• From: north wales. uk
  • Registered: 2008-11-23
  • Posts: 167

Topic: Me & Bobby McGee

As some of you konw, I play live, but I am having trouble in producing a CD of my work.
I have looked at doing in a studio, as I have worked in them for years, but the one I worked for has now gone, other one's I have contacted seem to charge around £200 per hour, which I can not afford, or even want to pay that much.

I have a Boss Micro BR, and I am happy with the guitar results, but not the vocals, I am trying difrent things to try to improve the sound, and this is the best I can get it, for now.  Please have a listen, and leave coments that you may feel would help me, here is the link, also I cannot even get the page right, so you will have to scroll down to find me, the song I would like you to coment on is "Me & Bobby McGee".

http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fu … =498977818

Thank you for your time, and please know that I value the help that I have recived from this site, and it's members.

TonyBlue

man is the dream of the doliphin
  • From: A black hole in deep space
  • Registered: 2007-10-28
  • Posts: 7,865

Re: Me & Bobby McGee

hi Tony I gave a listen the guitar and vocals sound fine but the arrangement kind of drags to much time between lyrics without any fills I think its the selection of time you chose 4/4 as opposed to a 2/4 I just think it needs to have more of an up tempo feel like the original this is only my opinion,the drums seemed a little to soft and distant in the mix and the absence of a bass presence in this kind of arrangement was noticed by me hope I'm not being to critical but  I think you would rather hear an honest appraisal smile

"Growing old is not for sissies"

Russell_Harding's Website

  • From: north wales. uk
  • Registered: 2008-11-23
  • Posts: 167

Re: Me & Bobby McGee

Not critical Russell, just what I asked for, thank you.
The recorder has a drum unit with it, and I am trying to fit the fills in, but there is a bass track in there, it looks like I lost it in the mix.  I think that I am trying to do something that I don't understand, so it will be a long learning task for me.  But I will keep on trying, and it has just occuered to me that maybe I should record one of my gigs live, this could be the best idea.
Thank you Russell.
TonyBlue

man is the dream of the doliphin
  • From: A black hole in deep space
  • Registered: 2007-10-28
  • Posts: 7,865

Re: Me & Bobby McGee

Yes recording your gig live is a good idea because your more natural sometimes when you record at home it seems even to me you try to be to perfect only because you have the liberty to do it again and correct mistakes but what happens sometimes is you lose the feeling of the song and it has no soul a live recording is what  you normally sound like and a better measuring stick to go by good luck with it smile

"Growing old is not for sissies"

Russell_Harding's Website

  • From: Chesapeake,VA
  • Registered: 2008-11-12
  • Posts: 332

Re: Me & Bobby McGee

Tony I think the vocals are fine.  And overall your recording sounds good.  I like the acoustic version better, but you did a good job electric making it your own. That said, agree the tempo needs a pick up.   You definitely want to record one live though so you get an idea what folks are hearing.

Steve

AccoustikNoyz's Website

  • Registered: 2007-04-03
  • Posts: 3,489

Re: Me & Bobby McGee

I think the sound and vocals are good.

I count the beats in my head to songs. Yours i felt was  to slow. You need to up the tempo a wee bit.

Other then that its sounds fine

Old Doll

Why Blend in with the Crowd ? When you were made to stand out !
  • From: Tennessee
  • Registered: 2008-08-03
  • Posts: 125

Re: Me & Bobby McGee

Hi Tony, I took a listen and agree with the above critiques. From the limited experience I've had mixing music, it has always been an uphill climb to get several instruments and vocals to "sit" right in a mix,,not impossible but difficult at least for untrained mixologists(new word smile ) like me. Perhaps that's the reason the big studios get the big bucks. Outside of the tempo issues, I think you need only to tweek the volumes a little bit.

"I'm not going to buy my kids an encyclopedia. Let them walk to school like I did." Yogi Berra
"It's like deja vu all over again." Yogi Berra
and my personal favorite Yogi Berra quote: "Ninety percent of this game is half mental."
  • From: north wales. uk
  • Registered: 2008-11-23
  • Posts: 167

Re: Me & Bobby McGee

Thank you all,
I will take your ideas on board, and then I will rule the world, but I will still be freinds with all of you.
Sincere thanks to you all.
TonyBlue

man is the dream of the doliphin
  • From: Rotorua, New Zealand
  • Registered: 2007-08-26
  • Posts: 62

Re: Me & Bobby McGee

I am in agreement with the others on the song needing to be a bit more uptempo but wonder if you could also aid this by singing a little crisper as well, just shortening slightly the time you hold each word. Not a lot, just tad to sharpen the vocal line alittle.

The drums a lost in the mix and as you have no bass I feel this is an important part to adjust. I would through a compressor in the effects and push the eq up in the bass area a notch and even experiment with some high eq to try and pull out the hats as well.

As for the guitar try pulling the high eq back slightly so it doesnt interfere with the top end of the drums and also pull it back around the 2khz area so as not to compete with the vocals.

As for the vocals they could be pushed a small amount around the 2kh area and then put a gate in low down. Also gate the guitar low down and these gates will then leave room for the bass areas of the drums: ie the kick, to gain some deffinition.

Hope it helps get a better mix for you, still a nice song all the same would love to hear what you end up with after taking everyones comments on board.

cheers

As always I hope you enjoy my musical journey as much as I do.

seriousfun's Website

  • From: north wales. uk
  • Registered: 2008-11-23
  • Posts: 167

Re: Me & Bobby McGee

Sorry Seriousfun, I missed your reply,
Since I recorded this, I have had some very valueable lestions in record production, it turns out I was doing it backwards.

When I played in the studio, I was told to turn my guitar up to max, but I now know that working with a small recorder, it is much better to record at low output, this small but vital infromation transformed my out look on recording.  This along with all the help that I have recived from this site, was all I needed, so a big thank you to you all.

If you want to hear the diferance, please follow the link to Knocking on Heavens door.

http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fu … =498977818

This sounds more like me when I play live.

Thank you for your help
TonyBlue

man is the dream of the doliphin