Little Love Song. Need some input

Eric Guicherit

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Tascam DP24SD
Hi guys,

I would really appreciate it if you can check this song and give me some critique, both positive and negative. I recorded it on my DP24SD and mixed / mastered it mostly over headphones which I know is not ideal. But I got some lousy monitors which are just a pain. I basically recorded it to try some mix settings to be used in later projects. That’s why Ididnt go through the hassle of programming the drum machine. So yeah, it may sound a bit boring. What interests me though is the sound quality and mix. I’m not a singer so please, endure...
Looking forward to your feedback.

https://www.dropbox.com/sh/1xa2q8h0ucc3fvq/AADp8j1MlgL34dMNa8kub2Hia?dl=0
 
Hi Eric.

I like the song. It sounds like a song you'd hear in a Western movie, and that's good. Acoustic c guitars sound great. Nothing wrong with your voice. As a producer, I would have recorded another set of background vocals to thicken it up, but the tones and pitches are on target. The only thing I might consider is trimming the solo, but that's a matter of taste. Overall, I say:

Well done!
 
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Thanks mjk. Highly appreciated, even more when coming from you. I have been struggling with equalizing my recordings. Eq’s are everywhere in my chain, on my guitar, effect pedals as well as in the DP24SD. It drives me nuts. But I think I figured them out reading your message. Thanks again.
 
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Trust your ears Eric. We all double-process, but in the end if it sounds good, that's all that matters.

I recall in the late 70s, there was an interview with Tom Scholz where he revealed how much EQ he applied to tracks. That interview was rather shocking to the recording engineering community because he basically said he routinely applied EQ rather heavily compared to what (at that time) was considered conventional. But, no one could dispute the results he achieved. So, there it is. Keep doing what you're doing.

Oh yeah, it's time to program the drums!
 
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Eric, nicely done! In addition to mj's comments, you may also want to experiment with reducing the level of the lead guitar solo by a few dB; and starting at 2:05 not hold the vocal note on "you" etc. as long so that the guitar riff comes in as a clear counterpoint to the lyric. A good drum track will make this song pop. Keep at it. Looking forward to hearing the final version.
 
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Thanks Mark. Yes, I will do a remix of the solo guitar lowering it a bit. I will also rework the vocals. The drum machine is my nightmare. I have two of them and hate them both. I'm seriously thinking of getting a Beatbuddy and get it over with. Drum machines for me are creativity killers. Oh well, you can't do without them can you. In the mean time, I'm quite amazed by the sound quality this device can deliver. This is my second song produced on it. The limiting factor is clearly my musical capabilities .
 
Eric, I got a Yamaha DD75 and it's really great for drum programming. So much easier than tapping little chicklet buttons. It's a real set of pads, and they are programmable.
 
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...The drum machine is my nightmare. I'm seriously thinking of getting a Beatbuddy and get it over with. Drum machines for me are creativity killers .
Copy that. I have the Beatbuddy. Love it. Highly recommended for the programming averse. If you can keep a beat, you can play real drums, for real, in real time. For me, money well spent. With the transition variations built in, I can do almost anything in combination with the DP-24/32SD editing capabilities.

Mj's DD75 is also a great option.
 
Thanks guys. I will check both the Beatbuddy and DD75. Very different concepts so I will try to find out which of the two gets things done easiest. There is also the Digitec Sdrum which seems pretty easy for non drummers. Worth a look at.
 
Hi @Eric Guicherit I wanted to ask you how the drum tracks are coming along?
 
Thanks for asking mjk. The first thing I did was mixing everything again, based on the very valuable tips I got here; I lowered the volume of the solo guitar and reduced the voices. That was already quite an improvement. I then worked on the equalization after copying the stereo output to Audacity.
The problem with the drums is that they are recorded as stereo tracks and not connected as midi. Meaning, it would require quite some handwork to have a new stereo track fit (I do miss midi capabilities for my DP24SD). Of course I could add some snares and crashes here and there but that would make things worse. I decided to stop using the Yamaha drum machine and bought an SDrum. Man, what a difference. Still not midi though but an amazing sound and much easier to program. The idea is to use it from now on. I love that thing. An issue is the fact that I don't have good monitors. All the mixing and mastering happens through headphones. And that's not ideal of course. So the next thing on my shopping list (will this ever stop): suitable monitors with sub woofer. Any suggestions? I now play Little Love Song live with my band. Great fun.
 
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Eric I know what you mean about MIDI. I have the original DP-32 with MIDI, and if I could help you by recording a synchronous set of drum tracks using the DP-32, I would be happy to do so.
 
If you had the MIDI file, I could record the drum tracks using my DP-32 and Roland machine, in sync to the correct tempo. Then you just import those tracks to the song.
 
Ok. That makes sense. Unfortunately, no midi file available. But very kind of you. Thanks a bunch.
 
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@Eric Guicherit I realize I never answered your question about monitors: Genelec. Can't go wrong.
 

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