KCWM's Music - Updated 9/7/10

[KCWM]

I was going to turn this into a thread where I recorded songs every week, but, I've neglected doing that, but, until the system locks it down, I will post songs here as I finish them.

A Child's Love
[sc]http://soundcloud.com/cold-the-winter/a-childs-love[/sc]

Spin - electric
[sc]http://soundcloud.com/cold-the-winter/spin[/sc]

So Far...
[sc]http://soundcloud.com/cold-the-winter/so-far[/sc]

Zombies - electric
[sc]http://soundcloud.com/cold-the-winter/zombies-w-vocals[/sc]

You can hear the most recent instrumental recording of "Zombies" at http://www.coldthewinter.com/music/zombies140.mp3. The rhythm guitar is mixed a little too low, but that's easily fixable.

 

[Bumble the Boy Wonder]

KCWM's Music

Just popped over after seeing you mention it in CG's thread

I'm a sucker for acoustic and piano music, so you get an easy ticket to my listening lol

I think you have a great voice for the type of sound you have here. I listened to a couple of the other tracks as well, I'll have to give the others a listen sometime too.

Good stuff!

 

[KCWM]

KCWM's Music

Thanks Bumble. I was pretty drunk last night when I went subtle-emo in CG's thread.

Part of it is frustration from deciding what song to do next and not really having an idea, as the songs that come first to mind are the songs I've always recorded.

 

[Element 117]

KCWM's Music

the vocals are a bit submerged on my Bose system, in the first one. Liking the second one. the electronic guitar/bass? instrument at 1:04 overwhelms the other instruments a bit, but sounds better at the 1:47 mark. oddly. i like the second one a lot.

 

[KCWM]

KCWM's Music

Yeah, spin needs some work. I have to find my master files and drum program to fix it up. The bass comes out very processed sounding because my previous audio interface wasn't that good. That and I've done very little to master these demo recordings.

Vocals from a childs love are the resounding criticism. I just need to suck it up and rerecord them while standing up and put more oomph behind them.

I appreciate the feedback. You've given me something to work on. I need that.

I have more songs at soundclick.com/coldthewinter and now that I'm taking a break from wow, I will hopefully get more done.

 

[Element 117]

KCWM's Music

np. Balancing sound is a huuuge problem with my videos as well. I need to stfu and lern to mix.

 

[Cajungal]

KCWM's Music

I like the way you song. It's a very easy and earnest voice. Love the melody of the first song. Haven't heard the next one yet, but keep em coming!

 

[KCWM]

KCWM's Music

Just recorded the rhythm guitar to an acoustic version of a song called "Follows Me". I wrote it after coming to religion from atheism and my frustration with that choice.

With the chorus, I experimented with not emphasizing the chords on the 1st beat of the measure, rather the 2nd or the "and" of the second (in counting terms...one and two and, and so on). It's not exact, but it's really throwing me off when I'm writing the second guitar line, bass, and singing the vocals. I think I just caught the gist of what I was doing and can proceed.

Actually, I'd love to collaborate with the musicians on this board to come up with a halforums EP. I'd be happy to supply guitar(s), bass, or vocals...though I think Espy can do much better with drums than I can.

I hope to update the main post tomorrow or Tuesday. After this, I plan to revisit a song I've been trying to record for a while. I guess I can't avoid redoing the same songs for too long.

Re: the 1:04 vs. 1:47 marks, after listening to it on this computer, it sounds like it's a bass issue. The bass actually sounds pretty sporadic, sometimes really on and sometimes not. It might have been when I did a waveform normalize effect. My wife can't hear it, but I can. I can only imagine that it'd be even more noticeable on a higher end system.

 

[Espy]

KCWM's Music

Wow! Sounds great! Both have a nice Foo Fighters-esque sound (which is a good thing). Gonna have to go check out more on your soundcloud page!

 

[Cajungal]

KCWM's Music

It *would* be fun to collaborate somehow.

Hey you should sign up to be Artist of the Month sometime!

 

[KCWM]

KCWM's Music

Cajun, if you have a recording program (like Cool Edit Pro), .wav files could be exchanged and imported into a session. So, let's say that you write a song, you record it, and email me the .wav file. I import the .wav file into my program, write/record my parts. those .wav files could be combined into one file and sent to others to record parts. The person mixing the song(s) would have the .wav file for each part and would mix/edit/splice as needed.

And, for recording purposes, a $10 labtec mic from Wal-Mart can do wonders for recording acoustic instruments like guitar, mandolin, ukulele, etc.

And I've thought about signing up for Artist of the Month, but I'd like to have enough songs completed to, at least in theory, put out an EP. Having one or two songs, to me anyway, doesn't justify the AotM tag.

@Espy - Thanks man! I have a hard time saying who/what my music sounds like, regardless of the influences I claim. I'm always hoping people who listen will say "sounds like so and so". There's a song called ALTG which people say sounds a lot like the Smashing Pumpkins, though I'm not a fan of theirs for the most part. I guess the early 90's did have a big hand in influencing me, for better or for worse.

That being said, I haven't uploaded any more to my soundcloud site just yet, but there are more at both http://www.soundclick.com/coldthewinter and http://www.soundclick.com/galan which are my "band" and "gear demo" sites, respectively speaking. The Galan profile has pieces of "songs" that I kind of write specifically to try out gear.

 

[Cajungal]

KCWM's Music

I don't actually have any recording programs like that. How much is it/are there any good free ones?

 

[Espy]

KCWM's Music

Do you have a mac Cajun? Garageband is built right into it. It's a rather ridiculously good basic music program, and super easy. If not I've heard audacity is pretty good?

 

[Cajungal]

KCWM's Music

Nope, but my brother sneakily caught me on that program once while I was playing. It IS very good. I think I just mucked up installing Audacity last time I tried, because it just plan did not work. Maybe I'll give it another go this week...

 

[KCWM]

KCWM's Music

I think Reaper is another I hear people talking about from time to time on a gear forum I post on. I actually want to give those a try. For a while, I used a copy of Sonar for my recording, but couldn't figure out and/or find the .wav editing portion of it, so I still used Cool Edit Pro for my .wav editing. It's not free, but readily available

If we don't have anyone else that plays bass, I'd be happy to sit down and try and work out basslines for anyones music, as I'm looking to expand my bass chops.

 

[Cajungal]

KCWM's Music

Ya know, signing up for AotM might be good incentive for recording more stuff. No pressure though. Hell, I'm not a real musician, and I'm up for August AotM. I just took up the uke for fun.

 

[KCWM]

KCWM's Music

Hey you should sign up to be Artist of the Month sometime!

how does one do this? I have a week's vacation coming up at the start of June. I plan to spend time up until then recording demos and working out parts to multuiple songs...practicing if you will.

I will likely sit down and try to do something cleaner sounding as well...actually play with a metronome, record with multiple mics to get a better acoustic sound (can only record with a total of 3 right now instead of the 5 I have available), and work out the timing. An acoustic EP sounds like a cool idea.

 

[Element 117]

KCWM's Music

Hey you should sign up to be Artist of the Month sometime!

how does one do this? I have a week's vacation coming up at the start of June. I plan to spend time up until then recording demos and working out parts to multuiple songs...practicing if you will.

I will likely sit down and try to do something cleaner sounding as well...actually play with a metronome, record with multiple mics to get a better acoustic sound (can only record with a total of 3 right now instead of the 5 I have available), and work out the timing. An acoustic EP sounds like a cool idea.

"Hey DAVE. DAAAVE. HEY DAAAAAVVEEEE. DAVE. DAAAVE. DAAAAAAVE DAVE DAVEdavedavedavedavedave DAAAAVE."

etc

 

[Espy]

KCWM's Music

Actually I do the list. I will take a look at it and see when the next opening is KCWM. It will probably be in a few month so work hard and rock out!

 

[drawn_inward]

KCWM's Music

Nice stuff! Post some more.

 

[KCWM]

KCWM's Music

I have a week's vacation coming up and will be sitting down to record 3 or 4 songs in an attempt to play catch up. If I can find my drum files, I want to work on a couple of electric songs too, in addition to having a metronome substitute.

Hopefully, I will have something to update soon. I do have a few tracks recorded for a song called Follows Me, but is rhythmically rougher than my normal stuff is, so I've been hesitant to post it. Well, that and the second guitar line I wrote for the chorus really doesn't fit with the vocal line.

I've talked to an old friend who plays bass in another band about coming over and helping me out with bass parts and the songs as a whole. Hopefully, we can get together during my vacation and I can come out of it with both a better understanding of writing bass parts and strong songs.

 

[Cajungal]

KCWM's Music

I hope you do. You're a good musician.

P.S., I did your request!

 

[KCWM]

KCWM's Music

Bah. I wasted all of my vacation and did no recording. Instead, I "wrote" about 10 songs or so that I've mostly forgotten, but it would appear that I'm getting back my ability to coherently improvise songs in my vein of songwriting.

 

[Necronic]

KCWM's Music

Good songs, I particularly like the intro on the second track. I would suggest using a high pass filter on that whatever that low frequency thing is, it comes in too strong.

 

[KCWM]

KCWM's Music

I tried running a high pass filter, but I'm not doing something right. It starts out as a nice cut and then gets really thin. So, I changed it so that the pass went straight across the graph I was using and it did the opposite. I'll admit to knowing little about Cool Edit Pro's filters, so I'm just not doing something right.

I ended up reducing the volume on the beginning notes and then running a simple bass cut across the entire track. I listened to the second song I'd been working on and had the same issue with that bass track. That leads me to believe that it's something I'm doing. My interface is relative new to me (Alesis Multimix 8 FireWire). My previous interfaces all produced crappy bass signals, so I've been trying to overcompensate, which is apparently not as necessary as I thought.

What I need to do is find something better to use. I tried reaper, but I wasn't able to figure out how to switch between inputs on the fly like I can with Cool Edit. With CE, I can simply change the input with a couple of clocks. Generally, I use both my mixing board and/or the USB Snowball mic. When I record, I'd like to be able to use both. Reaper made me choose a default and I couldn't figure out how to change it per track. Plus, Cool Edit has the built in .wav editor. I do have Sonar around here somewhere. Maybe I should give that a try.

 

[KCWM]

KCWM's Music - Updated 8/30/10

I've recorded a quick and incomplete demo of a song for a possible zombie-themed compilation EP that a buddy of mine's band is putting together. He's going to be helping me out with some guitar and the drums and I recorded this to give him an idea of where I was headed. However, since I haven't posted anything in ages, nor have I worked on recording anything for many reasons, I figured I'd post it here.

I'm going for a brash, frantic sound. I recorded the guitar (with sloppy mic placement) with two mics and went with a brighter, overdriven sound with a second, fuzzier guitar underneath it instead of trying to record the "fullest" sounding guitar part.

I'll give my normal disclaimer that the bass was written and recorded in 3 takes, and thus is going to change. But, I'm happy with the general sound my cheapass (though modified) bass gets.

Feedback is welcome.

Edit to add - frantic isn't the word I'm looking for. But, right now, I have too many long island iced teas in me to think of the word I want to use

 

[drifter]

KCWM's Music - Updated 8/30/10

Nice song However, personally I didn't really get "brash, frantic" from it. Maybe forego the overdrive and go with some really hot, balls to the wall distortion; really let the guitar blow up under your fingers, you know? Loosen up a little and let the chaos in.

Actually, listening again, I think the big reason why I don't get a frantic feeling is the tempo. It's kind of a mid-tempo rocker; there's no sense of urgency. In that regard, the drum track isn't really helping either (no offense!). Of course, it's a matter of personal taste, but when I think frantic, I expect a certain amount of speed and tension, maybe a certain bit of raggedness.

It occurs to me that perhaps our expectations of what constitutes frantic may be completely different; if so, sorry I couldn't be more helpful, but that's my two bits.

-edit-

Well, that pretty much renders eveything I wrote moot. Thanks a lot, dude

 

[KCWM]

KCWM's Music - Updated 8/30/10

Frantic isn't the word. I mean brash from a sound...kind of a treblier, harsher overdriven sound, but what's brash to me isn't necessarily brash to someone else, as a guitar with too much treble sounds like crap to me, so I'm going for a good balance. However, with your two bits in mind, I will try a different EQ/Gain setting tomorrow. The chaos you mention will be the job of the second guitar, as I need to be able to sing and play the guitar at the same time...something I just can't do with chaotic guitar lines.

It's funny you mention hot, balls to the wall distortion. That's something, in my opinion, that calls for a much higher end setup to get sounding good, and even then, most super distorted guitars are done with layers rather than one big wall of sound. But, with a reissue of a '65 amp, the pedals I have, and the volume I'm restricted to playing to in an apartment, I'm not going to get a good, hot gain sound. There is a much more distorted guitar underneath the overdriven one, but it's more of an accent. I'll consider raising that in the mix.

I'll also be the first to admit that drums are not my strong suit, which is why I have a friend that actually drums on board to help me out with that. I think they serve the song well enough, but well enough isn't what I'm going for...and I might not get more than that with programmed drums. Fortunately, the buddy of mine can either record drums or get the drummer in his band to record live ones for me.

Also, I will eventually be taking out the hi-hats that count off during a couple parts of the song, mainly over the intro and the 2nd half of the bridge. Those are in for timing sakes for now.

 

[drifter]

KCWM's Music - Updated 8/30/10

Oh, I think I get what you mean. In that case, I think I'd push the treble even more, although I wonder if that might be a little fatiguing to listen to. I don't know if that second rhythm guitar needs to be pushed up in the mix, but those single line flourishes do kind of get lost.

I forgot you have some limitations due to living in an apartment. Actually, I was wondering, do you have a laptop? I recall on one of your songs, I lamented the restrained vocals and you said you couldn't really let it out due to the living situation. If you have a laptop, I wonder if you would be willing to try recording vocals in a car? I imagine the acoustics could be pretty brutal, but if you go park in an empty lot somewhere, at least you could sing your head off with decent sound isolation. And you could always buy some window shades if you're self-conscious about looking silly

 

[KCWM]

KCWM's Music - Updated 8/30/10

That's my concern...the fatiguing part. For some genres, and even outside of those in particular songs, it can work, but I'm thinking this isn't one of those situations. If anything, I might even need to tone back the treble just a tad to smoothen out the overdrive. After thinking about this last night, I think that, ultimately, "garage band" is almost what I'm going for...that raw, unpolished sound you get when all you want to do is turn the amp on and play music. Of course, I want a better sound than that of some teenagers banging out some Nirvana on their guitars, but I think that better illustrates what I'm after.

I don't have a laptop, but I do have a small closest in this office that, while on the outside wall, would have to go through quite a few walls before it hit another apartment. I'm going to set up a mic in there and record vocals. Part of my vocal issue is that I'm uncomfortable singing where I can hear my own voice. The louder the surrounding music is, the more comfortable I am to push to hit notes without feeling like I'm stepping outside of the mix. When I type it out, it sounds kind of lame, but I feel I write my best vocal notes in that kind of situation.

The biggest disadvantage to recording in an apartment is not being able to turn my amps up. Tube amps just sound better running at mid to high volume levels and that's not something I have luxury of doing at the moment. Regardless of all of that, I do appreciate the feedback you're giving, Drifter. I run into a lot of "it sounds good" from family and friends, and, while they might be genuine, constructive criticism is a catalyst for growth. I might very well love a foundation for a song that's rubbish, and having someone objective say "that song is or has some weak points..." helps a ton. Thank you.

 

[drifter]

KCWM's Music - Updated 8/30/10

Garage band sound, huh? Time to pester the missus about getting a Marshall half stack and a power brake. Hey, it'll only cost about 3 grand!

I can get you about not wanting to sing without music to surround yourself in, but I think it's worth it to sing 'naked.' Even better is to record yourself solo and listen later. That can be pretty brutal, but at least you really know what you need to work on.

Well, dunno how much help I've been, but good luck with the song!

 

[KCWM]

KCWM's Music - Updated 8/30/10

newer version up w/ soundcloud link. will hopefully have vocals recorded tomorrow. Also have a setup with some modified drums (no hi-hat counts and a better snare fill at the end of the song)

 

[KCWM]

KCWM's Music - Updated 8/30/10

Recorded with vocals. Wife says my voice sounds too pleasant. Probably need to raise them up in the mix a little, but I still have all of the tracks centered. Once my friend records the second guitar line, I will pan the guitars a little and that should help clear out some of the space in the center channel, allowing the vocals to be heard a little better. In fact, I might record a second guitar line as a place holder so that I can work on mixing. I'm really tempted to spend some money and pick up a decent vocal mic, as my series of $50-$80 mics just aren't cutting it.

http://www.coldthewinter.com/music/zombies2.mp3

Soundcloud is still giving me grief.

 

[drifter]

KCWM's Music - Updated 8/30/10

Man, your vocals are getting totally lost. It's not quite so bad during the verse, but I'm having real trouble making you out in the chorus.

Otherwise, I like some of the changes you made. That little mini-solo towards the end sounds really nice, I like the tone choice. It does seem a little quiet, though. I can understand wanting to let it kind of come in from the background, but I think it needs to end up a little louder. I actually would like to hear a little more of that. Interested in extending it a couple bars?

Another idea: play the intro a little legato instead of picking each note. I'm assuming you did it intentionally, but I think I'd like to hear it a little less stiff.

-edit-

I don't know if you'd be interested, but J&R has this little 4 watt Vox tube amp on sale for $130 (with coupon code GEICO10). The thing is it comes with a built in power attenuator. Hmm, I kinda want one to play with
VOX AC4TV8 Guitar Amplifier in Musical Instrument Combo Amplifiers at JR.com

 

[KCWM]

KCWM's Music - Updated 8/30/10

I remixed it (can be found under the same zombies2 link above) after getting some similar responses from a couple of friends. When I added reverb and EQ'd it, the volume dropped considerably. The chorus seems really stilted, but that's likely a combination of setting the tempo slightly too fast (it's at 145 bpm right now) and being a mumbler. One thing I realize that I do when I sing is I under-enunciate words. Combine that with mumbling and, well, it's not good for someone who sings like I do. I really need to get vocal lessons, which I think would go a long way for me...that and not being a fat slob. I can carry a tune well enough, for the most part, it's just working on my voice.

The little solo came about from playing my guitar during one of my attempts to get the vocals at the end recorded. I was using my Blue Snowball USB Condenser mic, which is about 4 or 5 feet from the amp, so it was picking up a very ambient guitar sound. When I recorded the placeholder second guitar line, I went ahead and recorded another version of that solo. I have considered expanding it, but that would involve programming in another section of drums, rerecording the guitar, and actually having to come up with a solo for more than 4 bars. When my friend gets around to coming over to write and record his second guitar part, rearranging the song to include more bars of solo is something I will talk to him about.

As for the intro, I didn't think to do any kind of pull offs because of how it walks down the strings back to the B that the pattern starts on. I will definitely consider that, as I think it sounds a little stiff too. It might have been how I recorded it, as I normally get a little nervous when I record, whether it's in a multi-million dollar studio (I was an engineering student's project) or my cheap-o home studio.

As for that Vox amp, I played one at Guitar Center back when a friend of mine was looking to buy an amp and wasn't too impressed. For similar coin, you can look into a Bugera V5, which is a 5 watt tube amp with settings on the back for 5w, 1w, and .1w. I haven't had a huge amount of time to play around on one, but I liked what I heard when I did. Having a tone, gain, and reverb control gives it a little more versatility.