My Band's Got Another Track Up

[capnsandwich]

Yep, We're finally getting this stuff recorded with vocals and getting a rough mix so we can put it up on our myspace page. Our newest track, Learning to live, is a slow bluesy kind of tune that builds up toward the end. It's still in need of a good mix down but it's mixed enough right now to put it up and let some people that want to hear our new stuff hear it. We haven't sent these tracks out to get mastered yet since we're waiting until the entire recording process is done. The harder, rockier stuff is getting mixed right now. He mixed the easy stuff first since it would take less time. Bear in mind these tracks are still in their mix own stage so what you're hearing are songs that still need some level adjustment and some effects added to them.

www.myspace.com/wayfarersjourney

[Deacon_Blues]

I'm currently listening to that track. I like the song and the arrangement very much, but the mix is definitely rough. I'm not even sure you can turn it into a good mix without re-recording some parts. I'm commenting here on the parts I think need the most work. Nothing to worry about in the bass line though, it's fine.

Vocals:
The lead vocals sound sometimes close and upfront in the mix like they should be, but other times it sounds like he's singing way too far away from the mic putting it far back in the mix. (Or is it even the same person singing the intro as the one singing at 0:57-->? At least, the sound of the vocals change a lot at that point). I think a compressor would not be able to fix the lack of presence in the vocals when he's singing far away from the mic, so I think they might need to be re-recorded. It's a bit sad because most of the take is otherwise very good and he's got a great voice. Only in the beginning when he's singing in a softer "sting-like" way, they don't carry the song very well. They're not much off, but just enough for me to notice there's something there that sounds off. The backing vocals sounds mostly good.

Guitars:
I'm not a fan of strong effects like the phaser he uses in the beginning. Here, it seems to drain out all the natural sound from his guitar. Also the distortion sounds rather "flat" and lacks dynamics. It sounds like he's using two different presets in a multieffect pedal board of medium quality. The guitars are also too loud in the mix as they are now. There's nothing bad in his playing though. I just dislike the sounds he's using.


Hope I'm not too rough on you here. As a band you sound tight and I enjoyed the music a lot despite the mix.

[capnsandwich]

Originally Posted by Deacon_Blues

I'm currently listening to that track. I like the song and the arrangement very much, but the mix is definitely rough. I'm not even sure you can turn it into a good mix without re-recording some parts. I'm commenting here on the parts I think need the most work. Nothing to worry about in the bass line though, it's fine.

Vocals:
The lead vocals sound sometimes close and upfront in the mix like they should be, but other times it sounds like he's singing way too far away from the mic putting it far back in the mix. (Or is it even the same person singing the intro as the one singing at 0:57-->? At least, the sound of the vocals change a lot at that point). I think a compressor would not be able to fix the lack of presence in the vocals when he's singing far away from the mic, so I think they might need to be re-recorded. It's a bit sad because most of the take is otherwise very good and he's got a great voice. Only in the beginning when he's singing in a softer "sting-like" way, they don't carry the song very well. They're not much off, but just enough for me to notice there's something there that sounds off. The backing vocals sounds mostly good.

Guitars:
I'm not a fan of strong effects like the phaser he uses in the beginning. Here, it seems to drain out all the natural sound from his guitar. Also the distortion sounds rather "flat" and lacks dynamics. It sounds like he's using two different presets in a multieffect pedal board of medium quality. The guitars are also too loud in the mix as they are now. There's nothing bad in his playing though. I just dislike the sounds he's using.


Hope I'm not too rough on you here. As a band you sound tight and I enjoyed the music a lot despite the mix.

The vocals in the beginning are not the main vocalist's vocals. They're the keyboardist's vocals. Why they did it that way I don't know but the keyboardist used to be our main vocalist so maybe they wanted to give him his 15 seconds of fame again. I wasn't there when they recorded them but I can hear what you're talking about.

The guitar is a whole different subject. These guitar tracks were recorded at our guitarist's house since he's the guy who engineered the whole thing. He uses a MIDI system on his guitar to where he can get any sound he wants on that thing. That's why I think they might be lacking dynamics. I really don't like the phaser/flanger effect on it either but that's what they agreed to use when he recorded it. I'd rather have a nice 6 string acoustic on there but then again, I'm just a bass player. What do I know?

I don't think you're too harsh. Like I said, these are not the end products. These are just the rough draft. They wanted me to put them up on the page when I got them so I did. I just started this thread to get some opinions like yours. Thanks a lot for your input.

[capnsandwich]

I got a better mix of Learning To Live from the guitarist and I posted it up on the page. It does sound a little better than the previous track. All the levels seem to be evened out and the guitar isn't in your face as much.

[Deacon_Blues]

Sounds much better now.

[capnsandwich]

Originally Posted by Deacon_Blues

Sounds much better now.

Thanks man. I impressed with it a little more too. The harmonies seem to blend together better, especially on the chorus.

[EagleMoon]

Your stuff sounds like a cross between Journey and Kansas. I really like it!