Robomusic
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New song
called Simple Man, using both JamStix, and all audio no midi tracks, Oh i did use a midi click track to power Jamstix, but the guitars are live and the bass is from my Casio thru a sound font sample of a real bass. http://www.motagator.net/bands/145/ It is amazing what we can do in the corner of our bedrooms with a few toys and a little patience. I would love some good feedback.
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wickerman
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sounds good - the guitar seems a little low - but i always think that! I really like the overall mix and Jamstix is sounding good.
nice song
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Robomusic
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Yeah i love Jamstix, but it is still a tad busy in places, but it gets better with each attempt.
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Peter Rabbit
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Nice to hear another one of your creations. I'm going to take stab at constructive critism but take it with a grain of salt knowing that I'm really still a newbee at this stuff.
I have to agree with you that, although the sound of the drums from Jamstix is good, I think they're a bit too busy and sometimes sound as though they're not matching up with flow of the song.
I also think if you set the vocal a bit further back in the mix it might bring out the guitar and bass more as they seem to kinda get lost in the mix.
I've noticed (and this is just my own personal taste and observation) that the bass and drum kinda work together in a mix to help drive each other. That being said, I think it helps to have these two instruments closely matched in volume in the mix with the bass being just slightly under the drums.
I think the song itself was great and shows real talent with both the musical composition and the lyrics.
These are just my own personal observations and opinions and should not be considered a negative review of your song especially since you're my hero/recording guru. Also these opinions are not necessarily the opinions held by the owners, management, or employees of Cakewalk and should not be viewed as such, either expressed or implied.
Well, I hope that both covers the feedback for your song and my butt too. LOL
"Creating a bad song takes just as much time and energy as creating a good one. The problem is that you don't know it's a bad song until someone tells you, and by then it's too late." P. Rabbit
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bargainboy1
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Nice job Robo - the drums are busy, though.
I read you blog on motagator - I think we're living parallel lives.
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cjaflesquire@aol.com
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Very nice song, Robomusic. I wouldn't change a thing. I respectfully disagree with those who recommend increasing guitar volume. Your vocals are deep, rich and interesting; Your best asset; Very well-suited, I suspect, for doing more slow, growly folk-type songs, accompanied perhaps by just a few rich and resonant acoustic-type instruments. Sometimes less is more. --Chris Anderson P.S. Do you know where I can get a not-too-big-a-file soundfont of one of those "water dripping" synthesizer sounds like David Gates and Bread used in their 1970's song "If" (and was also used in the theme song of the movie Midnight Cowboy)? My E-mail has changed to cjandersonesq@bellsouth.net
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Robomusic
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I appreciate all comments, I like all of us have a lot to learn, and like Peter said once before, we all get to the point where we are not objective about our own material. I listen and mix and listen and mix till it just all sounds like crap. this particular song was done almost two years ago in Acid Pro 3.0, and while i liked it at the time I am much more pleased with it now. But there are a few things i want to make better.
I do believe there can be a better balance between the instruments and the vocal. and there is still two places in the vocal i think are flat. that said i like the volume of the guitars, as i think they should enhance, but not dominate the song, I guess if I were a first rate guitarist i would feel different about it, but i can hear painfully my own weaknesses.
Peter i am trying to get the vocal to sit a tad better, any thoughts on how i might accomplish that with out diminishing the power would be appreciated. The busyness of the drums i am going to work on by taking the drum track and redoing it in the arrager mode of jamstix and taking out some of the extra rolls that do not seem to fit. One thing I do like though is that the drum track sounds like a real drummer did them, the problem with midi drums is that they all to often are not real sounding and very mechanical.
CJA as far as the sound font, I do not have one for that type of sound, as i have not found sound fonts to be particularly good at synths so far. I like a good VSti synth for true synth work. I will put my thoughts to that and see what i come up with. If you find a name on any of htose old albums as to what keyboard or synth was used let me know and I will see what i have or can find to reproduce that sound.
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Peter Rabbit
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Robo,
I listened again tonight to your song and here's my take.
I think you're right about the lead guitar. It does sit well in the mix as is and I wouldn't change that. But there's another guitar playing rythm that I strain to hear. (Or maybe it's a synth.) I'm thinking that if you leave the vocals and the lead guitar alone but bring up the rythm instrument and maybe the bass a little bit more it will fill out the spectrum of frequencies better pulling everything together in the mix.
I also think you're right about midi drums. They can sound mechanical. I liked the sound of the Jamstix but I thought the arrangement was a bit off as you yourself stated. I'm sure there's quite a learning curve with Jamstix which is why I haven't pursued it yet. I've got a full plate as it is just trying to learn the basics of digital recording. In addition my Variax guitar and PODxt arrived and both of these tools/toys also have a huge learning curve. I really enjoy new stuff but these learning curves drain the heck out of me. It takes a lot more time and effort for this old guy to learn and absorb things than it used to. The sixties were great fun but I'm sure paying for that fun now! LOL
BTW I think your guitar playing is just fine and you shouldn't be self conscious about it at all.
"Creating a bad song takes just as much time and energy as creating a good one. The problem is that you don't know it's a bad song until someone tells you, and by then it's too late." P. Rabbit
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joeh20_444
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CJA,
Can you post about a 15/30 second sample? I've got a bunch of VSTi synths (and DXi for that matter) and could better figure out what you needed if you posted an example. Thanks!
Joe
btw Robo, not hijacking your thread, I'll take a listen and let you know what I think shortly.
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joeh20_444
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Alright,
I'm listening for the 50th time as i write this (dialup here, so getting a dl of a full mp3 is a big deal)...
I like the song. I think the guitar work is really good, the solos are tight and still tasteful. The drums (as everyone has said) are a tad busy but still have a real feel to them.
Okay, a couple critiques. Your voice doesn't sound comfortable in the lower registers ("I... am only a simple man..." and such). It sounds more in place in the higher sections. Also, I'd up the guitars just a little bit (ever so slightly (1-3 db at the most)). The only other thing would be kill off a little verb on the vocals to make it sound more upfront.
Other than those things, I thought the song was awesome. Good job!
Joe
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Robomusic
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Thanks for all the good solid input, I will definately put a lot of thought to all the suggestions, I can see everyone's points. Peter, that was a guitar and you are right in that is is hiding in the mix to much.
I am also interested in hearing a bit of the synth sound that was mentioned. I can't place it in my head completely.
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