Mike Lamb wrote:
+ I love love love the guitar in the last few seconds. Do tell me how you achieved that!
I assume you mean the electric... It's actually two tracks of electric, and when their powers combine they make a 3 note chord. The first track is the "lower" notes of the triad, the second is the "upper" note. Both tracks run their own instance of AIR Talkbox in Protools (more or less an LFO'd filter, I guess) and the lower has this mixed in a little heavier. The lower has a light 3/16ths delay, the upper does not. The lower is lowpassed and highpassed to create a somewhat narrow band. The upper is highpassed only. Both done with my strat. Happy to provide more details if this doesn't do it for you.
JoAnn Abbott wrote:Thanks for the feedback all, and I agree- it really needed some backing instrumentation. Problem is- I don't really PLAY anything. I thought I had someone lined up to help me....but after waiting for 4 days for him to get back to me I had to get this in and done. I can hear what I want in my head, and wish I could get it to come out of my fingers as well.
For those not able to tell, it was supposed to be Gollum from LOTR arguing with himself. Though oddly enough, when my daughter heard this she said she thought I was writing about her and her estranged husband, because the dirtball hasn't let her see the kids for a month...we see the judge Friday. I guess you can read into it what you need to. Glad it creeped some of you out!
If anyone is available to do backing music or knows of someone who likes to collaborate on songs, please let me know. I love to come up with lyrics to existing tunes, and can make up simple songs myself. Just can't PLAY anything worth a darn. :/
JoAnn, you should really consider getting a ukulele. They are very easy to learn and have a charm to them. Plus these days, the worse you play it, the more avant-garde you sound. Starter models are priced under 50 bux and they're fun as heck to play and sing with.
i'd be interested in collaboration sometime (with JoAnn or anyone else) ... it'd be interesting to me to write a tune (and do the instrumental backing) and hear someone else write lyrics and sing it.
my email is chocolatechipsmusic @ gmail dot com if anyone is interested in lyrics/singing to an otherwise finished track ... i'd call it The Chocolate Chips Featuring (YOU) ... i'd need the vocal track sent back as a seperate track (or multiple vocal tracks) so I could mix it
Billy's Little Trip wrote:
JoAnn, you should really consider getting a ukulele. They are very easy to learn and have a charm to them. Plus these days, the worse you play it, the more avant-garde you sound. Starter models are priced under 50 bux and they're fun as heck to play and sing with.
This is really a great idea! Regardless, JoAnn please play to a click track. If you need recording tips, check out the help and how-to section and ask questions!
"Admittedly, I did not know what to expect with Kasper, but they, I think, just rocked our collective socks off." - GlennCase
Mike Lamb wrote:
+ I love love love the guitar in the last few seconds. Do tell me how you achieved that!
The lower has a light 3/16ths delay, the upper does not. The lower is lowpassed and highpassed to create a somewhat narrow band. The upper is highpassed only. Both done with my strat. Happy to provide more details if this doesn't do it for you.
Thanks for noticing, I like the sound a lot too.
Beauty. I lean towards the 3/16 delay too, works well, especially when click/tempo matched. Thanks for the tech explanation! Never thought to run part of the delay through a bandpass. I'll have to try that.
"Admittedly, I did not know what to expect with Kasper, but they, I think, just rocked our collective socks off." - GlennCase
I don't know about that uke idea-It isn't a lack of instruments that is the problem...it is the lack of practice! I have my sons old acoustic guitar,2 keyboard synthesizers with lots of buttons, 2 small harps (2 octave gut and one octave metal strung) an autoharp, multiple recorders, a concertina, ocarina (not "of time" though), jaw harp, snare drum, small doumbek, small xylophone, bamboo flute and a kazoo. I can play that last one pretty good...
At best, I "doodle" with my instruments the same way I doodle with my large collection of art supplies...but nothing ever comes out the same way twice and I have no formal music training, other than in voice...with my voice teacher playing the piano.
Question- if I work with the chocolate chips, would they still be able to submit on their own as well ( if they have time and another song they want to do)? I wouldn't' want to prevent them from putting in their own song because they helped me.
Hey JoAnn - I don't care about submitting another track, I already spend too much time working on songs for this thing. It would actually be nice to put some of the work off on someone else. If you wanted to try a collab, I'd like to do it ... although maybe the "Canadian Girlfriend" title isn't the best for you to write lyrics/sing?
Regardless if you or anyone else wants to do a collaboration (of this specific type: I write the tune/chords & record the instrumental while you write the lyrics & record the vocals) then I'd be interested in trying it (and I don't mind not doing another song that week ... in fact it would be good; especially because I'm trying to do this spintunes thing too right now) ... it might be something we just do once and it doesn't really work out - that's fine, it'd be interesting.
~~~
re: ukelele ... you can learn to play 3 chords (C, F, & G) on a uke in about 10 minutes and because the strings are so easy to hold down... you can start playing the thing much quicker than most instruments ... at least that was my experience but I was already experienced on guitar when I tried it. I'm not sure what it would be like for someone without that experience... but it seems much _much_ easier than most instruments to get going with.
chocolatechips wrote:
re: ukelele ... you can learn to play 3 chords (C, F, & G) on a uke in about 10 minutes and because the strings are so easy to hold down... you can start playing the thing much quicker than most instruments ... at least that was my experience but I was already experienced on guitar when I tried it. I'm not sure what it would be like for someone without that experience... but it seems much _much_ easier than most instruments to get going with.
When I teach my nephews and nieces to play guitar, the first thing I teach them is uke. The first thing I teach them are single string open chords, general C major, A minor and sometimes the open strings between chord changes as a 3rd chord if needed. Then I show them how to play those chords and sing a melody strumming to them in a simple 4/4 arrangement and strum pattern. Within a couple hours we make a 1 minute song I help them put together from their lyric ideas and play it for their parents. The way they light up with the clapping when they finish is awesome and that is the point that they either want to learn more or not.
Really impressive crop of songs this week. Most of them are so good I don’t think I have much to add, so I tried to focus on what I’d like to learn from each track.
Ross Durand
Excellent sad song. Like the vocals a lot, especially around the title phrase. Would definitely like to learn how to record guitar to get it sound like this someday. Maybe it’s the messed up part of me, but I kept expecting a surprise twist ending, like that the money is buried somewhere and she should go get it. Maybe I just wish it wasn’t so sad. Either way, great song.
Troy Jones
Laughing at list of calamities. Ouch. Overall sound is tinny and small to my ears. I found the serious parts of the song slow. But I think there’s a very funny, sweet song in here if it was shorter and packed more punch.
glenny
I find the intro hard to listen to, especially the vocals. I like the “best technology” bit – especially whatever that stereo-alternating effect is. Now I realize I’m paying so much attention to the background effects that I have no idea what this song is about. I’d love to learn how to control a mix with that many crazy things going on at one time and still sounding great.
Berkeley Social Scene
Very polished sound. I didn’t get much emotion from the track, but maybe there’s some pop-song-shallowness commentary in there? My favorite part is the pre-chorus guitar part, plus the second voice that comes in on the chorus. I loved the ominous feel of the guitar solo at the end. Very unexpected, and (maybe I’m reading way too much into this) but to me it redefines what came before as naïve. This happy, cocky group is doomed.
Billy and the Psychotics
What I would love to learn: how to capture distorted guitars like this. Just love the sound. I found the first and last parts of the song extremely strong, very captivating. But the middle dragged for me. Maybe I just started to take the quality of the sound for granted. I’ve listened a few times to try and pinpoint my reaction. I think it was about 2:10 that my attention was grabbed again and after that was totally locked in. Great track. I’m pissed at that jerk, too.
Tuners Union
Fun vibe. Something about the beginning made me think Beatles, honestly. The vocal effect is awesome. After the change around 2:00 and I don’t like it as much. Still fun and laid-back. Always bonus points for making a kazoo sound good. I would love to learn how to produce that dreamy guitar sound. Agree with the other commenter who thought it could have a more full sound, more stereo width, and more power. Lyrically I could not follow the song. Not sure what it’s about – but it sure sounds good.
JoAnn Abbot
Gollum sings broadway? May it never come to pass.
Gregg Boethin
Country vocal is instantly gripping. Loving the chord change around “happen for a reason.” Great guitar tone, nice production overall. By the time of the bridge, I found the guitar part a little repetitive. Would love to learn how to produce a country sound like this, though. Fun track, catchy tune.
DJ Ranger Den
I like the vocal sound, a little haunting and very playful when doubled. Not a style I would normally listen to, so I don’t have a lot to offer by way of comment. I don’t think I got what the song was trying to say.
bgm
Banjo, yay. There’s something awesome about the stereo effect of the main banjo sound on the left with occasional hints on the right. Keeps each section sounding fresh. Love the solo. Catchy, great production. I’m loving this track. It could easily have gone in a creepy carnival direction but it never does. Makes me want to learn the banjo!
Odilon Green
Like a robot doing They Might Be Giants. A little too robot for my taste. There’s so much going on it’s hard for me to pay attention to the melody. Like musical juggling, But it’s also so exuberant, I’m smiling the whole time. LOL at condo association meeting. Come to think of it, I’d love to learn musical juggling.
Dani House
In the first 5 seconds, I had a flash of Nick Cave. Definitely refreshing to have such a spare production. The sadness comes through well. I really liked the ringing background sound at first, although at 2:00 I’m starting to get tired of it. I would have liked a little more movement in the song. I feel like it stayed on one single note the whole time. Who left? Why? What happened? I really like the first line about “other songs that start like this.” I’d like to learn the patience required to keep a song this simple.
The HATE Noise
True story: my doorbell range at 0:18 and my first thought was “Oh no my neighbors are going to think I listen to freaky motivational tapes.” I think the overall sound of this track is excellent, has great texture. I think it’d make a great serious song, if you wanted to go that direction. I liked this a lot more than I expected, and it felt like it was over before it began, which I think is a compliment for an almost 4-minute length. I would love to learn how to mix for that sound texture.
Snoop Sloop Troop
Would work perfectly in an episode of Homestar Runner.
Mantzfield
I almost stopped after the first minute, because I was getting a headache. But I’m glad I kept going, because I like the fast distorted part a lot. Nice old-school heavy metal vibe. But I could not get into the slower parts. I think the song gets away from you around 3:15. I’m totally confused. But I would love to learn how to produce that sound towards the end. For some reason I feel like killing someone now.
The Chocolate Chips
All I could think was that if Peter Jackson had taken the Hobbit in a more psychedelic direction, this would have been perfect for the 12 Dwarves. I like the refrain a lot, but I didn’t get much else from the track. I listened a few times to see if I could figure out what the lyrics meant, but I didn’t succeed.
R. Mosquito
This is going to be a great NES game… Oh it’s a song, too. Sadly, I cannot make out any of the vocals. I’d love to learn how to create that 8-bit sound, though. It’s cool.
Kasper
Very classic sound. I like the verse a lot more than the chorus. I like the build leading up to 2:30 or so. For a simple song, I guess I was hoping for more emotion. I found it a little too nice and neat.
Shelby Garrett
I like this vocal performance a lot, great contrast with some of the busier and darker sounds in this round. I would love to learn to sing like that. I like it a lot.
--
For my own track, things seem to have gone horribly wrong this week. Bad piano, bad vocals, bad mix. The early feedback was clear that the mix was so bad people could not hear the vocals. Because that’s so different from what I hear, I thought maybe I’d sent in the wrong file or somehow screwed up the final mix. Spud kindly allowed me to send in a clean version to replace what was there before. If anyone who listened early in the week was willing to take a re-listen, I’m very curious to learn if something was wrong with the original file. And if it still sounds terrible, would you drop me a note and let me know? I’m eager to learn how to mix so that it works on different setups, so would you share what kind of system you’re listening to it on? I’m still new to mixing so I have no doubt that I could make that kind of dumb mistake.
Anyway, I am super excited to get all this detailed feedback. It’s awesome, thank you all.
foobar93 wrote:
For my own track, things seem to have gone horribly wrong this week. Bad piano, bad vocals, bad mix. The early feedback was clear that the mix was so bad people could not hear the vocals. Because that’s so different from what I hear, I thought maybe I’d sent in the wrong file or somehow screwed up the final mix. Spud kindly allowed me to send in a clean version to replace what was there before. If anyone who listened early in the week was willing to take a re-listen, I’m very curious to learn if something was wrong with the original file. And if it still sounds terrible, would you drop me a note and let me know? I’m eager to learn how to mix so that it works on different setups, so would you share what kind of system you’re listening to it on? I’m still new to mixing so I have no doubt that I could make that kind of dumb mistake.
Anyway, I am super excited to get all this detailed feedback. It’s awesome, thank you all.
I re-listened. If this had been what I had reviewed, I never would have made the "sunk in the mix" comment. The vocals are nicely front and center, without being overpowering. They're actually quite well mixed in this version, and I have few complaints. I'm listening on an ancient altec-lansing computer speaker setup with a subwoofer. It tends to be bass-heavy, but I listen to everything on them, so I'm familiar with how they respond.
You're welcome for the feedback.
"Admittedly, I did not know what to expect with Kasper, but they, I think, just rocked our collective socks off." - GlennCase
Mike Lamb wrote:Berkeley Social Scene
+ tight bass/drums, i like the bass tone a lot. very consistent
+ guitar solos had a great tone. i'd love to hear about the tech behind this. it's a really sweet sound, especially the second solo.
The bass tone is me playing Martyr's Stingray (I think) through a little Fender bass amp.
The guitar solos are me playing a Les Paul Studio through a tc Electronic MojoMojo overdrive pedal and a tc Electronic Flashback delay pedal into a Fender Deluxe Reverb Reissue.
BSS trivia for this song: Very likely the only song that we've done that was entirely performed by only me and Ken. Glennny and Martyr wrote the song with us but they couldn't make it for the recording unfortunately.
Thanks for the reviews. I liked a bunch of the songs this week, but I was particularly happy to see a new bgm entry. Great stuff!
Lunkhead wrote:
The guitar solos are me playing a Les Paul Studio through a tc Electronic MojoMojo overdrive pedal and a tc Electronic Flashback delay pedal into a Fender Deluxe Reverb Reissue.
Love tc! How did you mic it?
"Admittedly, I did not know what to expect with Kasper, but they, I think, just rocked our collective socks off." - GlennCase
Mike Lamb wrote:
I re-listened. If this had been what I had reviewed, I never would have made the "sunk in the mix" comment. The vocals are nicely front and center, without being overpowering. They're actually quite well mixed in this version, and I have few complaints. I'm listening on an ancient altec-lansing computer speaker setup with a subwoofer. It tends to be bass-heavy, but I listen to everything on them, so I'm familiar with how they respond.
You're incredibly kind to re-listen. Thanks for taking the time (and glad to know the mix improved, too).
Lunkhead wrote:
The guitar solos are me playing a Les Paul Studio through a tc Electronic MojoMojo overdrive pedal and a tc Electronic Flashback delay pedal into a Fender Deluxe Reverb Reissue.
Love tc! How did you mic it?
A 57 pointing straight into the speaker, touching the grille. Rock!
chocolatechips wrote:re: what JoAnn said about collaborating
i'd be interested in collaboration sometime (with JoAnn or anyone else) ... it'd be interesting to me to write a tune (and do the instrumental backing) and hear someone else write lyrics and sing it.
my email is chocolatechipsmusic @ gmail dot com if anyone is interested in lyrics/singing to an otherwise finished track ... i'd call it The Chocolate Chips Featuring (YOU) ... i'd need the vocal track sent back as a seperate track (or multiple vocal tracks) so I could mix it
JoAnn Abbott wrote:
If anyone is available to do backing music or knows of someone who likes to collaborate on songs, please let me know. I love to come up with lyrics to existing tunes, and can make up simple songs myself. Just can't PLAY anything worth a darn. :/
Sorry to but in on the review thread - but JoAnn - I would love to do that .
Glad I wandered randomly here - Chocolate Chips and JoAnn are 2 people I think would be great collaborators with the shambolic mess that is Caravan Ray - I look forward to doing something with both of you (shut up BLT)
fluffy wrote:foobar: Yep, the new mix is WAY better. All the other criticisms I had of your song are still there though.
Thank you! Appreciate your other comments - I'm going to be especially mindful about not following the melody notes with the backing instruments next time.
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