Is Your Music Any Good? Find Out Here!!

[lrossmusic]

Dan South wrote: [quote]I just checked out three of your songs, and I should be the one thanking YOU for sharing your excellent music.[/quote] Thanks for the kind words Dan. Coming from a composer of your caliber is inspiring, to say the least. For those of you who have yet to hear Dan's work you are in for something special. No kidding folks this guy is the real deal. Check him out at http://www.mp3.com/dansouth and you'll see what I talking about.

[Mr Darling]

We have a new MP3 of the week page on our website. A new free MP3 will be available each week until the release of the CD, begining of June. Check it out please, and let me know what you think : http://www.darlingnikkie.com/sounds please post in your reviews on the site. Thanks a lot [img]http://www.musicplayer.com/ubb/biggrin.gif[/img] ------------------ Visit http://www.DarlingNikkie.com/sounds for free MP3's

[Quin]

http://www.pineconep.com/music.html - This a link to some MP3's I engineered and produced for my business partner. His music style is Country - but all over the map - so generically we labelled it Americana. The MP3's are intro, first verse and chorus only. Let me know what you think.

[spigotsaol.com]

You asked for honest critism, so here goes... Macle, I like the tune alot. I like the vocal textures, the 60s vibe, the melody. Things I would change, or at least take a look at: Drums up throughout (except for kick) Due to all of the effected stuff going on in the chorus' (Leslie effects, Wah GTR effects, etc.) and the tricky-ness(?) of the vocal arrangement, I lose the sense of pitch and I lose the melody a little too. As much as it pains me to say it, I would probably back the GTRs off a tad I would cut the GTR break in half and lengthen the last chorus, adding in a keyboard part that reinforces the melody. The tune's at what, 124 or 125 bpm? I'd drop it back to 118-120 (probably WAY too late for that). I was singing it after the first listen. And yes, I ALWAYS over analyze and over tweek as well. I wish I could afford a better producer [img]http://www.musicplayer.com/ubb/smile.gif[/img] and a better vocalist... Bottomfeeders - Pitch and timing do matter. haloboy - Interesting. I'd definately work on vocal chops (I'm one to talk) and raise the vocals in the mix. Time was an issue here and there (often things felt rushed). In the tune "Cold" the out of phase vocal was hard to take. Quin - Nice sounds, very thick. Dan - The Concerto is quite involved. Are you planning to have it performed live? Rain Dance was very cool. Got anymore in that style? Darling Nikki- Reminds me ALOT of Curve, especially the comeclean era stuff. Will check back for more updates. Also, I've got new stuff up on my .mp3 site. Latest is "Who You Are". Frank http://www.mp3.com/spigots

[dansouth]

[quote]Originally posted by spigots: [b] Dan - The Concerto is quite involved. Are you planning to have it performed live? Rain Dance was very cool. Got anymore in that style? [/b][/quote] Spigots, thank you very much for your generous comments. I've written a number of ambient and classical pieces over the years, along with a slew of rock/pop songs. Unfortunately, most of these were mixed to cassette. I'll have to re-record them before I can let them see the light of day. [img]http://www.musicplayer.com/ubb/frown.gif[/img] I'll be adding a bunch of stuff to the site over the next few months, and I'll post again to this thread from time to time as new material becomes available. I would very much like to find an ensemble to perform and record the concerto (and other works) in the U.S. or abroad, but I have not yet put much effort into marketing these pieces. MP3 seemed like a good first step. I'll let you know if and when I can arrange a performance. It would be fun to have some representatives from Music Player in the audience. [img]http://www.musicplayer.com/ubb/wink.gif[/img] Thanks again for your comments.

[dansouth]

Acoustic Voodoo - very beautiful song, and a wonderful tribute to your father. I'm guessing that you didn't have the greatest mics at the location. Sorry, I know that kind of goes without saying, but it's such a touching piece of music that it deserves to be captured on a first rate recording. Good mics, a good engineer, some compression and EQ would really bring out the sounds of the guitars. The blend of the guitars is very nice on this location recording, but I'm hoping that you'll take it to the next level sometime when you feel comfortable doing so. A beautiful, stirring piece of music. Spigots - Damn, man! What's wrong with this picture? Why aren't you on MTV? Your sound is awesome, esp. superglue. The other stuff sounds a little less "mastered" but equally brilliant. You are nothing short of a m---er-f---er on those guitars. Great "swing" to the rhythm, scalding hi-test lead lines. Excellent vocals, too. Wow - are you available for sessions?

[m2]

[quote]Originally posted by spigots: [b]You asked for honest critism, so here goes... Macle, I like the tune alot. I like the vocal textures, the 60s vibe, the melody. Things I would change, or at least take a look at: Drums up throughout (except for kick) Due to all of the effected stuff going on in the chorus' (Leslie effects, Wah GTR effects, etc.) and the tricky-ness(?) of the vocal arrangement, I lose the sense of pitch and I lose the melody a little too. As much as it pains me to say it, I would probably back the GTRs off a tad I would cut the GTR break in half and lengthen the last chorus, adding in a keyboard part that reinforces the melody. The tune's at what, 124 or 125 bpm? I'd drop it back to 118-120 (probably WAY too late for that). I was singing it after the first listen. And yes, I ALWAYS over analyze and over tweek as well. I wish I could afford a better producer [img]http://www.musicplayer.com/ubb/smile.gif[/img] and a better vocalist... Also, I've got new stuff up on my .mp3 site. Latest is "Who You Are". Frank http://www.mp3.com/spigots [/b][/quote] Hi Frank, Thanks for listening and the comments. Regarding the vocal in the chorus, and pitch and melody, I think you're right. We were trying to force this song into being a duet, and also trying to be more commercial, but I don't think it's really working. I don't know, this song just didn't turn out as planned. As far as the drums go, other than turning them up (except the kick!), how do you think they sound? I'm not really happy with the guitars either (first time I used the POD, which may or not be the same as AmpFarm, which you use, so I suppose it could be pilot error on my part.) I just found them to be thin and high endy, and fighting with the vocal. Oh well, I think maybe the fact that I felt the need to tweak so much may be a sign that this song isn't really happening. I downloaded Who You Are. Really great. You definately have a sound that is commercial and modern, but still your own (I hear the similarities with Superglue). The production is really good. I may have asked you this, but what do you record on (gear list in general)? And your vocal is really good, I don't know why you say you need a better singer (and the vocal is louder this time!). You do sound sort of similar to the guy in Placebo. And I love the bit at around 3:30 where the guitars go a bit mad, and then the panning thing back in, really cool. Really great all around. It does seem you should have a deal, or have this stuff on a movie soundtrack or something. Thanks again for listening to my tune, the feedback is invaluable. macle http://angelfire.lycos.com/rock2/3songs

[flo]

Hey Spigots ! great new tune !! Love your mix ideas, and rocking guitars. Really inspiring stuff .

[michael saulnier]

[quote]Originally posted by dansouth@yahoo.com: [b]Acoustic Voodoo - very beautiful song, and a wonderful tribute to your father. I'm guessing that you didn't have the greatest mics at the location. Sorry, I know that kind of goes without saying, but it's such a touching piece of music that it deserves to be captured on a first rate recording. Good mics, a good engineer, some compression and EQ would really bring out the sounds of the guitars. The blend of the guitars is very nice on this location recording, but I'm hoping that you'll take it to the next level sometime when you feel comfortable doing so. A beautiful, stirring piece of music. [/b][/quote] DanSouth. Thanks for your comments. Yeah, the recording method is the weakest link with this song. Because it was an "of the moment" recording, we actually didn't mic it at all... instead we went direct in from the piezo under the saddle pickups... Also, the original recording sounded somewhat better to my ears than the mp3 version... Always an issue. I wonder if we tried to "re-record" this with better technique whether we would be able to reproduce the "magic" of the feelings in the moment? guitplayer

[MadFor3D]

O.k. here is my older songs... http://artists.mp3s.com/artists/24/madrone_candea.html Some on an old 4-track, some on the computer. I'm just starting to get back into it. Here are some of the new "works in progress". http://www.madfor3d.com/Pages/Music.html I feel I've made improvements since my earlier recording days. What should I work on now? What are my most noticable weaknesses, for instance? Thanks, Madrone

[dansouth]

[quote]Originally posted by guitplayer: [b] I wonder if we tried to "re-record" this with better technique whether we would be able to reproduce the "magic" of the feelings in the moment? [/b][/quote] That's always a consideration. It may or may not work, but if you don't try it, you'll never know. I'm sure that the original sounds better than the MP3.

[dansouth]

For a real treat, point your browser to http://www.mp3.com/trax_mx I met these guys over on Dave Bryce's forum and feel that they deserve more exposure, because they're AWESOME. Great vocals, great sound, great techno. Check 'em out!!!

[ian_dup1]

Okay, here goes... If you're interested in checking out some angry/atmospheric/technical stuff give a listen to my project Chiaroscuro...the tracks from the Brilliant Pools of Darkness CD are fairly standard progressive rock/metal fare, but the unreleased stuff is maybe a little more interesting. I'd be curious to hear any comments. Ian http://www.mp3.com/Chiaroscuro

[Tedster]

Dan said... >>>For a real treat, point your browser to http://www.mp3.com/trax_mx I met these guys over on Dave Bryce's forum and feel that they deserve more exposure, because they're AWESOME. Great vocals, great sound, great techno. Check 'em out!!! Checked it out. Made my head start bobbing like the Butabi Bros. in "Night at the Roxbury"... Well...very well executed performance. Not my personal cup of tea, I'm not a techno/dance guy...but well executed.

[Tedster]

Ian... Awesome stuff! Fantastic vocals...all the instrumentation is great. Interesting "dark" sort of sound. See from your profile you're in Bellingham. Was there a few years ago, arriving on the ol' Malaspina from Alaska. Nice town. I'd heartily recommend checking out Ian's tunage...

[ian_dup1]

[quote]Originally posted by Tedster: [b]Ian... Awesome stuff! Fantastic vocals...all the instrumentation is great. Interesting "dark" sort of sound. See from your profile you're in Bellingham. Was there a few years ago, arriving on the ol' Malaspina from Alaska. Nice town. I'd heartily recommend checking out Ian's tunage...[/b][/quote] Thanks for checking it out, Tedster! Glad you enjoyed it. I enjoy Bellingham...I went to music school there and haven't been able to bring myself to leave yet. It is indeed a nice town. [img]http://www.musicplayer.com/ubb/smile.gif[/img]

[F7sound -]

Hi all! Here's some new music from my side project: ReGurgiTron. http://www.mp3.com/regurgitron Listen at your own risk... there is nothing to fear. I appreciate all feedback. Michael Oster F7 Sound and Vision http://www.f7sound.com

[lrossmusic]

[b] [url=http://artists.mp3s.com/artist_song/754/754823.html]HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY[/url] [/b] Please give us a listen if you get 3 minutes. Thanks Lincoln This message has been edited by lrossmusic@hotmail.com on 05-13-2001 at 02:02 AM

[spigotsaol.com]

[quote]Originally posted by macle96@yahoo.com: [b] Hi Frank, Thanks for listening and the comments. Regarding the vocal in the chorus, and pitch and melody, I think you're right. We were trying to force this song into being a duet, and also trying to be more commercial, but I don't think it's really working. I don't know, this song just didn't turn out as planned. As far as the drums go, other than turning them up (except the kick!), how do you think they sound? I'm not really happy with the guitars either (first time I used the POD, which may or not be the same as AmpFarm, which you use, so I suppose it could be pilot error on my part.) I just found them to be thin and high endy, and fighting with the vocal. Oh well, I think maybe the fact that I felt the need to tweak so much may be a sign that this song isn't really happening. I may have asked you this, but what do you record on (gear list in general)? And I love the bit at around 3:30 where Thanks again for listening to my tune, the feedback is invaluable. macle http://angelfire.lycos.com/rock2/3songs [/b][/quote] Macle, Don't beat yourself up! I critiqued your stuff alot more than I have anyone elses because I think it has the most promise of anything I've heard in this thread, and wanted to give you my honest opinion. The guitars sound is fine, I just thought they were a tad too loud in the mix. I you feel they are thin and high-endy (sp?), play around with a high shelf or lo pass and find the point it becomes annoying and then tweak it back just a hair. (simple advice, but sometimes overlooked). A buddy of mine swears by using a graphic EQ BEFORE his POD. I've never used the POD, but I will EQ before AND after Amp Farm. Sometimes it works, sometimes it sucks. The one thing I hate about Amp Farm is the unrealistic high end. Sometimes, I'll roll off everything above 5-6kHz out of ampfarm. and then use (oh no!) an outboard Aphex Exciter to add some definition back in. That was done (among about a million other things) to one of the four RTM GTRs in Superglue. I love the whole duet vibe of your music. I don't think that was the problem. The drums sound is fine. Nice pop sound. The song IS happening. I can't wait to hear your next one. The bit at 3:30 is a stereo delay, fed back into itself, trying to get that old school analog feedback loop kinda sound. I set the left and right delay times just a few milliseconds different. It eventually goes in and out of phase and really f**ks with your head in headphones. A lucky experiment gone right. As far as what I work on: Pro Tools TDM, With Waves Plug-ins, and McDSP Filter Bank. My Mics are a TLM 103, GT AM 62, and CAD 350. My only outboard is a Langevin Dual Vocal Combo, Nitepro PreQ3 (seldom used), Sans Amp PSA-1 (broken now for 18 months), and Aphex Exciter. All of my samples come from a Roland S760. I also have a Proteus 2000, but I am dissapointed with it. I got it so that I could have a ton of bread and butter sounds, but they're mostly milktoast. [img]http://www.musicplayer.com/ubb/smile.gif[/img] GTRs are a 1980 Gibson V2, Hamer "Steve Stevens", Takamine AC, and an older Charvel. I borrowed back a Steinberger (original white one, that I sold a few years ago) and recorded GTRS through an amp last Friday. I'm working backwards this time. I recorded a loop, and AC scratch and a scratch vocal, and then the "real " GTRS, and I'm going to build the track around the GTRS. I hope to have it up in a couple of weeks. I am now sequencing entirely in Pro Tools (I used Performer for 10 years, but having it all in one environment outweighs any of PT MIDI deficiencies IMHO). I will shut up now. Frank Oh Yea, IAN, I really liked the your tunes. My first impression was that the vocals are so sonically different from the instumentation, it almost sounds like you sang to a 2 mix. I did like the more experimental stuff alot. Very interesting, especially "Adrenaline".

[dansouth]

[quote]Originally posted by lrossmusic@hotmail.com: [b] [b] [url=http://artists.mp3s.com/artist_song/754/754823.html] LESS THAN 132 HOURS BEFORE MOTHER'S DAY[/url] [/b] Give us an ear if you get 3 minutes. Thanks Lincoln [/B][/quote] Lincoln's stuff is VERY good. Shame on you if you haven't check it out yet!

[lrossmusic]

[b]Dan South wrote...'Lincoln's stuff is very good...'[/b] Thanks Dan. And again I must say, coming for a composer of your caliber I'm very flattered. Any trumpet players out there especially need to check out Dan's [b] [url=http://artists.mp3s.com/artist_song/1464/1464284.html]Concerto for Trumpet.[/url] [/b] It's Out-a-Sight!!! (A composer's composer) Lincoln This message has been edited by lrossmusic@hotmail.com on 05-07-2001 at 02:29 PM

[archibald3]

Hi everyone!i`ve been using the forum for a long time as a valuble source of info and thought i`d better post a song so you could hear the fruits of your advice. http://artists.mp3s.com/artists/253/boy_girl_radio.html Its not the best production i`ve done but its a good song and i think you may appreciate the ambitiousness of the production.let me know what you think.its kind of a crazy beatlezy,beachboyzy,meets something more modern -kind of vibe.thanx archibald [p.s. we also have a cool website at boygirlradio.com which is under construction and will soon have music[within days]

[Gus Lozada]

Guys... I'm listening right now to Lincon's song... It's delightful ! Kristen's voice is delicious... and nice piano playing from you. I also tried M. Oster's [url=http://www.mp3.com/regurgitron]Regurgitron[/url] "Check one"... very creative. It reminds me when I was looking manually for a specific part on a open 4 track reel to reel... About [url=http://www.mp3.com/dansouth]Dansouth[/url] ... I am very pleased to listen to a contemporary composer like him. You must absolutely try him. About [url=http://www.mp3.com/trax_mx]My Music (TraX)[/url] , a word of advise: (1) For a Pop / House tune, check "Llevame" ... cheesie, perhaps, but it works fine for us... (2) For a more Electronika thing, check "Wake Up" The rest is strictly for commercial usage and light listeners. Have a great day GusTraX@yahoo.com

[dansouth]

Gus ROCKS!!! If you're ready to get off your butts and jam, you've gotta check him out. His music is FIRST RATE!! Man, I'd kill for a voice like that!!! http://www.mp3.com/trax_mx I give big thumbs up to Lincoln Ross and Spigots, too (see above). DON'T MISS OUT!!!

[m2]

[quote]Originally posted by spigots: [b] Macle, Don't beat yourself up! I critiqued your stuff alot more than I have anyone elses because I think it has the most promise of anything I've heard in this thread, and wanted to give you my honest opinion. The guitars sound is fine, I just thought they were a tad too loud in the mix. I you feel they are thin and high-endy (sp?), play around with a high shelf or lo pass and find the point it becomes annoying and then tweak it back just a hair. (simple advice, but sometimes overlooked). A buddy of mine swears by using a graphic EQ BEFORE his POD. I've never used the POD, but I will EQ before AND after Amp Farm. Sometimes it works, sometimes it sucks. The one thing I hate about Amp Farm is the unrealistic high end. Sometimes, I'll roll off everything above 5-6kHz out of ampfarm. and then use (oh no!) an outboard Aphex Exciter to add some definition back in. That was done (among about a million other things) to one of the four RTM GTRs in Superglue. I love the whole duet vibe of your music. I don't think that was the problem. The drums sound is fine. Nice pop sound. The song IS happening. I can't wait to hear your next one. The bit at 3:30 is a stereo delay, fed back into itself, trying to get that old school analog feedback loop kinda sound. I set the left and right delay times just a few milliseconds different. It eventually goes in and out of phase and really f**ks with your head in headphones. A lucky experiment gone right. As far as what I work on: Pro Tools TDM, With Waves Plug-ins, and McDSP Filter Bank. My Mics are a TLM 103, GT AM 62, and CAD 350. My only outboard is a Langevin Dual Vocal Combo, Nitepro PreQ3 (seldom used), Sans Amp PSA-1 (broken now for 18 months), and Aphex Exciter. All of my samples come from a Roland S760. I also have a Proteus 2000, but I am dissapointed with it. I got it so that I could have a ton of bread and butter sounds, but they're mostly milktoast. [img]http://www.musicplayer.com/ubb/smile.gif[/img] GTRs are a 1980 Gibson V2, Hamer "Steve Stevens", Takamine AC, and an older Charvel. I borrowed back a Steinberger (original white one, that I sold a few years ago) and recorded GTRS through an amp last Friday. I'm working backwards this time. I recorded a loop, and AC scratch and a scratch vocal, and then the "real " GTRS, and I'm going to build the track around the GTRS. I hope to have it up in a couple of weeks. I am now sequencing entirely in Pro Tools (I used Performer for 10 years, but having it all in one environment outweighs any of PT MIDI deficiencies IMHO). I will shut up now. Frank [/b][/quote] Hey Frank, I really appreciate the feedback, tips, and encouragement! Also, thanks for your gear list. I keep seeing that Langevin mentioned in different places. I assume you must be happy with it, as your stuff sounds great. Loud, clear. Of course, you obviously know a thing or two about engineering, which doesn't hurt. I look forward to hearing your next one. And....here's mine: http://angelfire.lycos.com/rock2/3songs This one is called Fingerprints. Feedback from anyone and everyone greatly appreciated. Thanks, Macle

[m2]

[quote]Originally posted by archibald3: [b]Hi everyone!i`ve been using the forum for a long time as a valuble source of info and thought i`d better post a song so you could hear the fruits of your advice. http://artists.mp3s.com/artists/253/boy_girl_radio.html Its not the best production i`ve done but its a good song and i think you may appreciate the ambitiousness of the production.let me know what you think.its kind of a crazy beatlezy,beachboyzy,meets something more modern -kind of vibe.thanx archibald [p.s. we also have a cool website at boygirlradio.com which is under construction and will soon have music[within days] [/b][/quote] Hi Archibald, fancy meeting you here. Winnebago Dreams is a cool song and a great production (I learned it, too! G-C-G Em-Bm7-C-Am-C-Am). I checked out your site. Great stuff. You guys are really getting it together. Macle http://angelfire.lycos.com/rock2/3songs

[archibald3]

hey macle my only comment is just that i love your songs-keep up the great writing. p.s. its kind of ironic that the only person in the world who`s heard my songs is the first one to listen to it hear...

[spigotsaol.com]

Macle, Love the song. The irony of it's pop-ness against such a dark theme is great. I like the production as well. The sound is a little "softer" than the other stuff, and more sparse. Well done. Archibald, Are you guys signed? Would you like to start a label? A GREAT song. And a GREAT sound. WOW!

[dansouth]

I'd like to mention that Dave Bryce, who moderates the Keyboard forum, has some excellent tunes on mp3. Go to http://www.mp3.com/DavidBryce and check out "Evil Genius" and "Smoker's Blues".

[Tedster]

Tried to listen to Macle's mp3...kept getting an error that said something really stupid like "unable to load...reached end of file". I'll try again later.