(re-master)C.R.O.A.D.

[elwoodblues1969]

I had planned on putting this song on the back burner for a spell,& move onto to another song,but I saw an upcoming show(tonight)-with a local musician that I've greatly admired for some time,so this prompted me to polish this song up further,hoping to make an impression to this person,in hopes for a collaborative endevour.
I was hoping for some input by some recording pros here and I would appreciate some opinions on the technical aspects of this song.

Thanks,

Thom OOPS! Sorry about that folks...wow..brain must have been in sleeper mode!

[Oren]

Thom,

Did you have a fresh file for us to work with, or are we starting from the mixdown on your previous post?

[elwoodblues1969]

Oren,

At this particular juncture,I just want an opinion(s) on the contrast between this version,versus the latest one.
If the artist that I submitted my demo to likes it and he wants to work with me,then you'll be the first one I contact in regards to obtaining your services to put the finishing touches on the song & so forth.

All this is very tentative at best,because the guy that I submitted my demo to usually works alone and when he does collaborate,it's with other musicians on a proffessional level(and I'm no where near as seasoned or accomplished as this person),so I'm just hoping for the best and I don't have any high expectations of this venture coming to fruition.
I do however,have some concrete plans to work with a female singer that I met last night,whom of which is willing to offer her vocals in exchange for having the opportunity to have free reign in my studio to go hog wild.
The woman has an exceptional voice and she's also a keyboardist,guitarist & a violinist!
If this all pans out with her and we come up with some viable material,then in that event,I will seek out your expertise.

By the way,I do have fresh files...so in the event everything pans out,I can certainly send you the files in any fashion you like.

Thanks for listening,

Thom

[Oren]

At this particular juncture,I just want an opinion(s) on the contrast between this version,versus the latest one.

I there supposed to be a version posted on this thread?  If so, it's not showing up... at least not here...

....or are we commenting on the version posted on "C.r.o.a.d.{EDIT}"

[folderol]

It's not just me that's getting confused then. I was waiting for the new file to show up

[elwoodblues1969]

Oren & Will,

In my scramble to get this new version done to submit a demo to said artist,I somehow-in the chaos of the evening,made a post & forgot to add the song...that's what I get for multi-tasking in a mad rush.

Sorry about the confusion.

Thom

[folderol]

Not a recording pro by any stretch of the imagination, but I can say this is the cleanest version you've done so far.

[elwoodblues1969]

Will,

I never claimed to be a recording pro,but rather,I had wanted opinions from those that are at the pro-level,due to thier extensive recording experience.

Thanks for your feedback.

Thom

[folderol]

No, I meant that I'm not a recording pro

[elwoodblues1969]

Pardon me,my bad!

[Oren]

No, I meant that I'm not a recording pro

He's lying.
 Will is, in fact, a professional audio engineer in every way.
...................it's just that nobody's paying him. Yet 

You have good instincts, Thom. The song moved forward in several important aspects.

An initial observation: your voice is very thick and tonally complex. Doubling up on vocal tracks is an excellent effect, but turns into over-kill in your case. Try removing all the vocal over-tracking except in that last segment "Time is..."; it works very well there. Give your voice room to breathe in the recording.

There is a frequency conflict between the guitar and the vocal between 0:38 and 1:10. EQ the guitar so only it's highest and lowest frequencies remain...say, dropping 15dB in the vicinity of 1000Hz, 5dB at 500Hz, and 5dB at 2000Hz. Thin out that guitar to make more room for your voice, Royce.

[elwoodblues1969]

Oren,

Thanks for the encouragement and the advice.I had thought that the guitar volume was too low,so I wanted to increase that a bit-I guess I over did it...I will definately abide by your suggestions,but as it is now,I am really burnt out on this song,so I need to put it to rest for a spell.
As for the vocals-I tend to double up on vocal tracks,because I've had alot of problems trying to articulate my vocals and it's very hard for me to have just a single vocal track,because the volume never seems to be enough and if I increase the gain,I always get distortion.
Another inherent problem,is that if I try bringing my face closer to the mic,I have a terrible time with distortion and if I back off of the mic too much,there's too much room resonance in the vocal track.
It's a delicate balance that is hard to master(for me anyway).

Thanks a mint for the pointers and I'll try to apply them accordingly when the time is ripe.

Thom

[rharv]

Try using a compressor plugin on the voice in that case- it's what most pro's do.
'Classic Compressor' plugin (VST) boots up with a nice vocal compressor all loaded up.
--it's free!--
http://www.kjaerhusaudio.com/classic-compressor.php

[Marc JX8P]

Good tip on the compressor!

You need to get the vocals into the computer without distortion first, though, so try to get the gain so that when you sing loudly it doesn't distort. To avoid room resonance, place something like a duvet or a cushion behind the mic, it will avoid having your voice bounce off the wall in front of you (behind the mic) which is an important factor in avoiding a 'boxy' sound. I've had good results creating a makeshift vocal booth out of a duvet around the singer and the mic. This way you should be able to get a non-distorted, relatively dry sound into the computer. Then go at it with a bit of compression!

[Oren]

...To avoid room resonance, place something like a duvet or a cushion behind the mic, it will avoid having your voice bounce off the wall in front of you (behind the mic) which is an important factor in avoiding a 'boxy' sound. I've had good results creating a makeshift vocal booth out of a duvet around the singer and the mic...

Marc,
Can we get a photograph of the "duvet trick" in action?   (I like it, I really do!)