Hi guys, it’s already available my new song “Son of Rock”, a tune of classic good old Hard Rock for you to enjoy. And, of course, made entirely with our favourite open source DAW. It features a collaboration in backing vocals by our friend the one and only Peter Zenk. Do you remember Ringo shouting “i have blisters in my fingers” at the end of “Helter Skelter”? Well, there’s something similar here. Apart from that, he really helped me so much sending different timbres for the back vocals, so I could blend them with my own vocals and my wife’s producing a sensation of crowdy Rock Anthem in the final part of the song. Thanks mate.
You can check it out chosing your favourite platform:
Constructive criticism is welcome. Don’t worry, I have no ego problems. After all, we’re just amateurs and willing to improve and learn ways to fix problems.
RAWK! Nice production! Muscular drums, crunchy guitar whomp and hot licks and then that out of the blue chorus bridge thingie… didn’t see that coming!
On the constructive side I’d like a bit more ‘air’ ie more definition of cymbals and vocal clarity which would make the lyrics more intelligible. You’ve got a lot of power, the bottom end is tight I could bask in the guitar sounds but the top end needs more transparency (even with my moderate tinnitus taken into consideration…). I recognize this because it’s something I struggle with in my own mixes and it’s hard to define, it’s not just adding treble frequencies.
I have found this Plugin (warning: Windows alert) has an uncanny ability to do exactly what I’m talking about, I simply EQ things how I would normally and then drop this sucker on the Master Bus after EQ but before any compression/limiting. If you don’t do Windows or ‘yabridging’ then I don’t really know of a pure Linux alternative…
Thanks for the feedback. I have listened to my track trying to notice that lack of clarity in the top end. Yes, maybe the cymbals in the marked hits of the Chorus should be more powerfull, you know, accompanying the words “… son… of… rock…” I was concerned about not to end with a harsh and piercing top end, so maybe I was a little conservative in that point. Relating the voice, I used a dynamic mic, a SM57, aiming to achieve a more midrangy, raw sound, if you know what I mean, more agressive vocals, so to speak. And about intelligibility it has a more difficult solution, because of my accent. I’m spanish, although for me the languaje of rock is english, and that’s why I write the songs in english. It sounds more natural for me, like sounds more natural the italian for opera, or the spanish for flamenco music. When i was writing this song I had in mind the voice of Paul Rodgers, but unfortunately he was not available at the time. Ha ha
I also noticed, that the drums could use a little EQ high shelf boost, or something like that (especially at the beginning).
You really nailed the guitar sound. To me it feels absolutely perfect for this song, dude.
Could you please share some insights about how you achieved it?
Hi just to be clear I wasn’t meaning anything about an accent or pronunciation, you do a phenomenal job of singing in English especially when it is not your native language! I simply meant some high end air would make the vocals a little crisper and easier to hear clearly.
Ha, ha, I misundernstood you. I’m always worried about my pronunciation, and recording I’m more focused in the feeling and musicality of my performance, therefore I can miss out the part of being clearly understandable. Sometimes is a pain in the ass for me, specially writing the lyrics looking for phrases that sound natural to a native speaker. Anyway, in this case I used the dynamic mic, although I usually chose the L.D. condenser for vocals. I did use a high self in the track but maybe it was not enough. Thanks
Thank you. Actually I used a high self boost in the overheads and hi-hats tracks, but I think maybe I would’be push up the levels a little more, specially the OH. It’s always difficult for me to achieve the right balance, and there’s no perfect result. It comes to a point that you have to decide that is enough tweaking, and the mix is done. Otherwise the process would last forever. And there are more songs to be recorded waiting in the line. And more things to do in the life, as well. However, I take note of all the advice, mates.
About the guitar sound, I’m really happy that you guys like it. It was from the beginning one of the goals, to achieve a beefy, powerful sound, but with clarity and definition. Lately I’m more focused in the recording part of the production, and less in the mixing. I think is the point, to take time in getting the sound you want, and recording it rightly. For the rhythm guitars I used my LP bridge PU cranked to 10, tone at 8 I guess, into my BOSS GT10 multieffects unit and then to my Laney Combo send-return input. This way I bypass all the preamp and power amp section of the Amp, using only the speaker which is a nice one, a 12 inch Celestion cone. So I use no hardware pedals and preamps, is just the modelling of my GT10 doing the job, emulating a Marshall Plexi via an emulated overdrive pedal. I used the classic SM57 for capturing the sound and recorded it with no ado processing throught my interface to the Ardour track. Almost no processing in the mixing, just some EQ, and a touch of Chorus in the calmest parts in the Pre-Chorus. Btw, this parts where played changing the pick up selector to the neck PU in the arpegios and switching back to the bridge PU in the downstrokes of the power chords. Trying to give a different taste in the same performance, with the same guitar and same amp configuration, just changing the pick up selection and the tone and volume control of the guitar, and of course, the attack of the pick and all this nuances, you know. What else, ah, the left guitar was recorded with a different overdrive than the right, one with a Tube Screamer and the other with a Boss OD1 (rather the modelling of these pedals), giving that subtle difference in the stereo image. Well, I have to go back to work now, my boss is watching me suspiciously, ha, ha. With more time I could give you more details. Cheers
I don’t know man, I only know that this way works for me. It’s not a pedal is a multieffect pedalboard BOSS GT10. I don’t know much about technic stuff, I twik the settings of the OD and the Preamp section of the GT10 and adjust the overall output level of the thing. And it has balls enough to move that cone, ha, ha.
Thank you. Curiously, I would never guessed that recall. That song I think is much more intimate, with no drums, it has a lot of vocal harmonies, while mine haven’t. Nonetheless, I respect your remark. My goal was something more kinda “Goog loving gone bad” by Bad Company.
Don’t worry man. Is just that I’ve never thought in that comparison. But it’s ok. If you are comparing my song with that legendary acoustic riff of “More than a feeling”, it gives me goosebumps. Right now my feet don’t touch the floor I don’t deserve so much. Thank you very very much.
I just realized that I’ve made a big mistake. I was confusing myself. I don’t know why, when you said “More than a feeling” I was thinking in “More than words” Quite a difference. I have messed up things.
I don’t deserve so much. Thank you very very much.