Zoom Gear & Home Recording Forum

Guitar, bass and dodgy vocals. A bit unpolished-sounding, especially the vocals, but the rawness and imperfections kind of appeal to me since I’m usually such an obsessive for micro editing. I never seem to be able to capture a good bass tone though. Probably not one that will appeal to the masses but it’s an honest song.

It’s loosely based on the Glasgow coat of arms motto.

Mix 2 with some of the vocal double tracking removed.

The Other Side of Your Dreams


P

I thought the guitars and the general tone were very good. I thought some of the doubled vocals would have sounded better with a single, like the first few lines. Master volume was a bit high. But all around, very nice!

Disagree..they sound amazing. Quite CSNY-ish..also disagree...another disagree! Sounds soo clear....hey, I need a disagreeing, headshaking emotican!
Love the guitars in this...your playing is so relaxed and perfect. Nice tones and reverb. I consistently impressed and pleased with your work, Pete. So beautiful...ALWAYS!!

Unnecessarily modest again Pete

Lovely light touch on the guitars and the vocals are probably only rough by your standards. Most of us would love to be able to deliver vocals that smooth.

Somewhat melancholic but a very pleasant listen.

Cheers

Dick

I really dig the ambiance; the track is reverbed super nicely.

Bass sounds dandy to me. Subdued and mellow. Guitars are pretty as well, nice wetness.

I can really hear the conviction in your voice on this one. Actually, I'd like to hear it without all the doubles & harmonies. Not that they sound bad; but I totally get that honest vibe when you sing solo; and it kinda drops when the doubles come in & out. Just my ears.

Ending vocal line is supremo. Conviction!

Nice.
Thanks!
Matty

gwood
Cheers Gary, since it was so bare I used the vocals as alternate instrumentation. On top of that the main vocal needed some thickening with more in tune bits. The main track is guitar and vocal done as one so no editing of either was possible, but it’s easier to catch a mood that way. That’s my excuse. Thanks.

surfercook
Ha ha, we’ll agree to disagree then. The best thing about this song was that it kept me off the streets last Saturday night. Thanks for the positive comments.

dickl
Not really modest. I feel it’s a bit tired sounding, showing me age. Actually, the motto is based based on some miracles supposedly performed by the patron saint of Glasgow. But I put my own positive melancholy spin onto the words. Thanks for listening.

msb3671
Thanks for the thumbs up Matty. As I said to Gary, the best take I got was still a bit flawed so I thickened the vocals to shore them up with more in tune double takes, here and there. I feel my best recordings come when I play and sing at the same time. But that means no editing of the guitar and main vocal. It’s a bit long too, for what it is, so the I imagined the extra vocals would add to the sparse instrumentation. Cheers,

Pete, you little commie/Marxist, I think this is great. I really like the quality of the guitars. Very delicate and clear. Yeah, you could have spent a ton more time on the vocals doing a bunch of retakes and getting them tighter, but I agree, sometimes a loose feel doesn't really interfere with the feelings anemotion you are putting out in the song. I think you were able to impart the very emotion to others that you were going for, so the technical vocal stuff really didn't detract from that for me. Good job, nice sound and feeling.

Jeff

Excellent....the multi guitar parts sound fantastic on my speaks and the vocal is great...the harmonies/double vocals sound great IMHO I don't understand the (slightly) negative comments about those

It works as is but I wonder if the ending would have sounded better with the guitars coming back in on 'seeeemmmmms' right at the end of the song?.....just a thought/feeling though, as I said it works as is!

Another stellar song and performance

I think your vocals sound just fine. Sure, you could have spent more time on this, but I like it regardless. Bass tone sounds fine to me too and you come up with some coolish lines there. I'm not sure what you're yakkin' 'boot, but this is just fine. The song is not a real departure for you on the whole, but you always seem to make a good recording and do a real good job even when you think it's less than stellar. Successive listens get better and better and that's always a good sign for a song.

I know nothing about the Glasgow coat of arms motto, but I like the song. The acoustic is beautiful. Creative songwriting and nice singing voice. I've seriously limited myself to few genres throughout life (bad thing) so I don't know how to make a comparison honestly. I guess this forum is as good a place if any to get familiar with some new styles of music. Good Job.

JD

Hi Pete...a lovely sound stage you have created here...I don't mind the bass sound at all...wonderful panned acoustics....and you 'nearly' got me emotional...ha ha! The lyrics have good content, even if you feel you think the vocals are dodgy, I enjoyed them....Great job my Scottish bro!....sideshow bob

Nice!
Reminds me of bands from the 70's , especially "mamas & papas" ,and "the byrds".
(take this as a compliment, I was a big fan of their music)

Your guitar sounds like a 12 string on my mobile phone.
Very clear, beautiful.

Nice song as usual Pete, it still amazes me what a great sound you get with your stand-alone recorder, that's something I could never do when I had the HD8.....Guitar sounds are superb IMHO, perfectly balanced tone, just simply great. I wish I could get sounds this good, as consistently as you do....
I personally don't think there's anything at all wrong with the vocals on this, they fit the song really well, & are just as good as the guitar sounds.......
Nothing wrong with the bass either, at all.... Nice round tone that balances the whole mix.......

Super job Pete, I know I've said this over & over, but I think your songs should be a benchmark for all us home recorders, as your songs, sounds, tones, etc., are all very consistent, & all very good.....

Dodgy vocals??

This is beautiful, but I always say that about your songs. There's a very calming quality to your stuff; putting my headphones on for this was like sticking my head into a small room with Buddhist monks who are meditating.

I really like that complete stop at around 2:00. and also the way you held out that high note at the end of the verses.

The only thing that was a bit jarring was your B string; it clanks and generally makes that typical B sting noise...only a bit too much, to my ear. If your acoustic is getting on in years, you might need to refret the first three or four. I'll bet you have a nice little divot in the fret under the B string.

But........it didn't detract from a beautiful song.

Bit slow on my end lads. Sorry. On a short bike tour to Northern Germany, in the snow, as it turns out. It was glorious spring last week. I got a wi-fi connect to my tablet. Excse ony taipoos

guitarjeff
Thanks Jeff, it's playoff between looking for perfection and perhaps sterilizing it, or accepting it as. On the communist front, as I write this, I'm in a hotel in northern Germany overlooking the Baltic. I can the lights on a faraway coast that used to be the old East Germany. When I first came to Scandinavia you could see the northern limits of the East-West divide with watch towers, armed guards and so on.

Tony J
Cheers Tony. I actually did have some guitar at the very end, but it was a poor fit. The vocals were added as an afterthought. I quite like the a cappella sound. So I took out the last guitar flourish. You're too gracious.

Here Comes The Sungodv
Why thanks Steve. No, I don't do a lot of departures. The vocals sound partly out of tune to my ears. It all sounds better in hi-fi or on good headphones but on small speakers it's poor. That disappointed me because they are a good test of a mix that works. I left it 24 hours then went back. It was touch and go whether to delete the whole thing from the recorder. I've accepted it as a final demo, so I'm more than chuffed that you approve.

Doing this in two posts so as not to lose my feedback. I'm on a flickering w-fi.

jdeyebrows
Thanks JD. You are lucky if you can do several genres. I wish I could. I struggle with one. This is very non-processed, it's basically a live demo, with a few extra tracks. Thanks for your kind words and well done joining in the community spirit, makes this place much more fun. Cheers.

Bobfish
Too kind Bob. Nearly emotional? I think I know what you mean. Thanks for the thumbs up, although from where you are sitting it actually looks like a thumbs down!

Guitar Fan
I've always wanted a 12-string. But I doubt if I could tune one or ever manage to change the strings Glad it's clear on iPhone. SoundClick is a bit temperamental on my iPod. Depends if there's a download button on whether song will play or not. Merci.

Minerman
Far too kind James. No one really mentioned clarity too much but I actually recorded this at the 24-bit setting on the AW1600. First time ever. It limits you to 8 tracks instead of 16. But should have more audio definition (you'd think). I'm not entirely sure I hear any more clarity. And once it's mashed into an MP3 ... ? I think consistency is easier when you limit yorself to one style and use a consistent recrding technique. This is just 7 tracks and one send effect. How many tacks were on your last one? Probably more, and a greater challenge. (James, isn't your second name Bryson? So there are now two on the forum?)

Topo
What lovely words Howard. There's a calmness in simplicity. The B string: Could be that the acoustic is capoed at the 7th fret on all three tracks. I have a brass capo but it may not have sat right. There are no fret grooves on my fretboard there. I also tend to pick the B string harder. Bad habit (just like those monks) that could give some metallic resonance.

P

To be honest Pete, I can't hear a lot of difference in 16 vs 24 bit with my stuff, but with some folks' I can. You're right about the mp3 thing too, it does take a little something away, but I always render at 320kb for my SC uploads (Reverbnation will only allow me 192kb.....).....

I think the real advantage of recording at 24 bit is you have a little more headroom before clipping, but I'm probably wrong......

IIRC, the last new song (not the re-makes I've been doing) had about 40 tracks or so, & while it is a bit of a challenge to get 'em all to "sit", having less tracks could be more difficult too, there's nothing for 'em to hide behind.....

Super job Pete, as usual......