GCSE Recording

[paulears]

I was told by the Music tech teacher that once it is sent off they are in the public domain anyway?

Sorry any way.

Thanks,

Tom

Oddly - they are not. In fact, the exam board need to seek your consent (or your college/school's) before they can release it for public consumption. In fact, nowadays, they even seek permission before even using it for training. In some schools and colleges, they claim the copyright on the material - so it can be quite complicated. What you don't want is anything that can compromise your work, and having public comment on it before the examiners get to hear it could (but probably won't) cause problems. I'd take care.

[benweblight]

Slightly off-topic but......

If your interested in recording/production generally then it may be worth taking a look at Sound On Sound forums.

http://www.soundonsound.com

 

It's also a great mag that's well worth a read for the recording side of things if you haven't seen it already; and also some interesting online articles.

[Junior8]

Well done. Artistically I would have omitted the intro and kicked off at 0:12 but that's because the whoomph when it all comes in is terrific.

[CharlieH]

Well done. Artistically I would have omitted the intro and kicked off at 0:12 but that's because the whoomph when it all comes in is terrific.

Thanks http://www.blue-room.org.uk/public/style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif. The guitarist liked the intro (as did the band's manager), so I felt it rude to delete it, however I did fix some of the timing issues in it (it was slightly too free-time, if you catch my drift) and tidied it up a bit.

 

@Ben - I am a frequent reader of them (just bought the April Issue actually) and am considering buying a subscription. I found them really interesting, especially the Studio DIY section as this is what I am trying to convince my parents to let me do to the spare room http://www.blue-room.org.uk/public/style_emoticons/default/wink.gif

[CharlieH]

Good Afternoon http://www.blue-room.org.uk/public/style_emoticons/default/smile.gif

I have just had another go at mixing the track, and spent a lot of work on the kick, the bass & the ending, tweaking the solo guitar and various other niggles as I went. I am slightly unsure about the ending, but then I would be having heard the other one so many times. As before, I am after advice, so please be harsh (especially with the ending)! http://www.blue-room.org.uk/public/style_emoticons/default/wink.gif

 

Real to Me - Version 9

 

 

Many Thanks,

Charlie

[paulears]

Personally - I still think the vocal track fights with the guitar - which is a kind of 'wall of sound'. It might be worth putting all the tracks except vocal and any vocal treatment onto a group, then giving the group a 1/3 band graphic of it's own. I'd then have a look at the spectral content of the vocal track, and see where the main areas sit - then reduce these a little in the backing with the eq - kind of making a 'hole' for the vocal to sit in - this could separate the two a little.

 

have a listen to the balance at 2 mins, then again at 4 mins - the vocal has changed quite a bit in terms of level and sound?

[CharlieH]

Personally - I still think the vocal track fights with the guitar - which is a kind of 'wall of sound'. It might be worth putting all the tracks except vocal and any vocal treatment onto a group, then giving the group a 1/3 band graphic of it's own. I'd then have a look at the spectral content of the vocal track, and see where the main areas sit - then reduce these a little in the backing with the eq - kind of making a 'hole' for the vocal to sit in - this could separate the two a little.

 

have a listen to the balance at 2 mins, then again at 4 mins - the vocal has changed quite a bit in terms of level and sound?

Sorry Paul - I missed this last post. I will go back and have a play now http://www.blue-room.org.uk/public/style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif

 

Following on from all the help and advice I got on my previous track, I was wondering if anybody would mind me posting another? I hope you don't feel I'm taking advantage, but I just thoroughly enjoy doing this, and want to improve and it seems you guys know what you're talking about!

 

This is a track me and some friends made a few days ago. I have just finished the initial mixing but I stress this is still a work in progress. Nothing leaps out to me as obviously 'wrong' yet, however I am sure over time listening to it again and again on different sets of speakers, improvements will present themselves http://www.blue-room.org.uk/public/style_emoticons/default/wink.gif

 

If anybody can give a couple of minutes to listen to it and give me some opinions I would be very grateful.

 

For those interested, it was recorded straight into Logic via a Lexicon IONIX U82s interface, on an sE X1 (with pop filter for vocals), an AKG Perception 170 and a Studiospares 448500 with my bedroom as a control room and the spare room next door as a live room (with some home made acoustic treatment in the form of pins and duvets http://www.blue-room.org.uk/public/style_emoticons/default/tongue.gif )

 

Thank you for your time, and I hope you have a good day,

Charlie

 

EDIT: A link to the track might be useful http://www.blue-room.org.uk/public/style_emoticons/default/rolleyes.gif

[paulears]

I wasn't too keen on the eq'd voices, but that's a modern technique that I'm not that comfy with, however it did work, and I've never heard the song before, so it was new to me and I have nothing to compare it to. I listened on this laptop with headphones, but this afternoon I was recording some stuff in the studio, so I had a listen there. Oddly, it didn't change much when played on the studio monitors. As I'd heard it a few times by then, it struck me that you could do things with it - probably things you had not intended - mainly because it was all in the mid range - so, forgive me - but I had a fiddle - the things were laying around, so I added a bit to see what would happen. No time to do it again, so the drum timing is grim, and really needs doing again - but it kind of works?

link here

[CharlieH]

Hi Paul,

Thank for your input. The male vocal actually had very little EQ on it all - he was naturally singing like that! Slightly more on the female, but still not drastic amounts.

 

I love the drums - we considered it, but as the track wasn't recorded to Logic's click track (guitars and vocals weren't both free on the same day, so we recorded the vocals over the top of the original Chris Brown version and then layered guitars over that) I couldn't see a way of timing the MIDI drums up accurately - am I missing something obvious or would you normally do this by hand? I've found Logic's tempo finder to be un-accurate and the online ones even worse! Or am I doing something wrong? Alternatively I could mic up my drum kit downstairs, but the acoustics of the conservatory are shocking :(

 

Not sure on the guitar, but have the house to myself tomorrow so I shall fish out the MIDI keyboard and have a play ;)

 

Thanks for your help Paul!

Charlie

[Dave SA]

I'd say the male vocal on that last track needs some good compression with just the right attack and release settings. It's jumping out and stabbing my ears at points. In an ideal world I'd go back, re-record and look at what in the vocalists technique is causing those 'splosives or dynamic peaks.

 

My 10p.

[paulears]

The tempo does fluctuate quite a bit and it was difficult to play too, but I guess with a bit of practice and a few extra takes you would soon learn the ebb and flow.

 

If I have to add midi based tracks to already recorded material - or maybe you're re-creating the original CD track, I tend to build up a tempo map. Cubase - which I use, can do this automatically, but success seems dependent on content, so I tend to do it manually. I don't know how logic does it, but I guess it's similar. I simply find the rough tempo, and then have the audio file open and quite big on the screen - with metronome loud and clear. It's quite obvious in most cases from the waveform where the beat actually is, and it's fairly simple to then put a marker in and shift the temp from that point. I look for where the beat was on the bar line, then adjust up or down until the next few bar lines align with the peaks. As soon as you see (not hear) them drifting again when tempo changed, drop another marker on a correct peak, and adjust again. Things like ralls, pulls and pushes can be done almost on a note by note basis. Works for me. In this track, the problem with timing for this is that the guitar and vocals change tempo differently, so you need to decide which one to go with. I tried to go with the guitar.

 

I really assumed the processed sounding vocal was an producer choice. If this is not - both voices have a very similar 'non-natural' sound. I think you should try to work out what you did with just the mic to get this 'sound'. In this track it works - but might not for others, so you need to identify what produced it so you can change it for tracks where the thin-ness/sibilance isn't actually wanted?

[Junior8]

For those interested, it was recorded straight into Logic via a Lexicon IONIX U82s interface, on an sE X1 (with pop filter for vocals), an AKG Perception 170 and a Studiospares 448500 with my bedroom as a control room and the spare room next door as a live room (with some home made acoustic treatment in the form of pins and duvets http://www.blue-room.org.uk/public/style_emoticons/default/tongue.gif )

 

A Joe Meek pour nous jours eh!

 

I could live with this track quite happily. I thought the performances were very good. I'd agree with the comment about the vocals though and I think some experiment with mic positioning might help. I really envy you youngsters with this kind of quality of equipment available to you (we couldn't even get decent mics) - and it's so wonderful that there is so much talent about to use it. I liked it with the drums Paul though your mix seems to have taken about ten years off the male vocalist's age!

[paulears]

I don't think I could really call it a mix - no time for that - just a spare 15 minutes - so it was a classic C grade and below mix. Set the faders at the start, and sit back for 3 minutes!

[CharlieH]

Okay, I couldn't persuade Logic to get an accurate tempo for the recording (even mapping tempo changes.....I must be doing something wrong http://www.blue-room.org.uk/public/style_emoticons/default/dry.gif) so I got out my MIDI keyboard (M-Audio Axiom 49) and played a rhythm into the drum pads....not easy as they are only 3cm², which is why it sounds a bit dodgy.

 

I will carry on tidying it up slightly and fixing the bits where I have rushed, but what do you reckon Paul? I'm going to have a play with some soft synths this afternoon and see what I can come up with, however the creative side of things was never my forte - I am much happier recording other people play! http://www.blue-room.org.uk/public/style_emoticons/default/wink.gif I am tempted to go back to the original if I'm honest, as I think I am out of my depth (musically) trying to do this....but it fills a day I suppose, and I might get something out of it.

 

Thanks to everyone for their help - it is appreciated.

 

I really envy you youngsters with this kind of quality of equipment available to you (we couldn't even get decent mics) - and it's so wonderful that there is so much talent about to use it

Yea, I am quite pleased with my little project studio these days http://www.blue-room.org.uk/public/style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif. Mum reckons it's a waste of money, but the way I see it people need a hobby and this is more constructive than many http://www.blue-room.org.uk/public/style_emoticons/default/tongue.gif

 

EDIT (again) - I really must start to remember to add in links to the tracks that I'm talking about http://www.blue-room.org.uk/public/style_emoticons/default/dry.gif

[paulears]

What would perhaps be better would be to post a link to the raw tracks - before eq effects and messing around - then we could assess what the source material sounds like. This might help you far more. Capture, create, control, criticise and correct was always a great way to work if quality was the quest!