Trying my hand at Country

[Joseph]

I'm trying out for the new country listing:

CONTEMPORARY COUNTRY “Transitional” INSTRUMENTAL CUES are needed by a NON-Exclusive Music Library that gets great placements in lots and lots of Reality TV Shows. Give them slick, Mid-to-Up-Tempo Cues that you’d hear during transitional scenes in Reality TV Shows like I Love Kellie Pickler, Party Down South, Redneck Island, etc., etc., etc.

“I Love Kellie Pickler” (:48 - 1:04 and 1:06 - 1:19):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J2pe1JWCDys

“Party Down South” (5:12 - 5:26 and 5:58 - 6:17):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aiFwXZo1RPg

“Redneck Island” (:03 - :15 and 2:40 - 3:07):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ad9iOlC327k

Give them well-crafted Cues that can work really well for scene transitions. Your submissions should have a full band compliment (drums, guitar, bass, etc.). The addition of a fiddle, Dobro, or pedal steel could work really well, but they’re not absolutely needed if your Cues have a believable, current Country sound. You’d be smart to have little-to-no intro, and getting right to the meat of the Cue. Build your Instrumental Cue around a central melodic theme, and keep it interesting and forward moving.

This Library needs Cues that are between 15 to 30 seconds long, with Easy Edit Points and Buttoned/Stinger endings. Broadcast Quality is needed (great sounding home recordings are fine).

Here's my track: https://soundcloud.com/premium-joe/hootenanny-hoppers

Any comments on mix, arrangement, overall structure, edit points, etc. are greatly welcomed. Personally, I feel like the initial guitar riff is flat. In case you're wondering, I'm using a Fender Strat through an Orange Rockerverb with a Cad C9 condenser mic pointed at the center of the left cone. I haven't experimented much with mic placement yet, but I'm hoping someone may know a pretty good position for the "Country Rock" sound I'm going for. Thanks in advance for any help.

-Joseph

[ComposerLDG]

I think it sounds great! Just dirty/gritty enough, and nice sound.

-Loren

[cassmcentee]

Nice One Joseph!
My ears tell me that the right guitar is about 10 feet behind the drums and the Left guitar is 30 feet behind them.
I would try to get them to sound "On-Stage" together... right side up a few DB, left side that much more.
Drums sound good!

[Joseph]

Thanks for the comments, guys! Cass, I took another listen to my track and now it sounds exactly how you just described it. I'll adjust those levels tonight.

-Joseph

[Joseph]

https://soundcloud.com/premium-joe/hoot ... pers-again

Here's the revision.

-Joseph

[cassmcentee]

Much better!

[feaker66]

Yes, this is good. Check at 13 seconds if you can, it sounds like the lead guitar is slightly ahead right there. If anything being behind a tad would be better. I know, I know I might also be very wrong???

sincerely

Paul

[andygabrys]

i would split the difference between mix 1 and 2. guitars jump out way too much and the drums sound muted by comparison. I would take some of the high end off the guitars too.

and I would double the primary riff that is currently only on the right and put the double on the left (replay, don't do an electronic double), and place the melodic figure that comes in half way through in the dead center.

good luck!

[Joseph]

Thanks again, guys. Here is the updated version: https://soundcloud.com/premium-joe/hoot ... ers-update

I really appreciate the comments: Paul you were right about the timing and I think I fixed it. Andy, I doubled the guitar, centered the lead and tweaked the EQ a bit on all. I lowered the levels of all of the guitars and also tried to bring out the bass, because it was getting lost to my ear. I hope it's improved. I just have one more question: Is panning the two rhythm guitars hard left and right too extreme? I think it sounds fine, but I have been returned before for having extreme panning (although I think that was due to there being more instruments in the mix) I appreciate your time.

-Joseph

[andygabrys]

much better to me. Pretty workable.

if you wanted to really nitpick - the guitars are 0.5 dB too much and the lead that comes in halfway is 0.5 db too quiet. The tom fill at the end sounds a little mechanical but its up to you whether you want to continue to tweak that.

re: panning

extreme panning can mean one of two things to me

1) panning doubled elements hard L+R and this usually results in a nice wide soundstage that leaves a definite hole in the middle for a lead vocal or other lead instrument. Usually this doesn't sound weird.

2) panning single instruments wide. This is strange because you only have one for each part. And if they are rhythmically active but not the same rhythm panning wide can make both those rhythms stand out, and clash. Or if they are significantly different tones or instruments it can sound unbalanced, especially if its a lead melody or something panned WAY out to the side.

experiment with a few mixes of your own and see what sounds overall more balanced and like a "record".