My first complete (?) song ever recorded at home

[Jon Tore]

A few of you might a little while back have heard the live performance I did of a thing I made. Now me and the same guys have recorded this as professionally as we could here at home, with many long days of recording, perfecting and mixing. Quite a bit is changed for the better and I'd say this is "first edition" of this song, which will most definitely appear in some way or another in my first album, when that time comes.

The genre would be something between progrock/jazz to those who are interested (royster you might want to check this out since you liked the live thing).

Any feedback would be nice, since this is pretty much what I live for

Here it is

EDIT: Might be better quality here: Amnesic Ostrich on Myspace Music - Free Streaming MP3s, Pictures & Music Downloads
SECOND EDIT: Actually no, the quality was at least as bad (if not worse) on myspace..

[seeds]

Originally Posted by Jon Tore

Any feedback would be nice, since this is pretty much what I live for

Here it is

Hi Jon,

I used to engineer in a small 16 track analog studio that I owned and operated out of my home back in the 80s and 90s.

You have achieved an excellent mix on the instruments, very clean and professional sounding. Very nice playing also. Congratulations!

I look forward to hearing more.


seeds

____________

[Canadian]

Very good!

[royster]

Some nice touches. I like clavenet. Nice variety on the keyboards. You guys got a lot tighter. For a home recording it's coming through pretty well...I put some power to my computer speakers and really enjoyed it.

Heard the drummer do a "Rush" flourish...he's doing great with that...and his accents are spot-on. WONDERFUL control on the changes...you guys sound like a precision road-rally!

Of course the stage recording of this didn't have the practice OR the sound quality.

The only cirical comment is that you were burying the needle on a couple guitar riffs, but since you don't have a sound engineer, you probably couldn't avoid it.

On a scale of 1 - 10 I'd say a 9, and only becuase I'm a bastard.

Loved it. Two thumbs up.


It's important for me to say to you that, although certain sounds prompt thoughts of other musicians, there is definitealy your own signature. ANY musician wants to know that. It's emerging quite nicely.

[royster]

One more thing and it's a personal favor:


it's "old avatar week"; please....the horned viking hat?

[Wax Frog]

jazz? *gulp*

I promise to listen sometime when I'm more alert...

[royster]

Originally Posted by royster

One more thing and it's a personal favor:


it's "old avatar week"; please....the horned viking hat?

I owe ya one!!

[Jon Tore]

Originally Posted by seeds

Hi Jon,

I used to engineer in a small 16 track analog studio that I owned and operated out of my home back in the 80s and 90s.

You have achieved an excellent mix on the instruments, very clean and professional sounding. Very nice playing also. Congratulations!

I look forward to hearing more.


seeds

____________

Thanks a lot worked a good while on the mix, and I think I even need to lower the guitar at some places now that I listen through it again.

Originally Posted by royster

Some nice touches. I like clavenet. Nice variety on the keyboards. You guys got a lot tighter. For a home recording it's coming through pretty well...I put some power to my computer speakers and really enjoyed it.

Heard the drummer do a "Rush" flourish...he's doing great with that...and his accents are spot-on. WONDERFUL control on the changes...you guys sound like a precision road-rally!

Of course the stage recording of this didn't have the practice OR the sound quality.

The only cirical comment is that you were burying the needle on a couple guitar riffs, but since you don't have a sound engineer, you probably couldn't avoid it.

On a scale of 1 - 10 I'd say a 9, and only becuase I'm a bastard.

Loved it. Two thumbs up.


It's important for me to say to you that, although certain sounds prompt thoughts of other musicians, there is definitealy your own signature. ANY musician wants to know that. It's emerging quite nicely.

Aaaah, great feedback
To anyone who misunderstands by the way: We didn't record all instruments at once. That would require a lot more training and even devices. We'd need a headphone amp and enough isolated headsets to be able to play together, and do a very very tight and perfect base for the track. This is my ideal though, for the future, but here the drums and bass played together (line in). Then we decided to redo the bass track with the bass player's Mark bass amp and we got a result many times better. The rest of the instruments were recorded seperately as well, and with quite a lot of correction here and there to get some of the slight off-timings and messed up sounding sounds corrected.

Good that you turned up your speakers a bit, this tends to sound very tame until you get some power (granted that your speakers are good). Clavinet is a dear instrument to me too I'm very satisfied with the sound quality (which might be slightly messed up in the link.. check OP for new link).

Really appreciate your feedback (but could you refer to which guitar riffs buried the needle or what you meant? )

[royster]

"Bury the needle" means the gauge for recording level is in the red zone. It causes unwanted distortion. You've already addressed this in your post.

Indeed, when you get to record digitally (which I know nothing about) it will be a VERY clean sound.

Jon, I really do love your type of fussion and hope many satisfying experiences for you. I find that fussion jazz really takes a lot of open-hearted spirit to accomplish, and then to adhere to sudden changes and such takes much self-control. You do a great job of this.

While many do not understand what it takes to make those unexpected sharp turns, stops-then-go-different, those who do appreciate when it is done well. People tend to not like what they don't understand, instead of listening with an open heart and mind. So be it, I guess.

[Jon Tore]

Originally Posted by royster

"Bury the needle" means the gauge for recording level is in the red zone. It causes unwanted distortion. You've already addressed this in your post.

Indeed, when you get to record digitally (which I know nothing about) it will be a VERY clean sound.

Jon, I really do love your type of fussion and hope many satisfying experiences for you. I find that fussion jazz really takes a lot of open-hearted spirit to accomplish, and then to adhere to sudden changes and such takes much self-control. You do a great job of this.

While many do not understand what it takes to make those unexpected sharp turns, stops-then-go-different, those who do appreciate when it is done well. People tend to not like what they don't understand, instead of listening with an open heart and mind. So be it, I guess.

Thanks again, it's really awesome and inspiring to get such feedback from someone who obviously understands what I'm doing Makes me want to get more stuff finished.

I prefer recording with a microphone next to the amp rather than digitally, when the guitar doesn't need any very special sound or effect. That's what I did here, it's more old school in a way, and it adds something to the sound that doesn't come the same way in digital recording.

As far as I can hear it doesn't go much into the red, I can't hear any distortion or clicks. Some places I mistook some strange snare doublehits for a microphone "click" but it wasn't the case.

Anyway, I really wish to show more stuff, but I'm a perfectionist and the next things I show will probably not be finished by far.. Back to composing

[royster]

I'm a perfectionist and the next things I show will probably not be finished by far..

I would encourage you to produce a few good works over time, than to hurry and manufacture a bunch of crap.

You can cook delicious lasagne by taking the hours required,
or go to McDonald's and quick-fix.

You're going places, Jon! And NOT McDonald's!

[royster]

I have two reel-to-reel recorders with multi-tracking. This studio configuration is new, and because of winter, I have not been able to do much in production. But you're a real (REEL!) inspiration for me to get my own act together, come Spring.

The keyboard is on a slide-out platform. It's a great set-up, and my own design. (I built it myself). It's a multi-media studio to accomodate recording, video production, and painting-drawing. The drawing board is folded down to fit the cot I sleep on because right now, I have to sleep/live in this room to conserve heat. The cat seems to appreciate this. (He is going to be included in my videos..."Duuuuude: I am SOOOO going to pee in your shoes!")

Back to JON'S story...didn't mean to highjack the thread.

[royster]

My cat is not like the villian cat from your video, by the way...which I suggest you post here. There's no reason this can't be "Jon's talented stuff thread".

[Jon Tore]

Originally Posted by royster

I would encourage you to produce a few good works over time, than to hurry and manufacture a bunch of crap.

Yeah, exactly. This is very important.

Originally Posted by royster

I have two reel-to-reel recorders with multi-tracking. This studio configuration is new, and because of winter, I have not been able to do much in production. But you're a real (REEL!) inspiration for me to get my own act together, come Spring.

The keyboard is on a slide-out platform. It's a great set-up, and my own design. (I built it myself). It's a multi-media studio to accomodate recording, video production, and painting-drawing. The drawing board is folded down to fit the cot I sleep on because right now, I have to sleep/live in this room to conserve heat. The cat seems to appreciate this. (He is going to be included in my videos..."Duuuuude: I am SOOOO going to pee in your shoes!")

Back to JON'S story...didn't mean to highjack the thread.

You didn't hijack the thread at all! That's really cool, building your own solutions to stuff. My room is a mess of cables, microphone stands that I use quite often, an amp, a keyboard, an classical guitar and my Gibson guitar, guitar bags, decent head sets.. It's not a very huge room, and here are lots of stuff that are just temporarily lying around, and almost everything has the habit of requiring a cable. The next room, here on the top floor is filled with a drum set, some more microphone stands and thus more cables. I think if I ever build my own studio, I'll have to come up with clever solutions to all this cable mess, they're the number one thing that stresses me out when settings things up, or just.. moving through the room.. or when I have to vacuum clean the place.

Originally Posted by royster

My cat is not like the villian cat from your video, by the way...which I suggest you post here. There's no reason this can't be "Jon's talented stuff thread".

Haha, alright I can post it
I'm sure I've done it before, which may be the reason why you're aware of that video, but I'll just say it shortly again. It was made with 2 friends, it's not the sort of music I identify with myself, but it's just classic rock stuff with an experimental vibe along to hero-shots of my friend who's also singing. (Is anyone else than Royster actually reading this? ) PS: Not produced with my new recording gear, done with a camera recorder which limits the quality on the drums blablabla) And I played 98% of everything

YouTube - Leetcat - Johan Figglebrat

[Jon Tore]

It would also be great to hear if you record anything as well. Looking forward to hear, if you do

[royster]

It will take a while before I have capacity to download stuff to the internet. I wish I could. Someday I will.



And "someday" DOES eventually arrive.