I'm really old-school in my tracks, in that I rarely go beyond 10 tracks. I've put out pieces on this site with a single live track. One thing we need to consider as musicians is that our art is a performance art, and we need to be able to generate the sound we put on our CDs in a live show as well, if we intend to go gigging. Now, if you're a rapper, and can get away with simply playing a back-track on a P.A. system, then that's all good. But for guys like me that tend to specialize in folk/rock, we gotta be able to deliver the goods with real-live instruments.
I also don't do the "whole new track to fix six notes in a guitar solo" thing. At least, not very often at all. I usually try to play most of my tracks from start to finish, unless it's blatantly obvious that I can handle the playing, and am merely saving time by looping a 4-chord-progression.
The only thing I find takes a lot of tracks for me is the vocals. There's no way around it: Every voice needs its' own, individual track. That means if I've got five singers, they get a track each, which can really add up in terms of processing power, especially for vocalized chords. I am, however, making use of a Boss VE20 Vocal Processor, which can do looping, vocal alterations, FX, and even harmonies in real-time. So I can get a lot done on a single track.
You don't need lots of tracks if you can make it sound right live.
Picking people apart has its' place, sure. But the right to pick apart an aspiring artist comes along with having built up a trusting relationship with them. Sure, anyone can say shit about your appearance, but it's really only the people you know well who can bluntly tell you to put something else on.
For me, I always had a hard time singing. My parents used to straight up tell me never to sing in the presence of...anyone. And of course, if I was ever called upon to sing when they were in the room, I'd choke up and validate everything they ever said about my voice.
And then I decided I needed to put a vocal on a track on NG. And guess what? People here have liked my singing! Actually enjoyed it, and took the time to tell me so. And thus I have no problem singing for tracks here. I took that validation from the NG crew, and was recently able to perform in front of my folks without choking, and make them eat every cruel thing they ever said about my voice!
Yeah, when something is wrong in a track, pointing it out (without being a dick about it) can help the artist make better music. However, that must be tempered with some kinda praise. You can always find something likable about every piece of music, and there is a real person, who is usually trying their best to make something for YOU to enjoy, on the other end of your critique.
Be honest, but there's no need to make enemies. When people have been brutal in their reviews, even taking the time to simply write cusses directed at me, my response has not been to grow in response to their dislike of my music, but rather to write them off a nothing more than fat, pimply-faced, trolls subsisting on Mountain Dew and internet porn in their mother's basement.
Well, this is technically a song...but I voiced two characters for it and sang three parts, so I'll toss this out as a quick demo. I'm primarily a musician, but I'd love to try some voice acting!
Swing music. What can I say?
Reviewed this incredible bit of experimentation (for serious...this is genius!):
Sporadic EDM +some dub
And would like a review of this:
Hello all! I've been a NG user for several years, but I have never actually advertised anything I've put on the site...mostly my own shyness. I've been getting positive feedback after the latest NG Audio Deathmatch, and I figure that it's time to let you all know who I be!
I'm primarily an acoustic guitarist, who makes his tracks using nothing but organic, acoustic sounds.
For example, here's a Paul Simon cover I just recorded using nothing but a guitar, a soda can, and the guitar case:
Having a Paul Simon Kinda Day...
I'd compose music for you, but if you wish to retain the rights to the music, I would require you to purchase them for a fair price, reflecting the number of hours of work you wish me to put into the project.
Reviewed this bitta tasty techno (seriously, this is solid work, so check it out, all!):
A atmospheric dance track that conveys a sense of wonder and awe.
Would like a review on this, please:
Having a Paul Simon Kinda Day...
Well, despite getting KO-ed in the first round, I have to say that I met a lot of great people in this contest, and learned more about my mix in these four months than I learned in the entire time before that. This was definitely well worth the time, and I will definitely be entering next time!
See you all soon!
-Ceevro
In the meantime, I'd really like a few opinions on this...I've been working on getting my recording technique right:
Cover of the Paul Simon Classic
Ooooh! A new reviewing-type thread! I may not be able to review everything, but I'll gladly join and help out where I can!
At 11/4/14 05:36 AM, TheAudioGuy wrote: yeah um, dont forget me.
reviewed: http://www.newgrounds.com/audio/listen/591412
want a review on: http://www.newgrounds.com/audio/listen/591557
Sorry, dude! I just clicked the picture! I'll do a review on yours as soon as I can!
I'm always willing to collab with people! I'm mostly an acoustic musician, so my style doesn't fall in the usual NG mix, but gimme a little more info here - what do you have in mind? What kinda tune are you going for?
Reviewed this tasty bit 'o mixing:
Another song
Would like a review on this guy here...trying to get my acoustic mixes sounding right, so please pay special attention to whether I got my mix gooder than normal!
OK, reviewed this pleasant little ditty:
Number fifteen!
Would really like a review of this collab on a tune I wrote and now remixed in the country style:
Acoustic/Country redux of my own tune
Write your chord progression. Loop it. Play it into headphones with a live mic. Sing the first thing that comes to mind.
Songwriters often start with a mumble track, just mumbling into a mic, throwing a real word into it from time to time. Write down what you've sung, and keep revising it until it makes sense. Decide whether it sounds genuine, or forced. Chuck what doesn't work. Repeat.
The only other alternative is to get a blank sheet of paper and stare at it until blood starts dripping out of your forehead.
At 9/29/14 01:25 AM, gcalvert wrote: Yeah, I posted an ad on NG's collaborator find thing and it just got buried...but, I'm just looking for a singer. I have a song that needs a singer (it's a cover/remake of one of my old band's songs), so PM me if interested .
It's kind of a 90s unplugged alt-ish type of thing...
gimme a PM, I may be able to help.
Uh-KAY! I reviewed this nifty bit of Dubstep...
<3 DnB
And I'd like a review for this cover of a Don Ross tune...I was going for a fuller, louder mix on this, and I think I've solved my issue with volume, but also figured out how important a quiet room is. This should be my clearest track yet, even though I have some work to do on getting rid of subtle background noises...my quest for the perfect mix continues!
Remastered Version of my cover of Don Ross's tune
as I mentioned previously, I'm not an agent ;)
Well, in that case, you want me to take all the risk. Sorry, but that's not how this works. First, I'm not a bad musician, and I have been getting more paid work as a musician of late. I'd love to break into the market that you're talking about, and if you know how, then you should have no problem teaching me your secrets, and taking a cut of my success.
By refusing my offer, you have only convinced me that you have no clue at all how to get paid work, hence your lack of confidence in this system that you're trying to sell.
BTW, for the rest of you reading this thread: You know how I can get paid work composing for games/films/ads/corporate projects? You all know what my level of musical skill is, and you know what my rate of output is. Anyone else willing to take me up on that offer? Show me how to gain a paying market, and you'll get 30% of what I make, for one year (a reasonable period of mentorship, I think). Who here is a real mentor? I need one.
Tell ya what, since you're promising paid projects, and seem confident of success, how's this offer: You teach me your course, and I'll give you 30% of what I make from my music for the duration of the course. If what you're teaching works, you stand to make more money that way than a 'small fee' up front, and I stand to make a good deal more than I'm making as a songwriter. It's win-win!
You in?
You're free to use anything I've put out thus far...this seems to be the most positively reviewed piece I've made yet, keeping in mind that, while there's no profanity per se, the subject matter is, in fact, Tim's Mom:
Swing music. What can I say?
You can count on ol' Ceevro to bring the funny! And if ANYONE knows everything there is to know about piss-poor mixing, it's THIS GUY!!!
So...I finally got to hear something of Step's, and I was duly impressed. Step knows theatrics!
A remake of my old track The Festival. (2:26)
And I would like a review on something a little different, a cover of an old Cohen song (apologies for the talking...this was on request from a family member) done on a single track, live. I really pushed my voice as hard as I could on this one. Also, the mix is still a little on the quiet side, but this will be the last time I have to apologize for it, as I've finally learned at TRICK...which shall be employed in all future projects.
Cover of the Leonard Cohen classic
For me, the thing that inevitably makes me most miserable as an artist is taking myself seriously. That's why most of my songs are jokes, or at least contain something humorous in them. You can't laugh at me if I'm already laughing at myself!
Thanks! I'm finding that GB is a wonderful and intuitive program for acoustic recording, though it doesn't do quite as well with electronic-type stuff.
Well, you just precluded me ever wanting to work with you. You want someone to work for free for you? And you feel that you get to call them douchebags for asking for payment for hours of work, thousands of dollars of equipment, and years and years of practise? Look, if you can't afford to pay, then your response should be, 'Sorry, but I can offer nothing more than potential royalties for this project, is anyone still willing to work for me, believing on blind faith that the money will come?' and not to insult people who have busted their asses perfecting their craft.
What's my experience with freebies been? Handed out permission to two YouTubers to use a song of mine each, with the request that they link me to the finished product to add to my portfolio. Can't contact them in any way now. Never got links. Wrote intro and background themes for two animators for free. After putting in a 12-hour-day recording music to the specs they wanted, they complained, and told me it didn't sound like (Song X) and I should make it sound exactly like that. I told them they should contact (Writer of Song X) and purchase the royalties to use (Song X) then. They said they didn't want to pay royalties to the person who actually wrote the song they wanted.
Meanwhile, a company approached me, asking for bumper music for their corporate presentations. They offered to pay me up front. Upon completion, they asked if it was possible to make a shortened version for transitions, which I easily did for them. Check came, project was used, and is still used today.
I have never had a successful "free" collaboration. The people who want to screw me out of money invariably screw me again, just as soon as they can. If you're doing something for fun, have at it. If you want me to work, then it's paid work. And if you don't like that, you'll find that the only artists who will work with you are the complete amateurs who do not know any better.
So...um...I started mixing music years ago with FL, but have since aquired a Mac, and have been using Garageband for all my recording/mixing needs (it came with the 'puter, so why pay for another program, I figure). Anyone else have experience with GB?
And your stuff is simply superior quality, Soundchris!
Malcolm Gladwell did a bit on the commonly used musical ratings system used by the actual music industry, which is pretty much identical to the one used on NG. He found that:
-Most people who rate music negatively listen for under 5 seconds.
-The factors that affect rating the most are loudness and recognizability (play them a song they already like, louder than the other songs they are listening to).
-Nothing with a rating under 3.5 will ever receive radio play.
...Which all explains why ALL the music on the radio is over-compressed, and sounds exactly the same. If this ratings system had been in place earlier, Bohemian Rhapsody would have been buried.
There IS, however, one quick and easy change that NG could impliment to fix the 0-bomb problem - Don't let people rate anything they have not viewed in it's entirety. Disable the button if parts of the song are skipped, or if it has not finished playing. This will prevent 13-year-old dickheads looking for free Slipknot from 0-bombing 50 songs in 5 minutes because they don't sound exactly like what their very limited musical knowledge tells them is the only sound worth hearing, and force them to either move on silently, or spend a few minutes with a song before deciding if it's any good.
I would like to see that one thing change.
OK, I decided what I would like reviewed. I recorded this song before I had a decent mic, and am thinking of redoing it, so I'd like a review on the structure/instrumentation/song itself, and not so much on the recording, because I already know it needs to be redone:
Maybe the best song I've ever written. About cheese.
Reviewed this:
Another synthetics song. More upbeat than usual.
Reserving a review for future use.
Reviewed this pretty solid concept work:
metal song
And, after receiving nothing but a single cuss-word review, I hope someone can take the time to give me a real review on this:
80's Soft Rock
Select between 5 monster racers, upgrade your monster skill and win the competition!
4.18 / 5.00 3,534 Views
Build most powerful forces, unleash hordes of monster and control your soldiers!
3.80 / 5.00 4,200 Views
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