Feedback on our Demo?

[sedan_dad]

The drums are painful to listen to. Sorry.

 

[newwavefrank]

Hey don't take any of this wrong I post videos all the time with bad sound, mistakes etc. But if I make one to use for promotion then i am super critical. I just went back to the website for a local booking agency that has some really high dollar bands and rewatched their videos. Most of them are fairly long, maybe 3-4 minutes, but I noticed that you will hear about 4 different songs for every minute of video, and they are always very well known songs. Also these are bands that work a lot and had plenty of very good material to show. Even then they could probably have been shorter. But I guess If someone is debating paying $25,000 + they will want to watch a little more video. So for what its worth, the first 15 seconds are going to be the most critical. The song and pics should be the best you have to offer. (maybe nothing with the tongues hanging out? lol) Also all the stuff I just watched had very little text, normally just the band name at the beginning for a couple of seconds and again at the end. Some also had the agency name and number. This might just be me but I found the occasional video inserted between stills a bit distracting. I have seen video with a few stills in between, But I might just do stills without the video. None of it was synced or special anyway....I might have to think about that...or try both ways and see...As was mentioned move through the pics faster (If I have time to read what it says on the drummer's T shirt it's too slow). Consolidating what you have to about half or less in duration might solve a lot of whatever you are not liking.

 

[fishdreams]

Congrats on a decent vid with all the base ingredients there.

• I'd not start with Jail Break. People go for what feels the the best, and has the most vibe. Your version to my ears was the tune in the demo with the least vibe. (A lot of very audible differences between kick drum and bass). I'd start with the Zep tune instead.
• I'd remix the tunes on the basis of bringing out what the band's strong points are, and somewhat masking the less impressive aspects. I'd thicken the guitars a bit, bring them up in the mix, make lead vocal as dry as possible (so it's both out front and low in the mix), bury the kick drum under the bass guitar, and overall try to dial back reverb/delay as much as possible. Sorta like Bon Scott era AC/DC.

 

[ultra60]

I am not hearing anything studio about the recording at all. This could work in your favor. I'd sell it as a live representation of the band. That's what it sounds like to me.

 

[Joma3]

I would agree with the popular opinion that it's too long. My unprofessional opinion is you want like 10-15 second clips of a handful of songs so people can get a quick, but good idea of what your band is about and what you sound like, and get that info in less than two minutes. You can take notes from the others of what the visual content should be.

 

[smeet]

I think it’s a good first cut.

I’m not an expert, but here’s what I’d do:
- Cut the length down to 90 seconds.
- Grab 10 or 15 of the best short (5-10 seconds) video clips, each one highlighting a different aspect (vocals, harmonies, guitar, bass, shredding, etc.).
- edit them together as seamlessly as you can (beat- matching or fading).
- Then cut/overlay in some pictures, moving quickly as mentioned.
Make sure the first and last clips are slamming, like you would with a Live set. If anything is even a little weak, cut it out. Most people will only listen to 30 seconds, so make it so good that they are captivated immediately. Nobody will complain that it’s a bit too short as long as it kicks hindquarters.

 

[fishdreams]

And kudos to offering this up for critique and taking a lot of negative-sounding comments in stride. I know, this stuff is hard work. And the hardest thing is is to detach yourself from being part of it, and imagine yourself as that bar owner who has no clue who you are, and in a semi distracted state of mind clicks on your video, which is all there is to go by. Good luck.

BTW, I'd pick the Zep tune because the singer really goes for it there. Small imperfections don't matter.

 

[Clark Dark]

@mrcbass , what bugged you?
The songs were well done, though some say the drums were behind the beat on a few..
I thought your bass could have been a little more prominent on the first song, bcuz my headphones gave me a lot of lead in my right ear and a lot of rhythm in my left. It was a better mix on the second song.
Rather than nitpicking I'm asking you, what bugged you?

 

[Cliff Colton]

let me be the first to congratulate you on the fine effort you have obviously put into this!

i think the audio is fine and i wouldn't let the naysayer's judgement rue the day. that said: mixing video with pics is cool --- especially if you can make those pics 'move' faster to better 'blend' into the production. IME: more pics needed and they could be made to 'move by' quickly = shorter duration.

i agree with:
- length could be shortened some.
- titles and important information doesn't need the hard-to-decipher fonts.
- consider using the most important text info alone --- without pics or vids as background.
- showing people having a blast is important. if you don't have any archived: make some up (they can be 'fast' pics, too).

FWIW: i make my jazz band's 'commercials' without the benefit of many actual videos, so pics are used. but in a video they have to 'whiz by' in order to keep today's ADD/ADHD viewers happy....also: when they move by fast = you can cover a host of sins!

congrats on your efforts and good luck on your project!

+1, especially on the need to show people dancing and having a good time. The venue owners don’t need to see too much of you guys because they already know you will come to the show since they’re paying you.
Nice work. Boost the bass!

 

[kevindahl]

Nice work. I know it's difficult to make everyone happy in the band including yourself. Songs should be 30 to 45 seconds max. The videos and photos look fine to me. I don't know what type of venues you are targeting. Have you checked out your competition? Are they using pro recordings and multiple camera angles? If not, you are probably good.

However, I do hear some timing issues that should be fixed. Good luck.

 

[bassboysam]

yeah in terms of performance, the drummer either had a bad day or needs more practice

 

[Kmonk]

Drums are dragging, vocals flat.

I agree.

Some of this may sound harsh but I always believe that if people ask for an opinion, you should always give an honest reply. The drumming is very basic and not keeping time very well. The singer is very pitchy and mostly flat with limited range. Harmonies could be better but it's difficult to judge based on flat lead vocals. The video looks like it was not professionally shot and is much too long. Over all, it comes across as a typical average cover band.

 

[rhopper]

I’m a country guy and there was no real example of country (maybe Outlaw Country?). Shorter for sure and a wider range of styles would be me my $.02.

 

[Rip Van Dan]

Looking for constructive feedback on our promo video. My band likes this despite that there are a few things about it that bug me - I developed it based on their specs.

If you are a venue or event planner, would this give you what you needed?

River City Outlaws


Thanks

Put best sounding song first. That's the one they will decide on whether or not they are going to listen to the rest of your demo.

Rhythm guitar is way too loud on first song and consistently so through the rest. Sounded like he was playing at levels that I put the lead guitar when it was playing leads. You do want to hear rhythm guitar, but it shouldn't be the most prominent instrument in the mix. Bass is not loud enough in most of the mixes - very, very background in the first song and when you hit notes we only hear it through the attack and any sustain disappears - sounds a bit wooly. Matter of EQ'ing differently for more definition and bringing you up in the mix. Put in a little (not a lot) of boost at 250Hz if you can. Anywhere between 250Hz and 500Hz will help add a lot more definition of the bass in the mix. On some of the other songs though, it was just fine.

Lead singer singing way off key during verses of Come Together. Fine on chorus, and harmony went well there too. Just sounded like he was singing almost a third low on verses.

 

[Nebadon2000]

This is promo video from local band who played some of same local area clubs/Bars my band did. Sound great live.
I thought this was done well.

 

[dbsfgyd1]

Looking for constructive feedback on our promo video. My band likes this despite that there are a few things about it that bug me - I developed it based on their specs.

If you are a venue or event planner, would this give you what you needed?

River City Outlaws


Thanks

I am not venue or an event planner, but I do know bit about marketing. Do you have a target market? 20-30? 30-40? Are you covering things you like to play, or what your target market wants to hear? Where sort of venues do you plan on or would playing with the band?

Listening to this demo, I noticed a lack of variety intone and style which may limit a listeners opinion of your bands capabilities to hold and entertain an audience. Keep in mind, somebody is going to have to sell your band, be it you all, an agent, or the venue manager. Like they say, “the more you can do...”

From what I can tell the talent is there to get work and let you be your own worst critic on the performances.

Best wishes,

Db

 

[jdh3000]

Looking for constructive feedback on our promo video. My band likes this despite that there are a few things about it that bug me - I developed it based on their specs.

If you are a venue or event planner, would this give you what you needed?

River City Outlaws


Thanks

I agree with those that you need it a minute, just fade it at the end. If you are going to make it longer than a minute, try fading a few songs together.

Also that you need it to be a very clear recording, and of the very best song(s) you have. The first part of it needs to grab their attention, it's the only chance you'll get it

I thought the mixture of video and stills was just a little distracting. I would use one or the other. I actually think a nice promo cover photo would work well.

A demo is a business card with sound.

 

[shadven]

It’s brave putting this out there in front of musicians. My first thought is that Jailbreak is probably not your strongest song. Live it probably works well, but in the video it’s hard not to compare it to the original recording... and it’s a tough song to pull off. You’d be better off with some blues based rockers. I bet your lead singer kills it live, but in this recording he is singing flat. It would be worthwhile to go into a real studio. One or two strong songs are enough for a two minute promo video. Your press-kit will have your song list. Also, don’t expect to get an ego boost on a musicians forum, everyone is a little jealous and insecure

 

[dan1952]

I don't think bar owners or festival promoters wanted to hear "Jailbreak" back in 1980, let alone in 2020. Who is your band trying to play for? Sorry, but I don't hear anything at all in your demo that will generate bookings.
Oh, by the way, the drummer is bad, and the singer has an unpleasant tone to his voice. Sorry, but you asked...

 

[overit]

I got through the first 40 seconds. I skipped through the next couple songs then to the end. I knew what type of band you were, that you were able to play the song, your style and potentially what demographic would be interested in watching your band in that first 40 seconds. Nothing after that gave me any extra information - as someone not a listener of that genre, a lot of the songs sounded the same - that I needed except for contact info. So, I think you hit the mark for showing someone what your band is about.

Whether that is good enough to get those type of venues to notice over the competition you’d have to research/figure out.

On another note, I watched the other video posted and got through 55 seconds. Mostly because I knew the song and was curious to hear the lines and there were other things besides pictures to keep me engaged.

I also like that they showed the crowd and people having a good time.

I’d try to show more of that, shorten it drastically and just show your best video. Have the band logo & a descriptive tag line in the beginning, then your logo/name at the end with contact info. All that other info is what your website is for.