New song from 41TWIN for you all....

41TWIN · 01-18-2022, 09:59 AM

I wrote a song for myself about myself. I usually write stuff as gifts to other people. Or about my family. But since I'm turning 50 I figured I earned it. LOL.

Also there is a birthday wish to anyone else turning 50 this year. 1972, yowza.

I am starting to understand the value of reverb in a mix. Most of my mixes have been really dry. This one is still on the dry end and for me when I'm done with a song I'm done for now. I may go back and redo them once I'm done recording everything I got. But I'm in a phase where I got a lot of songs I want to get recorded. And learning as I go, with each song. Then looking back I can hear the progression. Which sometimes isn't much. LOL. I try and learn a new thing, technique with each song. But admittedly the application seems very minimal LOL.

So yeah, I'm still very green even though we've done about 25 songs in the last year and a half. But I'm trying to learn.

So if you have some helpful hints about the mix, that is wonderful. I appreciate it.

Thanks for listening and reading if you did. I appreciate the help guys.

https://41twin.bandcamp.com/track/2wheels

karbomusic · 01-18-2022, 10:07 AM

I actually think the mix and sonic quality sounds pretty damn good. Interesting parts etc. too, nice job.

41TWIN · 01-18-2022, 04:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by karbomusic

I actually think the mix and sonic quality sounds pretty damn good. Interesting parts etc. too, nice job.

Oh wow!!! Thank you sir. Much appreciated!!!!

msundh · 01-19-2022, 08:29 AM

another cool song.
The mix was really good except for some vocal parts in the chorus that was a bit too loud to my liking.

tspring · 01-21-2022, 01:00 PM

Your strength is as a song writer. This is catchy and unique, and is supported by catchy and unique instrumental parts. Your singing isn't bad either. My only quible with the recording itself is the boxy snare sound. But that is a taste thing and for all I know that might be what you were shooting for.

Tim

41TWIN · 01-25-2022, 12:26 PM

@msundh Thank you very much for the feedback!!!!! I think one of the guys I have listen to my mixes before posting said the same thing. I thought I had it dialed in better but I'm still learning. Can I ask what you were listening to it on? Thank you

@tspring. Those are very encouraging words. Thank you. I appreciate you taking the time to listen and give me honest feedback. Can you explain what exactly that means about the snare? I know another guy somewhere else said there was like a bit too much... ringing frequencies. And sent me a video explaining. But I'm not sure that is the same thing as what you are saying.

My drummer records at his house and sends me his stuff. I let him do his thing. He's like me and tries to do something different every song so we learn and see what works and such. And just get a different sound. He has this tiny little alcove in a room that is adjacent to his bedroom and it's not ideal. That being said it sort of gives him his own sound. He has invested in a lot of mics and such and is constantly trying to learn ways of doing things. I'm really grateful for his participation.

But we talk about stuff we learn. So I'm always up for a lesson on things that might not be sounding right or good.

tspring · 01-25-2022, 08:07 PM

Listening again, it occurs to me that my comment on the drum sound might be a bit of nitpicking. To get some perspective, I went back to a song that liked and that had a similar "no-snare' snare drum sound, and the difference in the snare sound from your track was not that great. The difference could be EQ, drum tuning or even absence of gel pads on the drum head to reduce ringing. You might try sweeping a very narrow notch filter back and forth around 300 to 600 Hz to see how that effects the sound of the snare. That is the frequency range that is usually associated with boxiness. I think that you will hear what I am talking about. Truth is that you might not like the sound any better, as this kind of stuff is all a matter of taste.

T

msundh · 01-26-2022, 08:05 AM

I listen through headphones (DT700)

ts335 · 01-26-2022, 09:32 AM

I like this and really like the sound of the drums for the vibe of the tune. Bass reminds me of my days playing through an Ampeg SVT.

I graduated high school in 1972!! OMG I feel old!
<<TS>>

fHumble fHingaz · 01-27-2022, 02:43 AM

Hi 4TWIN, very cool production - full of character and vibe.

You've captured a certain lo-fi-ish Indie sound that seems very purposeful. I like the grit and earthiness and the ragged edges. Good energy to the track as well.

Nicely done!

41TWIN · 02-01-2022, 06:00 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ts335

I like this and really like the sound of the drums for the vibe of the tune. Bass reminds me of my days playing through an Ampeg SVT.

I graduated high school in 1972!! OMG I feel old!
<<TS>>

I don't know if I said what I played it through but you'd probably never guess. LOL. I was playing it through my Vox Cambridge guitar amp. With a bit of gain on. And that little amp is into a 12" eminence guitar speaker (just 1) that is in a 4x12 cab. I used the 4x12 cab for a while for guitar and felt like it was too much low end. So I just disconnected them all but the best sounding speaker.

Sorry to make you feel old. I feel old too. LOL. My son will watch me deal with my phone, looking over my glasses cuz I can't see with the glasses on up close (I have bifocals but barely ever wear them, they don't really work for every day stuff) And my son goes "Boomer". LOL. He's calling me a baby boomer. He says they say that about anyone that's old. LOL. Ugh. I'm like, I'm gen x....!!!

41TWIN · 02-01-2022, 06:05 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by fHumble fHingaz

Hi 4TWIN, very cool production - full of character and vibe.

You've captured a certain lo-fi-ish Indie sound that seems very purposeful. I like the grit and earthiness and the ragged edges. Good energy to the track as well.

Nicely done!

Thank you thank you. That is very heartwarming!!! What's funny is I've heard the lo-fi comment several times and I didn't set out to sound lo-fi. If I could do it, my mixes would sound like Dua Lipa's.... LOL. But I have not a clue, nor probably the gear to get it to sound that good. So I gotta run what I brung. I still keep trying.

My drummer started using studio one (I said pro tools in a different thread I think but it's actually studio one) and I believe the reverb is a bit better in that than reaper's. No offense to reaper. He sends me a reverb bus with his drum tracks and I just send everything to that. LOL. That's probably not the best way to do it. But that's what I've been doing for a bit now. Is there a better way to do the reverb? Good recordings sound like they have layers of good reverb.

Also I've not even dipped my toe in the waters of "mastering". I watch conversations about that and what people say they are doing sounds like NASA engineers talking. I have not a clue.

41TWIN · 02-01-2022, 06:12 AM

thank you tspring for the explanation. I can try and do that. I guess I should listen to some youtube vids about boxiness....

I'll be honest, I'm way more interested in writing songs and capturing what I hear us playing as real as possible. And not really get too wrapped up in the thought of, "can I fix everything post recording to sound better" mindset. Which is probably the wrong way of looking at it. But I'm less of an engineer than I am an enthusiast of music.

I'm trying to learn all aspects so what I share sounds decent to people. But it's a hard balance for me.

All of it is fun though and I've learned a lot. And have a lot to learn.

I also have been playing live in churches for quite a while and I also play bass in a country band the last few years. I'm learning a lot about frequencies that help both there and my own music. Cuz that band has 2-3 guitars, a fiddle, a steel guitar and me. Drums and two to three of us singing. It's a lot. And the steel guitarist plays through a quilter amp with a 15" speaker and I feel like he covers ALL the frequency ranges and everyone in the band complains that he's too loud. And he is. But people also love hearing it. LOL.

SiddieNam · 02-01-2022, 12:10 PM

I mean, I just enjoyed this. I have no real view on the mix, or the composition or the production -- all perfectly good and fine by me. That means you get to enjoy the song. Which I did. Thanks!

PS. I'm even older than you and just posted a teeny dance track. We're all mad.

41TWIN · 02-03-2022, 11:44 AM

That's funny SiddieNam. I just saw your post and was gonna listen. My music doesn't usually come across as Pop (at least I don't think it does), but I love a lot of Pop music, A LOT. LOL. So it piqued my interest. I will give a listen!!!

And thank you for the feedback. I feel like I'm banging my head against a wall trying to get my mixes to sound good. Part of the problem is comparing them to others. But it also seems to help give perspective and guidance.

SiddieNam · 02-04-2022, 10:36 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 41TWIN

That's funny SiddieNam. I just saw your post and was gonna listen. My music doesn't usually come across as Pop (at least I don't think it does), but I love a lot of Pop music, A LOT. LOL. So it piqued my interest. I will give a listen!!!

And thank you for the feedback. I feel like I'm banging my head against a wall trying to get my mixes to sound good. Part of the problem is comparing them to others. But it also seems to help give perspective and guidance.

Pleasure!

Mixing the hardest bit. Back in the day, I was just a keyboard player in a band. Then I started doing my own stuff more and more, so had to learn more of the dark arts myself. Mixing's the hardest part; it's taken me ages to get reasonably good at it -- maybe a couple of years.

In my view (which is an amateur hacker's one, let's be honest), I started out trying all sorts of super complex things and throwing every thing at every mix and just making hard work for myself. Then, realising I needed help, I bought a book by a guy called Mike Senior who writes for Sound on Sound. His advice is very good, and he gave me my system, really.

In case it helps, it's broadly get everything sounding as good as you can just using volume and pan before you even think about anything else. Then pan. When you've passed that point then you're into making sure that your key sounds are under control, so you might need to compress etc -- not too much to start with. Then think about if your high highs and low lows, see if they're tripping over each other in their respective groups. Then look at what you've got left in the middle and move it all out of each other's way with EQ etc. Finally, add a bit of polish with reverbs and saturations and whatever floats your boat, then make sure it's still under control on its way out through the master.

Makes it sound easy doesn't it?! It isn't -- still take patience and concentration for me, but having a system has hugely improved my results. Hope you like my track anyway, which is deliberately big, compressed and saturated because that's what my collaborator was after!

41TWIN · 02-08-2022, 11:05 AM

Yeah, that sounds like good advice and pretty much what I do.

My big struggle is getting them to not sound Lo-fi and muddy. The whole understanding frequencies. Even from the beginning of writing the song. It's so easy for stuff to be overlapping frequencies.

I'm more of a less is more and KISS kind of person anyways... And the more the song sticks to that the easier it is to sound good I think. But I also like adding stuff. LOL.

It's all fun, but also a struggle. And a LOT to learn.