Should I be embarassed of this solo?

[Unrepresented]

My band's mixing our demo and we've got some rough mixes up on our newly christened myspace.

One of the songs has a bass solo.

I know that everyone's their own worst critic but I keep hearing the warts on it and cringing...

Am I just being self-conscious or should I give in to the doubts and begin begging my already overwhelmed drummer to let me investigate the realities of trying to re-record it.

www.myspace.com/breakhousemusic

Song: Metal Test 2:05 - 2:22.

Looking for honest opinions of whether this is acceptable to be heard by the public...

[magickbass]

IMO, it is spot on. Nothing too over the top, fits the song, and it well played...stop worrying and let your drummer be.

[Drifta]

Originally Posted by magickbass

IMO, it is spot on. Nothing too over the top, fits the song, and it well played...stop worrying and let your drummer be.

yes let your drummer alone! let him go hit some cymbals

[false404]

Originally Posted by magickbass

IMO, it is spot on. Nothing too over the top, fits the song, and it well played...stop worrying and let your drummer be.

My thoughts exactly! You mix it up with different registers and your tone is great!

[Baryonyx]

Well, it's just my opinion but I didn't really dig the solo and the song itself seemed to fall a bit flat when it came...

[Unrepresented]

Originally Posted by false404

My thoughts exactly! You mix it up with different registers and your tone is great!

I am overall quite happy with the tone I got for six of the seven songs we recorded. I used a few effects but the majority was my Ampeg, my Fender, and my drummer's Fatso compressor.

Originally Posted by Drifta

yes let your drummer alone! let him go hit some cymbals

Originally Posted by magickbass

IMO, it is spot on. Nothing too over the top, fits the song, and it well played...stop worrying and let your drummer be.

In defense of my drummer he's actually a really good guy. I must've gotten lucky -- he's smart, responsible, and is the main engineer and mixer behind all of our DIY recordings thus far.

He even likes all the progressive bands that all of TB seems to love (except me ).

Originally Posted by Chris2112

Well, it's just my opinion but I didn't really dig the solo and the song itself seemed to fall a bit flat when it came...

Our guitarist (who had written and arranged most of the song prior to my involvement in the group) still refers to it as the "breakdown" as opposed to a solo. I treat it as a solo nonetheless. I think it'd always intended to drop down in intensity a bit, but I suspect "falling flat" wasn't our aim.

I don't anticipate the structure of the song changing at this point, I'm more trying to gauge whether the solo itself is salvageable.

Could you be more specific about what didn't work about the solo? The performance? The form itself? The arrangement as a whole?

[Chad.mundt]

I love the tone for the solo, bro. The tone for the rest is eh, but I'm of the opinion that learning how to blend and balance with a band is one of the more difficult things to learn. Make sure you watch your time on the solo. Good ideas, maybe next time have the band continue to play but quietly, ala a John Paul Jones breakdown (see Lemon Song, Zep II). What's the setup?

[Connor]

don't really like the solo so much, but it does fit the song... leave it

[john turner]

dude, that sounds cool. you got the whole early 70's'ish sound/vibe going on. i like it. leave it be.

[cosmicevan]

the big problem with recording anything is that you'll always hear the mistakes and you'll want it to be perfect...but it will never be perfect. you need to pick a stopping point or you'll never finish the project. i have so many projects that are incomplete because as time passes, i always feel i can do better on this or that (my band has now cut a full album and a 5 song EP that we haven't released because of this). the key is that a record is a snapshot in time of how you or your band sounded.

as for the solo itself, it sounded more than acceptable, but i'd at least give a redo a try (i can hear the spots that you are referring to where the timing could be a tad tighter). keep this version and do 3 more takes on the solo and pick your favorite and go with that. if you can't get it perfect in three tries then you aren't being realistic about your expectations.

just my thoughts...

[edit - additional thoughts on the track]
also, the mix for the track needs work. i had a hard time picking out the bass before the solo/breakdown. once it came out, the tone was killer and really fit the tune. if the bass line for the track is tight and can be heard clearly with that thick tone it can really bring the track alive

[Unrepresented]

Originally Posted by Chad.mundt

I love the tone for the solo, bro. The tone for the rest is eh, but I'm of the opinion that learning how to blend and balance with a band is one of the more difficult things to learn.

Tone for the rest of the song is the same, just an automated volume boost in the mixing software during the solo with the exception of the "chorus" where I double tracked with my Psilocybe (phaser).

I expect to get more "space" in upcoming mixes which I think will permit for more of my tone to come through. I think I'm buried during most of this particular mix, but that's a topic for another thread and future band discussions.

Originally Posted by Chad.mundt

Make sure you watch your time on the solo. Good ideas, maybe next time have the band continue to play but quietly, ala a John Paul Jones breakdown (see Lemon Song, Zep II).

One of my heroes.

That's actually my main reason for posting this, to find out if that tempo issue (and a minor stutter in the third phrase) was going to bother anyone besides me.

Originally Posted by Chad.mundt

What's the setup?

Not sure which setup you're asking about? Fender jazz with pickups running series into Ampeg SVT-II with a Fatso compressor in the effects loop.

[McGroovin']

I like it.

[ganga]

****ing awesome tone! Give me that.

The solo is perfect. Sounds really really cool.

[Foxworthy925]

I like the solo- I think it's great.

I'm also really diggin the music's feel as a whole. Keep it up man.

[Unrepresented]

Originally Posted by cosmicevan

the big problem with recording anything is that you'll always hear the mistakes and you'll want it to be perfect...but it will never be perfect. you need to pick a stopping point or you'll never finish the project. i have so many projects that are incomplete because as time passes, i always feel i can do better on this or that (my band has now cut a full album and a 5 song EP that we haven't released because of this). the key is that a record is a snapshot in time of how you or your band sounded.

as for the solo itself, it sounded more than acceptable, but i'd at least give a redo a try (i can hear the spots that you are referring to where the timing could be a tad tighter). keep this version and do 3 more takes on the solo and pick your favorite and go with that. if you can't get it perfect in three tries then you aren't being realistic about your expectations.

just my thoughts...

[edit - additional thoughts on the track]
also, the mix for the track needs work. i had a hard time picking out the bass before the solo/breakdown. once it came out, the tone was killer and really fit the tune. if the bass line for the track is tight and can be heard clearly with that thick tone it can really bring the track alive

The mix is still a temporary one. We're just putting up material to give to clubs/promoters while finishing mixing and mastering on our own time.

The original mix I received had the bass dominating and overpowering the low end (note: I wasn't complaining) and this is the result of the overcorrection by the rest of the band. This mix is at least a month old and I've been told I've received a better placement in the current (read: not yet uploaded) mix.

There will definitely be more discussion on mix and mastering to come, right now I'm just bummed I've been given a chance to shine and I'm not in love with the performance.

[downneck]

i like the overall feel of it, and you kept it moving well...i'd just cut it in half, do two passages instead of 4

[WarriorJoe7]

I thought it was pretty good. I don't know why but I didn't care for the song overall.

[PNS128]

absolutely fine solo w/ great tone. fits the song, tho i didnt like the whole thing overall. leave the solo

[fleabee]

Great tone..nice little solo

[Bassin']

I think the solo fits the song perfectly. Keep it.

From what I can hear, the whole song has a loose sort of 70's vibe to it and I think the bass solo you did captures that vibe to a "t".