"Self-Confidence" [Pop/Rock]

[heckxx]

Hi, I'm just looking for some critiques and suggestions for this song, which is a bit slower and less alternate-rock than my usual stuff, so I could especially use the help here. I always seem to have a bit of trouble recording vocals for these sort of songs, but hopefully that doesn't come through too much in this mix. But if it does, let me know, lol, so I can fix it http://soundclick.com/share?songid=7352 ... -------I'm standing here aloneI always watch those crowdsAway from the floor"No one's here to meet you,"Said the voices in my headShe's standing in a cornerAs if she's waiting on a hopeless dreamI thought she took a glance at meAnd slowly, my spirit fellAnd I pretend just to look awayAnd I ignore every sign you make to meAnd all I want is your voice, next to meI waited for a perfect moment, butPerfection doesn't seem to live anymoreAnother bead slips through my fingersA bead of my sweat and soulAnd I pretend just to look awayAnd I ignore every sign you make to meAnd all I want is your voice, next to meMy self-confidence growsWith every little phrase I learnWith every habit that I burnIt's all possibleMy self-confidence knowsFor every bird there is a wormAnd I'm still searching through the dirtIt's impossibleAnd I pretend just to look awayAnd I ignore every sign you makeAnd all I want is for you to stayAnd all I want is to hear your name...again

[partyofone]

Hey Jeff,Rock solid production value as always. Love the melody. The instrumental break after the first chorus is very well placed IMO.I think with a couple of tweaks this song is done! IMO, the chorus where you go into falsetto could be sung just a little more cleaner... maybe slightly less wobble. And I would stack 2 or 3 vocals since it's has an airy-er quality. Possible harmonies would achieve this affect like you do at the end of the song with the breakdown/build up.Also, in that last section when the distorted guitar kicks in I would LOVE to hear a track of you singing the melody in full chest voice underneath the falsetto version.. maybe sung back 5 feet from the mic or something.Bridge is great!

[partyofone]

Oh yeah.. I love "I always watch those crowds"

[feaker]

JeffVery very very nice.This is a keeper for sure.Paul

[heckxx]

Thanks for the comments guys! Yeah, I think I will end up re-recording the falsetto parts in the choruses. And Pat, I do have tracks of my singing chest voice in the ending! There's like, 7 vocal tracks at the end there all singing the hook -Jeff

[partyofone]

Ha ha ha wow.. maybe I subconsciously heard it and it made me want to hear more! ha ha That or I'm completely losing it (maybe both).

[southpaw]

Jeff.. Well done man. I hear a big improvement in your vocals. The production is tops bro. The vocal production is quality as well. What Mic and pre's you using? (Sounds like a tube..?) Not to nitpick, but i think you could roll off some of the highs on the reverb bus/insert and give a little 8k boost which might help the vocal clarity cut through with a little less 'wetness'. In regards to the outro, i felt like it was unnecessary to have the little part at the end, and i would just drop it out around with the fading guitar at 4:20. These are very minor details though. Great song here jeff, and pro level production, i think this one is money dude. Is that real piano!? (If not what are you using..)Jamie

[southpaw]

Just to clarify, the boost i suggested is on the Lvox, and the reduction in the highs was referring to the vocals reverb bus.. Just listened again and thought the same things. I noticed i should probly be more specific so you knew what i meant. Cheers

[heckxx]

Feb 27, 2009, 3:37pm, southpaw wrote:Jeff.. Well done man. I hear a big improvement in your vocals. The production is tops bro. The vocal production is quality as well. What Mic and pre's you using? (Sounds like a tube..?) Not to nitpick, but i think you could roll off some of the highs on the reverb bus/insert and give a little 8k boost which might help the vocal clarity cut through with a little less 'wetness'. In regards to the outro, i felt like it was unnecessary to have the little part at the end, and i would just drop it out around with the fading guitar at 4:20. These are very minor details though. Great song here jeff, and pro level production, i think this one is money dude. Is that real piano!? (If not what are you using..)JamieThanks for the suggestions! I think someone else mentioned doing a high-freq boost on my vocals (all I do eq-wise is just cut the lows), but last time I did it, it seemed to accent the all the sibilance and "th" "s" sounds and such, but I'll try it again for sure.Mic-wise, I'm using the cheapest good condenser I could buy (AT2020), and the pre-amps are all from the Line 6 KB-37. The piano is not live/real, its from Dimension Pro.I know what you mean about the ending, I guess its not supposed to totally feel like its part of the song, rather its one of those "mini-songs" that are sometimes placed between songs on an album. I guess I don't need it there for TAXI listings and stuff, for sure.-Jeff