My band's new song on our myspace page

[mesavox]

I just uploaded a new song on our myspace page. Now I guess it's time for the feedback...

Bipolar Echo on MySpace Music - Free Streaming MP3s, Pictures & Music Downloads

For the tech heads...

Lead vocal was recorded on an Audio Technica 4055 (I think)

Guitars are my rig with an SM57 up close and an Audio Technica Pro 4L about 4 feet out. The AT track is dominant on the solo... it had a very Brian May mic in the room effect.

Drums are cads I think... kick, snare, 2 overheads condensers.

Bass is a carvin head through an avatar 410 cab.

Backing vox are SM57.

All recorded on a Korg D1600 and mixed with Garage Band. Of course, you have to compress so much to get a file on Myspace. I'm pretty sure it distorted in the process. It may just be my ears having listened to the darn thing so stinking many times. lol

I forgot... there is a lot of BFR content... LOL

 

[mesavox]

Man, I'm kinda worried about the silence... hoping it's a case of no news is good news and not people being polite and not saying something bad. lol

 

[DJ.]

I like it. Nice leads. Kinda reminds me of Styx Blue Collar Man.

 

[fbecir]

Hello Kevin

"Sorry for You" is a really a great song with a catchy chorus. The engineering is very good (do you have a sound engineer or you do it all by yourself ?). Great solo by the way.
"Seven Door Hotel" is bit less catchy but it can certainly grow on you. The sound level seems a bit lower than on "Sorry for You". Perhaps the mastering was made differently (or the MySpace compression killed everything ).

Cheers !

 

[mesavox]

Thanks for the compliments...

Styx... hmm.. hadn't thought of that one, although I am a HUGE Styx fan so I doubt I could ever hide that influence in my writing. lol

I did the engineering myself.... It's all Korg d1600 and Garage Band... The only ONLY reason it sounds decent is I put in some CDs and used the visual EQ in garageband and turned on the analyzer. I tried to make my curve match what I was seeing. I could have done better on each individual instrument's eq, but it's so hard with budget equipment... you change this, and that changes to... you change that to compensate and the other gets all out of whack... lol I wanted to pull my hair out. Even still... Amber's vocal was too loud before I uploaded it... now she's burried on the verses. I'm going to upload an earlier version sometime... I just want a break for now. lol

7 Doors Hotel is actually a Europe song. I WISH I wrote that. LOL One of my all time favorite tunes. lol We're in the works of buying licensing so we can put it on an album should we get that far. The dual solo bit is a major hit live. lol

Funny story about the solo... That sustained bit at the end... as most of you know, the BFR JP is a hot beast. With the DC3 on high gain, it's feedback if you aren't playing. lol. So, I was just holding that note out to keep it from squaking and it hit me to bend up... then back down... I looked down at my fingers and realized... holy crap that's some awesome sustain. LOL Then the little squak at the end... and it was cool. I love the squak. lol

 

[lowliferumble]

I love the chorused guitars at the verses...VERY HUGE and nicely played. I agree the vocals are a bit back in the mix, but if you are hearing it , that means you are on it (as in working on a solution)! I like the song overall , the writing is very well balanced and not at all repetitious. I was amazed at how quickly it flew by.... that is definitley a good thing. I've listened to many a song about half the length as this one, and they seem to go on FOREVER!!, not this one....NICE! Overall I think you are doing great. For the gear you used and the editing capabilities at your disposal , you are doing awesome!! Keep it up !


Ps. Check out the new song on my myspace page. The singer is a 17yr old with all kinds of talent. Let me know what you think!

 

[mesavox]

I just realized I never listed my guitar rig parts...

Mesa DC-3, and Maxxon OD808 (during the solo). And I recorded the higher clean parts with the effects in my rig... Lexicon MPXG2 (chorus and verb) and Roctron Intellifex Online (delay).

by this gig I had the AmpClamp mic mount... I love that thing lol

Sorry.. I'm in gear geek mode. LOL

 

[mesavox]

Ps. Check out the new song on my myspace page. The singer is a 17yr old with all kinds of talent. Let me know what you think!

Lowliferumble... That is wild. She reminds me of Zoey Deschanel on Elf when she sings Baby It's Cold Outside... and to me that is a great thing... great Jazz chops with a good pop sensibility and a sense of uniqueness. I love the way she says away. And the line, You're the cheese to my spaghetti... I love it.

 

[lowliferumble]

Thank you for the kind words. The first time I heard her , I was already hearing the bass parts to her songs. She is very down to earth and super focused on the music.... a very rare gift that I still struggle to achieve on a regular basis. We are working on 3 more of her original songs right now. Check out her myspace, Stephanie Woods on MySpace Music - Free Streaming MP3s, Pictures & Music Downloads
Steve

Ps. Your rig is outta' this world!! I see where the cool sounds I was hearing came from!

 

[mesavox]

Bumping here... there's a lot of folks on this page that I respect the opinions of a lot... still hoping to hear from some more of them.

 

[mesavox]

I've added a couple different versions on my music myspace page. I don't want to upload version after version on the band page so I'm using my page as a testing ground...

The one called Sorry For You 2 is actually the same one that is on the bipolar echo page.... the first one is an attempt at improving things, and the one labed 4 is that one with some serious eqing... My problem is that myspace compresses in a way that always accentuates the highs and causes them to swish... I can't seem to once and for all fix it. I uploaded one that ended up distorted and phasing out...

So, are either of these two new ones even close on various different computers? I haven't even used my studio monitors this go around because I'm trying to make it sound good on cheap computer speakers... but some computers have even better systems and I haven't tested it out to see if that kick is too thumpy. On the speakers I have it's just barely audible, but a bit boxy. I suspect based on past experience that it's going to be just a touch overkill, but fuller sounding on a nicer system.

This is phase one of the improvement. Next comes the studio monitors and a more serious tweaking of eq on a flat, but quality speaker set.

I'm asking here because I've been working on it long enough that I don't eve really hear changes anymore. I hear if I cold switch back and forth, but one time one sounds better, then another time the other... it's to the point of driving me crazy. LOL

So... any feedback is much appreciated.

my page:

Kevin Wale Music on MySpace Music - Free Streaming MP3s, Pictures & Music Downloads

 

[wolf5150]

Dude the only advice I'd give is to remix with the lead vocal more up front, add a little compression and some lower mids to thicken and help focus her voice.

catch tune and great playing all round.



I'm a lead singer and guitarist and what a lot of people miss out is that a mike doesn't always give a true reflection of a singer's tone, so you need to use other tools to capture it.

Hope to hear the remix.

 

[mesavox]

Dude the only advice I'd give is to remix with the lead vocal more up front, add a little compression and some lower mids to thicken and help focus her voice.

catch tune and great playing all round.



I'm a lead singer and guitarist and what a lot of people miss out is that a mike doesn't always give a true reflection of a singer's tone, so you need to use other tools to capture it.

Hope to hear the remix.

The vocals problem was myspace compression... did you hear the remixes I posted in a couple of messages up?

I had to really over compensate to get it to sound good on myspace... to the point it's starting to sound dull in a couple of places. With out being able to big time master this, myspace compression just makes it to where you either have too much high mids or fight dull in places... you also have to push the vocal up in the mix volume wise because it will come out at least 10% quieter on myspace... or at least that's my experience so far.

Let me know what you think of the remix... especially the first on in the list. I'm probably just going to go ahead and reload it on the band page because I don't know that I can get it any better with having to deal with myspace compression... especially since I have Garage Band to work with. I have to go on a biz trip this week (checking out a recording studio to see if I can get some much needed work cuz this cat is broke. LOL) but when I get back, I'm going to see how Guitar Tracks Pro 3 does... I have to use my parent's computer to do it so I had to get a mix done on my computer or it would potentially be all summer before anything was on the page... and bands are not promoted waiting on perfection of a mix, they are promoted by putting a decent version up for people to hear. LOL

So, hopefully, a slightly better program will make a huge difference.. I think the EQ and compression options should be much better... I have an older recording I did on Guitar Tracks a few years ago and it's still the best sounding recording I have... It's just not the best in terms of individual sounds as I just threw it together.

 

[Grand Wazoo]

I have only just heard it and I like it. I can't comment on the way the track is mixed because I wouldn't know how to, but to me it sounds as thought the singer is a bit in the distance and detached from the base track. But cool music none the less, when you get signed to a label eventually the sound man will sort the mix out and you'll have nothing to worry

well done

 

[lowliferumble]

Nice job Kevin! I liked this song the first time I heard it...... but now I've heard a whole bunch of things in it that just did not come through in the previous version. WOW! this is ten fold better! You f#@*ing ROCK! I am completely impressed ! You are definitlety headed the right direction with this one. Keep up the good work and cool posts !!!



Steve

 

[WilliamMunny]

I love the Heart vibe that you guys kinda have going on. The recording is totally fine for what it is....Definitely some good playing going on here! For what you used with your recording this sounds good and I kinda like the 70's old school vibe you've got going on...(as opposed to the super-compressed, everything in your face sound that most modern bands go for).

Best part of your page though it the listing of "Saigon Kick" in your influences section!!!

One of my all time favorites!

 

[mesavox]

Oh yeah... I love Saigon Kick. The Lizard is one of my fave all time albums.

Heart vibe... that's interesting. I hadn't thought about that before, but now that you mention it, I can hear Ann singing that circa 1977 with the chorus circa 1987. lol

 

[YtseJam92]

Great job.

Nice rig you got there.