Proof of the pudding!

I realise there's been a few threads about posting songs in this part of the forum, but as a first-timer I hope you'll forgive.

This is my second song, and it's not been mixed but I want some critical eardrums to listen to it and point out what parts could be improved in the mix. It's just a short little instrumental with an easy chord progression and bad drums lol, but the main aim was to get using the software, and to learn. (I could make an excuse that I was going for the 'live' feel lol)

Anyway it seems to me to be quite a happy and uplifting tune, but let me know what you all think. it's called 'Bitta boogie'. i just hope it gets someone's foot tapping! So many thanks to all of you for the help, very grateful.

http://www.soundclick.com/bands/default.cfm?bandID=835704

Mamabear thank you thank you thank you!!!

Ain't it great!!!!! That is a good first song. It gives you an idea what you can do and a bit of experience in getting this far. Did you use a combination of audio & midi in this....I'm assuming that you did.

I read your profile and your musical history is very similar to mine. I also took piano lessons for about 7 years, I started drums in school a year or two into the piano lessons. I stayed with drums into highschool when I quit. I started guitar at 14 and fell in love with it. Guitar is my main instrument.

That's really really good Rob. Now I know little about mixing, but I noticed from my speakers almost all of the sound came from the left speaker except for the brushes. Is there stuff that could be panned right? Again, I'm compleletly amateur at this. Love the tune.

Nutty

First question : "Did you use loops or drum parts from your keyboard or computer?", just wondering. It sounded really good but you ended the song too soon in my opinion, it needed to go elsewhere with other chords and maybe into another key and back into the original key. I'm no expert but I will tell ya this much "I am an expert at being honest" and I know that's what you wanna hear. I like it, it kinda sounds like ragtime music, or is that what it's meant to be? I can tell by your talents on playing and or mixing that you can do better! There is no reason to be nice on making a reply to hearing someone's work on music : You either like it or you don't. Everyone needs to be honest and not "NICE". That's just my opinion. I like this song but I feel it's lacking something but I can't figure out just what it is. Keep on keepin' on because you have talent and will only get better the more you do. I would like to hear more. Keep in mind I am not no proffessional and am semi-new to this type of recording.

"The song needs more added too it, that's just my opinon".

Keep on keepin' on!

Freeze1st

Thanks Freeze1st,- I just used the MC4 brush set for the drums, did it in the PRV. Totally agree about finishing too soon as well. To be honest I don't think I meant to use that guitar part at first, but when I added piano and it seemed to fit, I just carried on as it was. I know it needs another sort of bridge section somewhere. Perhaps the lack of even a little vocals is not doing it justice either.

The ragtime sort of feel is what I was after, the kind of thing you'd tap your foot to. It took just about 6 hours from start to finish, the full thing. Maybe I will try to add something to resolve the song a little more. At the moment it's just instruments - no reverb, effects or anything else on any of the parts.

All comments are sincerely taken positively - honesty is what I need, and if that comes from a trained ear, then all the better. (my wife just says 'it sounds alright' but I need some more critical comments than that, she just wants to keep me quiet!)

lol...my wife is a bit more "pointed" in her opinion of my music.

she goes right for the jugular.

Cheers Beagle, gonna try a-tweakin and a-mixin after I get a few mroe comments..

Thanks to all for taking the time.

ORIGINAL: rob.pulman

Thanks Freeze1st,- I just used the MC4 brush set for the drums, did it in the PRV. Totally agree about finishing too soon as well. To be honest I don't think I meant to use that guitar part at first, but when I added piano and it seemed to fit, I just carried on as it was. I know it needs another sort of bridge section somewhere. Perhaps the lack of even a little vocals is not doing it justice either.

The ragtime sort of feel is what I was after, the kind of thing you'd tap your foot to. It took just about 6 hours from start to finish, the full thing. Maybe I will try to add something to resolve the song a little more. At the moment it's just instruments - no reverb, effects or anything else on any of the parts.

All comments are sincerely taken positively - honesty is what I need, and if that comes from a trained ear, then all the better. (my wife just says 'it sounds alright' but I need some more critical comments than that, she just wants to keep me quiet!)

What you've done so far sounded really good. I don't mean to sound harsh or nothing like that, I'm just being honest. I like that kinda music and I like your song, I just wish it was a little longer and had some more stuff in it that's all. On my last comment about adding more stuff you can trust me on that one because I'm trying to figure out what to add to a song I am working on myself right now as far as adding things go, I know it's tuff and can take some time but like I always say you will be a better player in the end by doing so. JMO.

Keep up the good work, and I wanna hear more!!!!

I'm sorry if I sound rude, I was just being honest and I would like to think someone would be the same with me.

Keep on keepin' on!

Freeze1st

Had a chance to listen, rob. this is really good and considering it's your 2nd, it's excellent!

the shaker in the right speaker kinda bugged me, but that's a personal preference.

it's a little short, IMO and the ending was a little too abrupt. there's also a little pop at the end which you should be able to take care of fairly easily.

great work, tho!

Just got a pair of TAPCO S5 monitor speakers on recommendation. I've set everything up, only thing is when I bring up the control panel from the soundcard I can't control the volume from the sliders in the M-Audio control panel.

Anyone got any thoughts?

Sorted!

Beagle you are THE MAIN MAN!

RobertB - yea there's a lot of us here in the UK who used to hang around the Grateful Dead tapers forums to swap our old Dead gigs...it's a bit ironic that the internet massivley opened all that tape-trading stuff up to us, yet it's exactly that that has killed off the tape-trading now lol. Nowadays a click of the mouse and you get it all without having to hit the post office with a 12 pack of C-90 cassettes to send to the states!

I'm attempting to mix that little ditty a bit at the moment. I've added a reverb to the master bus to see what the effects are on the sound, but not sure what else to play with. Does the reverb in the master bus affect the midi tracks also, or is that just the audio tracks?

Also can't figure why the shaker seems to appear on one side only because in the console view, the midi percussion track is panned dead centre.

yeah - I never use chorus or reverb from the MIDI FX - I always bounce my MIDI to AUDIO when I'm happy with it and then use the AUDIO FX - they're much, much better.

sure - depending on what YOU consider straightforward!!!

it's not difficult. just highlight the MIDI track and the DX or VST Output track both, then choose EDIT>BOUNCE TO TRACK(S). it will ask you for destination information, etc. just send it to a new audio track and you are set! then you can archive the MIDI and OUTPUT tracks (so that you're not duplicating the sound) and then apply FX to the new audio track.