Do You Think - New Version

Author
gtrpastor
Max Output Level: -86 dBFS
  • Total Posts : 210
  • Joined: 2004/07/17 20:34:23
  • Status: offline
2014/05/23 14:38:24 (permalink)

Do You Think - New Version

After mulling over advice I received on the forum, I decided to re-do this song from scratch. (Actually, I did it twice--long story). In thinking about the song, I decided to go for a more intimate feel (at least that was my intent). 
 
Thanks in advance to all who listen. Comments and critiques welcome. 
 
https://soundcloud.com/sean-peifer/do-you-think-v4
 
Latest Revision (5/30/2014): https://soundcloud.com/sean-peifer/do-you-think-4c2
post edited by gtrpastor - 2014/05/30 17:08:34
#1

15 Replies Related Threads

    RussjWhite
    Max Output Level: -80 dBFS
    • Total Posts : 511
    • Joined: 2012/12/23 16:33:01
    • Status: offline
    Re: Do You Think - New Version 2014/05/24 06:03:25 (permalink)
    Right first off good singing and playing. I like this open and intimate piece. Starts off great, at 1:15 when the left gt enters I feel it is either too high in the mix or you need something on the right to balance it, My head feels heavier to the left and then pulled to the right at 1:48 when the gts are swapped. So in short I reckon you need you have a ying to go with the yang on the wide gt parts IMHO. Other that good solid piece.
    Gus
     

     
    BL Cakewalk 
    ATHM50 Cans
    VRM Box
    East West
    #2
    gtrpastor
    Max Output Level: -86 dBFS
    • Total Posts : 210
    • Joined: 2004/07/17 20:34:23
    • Status: offline
    Re: Do You Think - New Version 2014/05/25 09:58:47 (permalink)
    Gusrogers - thanks for listening and for the comments. I could definitely hear what you're talking about, especially with headphones. Should be an easy fix. I'll update it soon.
    #3
    polarbear
    Max Output Level: -66 dBFS
    • Total Posts : 1212
    • Joined: 2005/04/24 16:20:47
    • Location: Las Vegas
    • Status: offline
    Re: Do You Think - New Version 2014/05/25 13:11:53 (permalink)
    Very nice song. I know you're going for more intimate but I'd love to hear it a little more produced... A little fuller of a guitar sound, bring everything out more. Love the vocals on the chorus parts.

    http://www.bydavidrosen.com
    http://www.imdb.me/davidrosen
    Winner of Best Song of 2007 at Acidplanet.com!
     
    PC Audio Labs Rokbox OB1 - Gigabyte X99-UD4-CF - Intel Core i7 5820K @ 3.30GHz - 32GB RAM - ATI Radeon HD 7700 - Windows 7 Pro
    Sonar Platinum - Komplete 9 Ultimate - Spectrasonics Omnisphere - reFX Nexus2 - And the list goes on...
    RME BabyFace Pro - M-Audio Keystation 88es
    #4
    gtrpastor
    Max Output Level: -86 dBFS
    • Total Posts : 210
    • Joined: 2004/07/17 20:34:23
    • Status: offline
    Re: Do You Think - New Version 2014/05/25 18:17:26 (permalink)
    Polar bear - thank you for listening. Any advice on how to get the guitar to sound more full? I'm not sure how...
    #5
    polarbear
    Max Output Level: -66 dBFS
    • Total Posts : 1212
    • Joined: 2005/04/24 16:20:47
    • Location: Las Vegas
    • Status: offline
    Re: Do You Think - New Version 2014/05/25 18:43:23 (permalink)
    Unfortunately I'm not the best at getting great guitar sound since I work mostly with synths... I'm sure someone here would have a good answer for you though.

    http://www.bydavidrosen.com
    http://www.imdb.me/davidrosen
    Winner of Best Song of 2007 at Acidplanet.com!
     
    PC Audio Labs Rokbox OB1 - Gigabyte X99-UD4-CF - Intel Core i7 5820K @ 3.30GHz - 32GB RAM - ATI Radeon HD 7700 - Windows 7 Pro
    Sonar Platinum - Komplete 9 Ultimate - Spectrasonics Omnisphere - reFX Nexus2 - And the list goes on...
    RME BabyFace Pro - M-Audio Keystation 88es
    #6
    stevec
    Max Output Level: 0 dBFS
    • Total Posts : 11546
    • Joined: 2003/11/04 15:05:54
    • Location: Parkesburg, PA
    • Status: offline
    Re: Do You Think - New Version 2014/05/27 12:58:32 (permalink)
    I'm with PB on this one - the acoustic does sound a little thin.  Is it mic'd or direct?    FWIW, the drums feel a little soft to me too.
     
    But I do like the performances, particularly the lead vocals - you're getting up there in spots but still nicely in tune!  Sounds really good.
     
     

    SteveC
    https://soundcloud.com/steve-cocchi
    http://www.soundclick.com/bands/pagemusic.cfm?bandID=39163
     
    SONAR Platinum x64, Intel Q9300 (2.5Ghz), Asus P5N-D, Win7 x64 SP1, 8GB RAM, 1TB internal + ESATA + USB Backup HDDs, ATI Radeon HD5450 1GB RAM + dual ViewSonic VA2431wm Monitors;
    Focusrite 18i6 (ASIO);
    Komplete 9, Melodyne Studio 4, Ozone 7 Advanced, Rapture Pro, GPO5, Valhalla Plate, MJUC comp, MDynamic EQ, lots of other freebie VST plugins, synths and Kontakt libraries
     
    #7
    gtrpastor
    Max Output Level: -86 dBFS
    • Total Posts : 210
    • Joined: 2004/07/17 20:34:23
    • Status: offline
    Re: Do You Think - New Version 2014/05/27 14:07:49 (permalink)
    stevec - thanks for taking the time to listen to the song, and for your comments--both the compliments and the critiques are each helpful in their own way. The acoustic is recorded direct. I think it may sound thin because there's only one track. I've been researching and finding that the way to make it thicker is layering. The drums are purposely soft, because on my previous attempt at this song it was noted that they were too loud, too wet, too hard, etc. So it sounds like I'll need to record some more guitar tracks and work more on the drums. 
    #8
    Lynn
    Max Output Level: -14 dBFS
    • Total Posts : 6117
    • Joined: 2003/11/12 18:36:16
    • Location: Kansas City, MO
    • Status: offline
    Re: Do You Think - New Version 2014/05/27 14:32:30 (permalink)
    First of all, the singing is very good on this tune.  The simple arrangement works, and getting a thicker guitar tone isn't as hard as you may think.  You can layer or double the part, you can record with a mic and add a touch of compression after the fact (the CA-2A is great for this), or you can use heavier strings.  A slight bit of chorus or flanger can also make a difference.  Experiment a bit, and you may come up with something you didn't expect.  Good luck!

    All the best,
    Lynn

    my songs
    www.soundclick.com/lynnwilson

    www.youtube.com/lywilson
    my videos

    Cakewalk by Bandlab| Sonar Platinum @ 64bits| i7 860 | 8 gigs ram | W10 @ 64 bits | RME FF 400
    #9
    gtrpastor
    Max Output Level: -86 dBFS
    • Total Posts : 210
    • Joined: 2004/07/17 20:34:23
    • Status: offline
    Re: Do You Think - New Version 2014/05/27 18:17:14 (permalink)
    Lynn - thanks for the listen and the comments and suggestions. The good news is I just got the CA-2A free with an X3 upgrade (I don't know how to use it yet, but I will play with it). The guitar parts on here do have a slight chorus effect, but I turned it way down so that there's only 15% mix level. I was hoping to make the guitar sound more natural. Maybe I'll turn it up a bit and see how it sounds. Thanks for the ideas.
    #10
    stevec
    Max Output Level: 0 dBFS
    • Total Posts : 11546
    • Joined: 2003/11/04 15:05:54
    • Location: Parkesburg, PA
    • Status: offline
    Re: Do You Think - New Version 2014/05/27 19:08:42 (permalink)
    If you can, I would also try double-tracking the guitar with a mic'd version for more "body".
     

    SteveC
    https://soundcloud.com/steve-cocchi
    http://www.soundclick.com/bands/pagemusic.cfm?bandID=39163
     
    SONAR Platinum x64, Intel Q9300 (2.5Ghz), Asus P5N-D, Win7 x64 SP1, 8GB RAM, 1TB internal + ESATA + USB Backup HDDs, ATI Radeon HD5450 1GB RAM + dual ViewSonic VA2431wm Monitors;
    Focusrite 18i6 (ASIO);
    Komplete 9, Melodyne Studio 4, Ozone 7 Advanced, Rapture Pro, GPO5, Valhalla Plate, MJUC comp, MDynamic EQ, lots of other freebie VST plugins, synths and Kontakt libraries
     
    #11
    Starise
    Max Output Level: -0.3 dBFS
    • Total Posts : 7563
    • Joined: 2007/04/07 17:23:02
    • Status: offline
    Re: Do You Think - New Version 2014/05/28 10:15:17 (permalink)
    Really good tune all around. I think the song could go either way and work. I like songs that sound good in an intimate setting but can be ramped up with the full band as well. The guitars work but as others have said they could be improved. Only having one track can be tough to work with. In a dense mix a thin acoustic works but in a thinner mix I think there should be slightly more cahoonas to the acoustic guitar on the bass end. I actually think one track might work decent if the low end of the the acoustic could be brought out, but you won't get the extra space that multiple tracks would give you.
     
    If your tracks are slightly different and panned L/R in the mix it can add so much to it.The tracks can be either the same parts played slightly different or complimentary parts, either way you get an extra dimension to the sound. 
     
    Even the way this is though, it's a nice song and I enjoyed the listen.
     
    In the future, you can get great results from one recording by using two mics at the acoustic guitar, one closer to the sound hole and one place further up the neck. You have to experiment to find a sweet spot that works for both mics. In addition, you can also track the output of the guitar at the same time...so you get three tracks in one pass. If done well, you can essentially get the bass from one mic and the higher notes from another and maybe use the output track to compliment the mics. Panning these tracks can add a lot to the guitar sound.Providing you don't get any phasing and you're not picking up bad things from your space it can sound great, of course the mics pick up eveything, including finger and string noises.
    post edited by Starise - 2014/05/28 10:18:55

    Intel 5820K O.C. 4.4ghz, ASRock Extreme 4 LGA 2011-v3, 16 gig DDR4, ,
    3 x Samsung SATA III 500gb SSD, 2X 1 Samsung 1tb 7200rpm outboard, Win 10 64bit, 
    Laptop HP Omen i7 16gb 2/sdd with Focusrite interface.
     CbB, Studio One 4 Pro, Mixcraft 8, Ableton Live 10 
     
     www.soundcloud.com/starise
     
     
     
    Twitter @Rodein
     
    #12
    Rikkie
    Max Output Level: -68 dBFS
    • Total Posts : 1128
    • Joined: 2012/06/24 10:13:34
    • Status: offline
    Re: Do You Think - New Version 2014/05/28 12:13:02 (permalink)
    Hi Sean, this is a good song with excellent vocals. It's a pity the guitar sound is so thin. Also there's a lot of string squeak throughout, lifting your fingers when changing chords is the only remedy. as for the thin sound, I'd boost around 200hz and 600 hz, cut around 800 to1500, bo0st 2 kHz for a bit of zing and a shelf at 6 kHz with a gradual slope. I would copy the guitar track ,pan them hard left and right , nudge one track 10 msto create a stereo effect and leave room in the middle.  To improve a di'd guitar I sometimes use Perfect Space reverb wih an acouistic guitar IR.
     
     
    Rik
    #13
    teego
    Max Output Level: -80 dBFS
    • Total Posts : 518
    • Joined: 2011/02/04 19:40:55
    • Status: offline
    Re: Do You Think - New Version 2014/05/28 18:01:04 (permalink)
    Sounds a lot better, good song and good playing. I would follow stevec 's advice and double track with a mic and then apply the eq changes that Rikkie suggested where necessary. Oh and the vocal is really good!

    Computer: Intel core2 quad q8400 @2.66ghz, 4 gb memory,64 bit Windows 7 Focusrite Saffire Pro 24, Sonar Platinum Ipswich and Update 1
     
    #14
    The Band19
    Max Output Level: -47.5 dBFS
    • Total Posts : 2795
    • Joined: 2012/05/29 19:21:32
    • Status: offline
    Re: Do You Think - New Version 2014/05/28 20:41:18 (permalink)
    Well, now that you've been intimate with me, I feel I can tell you my deepest secrets. The string slide squeaks are bugging me. I would isolate one on each of the guitar tracks, just the little snippet (holds fingers very close together) and use a spectrum analyzer to see visually where the peaks are in that sliding squeak. Then do a surgical EQ Cut with a big Q and try to tame it some. I have some other issues with the guitars, but I don't want to ramble on. Overall the feel seems pretty good to me. 

    Sittin downtown in a railway station one toke over the line.
    #15
    gtrpastor
    Max Output Level: -86 dBFS
    • Total Posts : 210
    • Joined: 2004/07/17 20:34:23
    • Status: offline
    Re: Do You Think - New Version 2014/05/30 03:43:22 (permalink)
    Thanks Starise, Rikkie, teego and TheBand19 for your helpful comments. 
     
    I re-recorded the "squeaky" guitar parts to make them (hopefully) better. I also recorded new parts with a mic'd acoustic and panned them right and left to help it sound more full. I also tweaked the drums in the mix. Let me know what you think.
     
    I posted a revision at: https://soundcloud.com/sean-peifer/do-you-think-4c2
     
    post edited by gtrpastor - 2014/05/30 17:09:01
    #16
    Jump to:
    © 2024 APG vNext Commercial Version 5.1