What style and production/mix comments please

[eeoo]

Works for me. I'd say the two tunes you have up have potential as songs but they're not quite broadcast quality (BQ). The guitar especially has so much sauce on it, it's hard to hear past it. Don't know if you're looking for licensing deals or going at it as an artist but I think either way you'll need to refine your recordings. Good luck!

eo

[nick.moxsom]

Hi, Richard

The link worked for me, and I'm somewhat with Ethan. The guitars are too loud, as are the toms, and there's not enough volume on your voice. Timing also needs to be tighter – your vocal is a little early. You might try some loose quantizing in your new DAW.

I particularly like "Time Waits for No One", and for some reason I'm hearing it with a Quincy-style "Speed Demon" treatment, like a popping synth line underneath, but I usually go pop over rock, so feel free to ignore me.

Look forward to hearing more from you.

Cheers,
Nick

[howlindog]

Richard,

I agree with the others that the guitar seems to bury the vocals most of the time. The last time I played much rock Phil Collins was still the drummer in Genesis and they were an up and coming band, so my sugesstions may not be worth too much, but here they are anyway:

"Call Me" - I like the hook in this song and I think it has potential. The lyrics bounce through some rhyming cliches that I thought took away from the tune, i.e. "never met / heaven sent', "stars at night / guiding light". To me there seemed to be some timing issues, especially around the bridge at 1:26 and 1:31. It seemed like you lost track of the click track if you played to one. And I thought you could write a better ending than the vamp. End on the hook maybe; it's the strongest part of the tune IMHO.

"Time Waits for No One" - I really like the verse melody and groove (A section) in this one, but I think it has many of the same issues as "Call Me': lyric cliches - "thousand lives / see the light'; timing issues; vamp ending. I don't hear the 2nd section (B) as a strong hook. To me it sounds more like a bridge, or maybe a different song. To me this song really didn't have a hook, but again what do I know. I'm an old fart. Five minutes did seem too long to me for a song that is essentially just an A / B format. I hope this helps.


Good luck,

Don

[RichardCharles]

Works for me. I'd say the two tunes you have up have potential as songs but they're not quite broadcast quality (BQ). The guitar especially has so much sauce on it, it's hard to hear past it. Don't know if you're looking for licensing deals or going at it as an artist but I think either way you'll need to refine your recordings. Good luck!

eo

I totally take to heart what you said regrding the guitar. They were orginally supposed to be only scratch guitar parts, but somehow talked myself into thinking they were "good enough." Thank you for challenging me to raise my game. I will be re-recording them. The only thing I have re-recorded was the vocals which are still not there either.

I suppose I am going for both as far as artist vs licensing.

Thanks for the feedback EO! Good to hear you think they have potential. : )

[RichardCharles]

Hi, Richard

The link worked for me, and I'm somewhat with Ethan. The guitars are too loud, as are the toms, and there's not enough volume on your voice. Timing also needs to be tighter – your vocal is a little early. You might try some loose quantizing in your new DAW.

I particularly like "Time Waits for No One", and for some reason I'm hearing it with a Quincy-style "Speed Demon" treatment, like a popping synth line underneath, but I usually go pop over rock, so feel free to ignore me.

Look forward to hearing more from you.

Cheers,
Nick

Hi Nick,

Point taken regarding the volumn on the guitar, drums and vocals. Regarding the vocals, I just realized the other day how off the timing was on the vocals. I did a vocal comp and I think my "snap" feature was off when I pulled the various vocal takes into the master vocal comp track. I'm not sure how to loose quantize. I think I've heard the term, but that's about it.

It sounds like you think my style is rock then....at least regarding the 2nd song. Good to know.

Very interesting regarding the popping synth line.

Thanks again Nick and hope to post more music in the comming weeks.
I didn't see any link to your music but would be interested. (You can put a link to your music in your "signiture")

[RichardCharles]

Richard,

I agree with the others that the guitar seems to bury the vocals most of the time. The last time I played much rock Phil Collins was still the drummer in Genesis and they were an up and coming band, so my sugesstions may not be worth too much, but here they are anyway:

"Call Me" - I like the hook in this song and I think it has potential. The lyrics bounce through some rhyming cliches that I thought took away from the tune, i.e. "never met / heaven sent', "stars at night / guiding light". To me there seemed to be some timing issues, especially around the bridge at 1:26 and 1:31. It seemed like you lost track of the click track if you played to one. And I thought you could write a better ending than the vamp. End on the hook maybe; it's the strongest part of the tune IMHO.

"Time Waits for No One" - I really like the verse melody and groove (A section) in this one, but I think it has many of the same issues as "Call Me': lyric cliches - "thousand lives / see the light'; timing issues; vamp ending. I don't hear the 2nd section (B) as a strong hook. To me it sounds more like a bridge, or maybe a different song. To me this song really didn't have a hook, but again what do I know. I'm an old fart. Five minutes did seem too long to me for a song that is essentially just an A / B format. I hope this helps.


Good luck,

Don

Hi Don,


Call Me - I hear you regarding the lyrics. I've played this song before live with 2 female singers singing harmonies on the 2nd lines on the verses ("heaven sent" and "guiding light" lines) and of course on the chorus/hook it really helped out a lot I thought. I need to get some harmonies laid down (preferably female) (Yes on click track)




Time Waits for No One - Yes I've been having that same problem with it being too long. I've actually shorted the intro and "bridge" already. Time to trim more I can see now. More work on the chorus (maybe some harmonies will help there as well)

In general something weird seems to be going on with the vocals or the delivery was just way off. I know I did drag vocal audio from track to track when making my vocal comp. and I think my "snap" feature was off at certain points. Either that or it was latency induced.

So it sounds like you think those are both Rock songs.

Thanks for all your feedback good and bad Don.

PS: As far as asking people to sing harmonies, what would you think is fair to offer them for compensation?
(anyone can answer that question)