Last Minute Feedback for Bluegrass Listing

[Merryband1]

Just uploaded my edited/mixed/replayed till it hurt Bluegrass song. Here's the link to my TAXI page. https://www.taximusic.com/hosting/home. ... arionfaith
It's the bottom song: Jamming Till the Cows Come Home.
With many thanks to Peter/Funsongs, Len, Les, and all my encouragers!

Merry

PS I ended up using the headset microphone for the vocal and the fiddle. Automatically in the right place and it sounded all right. Still had trouble getting all the parts to line up, but since this isn't for a Film/TV listing, do you think it'll do?

[funsongs]

Just uploaded my edited/mixed/replayed till it hurt Bluegrass song. Here's the link to my TAXI page. https://www.taximusic.com/hosting/home. ... arionfaith
It's the bottom song: Jamming Till the Cows Come Home.
With many thanks to Peter/Funsongs, Len, Les, and all my encouragers!

Merry

PS I ended up using the headset microphone for the vocal and the fiddle. Automatically in the right place and it sounded all right. Still had trouble getting all the parts to line up, but since this isn't for a Film/TV listing, do you think it'll do?

Howdy.
Listening on headphones, I had to boost the volume up quite a bit - makes me wonder how you set your "overall" (Bluegrass pun) levels?
The song itself reminds me of a local group you might really like - The Brombies - check 'em out when you can: amazing songwriting!
(I can email you a few of their songs, if you'd like).

I like the song. And, the subject matter & lyrics are Bluegrass-appropriate, IMHO.

Yes - I do hear some issues with parts lining up - as in: being in time. Did you record everything to a click track or metronome of any kind?
Lastly - there's quite a loud "click" coming through. Playing bass with a ring/jewelry, possibly the culprit?

The tones of all the instruments sound alright.
I thought of having a t-shirt made up that reads:
What rehearsal?! It's BLUEGRASS!!

All that - and good luck with it. Let's see what the Screener reply will be.
Hope that's helpful, and encouraging... some more.
Cheers,
Peter

[Merryband1]

Think I ought to spend more time re-re-remixing? Yes, I did use a click track for starters, but everything went cattywampus on me. I don't know what caused that click. It's only on one track. Not sure why most of the tracks levels are so low. Was using a wireless mic on most of them, except the vocal and fiddle, plugged receiver into POD XT, from thence to computer. I did double most of the soft tracks, so..... Looks really loud in the DAW.

[Merryband1]

Think I ought to spend more time re-re-remixing? Yes, I did use a click track for starters, but everything went cattywampus on me. I don't know what caused that click. It's only on one track. Not sure why most of the tracks levels are so low. Was using a wireless mic on most of them, except the vocal and fiddle, plugged receiver into POD XT, from thence to computer. I did double most of the soft tracks, so..... Looks really loud in the DAW.

Oh, and the banjo is in my keyboard, as I haven't got a real one. Ditto the bass. Everything else is real.
Merry

PS redoing a bit while playing the metronome again. It's pretty close.

OK, I'm remixing. *sigh* Hope I still have time.

[lesmac]

Great little song Merry.

A couple of thoughts: the old pick hitting the wood of the guitar is a common problem and needs some concentration on technique to avoid the issue. [Future tracks]

You could go into your DAW and zoom right in on each click, cut it out and put a fade each side. You may be able to do a batch fade on the whole track once you see if the cuts work. You'll have to put the fades in on one or two to see if they do work, if you don't you'll hear the click of the unfaded edit.

Sometimes things that are a bit out time wise sound okay when the click is in but clunky without the click. You could put a mandolin playing the downbeats of the click to do what the mandolin players usually do, provide time, like a snare drum would for the ensemble.

The instruments need some panning, at the moment they are a little on top of one another. Headphones can be a bit of a trap sometimes as they tend to make things sound a bit wider than they really are, causing one to 'under pan'.

Levelling needs to be looked at as mentioned too. The best plugin for the money and value is Klanghelm VUMT basic version or Deluxe, you choose.
https://klanghelm.com/contents/products/VUMT/VUMT.php

Put it as the top insert on each track in your DAW. You will see how much RMS energy the track has. Set the meters to read minus 18Db at zero and you are good to go. It has a gain knob so you can raise or lower the level going into the signal chain. Too low at first and you may want to re record the part. When recording don't forget to watch the track meters in your DAW to get a healthy level going in, the VUMT plug is for fine tuning the level of the recorded part. It's great plugin for the money and is a must have imho.

All the best.

[Merryband1]

Thanks, Les! Believe it or not, I had already gone through & isolated the clicks and faded them down to zero! I don't have much time before the listing ends, so I won't have time for much, but I'm going through & making sure everything works. I don't have a working mandolin at the moment, alas! It's in pieces. Think it needs a new headstock, as well as new tuners, and a new fretboard. Actually, just slipping a new mandolin in where the old one is would probably be better.

I'll post the new version shortly! Thanks for all the help! Yes, I'm not much used to playing with a pick. Obvious, huh?

Merry

[Merryband1]

Thanks, Les! Believe it or not, I had already gone through & isolated the clicks and faded them down to zero! I don't have much time before the listing ends, so I won't have time for much, but I'm going through & making sure everything works. I don't have a working mandolin at the moment, alas! It's in pieces. Think it needs a new headstock, as well as new tuners, and a new fretboard. Actually, just slipping a new mandolin in where the old one is would probably be better.

I'll post the new version shortly! Thanks for all the help! Yes, I'm not much used to playing with a pick. Obvious, huh?

Merry

PS Remixed. Guitars shoved left & right to give it more depth. Bass kept firmly in the middle, because that cost me a forward once. Vocal in middle. Uploading now. AND, it's done. Just not visible for play yet, but check my TAXI page soon. I'm not going to sleep until I submit to this listing!

[Merryband1]

It's up now, and I'm about to submit it! Thanks for all the great feedback! I still couldn't get the banjo exactly right, but the rest of it sounds together now. Wish me well for a forward! Prayers accepted, too! Thanks!

Merry

And, DONE! Sent, submitted, paid for! First submission in a long time. Now that I'm more or less in practice, I plan to send in more music as I have things that fit the listings (or that I can write to fit the listings)! Yay. Happy. Goodnight!

[LOCK88]

It's up now, and I'm about to submit it! Thanks for all the great feedback! I still couldn't get the banjo exactly right, but the rest of it sounds together now. Wish me well for a forward! Prayers accepted, too! Thanks!

Merry

And, DONE! Sent, submitted, paid for! First submission in a long time. Now that I'm more or less in practice, I plan to send in more music as I have things that fit the listings (or that I can write to fit the listings)! Yay. Happy. Goodnight!

Hi Merry, sorry I'm a bit late here, but just a reminder that you can make edits to your track, even after submitted. As long as you are submitted by the deadline, make any adjustments you'd like yo the track (perhaps edit that banjo part that you mentioned), and click "edit" on your Taxi music page. Upload the corrected mp3, and you are good to go. Your screener will hear your updated MP3. In some cases, you have a few weeks after the deadline to make adjustments. Good luck with this submission.
Robb

[Merryband1]

Thanks, Robb! I didn't know that! I'll try to rerecord that banjo bit, then, and reupload. I didn't know I could, so I deleted the file I'd uploaded earlier & uploaded the newer one. I think it'd be a lot easier to play on a real banjo, or at least a banjitar. I'll give it a shot, though! It does need that break.

Merry