new smooth tune

radiocolonel.it

Hey, Guys! It's a bit that i didn't record...
And now icome up with this little tune still to develop.
Suggestions and comments are obviously welcome!
It's called "midnight lover" and u can download it here:

http://xoomer.virgilio.it/ars_acustica/MP3/


All my songs are released under Creative Commons License

Russ

I get a 403 error when I click on the link...

Forbidden
You don't have permission to access /ars_acustica/MP3/midnight_lover.mp3 on this server.

radiocolonel.it

Right click and save as.... it works

Russ

That doesn't work in Firefox, but it does work in Internet Explorer.

I think generally it sounds good. The instruments and the mix sound nice (I like the sound of that electric guitar). The only thing is that at times, it sounds out of time. I am not sure if it is actually out of time, or if something in the mix makes it sound that way, but that was my first impression when I listened to it.

radiocolonel.it

I use firefox and if i right click works, if i left click says forbbidden...

... yes, may be the piano, i know, i'm a guitarist but i recorded the piano, the bass and the drums with this little midi keyboard...

http://xoomer.virgilio.it/ars_acustica/tastierino.jpg

i know u'll undrestand me,

Russ

Yeah I know what you mean, particularly if you recorded the guitar track first and then try to add the rest later (using different timing sources). I did that once, using my Digitech's drum presets to keep time for my guitar, and then decided to add drums and bass later (using midi), and found that 120bpm on my Digitech didn't quite match 120bpm in the midi software, and ended up having to re-record the guitar parts using the midi drums for timing.

As for the download link, Firefox appears to download the file (when you right click), but it actually downloads the 403 error webpage as midnight_lover.mp3 (at least that is what it does when I try).

Tril

Overall, it's nice.

It sounds a bit strange when listening to it with headphones because some instruments are panned more to the right and others to the left. The clearer instruments are to the right and the more muffled instruments are to the left. I'm trying to give you objective critism but I lack the skill to do it properly.

I find it impressing that a single artist can make something like that. I certainly would not be able myself. I lack the music playing skill and the creativity to write songs.

radiocolonel.it, is that short song all written by you?

Can you tell me what are the instruments and where they are placed? Are there two guitars?

radiocolonel.it

- yes, the stereo image was made that way intentionally:
piano, rhythm guitar, on the left
solo guitar and bass, on the right
drums in the middle.

this is why it should sound like a little quintet on stage were the instruments have a typical arrangement on stage.

* drums

*piano *bass

*2nd guitar *solo guitar

the "muffle" effect is due to the kind of guitar i use, a semi-hollow, with chromed strings, and it sounds "muddy".

yeah i write and arrange all of my songs, and usually i play all the instruments too... then pan, mix-down, mastering... it's a long and patience work!

...i have a lot of cretivity (like most of italians, the difference is that usually italians use creativity to "turn around" laws...)

thans for your feedback, it's precious for me!!! for getting better!!!

Maddogg6

I was able to DL - but I get erros when trying to open up - in WinXP & Winamp5/Foobar2000/WMP10. MP3s I have are fine still tho.. ??

Then I looked and the file that D/L is just text:
update:
Firefox wont D/L this - even when I right click - I get the text in an MP3 file as shown above - ONLY IE worked.

Maddogg6

I prefer to record to a basic click track to avoid timing problems. Then no matter what I do, its all in time unless I do a significant beat change - like added a swing or removed it..

These times I need the intended beat instead of just a metrenome- to get a tight sounding performance.

My only comment is on that subject - I heard some off timing here and there.
But otherwise a descent tone on my end. I didnt notice any muffling personally. I liked the guitar tone personally - mellow and bluesy.

I DO normally put a solo instruments in center tho - unless theyre 'fills'.

So I guess I would have mixed it a bit differently.
Like bring the Piano a bit more up front and the kick drum a bit lower - maybe a different kick drum sample too - its like a HEAVY METAL (power drum kit) drum in a jazz/blues composition - seemed a little 'out of place'

Otherwise - KEEP IT UP!

Maddogg6

Oh and CHANGE the sound font so the kick drum isnt soooo reverby. THATS what I think is heard as 'muddy' but the sample is a brighter tone that kinda compensates for the muddiness - thus I didnt really notice right away.

radiocolonel.it

... everybody is talking about off timing...
... let me know were precisely
this is a jazzy tune, with some syncopation, may be some some syncopated notes may be misunderstood with off timing? (rhythm guitar is a lot syncopated)

about the midi stuff:
- the midi was rendered with timidity... and i forgot to set the reverb level!!!
- i need to try more sounfonts for drums, if anybody has got a nice soundfont please let me know!!! The bass too i would like to change...

Maddogg6

well, that may be well and true... if so - just dis-reguard if you know its the timing you want.
I guess our comments would indiactate we dont care for this syncopation..??

What I was hearing was at :25-26 just before the faster guitar fill. Something just sounds off at this point.

About midi drums - Ive had to fix most of mine to reduce reverb on JUST the kick drum, cuz most I have are set with a global reverb and not per/sample. Low end + reverb = mud (im my experience/opinion)

radiocolonel.it

... what i'd like to know is what instrument sounds off time guitar? piano? rhythm guitar? drums?

yes, i agree low freq and reverb sounds muddy

Maddogg6

Well the piano and guitar are playing same thing but not at same exact time - is this syncopation? - to me it sounds like the guitar is late or piano early.

Maddogg6

I would offer some SF's BUT - I have paid for some and D/L some for free and I made my own compilations and I *may* break some laws doing so... sorry

radiocolonel.it

good job!!!
That's it! Now it's clear and i can teel u the piano is early respect the guitar....
I could correct it because i knew from the begin it was early, i could correct in the multi track moving the track right?

But i don't like tricks, i played the piano with a mini midi keyboard...
i left that way...
this is a sample not an entire song so it's really credible that i will record everything from 0.

I know that piano is early, but at this stage of the song creation it's not important the timing, i have to finish the song and record it again seriously.

Recording the whole stuff (5 tracks) and mixing it took me half day, not more...
so it could not be that precise...

Russ

Right, that is the main thing I noticed as well. The guitar and piano are out of sync with each other. Using the guitar as the reference, sometimes the piano is early and sometimes it is late. To tell you the truth it was most noticeable the very first time I listened to it, it just sounded off, but the more I listen to it, the less noticable it is (mainly because, I guess I am getting used to it being that way). If I had to pick out certain places, think I would say at @11 sec mark, @18-19 sec mark, and @25-26 sec mark is the most noticable as I listen to it now.

radiocolonel.it

... excellent, russ!
yes, yours is an accurate timing analysis!!!

But...
i already said i knew the piano was off time and i already said that in the second reply of this thread!!!

The reason why somebody posts an incomplete, still to develop, fast recorded half track is not to know if it is in time or off time!!!

The MAIN reason is to have a feedback about the arrangement, the panning, the instruments sound, the mixing....and if the overall song sound interesting!!!
So welcome were the posting about the panning and muddy sound... the sounfonts and the reverb....
but let's stop the off timing replies...

So telling me it is off time is a little help since i already knew...
i played in my life piano, violin and guitar so i don't have problems in music at
all...

P.S. In the '60 A.C.Jobim the greatest brazilian composer, wrote a song DESAFINADO that means off tune; i will change my song title in TEMPO SMINCHIATO, that in italian means fucked up time,

Maddogg6

LOL...

well, you did ask for 'where' specifically - so Im sure thats why Russ added to the 'list' - Im sure hes not trying to offend you. I DO (as I see Russ does too) try to seperate taste from technique.

But its all good here.. I assure you, our intentions ARE honerable.

TEMPO SMINCHIATO - lol, I like that...

My songs are all classified as (in 'cartoon' latin)

Scaleus Disasterous - which means I havent a clue about music theory...


Again its ALL good and keep it up...

Piece.

radiocolonel.it

Yes, u're right!!!!
Russ is a friend, he's cool, i know he's just helping me ( He does a lot in programming)!!!

You know italians are passionate, i'm from south of Italy (so more passionate) so sometimes i can sound (look) "mad", i'm sorry!!!

Do u know latin? i mean a bit, i liked it a lot when i was at high school!!!
Where are u from?

Maddogg6

Only 'Cartoon' latin - ever watch the ROAD RUNNER and Wile E. Coyote - lol, they always used 'fake' (but funny) latin in that cartoon.

I may have picked up a little from doing personal legal research since - but not on purpose and I never had a latin class. I have learned some simple sayings in many languages (mostly swear/insults) just for 'fun' (I got a text file somewhere that tells how to say FUCK in just about every language - or its most offensive equivelent for that language - more like for joking tho - I NEVER use those words - It always in english when I do )

Did I use 'proper' latin there? - if so, is completely on mistake :s

Im in Arizona, USA - and I do know how passionate italians are, I grew up in a mostly Italian area and had many Italian friends - or 'Friendus Italianos' (?? real latin ?? - lol) - not sure if they were from South or North tho.

The internet is great, but we tend to read emotion behind the words first. Its human nature I suppose, and I try to account for this. So no appolgy needed.

[* hands radiocolonel a cold bottle of beer *]

So...
Acclamazioni! - buon venirli a contatto.

Ps. I dont know Italian - I know bablefish.altavista.com -

radiocolonel.it

Scaleus Disasterous---> it's not really proper grammar but it sounds like!!!

THis sounds funny and strange! In italian doesn't make much sense. I don't know, i could translate this like:

"Acclamation, good to come them in touch"

Help me to understand, i'm curious!

Russ

Aside from the other stuff, the basic melody is interesting, it is kinda of a blues type melody, played in a jazzy style. It is kind of hard to explain, but that is what is sounds like to me (it actually reminds me of something specific, but I can't place it at the moment). Also, I really like the piano at the end of the song, starting with those little rolls you do at @41 sec mark up to the end of the song.

Maddogg6