Anyhoo...
This is probably long-winded and extraneous, out-of-this-forum ettiquetteand everything, BUT I'D love to see these stats from you all (especially the gear / technique). I dig alot of the stuff I've heard and would like to learn a coupla things from your processes....
Also, thought I'd take a minute, and respond to all the REALLY CONSTRUCTIVE CRITICISM here (if anyone even cares) 'cuz I've not seen this done yet here. And, It's not from an ego standpoint, just that you all took the time to lemmeknow what you think, and I want you all to know how I internalized it. (You guys all rock, group hug
). AND, in the parts I'm saying what I did, I'm only sharing in case you dig what you heard, not because I know anything. If you know any set-ups / settings you'd like to share, lemmeknow b/c I'm still in the weeds somewhat.I'm going to remix the song, taking these critiscisms into account, and post a link to this thread (or email, hit me at rock_turnip@hotmail.com). It's awesome to have such an amazing place to air, and I deeply appreciate you all...
Here's my gear, I'd be really interested in knowing what you all used:
Gear used:
- Samick Acoustic
- Roomate
- Yamaha Acoustic
- Not sure of the sax
- Not sure of the flute
- Friends
- $50 Casio as a MIDI controller
- Shure SM57
- Radio Shack SM58 knock-off (surprisingly, an OK mic)
- AKG C3000B
- ART 1 channel mic preamp (with the spinny dealie for voicing, not sure of model number)
- DBX 266 Compressor
- Alesis $160 drum machine
- Echo Mia MIDI sound card
- Mac AGP G4, 500mhz, 1 gig ram
- Cubase
- Reason 2.5
- Melodyne
- Bias Deck (because my cubase doesn't work with MIA, I need to bring it into deck and sync up by eye in cubase)
- Bias Peak for mastering
- iTunes for MP3 conversion
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Interactive Electric Nipple: That was really cool. It might even vote for it if this was album fight.. heh. Tooo looong. Everything about it otherwise is great. Grade A
----- Yes, waaaaaaay too long. Just had my extremely creative 14 year old sister write down track times and what can be cut, I'll post the remix to this forum when it's done. I had heard it millions of times in it's long form when I started trimmin', and any trimmin' sounded weird because the song had worn ruts in my ears (my own hurdle in the 1-week format)
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Interactive electric nipple
Another crafty build-up. I like the use of kitchen sounds. How did you do this in one week? Great mood music.
----- Like I said, lots of coffee and a very flexible job.
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Interactive Electric Nipple: Tighten your structure and value my time and I will love you. I really like the sound of this; very slick. I love the initial melody (especially the beat before the end of the main phrase: "beneath my...feet") and the conga percussion. The starting "doing dishes" sounds are cheesy and unwelcome. Delete the first :45 seconds, maybe even the first :60 and jump right into the verse. In general, your use of space is indulgent and weak. No architecture, just slick repetition. Like a Walmart---nice enough, and pretty effective, but damned near detestable in practice. By 3:00, I've given up on hearing a song; too soon for your jazz-y "interlude" (actually, a B-section where the song should have been finished for :20!) to be effective.
----- Check out the new version, It'll be roughly four minutes when the fadeout starts. I'm glad you'll love me!!! (maybe )
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IEN - Starts out with the bass line sounding like a slowed down 'California Uber Alles'. Other than that see Fifteen Years review. what's wrong with a chorus in this day and age? The name promises something different - probably less accomplished but more kicking.
----- I'm too ignorant to know what uber means, and I didn't include a chorus because I wanted a journey and A to B type of thing... I thought the "These clouds..." line sufficed... AND, I.E.N. will be my band name for super collabrative efforts (alot of which has to do with that it sounds so stupid and it's self-depratcating in a way... check http://www.interelecnip.org, coming soon, how soon I can't say...
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Interactive Electric Nipple:
I sat down to listen to and review this with my long cord headphones on. The song repeated all night while I slept, and now, I think your song may have caused a seizure or something. How did you get Madonna to sing in this song? I would say that it's too long, but WoW! You got Kenny G. too! This smells like fresh baked Tortoise Apple Pie® that I sat in.
----- AWESOME!!! Sitting in apple pie is mad fun! I've heard that Cheryl sounds like Madonna a few times in this thread, and some from buddies who have listened to the track elsewhere. I'll take that as a compliment. Kenny G is my bud John Paul, who just started going to school for music and rocked the sax, and was psyched to bust out the theory he's been learning by rocking the hammond and bass line at the end. I've been an Anti-theory person my whole life, but the fact he did this all within 1/2 an hour is getting me to change my mind.
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Interactive Electric Nipple
The random noises at the start don't really grab me but the intro flows into the verse pretty well. The main vocal is too quiet and difficult to make out. Other than that it seems fairly well mixed although it can get a bit muddy when there is a lot going on. The song is ok but there isn't anything here that makes me want to listen for the full six minutes.
----- I've decided to raise the scat part at the end, and if you were talking about the 1st time the "these clouds" part repeated right at the start of the flute, I wanted it low, because the song is so long I thought a reminder of why you are there would be good. How would little random noises and a shorter song grab you?
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Interactive Electric Nipple
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Ambient crazy noises, the "snare" sounds like someone going "pssh!", is it? I like the dubstar sounding section when the singing starts, in fact the dubstar connection continues with the singing, the vocalist also sounds a lot like Madonna in the tonality of her voice. jesus christ though 6 minutes? i just think in places this is slightly masturbatory, is the long section with the "Aaaaahhh" bits really necessary? It gets my feet tapping in the "these clouds feel good beneath my feet" sections, but then I was forced to make a face when I heard the saxophone solo, it needs to go as the vocals are actually doing something different at that point. It's just far, far, far too long. You could have said what you wanted to in 2-3 mins. The instrumental sections and the sax solo are extraneous. even the fade out is 20 seconds!
----- I didn't know who dubstar was, but I'll check them out. And yes, I sampled me going "pssssssht" in ReCycle and rocked it in Reason. Same with most of the Ahhhh parts. I find it funny when I'm trying to find the note in that one "ahhhhhh" where I creep at LEAST 1/2 step
. Found it even funnier when my friend Rob exploited it towards the end of that 1st really long interlude. I think I'll keep the beginning and end of that part for this reason, cut out the middle. Sax solo - I really dig it as it is, maybe it will sound more acceptable to you after some editing.____________________________________________________________________
Interactive Electric Nipple This is hands-down the best production of the week. The sound is so lush, and you've got a perfect balance between the bass and the top-end. Man, I wish I could get my highs to sound as crisp as that. The vocals are perfectly suited too. You didn't top my list only 'cause I found the track too long. (It sounds like a theme track ... Maybe you want to investigate this.)
----- I really appreciate you commentary on the production aspects of this song. Although, it failed the "crappy car stereo" test miserably. The bass was waaaaaaay to low and clean. I'm finding that with tracks largely composed in reason.... they're waaaaaaaay to perfect. Open the thing in peak for mastering and they look F'd. Think I'll play the bass on a real bass and bring the intensity of that down. As far as the mastering goes, I highly reccomend this set-up in peak (apple AU rox for some reason, dunno why)
Effect 1: Apple AU Multiband compressor, analog setting - pre-gain just enought to get the meters bouncing 1/4 of the way. Be careful not to squash dynamincs of freq's that don't need it and add to the song.
Effect 2: SuperFreq - I use VERY sparingly, try to get it all in effect 1.
Effect 3: Apple AU Matrix Reverb. I usually have it on the "small room" setting, between 20% - 30% and tinker as it needs be. The high end can really be affected by the High damper setting.
Effect 4: Apple AU Peak Limiter. I cut the attack to nothing, and pull the pregain up until the meter BARELY bounces. Gives me a hot enough track without screwing / distoring the tone too much.
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Interavtive Electric Nipple
Oooohh and i thought the last one was long
Nice tune Quite like world music but it doesnt do a great deal for me
Again I think its too long without the variety or tension moves to warrant it
-----I kept that 1st part after the 1st verse in there that long to kinda create tension... apparently it didn't work too well... hopefully it'll grab you better when shorter. As for world music, it's a big world and we're all in it
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Interactive Electric Nipple: I expected this to suck, and I'm sorry for judging a band by its name. Anyway, this was kind of like cheesy pop with just enough offkilter spookiness to make it really enjoyable. The bridge after the first verse makes me feel like I'm falling into some sort of space warp hell. I like it there.
----- NICE!!! The name was supposed to be "sucky". What's in a name anyway??? I appreciate your feedback, though I'll be shortening the song. It's also mad fun making cheesy pop, as long as it's either from the heart or reckless.
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Interactive Electrical Nipples........Beer Bottle Bangin'? bish.......bish a little hot in the mic ( i should know....i do the same thing)....great female vocals goin there........hmmmmmmm these are a lot of good songs.....the ahh ahhhhh part goes just a tad to long...unnecessary complexity.....hooray!! Saxaphone! Cool......oh yeah....groovy slidin out and then .....curve.......bumpy road....uncertainty.....where did the road we were on go to? I guess we are left to wander......if thats what you meant to do.....brilliant! if not......say you did! I dig it.......man seriously......i thought it would be easy to vote......but wow some kick ass submissions here
----- It was dinner plate bangin'
. One thing about roomates, is they always get into your mic, but in this case I spurred them on (Rob my roomate (some piano / basslines / outro acoustic) and Jessie - his friend (piano parts, flute, and high "ahhhhh" samples). I also like the right hemisphere of your brain telling your left what to type in your reviews, way cool.__________________________________________________________
Interactive Electric Nipple Nice drumming at the beginning. Nice buildup, lovely vocals & synth mix. Very pretty. Strange key changes and jazzy interludes. Wow, this is really long.
----- Awesome - thanks. And yes, it is r e a l l y l o n g.
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ANYHOO, I'll have a remix up in about a week and a half, if you're for some reason curious how it sounds.
I realize this is a very basic set-up.
