I'd like to know your opinion

[Dixie3713]

This is my first song posted to bash. So don't be afraid to be critical! I'm not here to be pampered! The only thing that I'd like you to keep in mind is that I'm not a mastering engineer. And as such, I did not master this recording so it isn't super loud (not necessarily a bad thing).

[sullivan12]

This is a very well written song both musically and lyrically. I liked it a whole bunch. I'd buy this CD (hint hint). Now, with that having been said, I will offer what little criticism I feel is warranted.

in my opinion, the guitars and drums sound dull in comparison to the vocals. It almost sounds like the music was recorded in analog and the vocals in digital. That may be what you were going for so, if that's the case, ignore my comment. I just like to hear more attack in the drums and the guitars.

The vocal performance is spot on with one tiny exception. The high harmony at the 3:06 mark hits a bit of a lemon-y note that you may want to address.

Other than that, I think it's a fine, fine piece of work and I wish you all the success in the world with it.

[Necromancer]

For sure, a great song.
Lacks crispness though and everything's a little too centered.

[Vulconizer]

I do like the singing. Well done.

I am in agreement. It does sound as if everything except the vocals could use a slight shelving boost @ 5khz or 7khz.

Pan the guitars out a bit as well.

Cool tune.

[sparqee]

I'm second in line for that CD! Most excellent writing and performances. I agree with all of the above suggestions. Get the instrumentation to match the width and brightness of the vocals.

Arrangement wise you might look for a way to make the final chorus even "bigger" than the rest of the song. The instrumentation evolves nicely but the production doesn't really go anywhere (i.e. using more stereo spread on the final chorus, perhaps more/different echo, more vocal doubling, whatever). You don't want to muddy things up but consider adding some subtle things that will reinforce the grandeur of the finale.

[YAZAM68]

nice vocal n nice song

how u record this song?

[maestoso]

good song! try having it mastered as is. the song is really well written and arranged has a hook and is captivating. there are subtle things that could change but with a master engineer touch it could come alive fully. we were about nitpicking our shit to death and having the recordist tweak shit that no one really cared about or noticed. just my 2 cents!

[Dixie3713]

Thanks everybody for your input! I agree that the tone of the music needs to be a bit brighter. I didn't want to over do the eq on the track and figured I'd leave the stereo bus for a real mastering engineer.

In regards to the question about how it was recorded, I actually recorded it in my sister-in-law's basement and I set up my gear on the pool table!

We tracked everything separately since there's no room for the whole band. If I remember right the equipment list was as follows:

Gretch Catalina 4 piece kit
Kick mic - AKG D112 about 1/2 way into the drum. The mic angled toward where the beater head meets the shell. We draped some blankets over the kick drum to help isolate the kick a bit.

Snare - Shure SM57 on top and bottom

Rack & Floor Toms - Sennheiser e-604

Overheads - 2 MXL 990's directly above the middle of the kit. I measured the distance between the front of the mic to the middle of the snare to make sure my phase was ok.

Ride and Hi-hat - MXL 991's on each

AKG c3000 for the room mic.

All of this into 2 Presonus Firepods. Recorded using Logic Express 7.

The guitars were tracked using a couple Dr. Z amps and an Orange.

I didn't track the vocals (the were running out of $) so I'm unsure of the vocal chain. I think it was the c3000 into a Presonus Eureka.

There is no pitch correction on this recording.

[Vulconizer]

Originally Posted by Dixie3713

I agree that the tone of the music needs to be a bit brighter. I didn't want to over do the eq on the track and figured I'd leave the stereo bus for a real mastering engineer.

The thing that I think we were getting at is this: If you leave it as is, the mastering engineer is going to have a helluva time doing anything with it.

Don't do anything to the stereo bus if you don't want to over-EQ it. I understand that. Go brighten up each instrument a tad, but leave the vox as they are. Or, darken the vox to fit with the music better. I'd go more for the first idea since the vocals sound pretty much right as they are.

You're counting way too much on a mastering engineer to fix something that would be better serviced at it's origin. He'll most likely end up spending his time and your money " fixing " that problem instead of polishing a finished mix.

Just my opinion though.

[Dixie3713]

Originally Posted by Vulconizer

The thing that I think we were getting at is this: If you leave it as is, the mastering engineer is going to have a helluva time doing anything with it.

Don't do anything to the stereo bus if you don't want to over-EQ it. I understand that. Go brighten up each instrument a tad, but leave the vox as they are. Or, darken the vox to fit with the music better. I'd go more for the first idea since the vocals sound pretty much right as they are.

You're counting way too much on a mastering engineer to fix something that would be better serviced at it's origin. He'll most likely end up spending his time and your money " fixing " that problem instead of polishing a finished mix.

Just my opinion though.

Thanks man. I've been wondering just how far I should take my mixes before saying "enough is enough" and then leaving the rest to the mastering engineer. Appreciate it!