Lend Me Your Ears Please

[OneWorld]

I have mixed and uploaded 2 of my tracks. I have used a little compression and much the same treatment on both tracks, but one sounds louder than the other, so if I pout them on CD, there's a leap in volume when I move from one track to the next, but as you'll see from the wav graphic in Soundcloud, they both look the same.

The 2 tracks are

CantGetStarted and ItsAnOrdinaryLife

Acoustimax on Soundcloud

Any general comments on the mixing would be welcome thanks

[Jonnypopisical]

Hi - Don't worry about the mixes at this stage - look at the song writing and performances...the mixes can wait..

[OneWorld]

I already dealt with that bit

[Jonnypopisical]

don't think so

[stollypop]

I already dealt with that bit

Who wrote your lyrics, Noel Gallaghers 5yr old neice?

[OneWorld]

Yep, quite good isn't she, it must run in the family

[stollypop]

Yep, quite good isn't she, it must run in the family

Yes, she and her family would be the best in the world if every other lyric writer in the world was dead.

[OneWorld]

Yep, quite good isn't she, it must run in the family

Yes, she and her family would be the best in the world if every other lyric writer in the world was dead.

That wouldn't include you though would it! LOL

[stollypop]

On a serious note, you should really take those poor excuses for music down and just stop. McDonalds are hiring i hear.

[sambrox]

Holy crap, what's with all the hostility? Not very constructive...

[Guest]

On a serious note, you should really take those poor excuses for music down and just stop. McDonalds are hiring i hear.

twit.

[Airfix]

I lent my ears to 'Cant get started'. Nice breezy track with potential. I agree with Jonnypopisical that the tracking is not finished here. The bass is doing some strange things. It's a little too active.

I'd go back to the bass and the drums - it is way too busy in parts - needs rethinking.
The guitars lack body - perhaps they were Di'd and this process has left them a bit characterless. I'd think you might consider imbuing the guitars with tube emulation perhaps - gentle distortion might help.

If you are happy with the tracking as is, I would suggest bringing the main vocal forward - try a little compression here. The backing vocals are louder than the main vocal as it stands. That needs to be fixed.

[OneWorld]

Holy crap, what's with all the hostility? Not very constructive...

Whatever floats his billabong, even the Beatles had doors slammed in their faces by the experts, so I hope I don't get mistaken for someone that gives a damn. The first job of music is not impress but express, and if someone likes it, great, if not..oh dear what a shame never mind onto the next song.

As it happens, I don't think the lyrics could be described even remotely as Dylanesque, but nI have been an instrumentalist, but thought I'd have a pop at singing as well.

There's on ething I take comfort from,I have more replies than anyone else as regards the listen posts - and there's no such thing as bad publicity and I am a sucker for a bit of robust banter as much as the next man/woman/whatever lol

BTW - Sam Brox, are you in anyway related to the infamous Victor Brox/Kyla Brox?

[OneWorld]

On a serious note, you should really take those poor excuses for music down and just stop. McDonalds are hiring i hear.

twit.

And I hope he comes into Macs when am working there - he'll know me, I'll be happily singing away in the background, gobbing in his burger LOL

[BJG145]

I lent my ears to 'Cant get started'....I'd go back to the bass and the drums - it is way too busy in parts - needs rethinking...I would suggest bringing the main vocal forward

(When I listened to it on basic computer speakers, first impression was that the vocals could come up, and the drum riff that kicks in at 30secs could go down, or be replaced by something different.)

[OneWorld]

I lent my ears to 'Cant get started'. Nice breezy track with potential. I agree with Jonnypopisical that the tracking is not finished here. The bass is doing some strange things. It's a little too active.

I'd go back to the bass and the drums - it is way too busy in parts - needs rethinking.
The guitars lack body - perhaps they were Di'd and this process has left them a bit characterless. I'd think you might consider imbuing the guitars with tube emulation perhaps - gentle distortion might help.

If you are happy with the tracking as is, I would suggest bringing the main vocal forward - try a little compression here. The backing vocals are louder than the main vocal as it stands. That needs to be fixed.

Thanks for that, yes, the bass is too busy, a habit I cannot get out of, used to play solo acoustic Spanish guitar with my fingers running amock and I play the bass in the same way, as if it is a solo intstrument, and I keep forgetting the bass is meant to underpin the rhythm, not do a 3 minute bass solo!

The steel strung guitar I have is only a cheap Yammy, and no matter what I try, I cannot get it sounding as good as one does when I listen to professionally recorded music.

I am not a vocalist, as demonstrated, but I trundle along in my happy liddle way. But try and stretch the range, so I am not stuck within one octave, I hear proper singers and they go all over the place and make it lyrical, tuneful and phrased just bob on. And then I try to do 2/3 part harmony, well, that's a work in progress too!

But again thanks for yuor critique, as in truth, it kinda confirmed what I felt already.

Of course my mates say "Wow that's brill" and they say it again if I buy them another pint! I supose I owe you a pint as well now - fame and fortiune, it wasn't supposed to go this way!

[sambrox]

BTW - Sam Brox, are you in anyway related to the infamous Victor Brox/Kyla Brox?

Yup. They're my dad and little sister, respectively.

[OneWorld]

A exhalted music heritage then! the number of times he rocked the joint at the famed Slurrey Arms is beyond measure, he was world famous in Glossop! - well way beyond there of course

[stollypop]

Oh come on, i was being Simon Cowell.

And absolutely NO SINGING when frying those burgers, especially your songs.

[zenguitar]

Oh come on, i was being Simon Cowell.

And absolutely NO SINGING when frying those burgers, especially your songs.

And one Simon Cowell is more than sufficient. Consider the market saturated already, and in future bear in mind that things don't over the same in print as they do in person.

Andy

[shufflebeat]

Oh come on, i was being Simon Cowell.

Dear Mr Pop

There are quite clearly defined rules regarding the use of unacceptable language on these fora. If you cannot conduct yourself accordingly I will be obliged to raise your behaviour with the appropriate body.

Thank you.

p.s. what's with the Crass logo?

OP, I like your stuff and agree with the constructive comments already laid out.

Keep up the good work.

[vinyl_junkie]

On the first track I don't think those drums work at all, too 90's ravey and in your face for the track imo (Not to mention sounding rather dated and flat)

Bass is too lumpy and just doesn't sound right, is it a synth? To me it's occupying the wrong bit in the mix, too mid rangey and loud

BV's sound out of tune/key in a quite a few places

Before coming in with the drums after you fixed them you could try some strings with some verb

I'd just start again, as some one said I wouldn't worry about the mixing at this stage and concentrate harder with the song writing and recording.. Sorry if that's a bit harsh

[stollypop]

Dear Mr Pop

There are quite clearly defined rules regarding the use of unacceptable language on these fora. If you cannot conduct yourself accordingly I will be obliged to raise your behaviour with the appropriate body.

Thank you.

Shut up, no one likes a grass.

[stollypop]

I'd just start again, as some one said I wouldn't worry about the mixing at this stage and concentrate harder with the song writing and recording.. Sorry if that's a bit harsh

How can honesty be 'a bit harsh'? Are we to lie to him? No matter how much you dress up a dog turd it's still a dog turd.

Someone asked what the 'Crass logo was about' apart from being a great band one of the many things Crass believed in was freedom of speech.

[shufflebeat]

Someone asked what the 'Crass logo was about' apart from being a great band one of the many things Crass believed in was freedom of speech.

I think you'll find they also sounded a trifle... raw. God help them if they had come here looking for constructive criticism.