Feedback to a total noob.....please help!!

[asiabackpacker]

I just joined TAXI, right before the Rally. I feel like I've got some songs that are pretty strong, but I SUCK at audio production, and want desperately to get better....I think I just kinda need some direction. To be honest, I'm kind of embarrassed to post this with all the great, accomplished work floating around on this forum, BUT with all the great accomplished people around here, I thought maybe someone could offer a newbie some helpful feedback....at least point me in the right direction... Yes, many aspects of this recording are terrible, but maybe you could give me some feedback on the most obvious ones (I know my vocals are all off key, and my harmonies are probably painful for starters...)...any tips on what to work on, recommendations on how to get better at it, etc...?? I'm open to any feedback at all, even on the song, but I'm mainly looking for help on getting better at production.I just uploaded this to my Taxi page, hopefully this link works:Story of my LifeThanks!!!!!Elliott

[hummingbird]

Quote:I just joined TAXI, right before the Rally. I feel like I've got some songs that are pretty strong, but I SUCK at audio production, and want desperately to get better....I think I just kinda need some direction. To be honest, I'm kind of embarrassed to post this with all the great, accomplished work floating around on this forum, BUT with all the great accomplished people around here, I thought maybe someone could offer a newbie some helpful feedback....at least point me in the right direction... Yes, many aspects of this recording are terrible, but maybe you could give me some feedback on the most obvious ones (I know my vocals are all off key, and my harmonies are probably painful for starters...)...any tips on what to work on, recommendations on how to get better at it, etc...?? I'm open to any feedback at all, even on the song, but I'm mainly looking for help on getting better at production.I just uploaded this to my Taxi page, hopefully this link works:Story of my LifeThanks!!!!!ElliottElliott - can you also post the details of how you are recording/mixing & producing? Recording software, mic, stuff like that? The tech details are important too And welcome aboard!In additional, what are you pitching - you (as artist), the song (song pitch) or film/tv.... genre, etc.one more - lyrics would help too Hummin'bird

[hummingbird]

Intro 7 secs- I really like the opening 2 lines melody & there's a nice rock feel to the song- hook comes too late in the song & the chorus is too cliche'd- the vocals are not that bad, but drop the harmoniesif I were you I'd rewrite the chorus lyrics so that the killer hook comes right in after the first verse & post a simple worktape (guitar/vocal) with you singing the lead only.Hope that helps. Your answers to the other questions will help us guide you with production elements - however, at this point, you should focus first on getting the song into great shape. Glad to meet you,cheersHummin'bird

[aubreyz]

Hey Elliot,Welcome!! The cool thing is you already hear some things that are wrong -- that's the biggest step It's really hard to get feedback from such broad questions. My suggestion is to narrow down questions. First listen, from a production standpoint, your drum sound is the weakest. I would start there. Put in a commercial CD that sounds like what you want to sound like. What's missing?Are those real drums? Samples? More info will get better feedback.Also, don't discount critiques on the song itself. Production won't fix a song. As you get to know this game, you'll find "pretty strong" may not be good enough. You want your songs to be bullet proof, and it takes some thick skin to listen to some critiques and get them there. Enjoy the ride!Aub

[asiabackpacker]

Thanks for the quick responses guys. Believe it or not, I've rewritten this song about 10 times....I don't know if I can bear to tear it apart again! But I guess that's how it goes. I'm actually not really sure what I'm pitching with this...I'm not sure if this is a song for me to sing or someone else, and I'm not sure what kind of placement I would submit this to. It's probably something I need to start thinking about more in general with all my songs (does this tend to be something you think about when you're writing, or later?)As far as specific questions, I don't have too many because I really don't know very much about production. All I know is this doesn't sound like what I hear on the radio, or even the other demos I hear from Taxi members, and I wan to figure out why, and how to make it sound better. Pretty broad, I know. Some things I do know-the drums DO suck. I'm using BFD, and I know they kind of drown in the mix....I don't know anything about mixing drums. Maybe I need to find some more articles about mixing with BFD. The other thing is that the guitar seem to jump out, and unlike the drums just doesn't gel with the rest of the mix. Don't know if these are things that you noticed....and I'm not really sure how to fix them. Any ideas?As far as what I'm using: Pro Tools 6.3 (I'm going to be upgrading shortly to 7.3), AudioTechnica 4040 (diaphragm condenser) microphone, BFD for drums. Is there anything else it would be helpful to know on that front? That's about my entire setup....Aub, thanks for reminding me, pretty good is not good enough I need to remember to keep thinking this way (especially after the Rally)....I feel like compression is an important thing for me to learn about. I only achieved a vocal that I'm almost happy with through using presets in protools in the compression plugin. Do you guys have any recommendations for how to learn more about compression, and if you think this should be a top priority thing to learn more about?Thanks guys!!!!Elliott