Tonamel on 8/5/2006 at 08:08
CRITICAL ANALYSIS:
Very chill, but it's lacking a neccessary "crispness" to the sound, which is a problem I see a lot among beginning producers (myself included). In this instance, I think the dull feeling is coming from the snare, which sounds a little too distant/loose. It's also a little dull as in boring, but that's not as big an issue as it sounds. It just feels more like a backing track than a finished song. Get a vocalist in there, and you'd have some serious Zero 7 vibes going.
All in all, not bad. Just find some way to include a defined lead instrument.
Quote Posted by 37637598
Do you think we (me and my girl) could possibly make it with tons of practice, hard work, and based off of the songs?
If you:
Stopped trying to be inoffensively marketable,
Picked one style of music as you band's sound,
Learned to work with what you have, rather than treating your synths as instruments they are not,
Listened to more music, and
Started to perform in local venues,
then... it really depends on what you mean by "make it". Getting picked up by any major label is going to take more luck than skill, while there are plenty of bands that make a decent living playing local venues only. So it really depends on what you're shooting for, and who your intended audience is.
So... have I managed to dodge the question while pretending to contribute yet? ;)
37637598 on 8/5/2006 at 08:32
Yes, that is extremely helpful!!! its not a yes or no question, I just want to get people's opinion. I am glad you're being honest! we actually were talking about playing some clubs but we're trying to figure out exactly what we can do for real instruments rather than having to sing along to pre-recorded stuff which is acceptable. I want to figure all of this out and i need as much help as i can get. Mostly because I promised my girlfriend that something will come of our music if we work really hard. I honestly think we could pull something off whether it bew major record label signing, or local shows... I know that we can do it. And as far as finding a style, i already have and the only song of the three that actually resembled our style happens to be the booring one. I would have posted all our "Style" of our songs, but right now we're taking singing lessons to prefect our voices and we're gonna wait to record anymore songs as far as vocals, until our voices are in tip top shape. We made the decision that music is what we're gonna do for the rest of our lives and whatever it takes to get there, we want to be ready. If TTLG people don't mind, I'll keep you guys posted and let ya all know whats going on and how much we're improving. I really think its gonna work. If it does and we DO become famous someday, you can all say "I used to talk with them on ttlg".
I choose ttlg over every other forum because you people are smart. Someone ALWAYS knows the answer. Its awsome! I love it.
Right now we only have about 4 songs done (other than vocals) so we really want to get good with singing, start platin shows, and send demos to record companys. I can't let my girlfriend down, and I wont let myself down. Or you guys. I just hope something happens soon because im sick of this crappy town and working at a sub-shop. My girl is sick of working at a taco place... YAYAYA!
Well, there's my future life plan/story... But don't feel sorry for me!:D :thumb:
Jackablade on 8/5/2006 at 17:24
I applaud your optimism, but maybe your line of thinking is just a bit too focused. By all means pursue a music career, but it might be more helpful to take a more laid-back approach to your ambition. Maybe I'm misinterpreting you here, but it seems that if you don't
really make it, you won't be happy. If you only half make it, you will feel like you have failed. It's this line that makes me think this about you:
Quote Posted by 37637598
I can't let my girlfriend down, and I wont let myself down.
Some people live their whole lives (happily) as local talent, and you acknowledge that this is ok, but after reading your post, I don't think you would be ok with it. Maybe it's just me, but I say try chasing your dream a bit less fervently.
p.s. This is in no way a comment on your music, just your latest post.
Para?noid on 8/5/2006 at 17:34
Second song = Eels
Third song is aces, very sad, and I like that.
The only thing it lacks is a decent sound in the production sense, but no one would expect you to be able to develop a professional sound on limited equipment. None-the-less, do read up on mixing and recording. I can tell you for free that the level of the strings, for instance, are way too low.
fett on 8/5/2006 at 17:51
Quote:
The people that support the record companys.
I think you have us confused with someone else. ;)
My observations: I agree mostly with Tonamel about the quality of the audio clips. You need to seriously invest in some reading material on recording and mixing and if possible, leech as much time as you can from a friend who will let you sit quietly in the board room of their stuido while they actually do it (invaluable if they know what they're doing.)
As for the music itself, I'm not at all a fan of this (these?) styles, but I do know that no matter what genre, there must be something memorable about the song that makes people want to come back to it - or that makes it stick in their brain (a hook). I'm not sure how that translates to ambient music, but Brian Eno manages to do that very well most of the time. There needs to be some degree of passion in the vocal. No matter how much you might malign mainstream music, the reason people buy it is because people believe the vocal. Even 'bored' vocals (Kurt Cobain, Billy Corgan) are passionate in their boredom (I hope that makes sense), and thereby interesting and believable.
Reality check: the music industry is incredibly hard to break into. A large part of 'making it' has to do with being in the right place at the right time. Love what you do and make sure it shows when you write and play. If you're just doing it to 'get out' or make a few extra bucks, it will be obvious to everyone, especially the AR guy who will eventually hear/see you and accept/reject you. If you bank you're entire future and relationship on 'making it' you may be sorely disappointed. I can show you 10 bands in this town (Little Rock) who can write/play/perform circles around the biggest acts out there, but they'll never get a contract because the odds against them being discovered are huge. Not to say it will never happen, but it's not a chopping block you want to lay your future on.
Aja on 8/5/2006 at 21:16
Quote Posted by Tonamel
CRITICAL ANALYSIS:
Very chill, but it's lacking a neccessary "crispness" to the sound, which is a problem I see a lot among beginning producers (myself included). In this instance, I think the dull feeling is coming from the snare, which sounds a little too distant/loose. It's also a little dull as in boring, but that's not as big an issue as it sounds. It just feels more like a backing track than a finished song. Get a vocalist in there, and you'd have some serious Zero 7 vibes going.
All in all, not bad. Just find some way to include a defined lead instrument.
Agreed on all points. It isn't really finished (is anything ever?) but it seems that whenever I write anything I reach a point where I know it's not done but I can't figure out what it needs to get there. I need a good female vocalist.
Oh, and if you haven't heard of it, (
http://www.soundfonts.it/?a=read&b=18) Mr Ray is the best Fender Rhodes sim I've heard, and it's free. The site also has some great free Wurlitzer and B3 VSTs as well.
Tonamel on 8/5/2006 at 21:30
Hey, thanks for the reminder. I'd actually downloaded MrRay73 and MrTramp some time ago, but never installed them. Actually, they should fit quite well in the song I'm working on now.
Blackjack on 8/5/2006 at 21:46
Hmm ... bits of old bands like Crowded House and The Cars in these. I think what others have said is true: recording quality is an issue, but sometimes it's just the choice or use of synth. The acoustic is very dry. A live performance (even in a studio) might be more involving. I'm not really qualified to add much else.
Schattentänzer on 8/5/2006 at 21:56
Quote Posted by fett
[..]especially the AR guy who will eventually hear/see you and accept/reject you.
That had me confused for a bit, I was thinking of a totaly different AR guy.
37637598 on 9/5/2006 at 00:12
well the thing is... I'm very poor. The "Acoustic" is actually an electric. I couldn't buy an acoustic and I don't knoiw anyone whom I could borrow one from so i decided to try to make it sound acoustic using an electric.
I'll download that mr.Ray. Thank you very much! I'm always looking for a new vst to apply.
aND WHEN I SAY "yOU, THE PEOPLE THAT SUPPORT THE RECORD COMPANYS", i MEAN THE PEOPLE WHO BUY CD'S AT WALMART, BESTBUY, CD STORES ETC. sorry, caps lock was on...
I'm applying everything said here to a new song I'm making and ALREADY it sounds 10000()()()() times better than our previous work!
Thank you all! I'm working on trying to find some mixing info to read up on...
