Please circle the entries you like (Circle Me reviews)

[jast]

Underlining is okay, too.

[nyjm]

1) Thank you to everyone who already posted lyrics. And a kind request for everyone else to do so.

2) Circle Me Listening Party
10 pm EDT / 7 pm PDT tonight, 26 July, 2011
To chat : http://jan-krueger.net/sf-irc
To Listen : http://songfight.table2.com:8000/ (click the .M3U link in the upper right-hand corner)

[Billy's Little Trip]

I'll make my best effort to make it to the Circle Me listening party.

[Who_Izzy]

that's like, what, 7 or 8 central time?

[RangerDenni]

i will combine the feedback I got before and did not have time to implement with what i got in the chat. i will probably be asking lots of microphone questions this week. I'm going to re-record my vocal, most likely, with the proper lyrics. Tomorrow when it is nice and quiet. Effects of course too. Basically that was me streaking through the party, sonically.

[Kapitano]

Billy and the Psychotics: A good vocalist for rock - lots of growly frytone, but penetrating. Even so, at various points, especially in the first minute, she got submerged by the other instruments. Carve out an EQ space for her, and she'll come through.

The multitracked backing vocals around 2:30 were a bit out of sync - I'm guessing there was just no time to rerecord them. A pity, because it kept the interest up at just the right point.

The bass guitar takes up a lot of space in the mix - the 'plucking' part of the sound is nice, but rather elbows other instruments out of the way. Use EQ to lessen the higher frequencies, and you'll get a duller sound but a more 'integrated' mix.

If you compress the drums more and mix them lower, they should sound just as good and subjectively loud, but allow more space for the vocals and rhythm guitar - which gets buried.

I'd have mixed the solo (with all that intricate fingerwork) higher, but that's just a personal preference.

Didn't Ask, Didn't Tell: Has your vocalist been listening to a lot of Jello Biafra? Maybe Placebo or T-Rex? He's got a good range on him, shifting into headvoice without apparent effort.

It's the kind of whiny, camp sound that's just what's need to cut through grungy guitars - and would give you a banging headache without them.

Again, I would have mixed the rhythm guitar and solo higher, and done a retake on the solo - the timing drifts just a bit too much for me.

DJ Ranger Den: That's one bassy piano - not that that's a bad thing.

The singer makes me think of Cyndi Lauper - possibly after 50 cigarettes. I think with a voice like this singing a ballad like this you need:
1) Her higher in the mix - it's about her not the piano
2) Some reverb on the voice
3) More variety. It's nearly five minutes of a very particular mood which is great if you're in exactly that mood. But otherwise, some bowed strings, a key change or a section with just the piano taking over the vocal part - something like that to break it up.

DuToVa: Have you been listening a lot to Berkely Social Scene?

I've got not much to say about the production values - which means I think they're very good. I would have panned less, especially the overdriven guitar on the right, but that's just my taste.

There's a problem which a lot of synthpop has, but I'm surprised to find in this genre - whatever the genre's called, I'm not sure. It's the problem of having a lot of good sounds playing some good riffs with complex interplay between them...but just all of them looping around lots of times.

Try cutting out half the instruments for the first half of each verse, or have them come in and out more. Structurally, this track doesn't build at all - rather, it starts out fully built and stays that way for five minutes.

Oh, there was one changeup which I thought was good - the portamento buzzy synth. Unexpected, but it fit.

EggNogAdam: If you were any more meta you wouldn't just be swallowing your own tail...you'd be eating your head as you were doing it.

It's a pleasant guitar tone and...your studio seems to have been invaded by the cylons at the end.

Infinity Point Buck: Phunky...Phatness from...Inphinity Phoint Bhlank.

I'm a sucker for slapback panning on vocals, and synths going Bloop. The rapping is obviously skillful, and not just a monotonous tetrameter.

The track varies, but it doesn't build. I suppose a lot of rap (or is it hip-hop? apparently there's a difference) doesn't build, but I think it's better when it does. My preference would have been more reverb on the drums and a few short sections without rapping - maybe with scratching or even a sung chorus - but that's just me.

Apart from that...a little bit of EQing to make the vocals sit in with the backing instead of on top of it.

Juilette Echo: This is just...extremely well done. Composition, structure, voice, mixing and EQ - there's almost nothing to criticise. The combination of instruments, soloing, periodic effects, all good.

Okay, the voice is occasionally flat - which stands out in such a well made track. The drums panned left seemed an odd decision, and it could have lasted a minute less, but these are quibbles.

Just to be clear, this a kind of music which usually I wouldn't choose to listen to at all, but this time I'm glad I did.

Kapitano: Oh, it's me! With a horribly glitching vocal track recorded with an hour to spare before the deadline, so no time for pitch correction.

This was a test out for my new self-generated set of guitar chord samples - it's remarkably difficult to make concatenated samples sound like anything other than...concatenated samples.

McCalum: Heh. Google+

Okay, it's a young man with his guitar, and it's all about the lyrics - confessional, wry, emotional, etc. Killing me softly with his song. Nothing to complain about, not even the recording quality, just not much to interest a synthhead like me.

MC Who Izzy: "8-bit hazy"? That's putting it mildly.

Um. The bass booms a bit much for me, and for the chorus you seem to have got a chipmunk to sing too close to a walkman microphone.

Minty Handy: What I said about McCalum goes here too. The only thing I can suggest is you find a way to make the guitar sound less like a broken banjo - the mic seemed to pick up no body resonance at all. Listen to Ross Durand below.

The song's good, and the voice with the catch in the throat suits it.

Ross Durand: Very competent. Absolutely nothing wrong, so nothing I can add.

Scott Gesser: Lofi schaffelbeat human-beatbox downtempo bluesy vocal...something.

It's inventive, genre-crossing, kind of funky, downright weird...and for all these reasons I like it.

Steve Durand: Do you know what I mean when I say this sounds at every moment like it's about to break into a Mel Brooks parody? That's either because it's such an overfamiliar genre from hundreds of bad cowboy movies with songs in them...or because I'm an utter philisitine. One or the other.

[nyjm]

Juilette Echo: This is just...extremely well done. Composition, structure, voice, mixing and EQ - there's almost nothing to criticise. The combination of instruments, soloing, periodic effects, all good. ... Just to be clear, this a kind of music which usually I wouldn't choose to listen to at all, but this time I'm glad I did.

*happy dance* Thank you! I'm glad that you enjoyed it

The drums panned left seemed an odd decision

What drum part is that? Taking some pointers from roymond during the Under Over fight, I've been careful to pull the drum panning more to the center. Maybe you're talking about the "tambourine" - but I though I panned that right.

[Kapitano]

Yes, the tamborine was over to the right. In the 2-3 min range, the kick seems to be slightly right, the snare slightly left, and the crash cymbals more left. Seeing as the snare and cymbals are higher in pitch with more noise, their panning is more noticible.

I usually put the drums dead center, but the stereo reverb spread left and right - less for kick, more for snare, and all the way for the hihats.

Actually, I've heard tracks with the drums hard left, the bass hard right, and the vocals dead center. It works for a time as an effect in a bare song, but over an entire song gets tiring.

[JonPorobil]

Paco del Stinko + Ween = Didn't Ask Didn't Tell.

I attended the listening party and shared some thoughts there. I might post more formal reviews sometime today or tomorrow, but I'm pretty sure I'm voting for the following:

DuToVa, Billy and the Psychotics, Minty Handy, Scott Gesser, both Durands, and I'm really really really on the fence about Kapitano.

That's almost 50% of the fight. Great job, everyone!

[roymond]

Billy and the Psychotics. Yup.

[Billy's Little Trip]

I'd like to give props to the psychotics this week. DJRanger Den breathing her sweetness into the mic, Paco del Stinko with his sexy guitar licks and Ken Mahru beating the shizzle out of the skins wearing only a thong. Thanks you guys, you fuckin' rock!

[Billy's Little Trip]

Billy and the Psychotics: A good vocalist for rock - lots of growly frytone, but penetrating. Even so, at various points, especially in the first minute, she got submerged by the other instruments. Carve out an EQ space for her, and she'll come through.

The multitracked backing vocals around 2:30 were a bit out of sync - I'm guessing there was just no time to rerecord them. A pity, because it kept the interest up at just the right point.

The bass guitar takes up a lot of space in the mix - the 'plucking' part of the sound is nice, but rather elbows other instruments out of the way. Use EQ to lessen the higher frequencies, and you'll get a duller sound but a more 'integrated' mix.

If you compress the drums more and mix them lower, they should sound just as good and subjectively loud, but allow more space for the vocals and rhythm guitar - which gets buried.

I'd have mixed the solo (with all that intricate fingerwork) higher, but that's just a personal preference.

Thanks for the spot on advice. Everything you mentioned is all in my notes for the remix I did too late.

Because of time restraints, it was a headphones only mix and I had to get it in on time. I have remixed it much better and I was going to get it in to Spud before he posted the songs. But he was very "officiant" this week, lol. Oh well. It was meant to be rough and raw, so I'll just leave it at that and go to my grave saying THAT'S HOW I WANTED IT TO SOUND, CHA!.

[RangerDenni]

I'd like to give props to the psychotics this week. DJRanger Den breathing her sweetness into the mic, Paco del Stinko with his sexy guitar licks and Ken Mahru beating the shizzle out of the skins wearing only a thong. Thanks you guys, you fuckin' rock!

thank YOU. You're the beansknees

[RangerDenni]

I have a list this time:
this is for the DJ tune. I guess I'm getting to that point.
1. I'm going to figure out my microphone, and preferably record it in a good space.
2. Before the fight, I talked to MahattanG about things and he had suggestions which I did not have time to implement. With the demo fight ethic in mind, I submitted anyway. Lo and behold he was pretty on with it all so I'll be:
-making a verse even changed from changes he's seen (surprises for all!)
-asking about EQ
-fixing my piano hammers (this is a personal thing, but may help bassiness a touch - not too too muchly tho)
-putting in some orchestration, as was intended originally and suggested as well.
-making non-obtrusive vocal effects
-careful mixing, some kind of mastering process.
It will be interesting to have ears during the process. I wrote the song on my actual piano, so it's special.
Thanks listening party folks and review people and MG. wish I'd had another day tho

[MintyHandy]

The only thing I can suggest is you find a way to make the guitar sound less like a broken banjo.

I am pleased to see the unexpected trend of people thinking my ukulele is a guitar (and vice versa) from Nur Ein VI is moving into the main page world! I guess it's the way I tend to strum the ukulele and pluck the guitar, and record both like crap.

[Billy's Little Trip]

Minty, your bouzouki sounds like a broken yueqin.

And awesome song. Great voice as usual.

[Ross]

Thanks for the review Kap.

I'm at a summer camp and couldn't attend the listening party, anyone got a transcript of the chat?

Looking forward to listening when i can.

[Billy's Little Trip]

I'm at a summer camp and couldn't attend the listening party

Hey Ross, are you ready for the summer? Are you ready for the sunshine? Are you ready for the birds and bees, the apple trees, and a whole lot of fooling around?

[Spud]

Thanks for the review Kap.

I'm at a summer camp and couldn't attend the listening party, anyone got a transcript of the chat?

Looking forward to listening when i can.

what's said in the IRC stays in the IRC.

[Ross]

Thanks for the review Kap.

I'm at a summer camp and couldn't attend the listening party, anyone got a transcript of the chat?

Looking forward to listening when i can.

what's said in the IRC stays in the IRC.

'Nuff said

[JonPorobil]

I'm at a summer camp and couldn't attend the listening party

Hey Ross, are you ready for the summer? Are you ready for the sunshine? Are you ready for the birds and bees, the apple trees, and a whole lot of fooling around?

It would seem that he is.

[nyjm]

Hooray for unexpected lulls at work! Time to get some reviews done.

It’s interesting to come back to these a few days after the first blush of the listening party. (And on my office computer speakers instead of my headphones)

Billy and the Psychotics - vote : most rocking
+++ bass +++
+++ drums +++
+++ lyrics (which are unusually straightforward for Denise) +++
/// vox can get swallowed by the other instrumentation ///
--- multiple vox parts gets overly messy ---
+++ breakdown +++

Juliette Echo - vote : ego
+++ dynamics +++
/// a few flat notes here and there ///
/// i think some of the chorus backing vox are slightly out of sync ///
+++ lyrics: math-inspired but not so geeky as to be exclusive +++
+++ final chorus +++

Ross Durand
+++ guitar tone +++
+++ “come to me each day by the garden” +++
+++ story +++
/// i’d like to hear some strings or piano to help flesh this out ///

Didn’t Ask, Didn’t Tell
--- nasal vox ---
+++ ourobouros reference +++
/// rawk! but samey : i’d drop to just drum and bass for the bridge ///

EggNogAdam
--- meta, but still kind of funny ---
+++ singing +++
/// this would be much more engaging if you tweaked the lyrics to extend the story beyond Song Fight! and make it a metaphor ///

Infinity Point Buck
+++ vox rhythm +++
--- the reverb / split vox effect gets distracting ---
/// percussion is interesting, but doesn’t go anywhere ///
/// lyrics are chock full of references - perhaps too much ///

Scott Gesser - vote : most interesting
+++ inventive and overall effective all-vocal performance +++
--- the constant nasal tone gets old ---
+++ rapid rap! +++

Kapitano - download
+++ tones +++
+++ melody +++
/// sounds like something that should be on a Matrix and Resident Evil soundtrack ///
--- not a song : just an instrumental that uses vocal tones ---

DJ Ranger Den
+++ tone poem feel +++
/// I don’t think much needs to be done with your vocals; maybe just some normalization to even out the high and low volume points ///
+++ structure +++
/// some light touches of strings or other instrumentation would be nice for the swells, but I like the raw minimalism of this ///

MC Who Izzy
--- sub bass overpowers everything and clips ---
--- telephone FX child-like vox ---
--- uneven prosody ---

MCCalum
--- obvious and facile reference to Google Plus is too topical ---
--- shaky vox bend out of pitch ---
+++ chorus melody +++

Minty Handy - vote : best lyrics
+++ lyrics +++
+++ ukelele tone +++
/// mostly really solid vox, but they do get crackly when you reach for the high notes ///

DuToVa
--- too busy : there’s like five different things - all of them individually cool - going on all at once and all on top of each other ---
--- lacks dynamics ---
+++ unusual prosody +++

Steve Durand
+++ story +++
/// your vox really work in this idiom; i’d push it further and give them some more twang ///
+++ harmonica +++
--- vocal rhythm needs to be more solid; you slip off the beat here and there ---