Italian Song (Comments please!)

[aldicicco]

Hi Everyone,I plan to submit this original tune for the following listing:ORIGINAL OR PUBLIC DOMAIN ITALIAN SONGS AND INSTRUMENTALS, from Traditional to Contemporary, are needed by an Independent Record Label with established distribution. This company has partnered with a formidable corporation who is in need of Italian music for a number of distribution markets and will be their exclusive provider for music of this type. They'll be looking for songs and instrumentals that could be heard in the background at an Italian restaurant or in an Italian Film or TV show. They're open to Classical or "old country" sounds as well as more contemporary "pop-opera" approaches - and everything in between. There is a live draft (unedited, including my short sniffle introduction) at:www.taxi.com/aldiciccoLe ragazze di Abruzze (The girls of Abruzze)I am particularly interested in your thoughts on the mix/EQ. This is the first time I am recording my accordions live and the EQ is a little tricky. Being a very mechanical instrument, I find that I really need to dial down the mid range to avoid excessive clicks and clacks. Volume-wise I also need to allow headroom, because if I get too emotional the signal gets too hot.Finally, I tried to be judicious with reverb. I added just a hair to round things out. 10/90 effects ratio.Thanks in advance for your feedback. You don't need to be an accordionist to respond!I will do some more live recordings of this song and pick the strongest.Best wishes,Al Di Cicco

[geo]

Linky no worky (on site, the one here is fine)... I'll check back... Geo

[aldicicco]

Hi Amp,Thanks for the (attempted) listen. I don't know what the issue was/is . I confirmed with another Taxi member that the song does play. Please give it another try when you can.Regards,Al

[questor]

The mix sounds fine to me, though I don't have a great ear when it comes to stuff like that.I think the music sounds right on target for the listing, I hope you get the forward.Great Job.

[geo]

OK ... that works...... sounds good but you want to get rid of the hiss.... noise gate maybe? Not really an expert on recording techniques.... but the hiss is the one thing which will hurt your chances here.... the playing sounds good to me on target as far as I can tell... reverb not noticeable which is good... maybe trim a little highs?Like the tune!!Good Luck!!Peace, Geo

[ideascapes]

Ciao Al. My grandmother was once a "girl of Abruzze," until she left on the boat for Ellis Island in 1906. This reminded me of her, so thanks (she passed in 1996).I'd think you're almost guaranteed a forward. Real instrument, played well, recorded fine. You'll definitely want to trim any noises before and after you start playing and ensure a quiet environment when you actually record, but I don't think you can really go wrong here.I didn't hear any reverb, and I'd probably be hesitant to add much, if any, as they can do that in post. If I were mixing/mastering this, I'd probably experiment with a little compression and EQ, but for solo instruments I'd be just as likely to leave them all off! Whatever you did here for mic'ing and mixing works fine.Vince

[mazz]

Hey Al,I recognize that tune! Sounds great. I like the sound of your Italian axe, very appropriate for the tune.You'll need to trim the ends for sure. That "setup" noise won't fly.I think you got a good sound on the accordion, for my taste, I'd like to hear less reverb, just because it might limit the usability of the track but that's a judgement call. As Vince mentioned, they can add their own (or more) at their end if they need it, it's impossible to take off, though. I think you should get a forward on this, if you don't, I'd be surprised!!Great work, Al!!!Mazz

[aldicicco]

Thanks to everyone for giving Ragazze a listen!Questor - I'm glad you enjoyed the tune. Accordion isn't heard as much these and people are always asking why we don't hear more of it.Geo - Thanks for the feedback on the hiss. I'm still working on recording technique and REALLY appreciate this level of critique! Vince - I'm very happy this song reminded you of your grandmother. My grandmother was from Abruzze too! What a coincidence. I also had to learn of lot of polkas for the Polish side of my family! Thanks too for your observations on the recording.Mazz - Glad you like the Italian side of my accordion family! It's a Morbidoni and I've been playing it since I was eleven years old. It really is an old dear friend to me. Also, I've been working on an uptempo Tarentella you're familiar with. It's been giving me fits because there is distinct button clacks taking place. I'm playing it quickly, so there's not much chance to be too genteel! I'll keep hacking at this though. Perhaps I'll get one good take tomorrow before the listing is due. As always - great to hear from you!Thanks everyone! And- have a wonderful holiday next week!Best wishes,Al

[llama]

Hey Al,Oh man I love this.....this is just great....I can't get enough of this type of music. Love the playing too.....You're a master that's for sure....I hope one day to get as good....I've only been playing about 2 yrs and don't give it as much attention as I should.....Pity we didn't meet up at the road rally.....I couldn't go this time, hopefully next year though.BTW as a littlle aside when I was growing up as a kid our neighbors were the Dicicco family from Naples.....The uncle was a great accordion player. Maybe it's a genetic thing. Anyways best of luck with this one. Hope it gives you much success.Derek

[aldicicco]

Thanks Derek! I'm happy you enjoyed this tune. Keep up the practice! I expect playing commensurate with your great photo!Hope to meet you at the 09 Rally too. Al