My Darling Reviews

roymond · Post by **roymond** » Sat Oct 13, 2007 11:47 am

erik wrote:
roymond wrote:
Billy's Little Trip wrote:2. A couple of the FX are way to founded by Nine Inch Nails to not notice (give it another 10 years)
Virtually every sound, chord progression and lyric has been done before. To worry about this (unless you're basically copying a song of theirs) is pretty silly. Not everyone even knows who NIN are, or has listened to them in the last 10 years, or would attribute something as a "NIN FX". If you're going to make music only on the basis of sounding completely original, you're not going to get very far. On the contrary, in order to sound original, you have to make a lot of possibly un-original music first.
Sure, but just because every sound/progression/lyric has been done before doesn't mean that every time one hears a song, one thinks "Okay, that song sounds like Band X using Chord Progression Y and Lyric Z." Most of the time when I hear music, it sounds original enough that I don't have to draw direct comparisons to something that exists already. I don't think it's important to be completely original in making music, just original enough so that people don't think you're ripping someone off. I think if you don't worry about this at all, you end up with a bunch of stuff that all sounds tired because no one bothered to listen to the people who said "This sounds alot like music that we already have."

Yes, it's easy to extend such arguments for the sake of argument. I agree with you completely. I guess I should have just said "I don't know NIN well, is this a virtually patented NIN sound? Can you describe the FX you're talking about and suggest samples to listen to so I can be more sensitive to this sonic theft?" and left it at that. The original item (#2) didn't give much to back up the point.

obscurity · Post by **obscurity** » Sat Oct 13, 2007 12:19 pm

Personally I think the whole thing is ridiculous. No-one listening to the song is going to think it's a long-list nin track, so really what does it matter? Patenting reverb? God, the thought makes me want to punch someone.

obscurity · Post by **obscurity** » Sat Oct 13, 2007 12:32 pm

Sven wrote:
obscurity wrote:You've no idea how jealous I am of folks who can nail it in one try!
I guess I'm saying just sing whenever you have a chance, and you'll at least develop the confidence to not care.

I firmly hope that the day I stop caring is the day I stop recording. But the 'sing whenever you have a chance' is good advice, which I could take more heed of.

Billy's Little Trip · Post by **Billy's Little Trip** » Sat Oct 13, 2007 1:32 pm

obscurity wrote:Personally I think the whole thing is ridiculous. No-one listening to the song is going to think it's a long-list nin track, so really what does it matter? Patenting reverb? God, the thought makes me want to punch someone.

Obs, sorry if my comments came off sounding negative, it wasn't intended to be. As I said, I liked the song, I was just commenting on it as you requested. I suppose I could have just said I liked it and that would have been enough said. Rock on my friend.

By the way, I'd like to point out that I'm about as fresh and original as dirt.

obscurity · Post by **obscurity** » Sat Oct 13, 2007 1:49 pm

BLT, you've absolutely nothing to apologise for. I asked for opinions, you gave me yours. Thank you. Not only that, but I absolutely agree that I'm ripping off Reznor (hey, if I'm gonna be using his old mic, I might as well use his fx as well ;) ). The only disagreement we have I think is whether that actually matters or not. But just because I have a different opinion to you on that doesn't mean I'm in any way offended by you sharing yours. Particularly considering I asked you to!

Billy's Little Trip · Post by **Billy's Little Trip** » Sat Oct 13, 2007 2:26 pm

Oh, that's right, you're the one with one of Reznors old mics, cool.
Sure, your are using a "similar" sound in your song as Reznor has used, but you are by no means ripping him off. Your song is a one off original and as a whole, sounds nothing like NIN. So with that said, it doesn't matter, it's just a good song and enjoyable to listen to.

Lord of Oats · Post by **Lord of Oats** » Sat Oct 13, 2007 3:02 pm

Isn't Reznor the one with John Lennon's mellotron? I wonder if he's ever going to get rid of that. I kind of want it.

obscurity · Post by **obscurity** » Sun Oct 14, 2007 2:30 pm

obscureviews:

Acid Cadillac: I always think panning the bass anywhere except dead centre is a mistake. I like the guitar sound a lot in this. Song itself doesn't rock hard enough if it's trying to rock, and isn't catchy enough if it's not. OK but not great.

ADD: Oh nice production! I like the bass sound a lot. Shalalala? Oh dear! :) I bet this gets a lot of votes. Synth line seemed a bit aimless. God, you really did like that 'lady of the lake, mother of the ocean' line didn't you? Could have done with hearing that a bit less tbh. Good but not my cup of tea.

Down With Gender: Ouch my ears. Too squeeky. Too trebly. Where's the bottom end? Still at least it was short :) I think this kind of track needs either a strong hook or compelling production, and this had neither. You want a really fat analogue bass sound I would have thought.

Embers of Autumn: Nice guitar sound. Hi-hat needs more variety or needs to be lower in the mix. Quite a pleasant song. I don't really like pleasant songs tho', I'm afraid.. Also, the lyrics seem to demand something with a bit more balls. I think the vocals could use a wee hint of reverb, they seem a bit dry to me.

Hell Biscuit: Oh hey, this is well mixed. Although again questionable panning choice, with the drums at the start this time. I think I want the chorus to sound 'bigger', iykwim. Still, quite liked this one.

Joblito: Now we're talkin'! Great production on the guitars. Less keen on the drums, they seem a bit light and manic where something a bit more steady and heavy would fit better I think. Vocals are standard Hoblit (ie, excellent). Love the sting at the end! I'm left feeling a little unsatisfied tho' - I wanted more, I wanted it to get bigger and badder and meaner.

Level Nivelo: That noise is annoying, can't you do something about that? Guitar sounds very thin. Did you record this with a crappy £5 mic from Tandys or something? I guess this is trying to be funny. I don't personally think music and comedy should go together (I want music to bear repeated listens, while comedy inherently loses much of it's appeal after the first time), so it's not really for me.

Lopez and the Destroyers: I like the drums and guitars (although again, panning seems odd). Vocals don't seem to 'fit' the music, like they were just pasted on top of a pre-existing track. Is this tryng to be funny too? I'm not laughing. Actually, I'm really grooving on the guitars tho'. Seems like you wasted a good backing track with dodgy vocals, but I'm not really well placed to criticize someone for that!

Lord of Oats: Well produced, although the guitar solo's probably a bit loud. Vocals feel like you felt rushed singing them, like you're feeling uncertain and uncomfortable while singing them. Not bad tho', all in all. Bit too generic for my tastes, but not irritatingly so.

MC Eric B: I want to live in a world in which you do not exist. So obviously I'm not going to listen to your music.

Melvin: I like your vocals a lot. Guitar feels somewhat aimless. Drums are great, that snare fits just right. I dunno tho', the song just feels like it's going nowhere and it's not in any hurry to get there.

MSP: That sound panned to the right at the start is great! I love that. HH is a little too insistant, could be toned down a tad. Nice sharp jaggy feel to this, I like it. Yeah, I'm really liking this song a lot. I just wanna turn the hihat down. If you were to do a remix with the hihat tamed I think could really get into that. I'm gonna have to keep an ear out for your stuff.

Of S1cience and Numbers: Wish the brass was a noisy bitcrushed sawtoothy synth instead, that would have kicked arse. I like the bass a lot, and the way it fits together with the choppy guitar. Yeah, this is OK. Really catchy chorus.

Ralph Makes Music: The reversed intro had me expecting something a little more....slick. What actually came in sounded almost like a one-man band. Quite the disappointment. Well mixed tho'. I dunno, not really doing anything for me.

Roymond feat. Anti-M: Hey, nice bass. Nice groove as well, except I'm not keen on some of the 'pot and pan' sounding percussion. No offense intended to Anti-M, who's vocals sounds fine, but I think this would have worked better with just the main vocals. I just think it would have more atmosphere that way. Overall pretty good but not great.

Spinlock: I love the snare sound on this. Just love it. Dunno about the sampled (I assume) vocal sounds tho'. And by dunno, I mean hate. Still, the rest of it's OK.

Sven Mullet: I'd turn the guitars down a little, they're a tad too much. Good drum programming on the hi-hat, that works well, but god the cymbals further in are way too much. Vocals fit well with the music, but I think I'd prefer them to have a bit more bite. Doesn't kick as much arse as I've come to expect from you, seems like you're mellowing in your old age!

The Weakest Suit: Nice laid-back groove, which gives the vocals plenty of room to grab the attention, which they do. Yeah, I'm digging this. Could stand to be longer tho'. I feel short-changed! If this was 3 or 4 minutes long, with appropriate variation, I think it'd be absolutely steller. I really like your voice - let me know if you'd like to collab sometime, I'm always in need of good vocals!

Hmm...so who's the winner. TWS would have been if it were longer. Same with Hoblit. Probably MSP, although damn that hihat.

Märk · Post by **Märk** » Sun Oct 14, 2007 2:47 pm

obscurity wrote:obscureviews:

Sven Mullet: Good drum programming on the hi-hat, that works well, but god the cymbals further in are way too much.

Heh, that's real drums, actually, courtesey of Jolly Roger.
Thanks for the review.

obscurity · Post by **obscurity** » Sun Oct 14, 2007 3:01 pm

Sven wrote:
obscurity wrote:obscureviews:

Sven Mullet: Good drum programming on the hi-hat, that works well, but god the cymbals further in are way too much.
Heh, that's real drums, actually, courtesey of Jolly Roger.
Thanks for the review.

Well that explains it! NOTE TO DRUMMERS: You overdo the cymbals. All of you!

:)

Reist · Post by **Reist** » Sun Oct 14, 2007 9:24 pm

obscurity wrote:
Sven wrote:
obscurity wrote:obscureviews:

Sven Mullet: Good drum programming on the hi-hat, that works well, but god the cymbals further in are way too much.
Heh, that's real drums, actually, courtesey of Jolly Roger.
Thanks for the review.
Well that explains it! NOTE TO DRUMMERS: You overdo the cymbals. All of you!

Sometimes when I really enjoy playing a song, I really get into it. Sorry if it kind of killed the mix, but at least it's got my heart in it. 8)

Hoblit · Post by **Hoblit** » Mon Oct 15, 2007 6:14 am

obscurity wrote:obscureviews:

Joblito: Now we're talkin'! Great production on the guitars. Less keen on the drums, they seem a bit light and manic where something a bit more steady and heavy would fit better I think. Vocals are standard Hoblit (ie, excellent). Love the sting at the end! I'm left feeling a little unsatisfied tho' - I wanted more, I wanted it to get bigger and badder and meaner.

THANK YOU. I really do appreciate the kind words. I might go back and beef up the drums. I too was not satisfied and that leads to the other thing you mention. It doesn't get bigger and badder and meaner because I just didn't have time to develop the song into that. I was well on my way but just ran out of time. I personally think the drums are a little stiffer than I usually get away with. But again, thank you so much for the positive review.

I'll be reviewing everyone today.

obscurity · Post by **obscurity** » Mon Oct 15, 2007 9:36 am

jolly roger wrote:
obscurity wrote:Well that explains it! NOTE TO DRUMMERS: You overdo the cymbals. All of you!

:)
Sometimes when I really enjoy playing a song, I really get into it. Sorry if it kind of killed the mix, but at least it's got my heart in it. 8)

I wouldn't worry about it - it's something that bugs me a lot when I hear real drummers, and I've never heard anyone else complain, so if I were you I'd just assume it's my weird tastes at issue here. And look on the bright side - I mistook you for a drum machine. That says a lot about your timing, all of it good.

melvin · Post by **melvin** » Mon Oct 15, 2007 9:45 am

jolly roger wrote: when I really enjoy playing a song, I really get into it. Sorry if it kind of killed the mix, but at least it's got my heart in it. 8)

I thought you were a drum machine too. Dang! As a struggling drummer, I'm impressed. And envious.

ofscienceandnumbers · Mon Oct 15, 2007 12:38 pm

obscurity wrote:I wouldn't worry about it - it's something that bugs me a lot when I hear real drummers, and I've never heard anyone else complain, so if I were you I'd just assume it's my weird tastes at issue here. And look on the bright side - I mistook you for a drum machine. That says a lot about your timing, all of it good.

Actually, as I understand it, that's a very common complaint that engineers have of drummers. I personally have the most problems with just the hi-hat (not all of the cymbals). I don't know if it's my playing or my mic technique, but it's something that needs work.

I've even heard stories that the Foo Fighters and others go so far as to track the drums and cymbals in 2 separate takes. I can't imagine doing that myself and having it gel together.

Jolly, that is some good, solid drumming, though. I like a lot of your more busy and quick fills.

roymond · Post by **roymond** » Mon Oct 15, 2007 12:47 pm

obscurity wrote:Well that explains it! NOTE TO DRUMMERS: You overdo the cymbals. All of you!

I'd generally agree with that. That said, I wish I had a live drum track, over done cymbals and all

Also agree that JR did a great job!

roymond · Post by **roymond** » Mon Oct 15, 2007 2:04 pm

melvin wrote: I thought you were a drum machine too.

Is that really a compliment?

melvin · Post by **melvin** » Mon Oct 15, 2007 3:27 pm

roymond wrote:
melvin wrote: I thought you were a drum machine too.
Is that really a compliment?

Haha! I guess not. I've just been obsessed with drums for the last several months - both observing how well some people program them, and trying to learn how to play and record the real thing. I thought Sven was in the 'programmer' camp, so I guess I made a lazy assumption. But listening back, it's obvious they're real... and well played at that.

Reist · Post by **Reist** » Mon Oct 15, 2007 7:44 pm

Wow. It's definitely cool to hear those compliments. Thanks a lot guys.

PS - I take is as a compliment to be compared to a drum machine (as long as I'm a well-programmed one!

)

Lord of Oats · Post by **Lord of Oats** » Mon Oct 15, 2007 8:06 pm

Being compared to a drum machine might say good things about your drumming skill, but what does it say about your mic technique and mixing abilities?

Reist · Post by **Reist** » Mon Oct 15, 2007 8:06 pm

Lord of Oats wrote:But what does it say about your mic technique and mixing abilities?

I'm not sure ... enlighten me.

Märk · Post by **Märk** » Mon Oct 15, 2007 8:09 pm

The drum mix JR sent me was really good. If anyone dropped the ball on mixing the song, it was me. Stop posting crap just to get your post count up, LoO.