracks quantize?

Re the overdrive and panning/doubling on vocals, maybe having a slightly overdriven vocals track panned right or left and quieter with a very slight delay from the original track might fulfill both? Though totally get the wish to not over produce things.

Again though, bear in mind I have literally no technical knowledge in this, when I do stuff (eg fretboard challenges) I do things purely by hitting and hoping, or trying every possible thing to hide my shoddy vocals and guitar playing so don't necessarily allow me to influence those kind of ideas onto somebody who can actually play and sing...

Deijavoo

Drum progamming envy yet again, amongst all the other stuff too. 

Great job man, I'll be looking forward to the EP.

ourmaninthenorth

Drew_fx said:

Well at least it seems it doesn't sound like utter shite! Thanks dudes!

ourmaninthenorth said:

Make that 5.

Don't know fuck all about production and stuff, but can you bring the vocal forward a bit ( if that makes any sense to you whatsoever? ) 

You mean in terms of volume?

Yep.

Drew_TNBD

Cool. Sounds like I've got a few things to play around with then. If anyone was gonna just go "mate... it sounds like shit and you can't sing..." I was gonna top myself. So thanks!

thecolourbox

Drew_fx said:

Cool. Sounds like I've got a few things to play around with then. If anyone was gonna just go "mate... it sounds like shit and you can't sing..." I was gonna top myself. So thanks!

That depends on how much you'd value their tastes though surely? In some cases I'd take certain people disliking it as a poisitive

Drew_TNBD

thecolourbox said:

Drew_fx said:

Cool. Sounds like I've got a few things to play around with then. If anyone was gonna just go "mate... it sounds like shit and you can't sing..." I was gonna top myself. So thanks!

That depends on how much you'd value their tastes though surely? In some cases I'd take certain people disliking it as a poisitive

Ha! I'm just being melodramatic for the sake of it.

BloodEagle

Sounds like Deftones

cj73

I read this at work earlier and couldn't listen to the track so I kinda formed an idea in my head of what it was going to sound like.

I'm now at home and have listened to it.....not what I expected.

I really liked it, I don't think the vocals overall need to be lifted much and certainly not enhanced.  Perhaps when the 'heavy' bit came in they could do with being a bit more front and centre.

The less heavy bits reminded me of a kinda electro sound vocals wise...thinking VFM Nation or Pride and Fall kinda thing 

bob21

Sounds good - in terms of mix critique I'd bring the vocals up in the mix fairly significantly - the drums, but especially the snare are louder - and the vocal is the key hook for the listener.. I'd also look at carving a little low mid out of the guitars/bass/etc to give the vocal a little more room to sit, and something to give them a little more prominence and length - delay, perhaps bandpassed and slightly distorted?

Those drums sound great though, very impressed!

Drew_TNBD

bob21 said:

Sounds good - in terms of mix critique I'd bring the vocals up in the mix fairly significantly - the drums, but especially the snare are louder - and the vocal is the key hook for the listener.. I'd also look at carving a little low mid out of the guitars/bass/etc to give the vocal a little more room to sit, and something to give them a little more prominence and length - delay, perhaps bandpassed and slightly distorted?

Those drums sound great though, very impressed!

Cool thanks man, I'll give that a try!

Tomorrow I'm going to add some harmonies I think.

mike_l

Sounds good Drewski. 

Vocals could be a little more prominent in the quiet sections, other than that, another Yes vote.