Laid down some bass for a buddy's concept album...feedback?

[interstatejoe]

First time posting a recording. Hoping to get some feedback on this track I laid down as a favor to my buddy who's working on a concept album...very Farenheit 451/Brave New World/1984-ish (hence the name Blackwhite). Simple keys, bass and drums with some soaring guitar wailing in there. It's a bit lengthy @ 8-1/2 minutes, it's rough and I'm not completely sold on how it's EQed, but it's his project not mine.

Blackwhite.mp3

thanks for the input!
-Joe

[interstatejoe]

...Bueller?


...Bueller?


...Bueller?

[Woodchuck]

There's no way to play it.

[jhfishn]

Joe


Great job!!!

I really liked this whole thing. It reminded me of something of a cross between Pink Floyd and early Genesis.

I would have liked to hear more bass (almost typed more cowbell!!! ) But what you did complemented the tune really really well.

[wagdog]

I like it. Your playing fits the song very well although, in true prog fashion, I would have brought your bass more to the front and given it some edge. Is your friend the keys player?

[faviobarrio]

Joe, I wanted to chime in as well...IMHO your bass work is excellent- very fitting for the song and your sound is killer too.

Great job.

[interstatejoe]

Thank for the feedback guys.

Woodchuck- It's an mp3 download, so it should play with any mp3 player.

jhfishn- Thanks. Pink Floyd was definitely an influence when I sat down with just the piano to come up wth the bass, glad you noticed. When you say more bass, do you mean the bass should be more forward/up front in the mix or the tone/EQing should add more lowend?

wagdog- Thank you. I agree that the bass should be more in the front of the mix, but alas it is not my project so my input only means so much. My friend is indeed the keys player and singer (which is probably why the keys stand out so much). What exactly do you mean by "give it some edge"? Are you refering to tone or playing style? The majority of the song is just keys, drums and bass (Warmoth Jbass tuned D-G-C-F to pedalboard with Sansamp BDDI>Boss Bass Chorus>Big Muff>Digitech Bass Synth Auto Wah direct into a PreSonus FireStudio) and the guitarist is using a Digitech Whammy pedal making those soaring/wailing sounds that seem to accompany the vocals at times.

faviobarrio- thanks for the kind words.

[wagdog]

By more edge I meant tonally. I was thinking if you had more upper mids and highs your lines would have stood out a little more. But, like you say, it's not your call so c'est la vie! I thought your lines fit the song very well regardless of how you were mixed. And were you really tuned D-C-G-F (low to high)? I'm trying to get my mind around that tuning...

[interstatejoe]

Originally Posted by wagdog

By more edge I meant tonally. I was thinking if you had more upper mids and highs your lines would have stood out a little more. But, like you say, it's not your call so c'est la vie! I thought your lines fit the song very well regardless of how you were mixed. And were you really tuned D-C-G-F (low to high)? I'm trying to get my mind around that tuning...

Whoops! Soory that was a typo, tuning was D standard: D-G-C-F low to high.

Glad to hear everthing fit well with the song. This was the first time writing and recording like this (not working off a guitar riff in a band setting) and the only direction I got from my buddy when he handed over the piano tracks was that he wanted it to sound "loose and kinda messy" during the verse, "tight and mechanical" during the chorus...pretty vague & not a whole lot to work with there.

I'm going to get on him about EQing the bass a little better.

[interstatejoe]

Video
http://www.youtube.com/v/gA89H_zw2cg?fs=1&hl=en_US