check out our new song

[brinstar]

EDIT: Tune #3 finished and uploaded

tell me what you think

Comin' Home: fun as hell, we put together a sort of "percussion jamboree" to give the feeling that there were like 12 people involved in playing this song, although the fact is that there is still just the two of us:

patrick: lead vox, guitar, tambourine, banjo, shaker
alex: backup vox, drums, bass, djembe, claves (lol), shaker

there will eventually be a trumpet part played by yours truly, but the only trumpet to which we have access is corroded in the valve area and thus may require some profe$$ional work.

[Harrison]

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[Trielelvan]

That was awesome Brin! Very well done and cool song. I loved the lyrics.

I dunno if you actually wanted critique feedback, but here's what I got anywho:

(note: totally my opinion - I am not stating anything as fact, k?)
Perc was a little too pronounced in a couple areas, but I also think the addition of the bass part will round out the overall sound. Would love to hear it added in. I feel it missing.
The end part with the "Ooh ooh oohs" - they are starting/ending a little early by about half a beat to a beat and a half or so.
Lastly, end harmonization: the higher background vocals are just a bit loud - it should compliment, not overshadow the lead as is happening especially right before the finale.
Ok, that's all. Like I said - just my opinion in critique mode.

All in all, you did a bang up job, and it's a wonderful song. You guys are really good.
It's catchy. I've been sitting here playing it over and over and finding that I'm not tiring of it.
Thank you for sharing

[recks]

Guitars sound great, nice and bright. Harmonica effects were used pretty well.

Few suggestions:

Your lead vox compression/level is off.

Something about the drums is putting me off, it could be the reverb. They're definitely back in the mix which, I'm guessing was your aim, however... the snare is coming off quite tinny and the kick is very hollow when you single it out. What setup did you use during recording?

Few issues with the level of the background vox at the end.

[brinstar]

thanks for feedback guys

triel: glad you like it! the timing of the OOOH parts is intentional, they function as a step between the two guitar chords of the verse. you are right about the level of the final chorus harmony though, it should probably be backed off a notch (or four). regarding the percussion - usually when we play live, the guitar is EQ'd in such a way as to kind of cover for our lack of a bassist, and it works pretty well (so i've been told). however, for this recording we chose to EQ the guitar in a normal manner so we could sort of "reserve" a space for the bass to be added later. more on the percussion below.

recks: please elaborate on your lead vox comment, what's "off" about them? and regarding the drum sound, i think they sound tinny because (and this is embarrassing) we may not have spent enough time setting up the mics (Shure DMK57 pack, 2x Rode nt4 as OH's) and getting a good full signal from each. by the time i realized this, we were already almost done recording-- so when mixing, i had to make do with what i had, and like you said, they did come out kind of tinny and/or hollow. in the future i will definitely spend more time getting a quality signal before actually recording anything. lastly, like i told triel, i do agree the final BG vox should be backed off some.

thanks for taking the time to listen and provide comments guys, anyone else?

[recks]

Well the cymbals sounded great actually, so the OH recording / pattern was fine. Also, I love SM57's on snares, so I don't know how it ended up sounding that way, but I guess bad recording volume would do that.

RE: lead Vox. They're not compressed right, the dynamic range is still to loose and at times I can hear a fragment of distortion (monitored through sennheiser HD 25's). This however is completely my opinion, so do with it what you will.

What did you use to mix if you don't mind me asking?

edit * maybe make sure you compress plug-in isn't clipping

[Drem]

i thought it sounded fine. the drums are spot-on and the snare pops, i wouldn't change that. the ooh-oh part doesn't sound off-time whatsoever (they're timed off the snare, right?) and the lead vocals, thru my set-up, are great. i think everybody is just looking for something to critique because they're not actually doing it themselves :p

good work man, keep it up. if this were the '50s i'd buy you guys tickets to move to greenwich village

[Gypsiyee]

i think everybody is just looking for something to critique because they're not actually doing it themselves :p

I can't speak for Triel, but considering Jonathan's education is in sound engineering, I think that little jab was a little uneducated and unwarranted.

thanks for sharing, brin~ I have an untrained ear so I won't bother to comment aside from saying nicely done

[10sun]

Good work. Doesn't really mesh with my music preferences; however I couldn't find anything that sounded critically off.

[Drem]

i think everybody is just looking for something to critique because they're not actually doing it themselves :p

I can't speak for Triel, but considering Jonathan's education is in sound engineering, I think that little jab was a little uneducated and unwarranted.

thanks for sharing, brin~ I have an untrained ear so I won't bother to comment aside from saying nicely done

Sorry I don't agree with your manfriend that has the same first name as me

Just plz remember I was a music major.... I think I'm allowed to have my opinions, too

[Gypsiyee]

You don't have to agree and you're certainly allowed your opinion, but to say that they're just posting their opinions just because they don't know about any of it in a thread where opinions were specifically asked for is unreasonably snide and presumptuous.

I mean really, grats to you for knowing everything about everything all the time and damn everyone else for not understanding that, but you don't have to always come off as an elitist snob, do you? I find you a very intelligent person with a lot of substance to offer, but sometimes your constant jabs at people and insinuations that they just don't know as much as you are about as pleasant to read as hearing nails on a chalkboard.

[araby]

I like it a lot, great song! It's definitely missing the bass, which you already said. The lead's voice is gorgeous, I love that he's a bass! The way he climbs up and back down, gives the song a lot of soul, which makes me really miss hearing the bass guitar (wanna hear that deep doop-do sound.) The harmonica is a beautiful add, along with the shaker. I want to hear a tambourine in there. The drums carry all the weight for the percussion section (obviously, without the bass part) but even if you had the bass, the style of the song, time and tempo beg (imo) for something a little lighter in addition to the heavy sound of drums and bass. I can't help but hear it in my head and throw it in there to brighten the sound, especially at the end of each chorus, when the music breaks for the drum beat and then he kicks back in, right when he sings the word "little" and before "mind", I wanna hear the rattle of a tambourine. I'd probably see what it sounds like there, and during the second half of the second verse, into the second chorus, dropping off before the harmonica, maybe picking back up after the break and right at the end, just before the "oh's." Then picking back up at the end, when the harmonies come in on the "oh's". I also think the harmony should drop off after the handclaps for the last, "I pay very little mind." If you tried it and it took away from the song, of course I wouldn't keep it =)

Great lyrics, great guitar, great harmonies, though I only have one thing to mention about the "oh's"...I think they'd sound a little more cool if they were sloppier...a bit less practiced and just sung out, and recorded a bit louder. The lead vocals are concise and timed very well. I love the way he enunciates. Having the sloppier "oh's" (and by sloppy I don't mean not well done, just sung a little more carelessly) along with a possible tambourine, would add a contrast, giving a slightly bigger, more exciting build at the end. I don't know if one is more important than the other, but a song with a huge build and a song with great harmonies will make or break a song for me. I like the song, very catchy, the music is definitely something I'd listen to. Well done!

ps I listened to this several times and memorized it before I posted this.

[Tikker]

Just plz remember I was a music major.... I think I'm allowed to have my opinions, too

that doesn't actually mean you know fuck all

[recks]

i think everybody is just looking for something to critique because they're not actually doing it themselves :p

I can't speak for Triel, but considering Jonathan's education is in sound engineering, I think that little jab was a little uneducated and unwarranted.

thanks for sharing, brin~ I have an untrained ear so I won't bother to comment aside from saying nicely done

Sorry I don't agree with your manfriend that has the same first name as me

Just plz remember I was a music major.... I think I'm allowed to have my opinions, too

I think you're slightly confused. I didn't make any comments about the musical aspect of the piece, simply because the genre is not appealing to me and I wouldn't be able to offer anything helpful. I made technical comments (which to my understanding were asked for) about the mix. 2 of the comments, he in fact agreed with, and the other is simply a matter of taste, and very minor which doesn't detract to what was, a very tasteful mix.

The fact that you're insinuating that I'm critiquing him simply for the fuck of it, and because I'm "not doing it myself" is ridiculous. When I look for feedback on projects (whatever they be), I always want the person to be completely honest or else what the fuck is the point? I love how you immediately do your best to void my comments, yet have no idea what they're about. I'm not saying the vocals sound bad, I'm saying the compression isn't there... do you know the difference Mr. music major? (I assume this passes for addressing someone, since you referred to me as "Man friend")

[leah]

CAN'T WE ALL JUST GET ALONG?!

also, this song is awesome but it's even better live because of the energy pat and alex bring to it. by far their most fun song to listen to.

there was talk for a while of having our dad lay down the bass (i think he did so at a live show in our hometown?) but maybe that's not possible in the studio since he lives 1.5 hrs away and gas is uber expensive

[Evermore]

CAN'T WE ALL JUST GET ALONG?!

also, this song is awesome but it's even better live because of the energy pat and alex bring to it. by far their most fun song to listen to.

there was talk for a while of having our dad lay down the bass (i think he did so at a live show in our hometown?) but maybe that's not possible in the studio since he lives 1.5 hrs away and gas is uber expensive

It can be done.

[Drem]

I think you're slightly confused. I didn't make any comments about the musical aspect of the piece, simply because the genre is not appealing to me and I wouldn't be able to offer anything helpful. I made technical comments (which to my understanding were asked for) about the mix. 2 of the comments, he in fact agreed with, and the other is simply a matter of taste, and very minor which doesn't detract to what was, a very tasteful mix.

The fact that you're insinuating that I'm critiquing him simply for the fuck of it, and because I'm "not doing it myself" is ridiculous. When I look for feedback on projects (whatever they be), I always want the person to be completely honest or else what the fuck is the point? I love how you immediately do your best to void my comments, yet have no idea what they're about. I'm not saying the vocals sound bad, I'm saying the compression isn't there... do you know the difference Mr. music major? (I assume this passes for addressing someone, since you referred to me as "Man friend")

I think you're slightly confused. I never mentioned you. When Gypsiyee said you were a music major I said okay, so was I. Did I "void" what you said? No, but if I did could you please tell me where?

Yunno the whole reason I brought up being a music major was because we had to take sound programming courses as requirements for performance majors.... I think it's cute that you don't think I know the difference between playing and recording music (/boggle), but I don't really appreciate it. I know exactly what you're talking about and I disagree. So don't make two paragraph posts that make it out like I'm trying to call you an ignorant fuck when I never even brought up your name. Gyps said you studied engineering, like just because you did that you automatically are the total authority on it, so I kindly stated my background in it as well. And that's cool that Alex agreed on some of your points. That's why we offer our critique in the first place

I'm not out to get anybody and I'm honestly amazed when you guys respond like this to simple statements that I make out of my own personal experience. Which is usually like a bunch of a fucking morons that don't do anything that try to critique bands and friends' bands, etc... I don't know everybody on this board IRL, so don't ever expect me to know what you do until you say it publicly. Does that make sense? See it from the other side for once... nobody's out to get you

Also, sorry if "manfriend" is unheard of to you or something. I didn't realise it was actually a big deal because it's a pretty common way to call a boyfriend in jest around here....

also lol @ Tikker

[Gypsiyee]

Gyps said you studied engineering, like just because you did that you automatically are the total authority on it

Actually, I replied that his background was in engineering in response to your comment insinuating that he knows nothing of the subject. I never even slightly implied that he was the total authority on it - I specifically stated it as a response and used it as a justification to tell you that (to quote myself) your response was uneducated and unwarranted.

If your experience is just that people are a bunch of fucking morons, which I can imagine is true because a lot of people are fucking morons, I'm sorry - I brought up his background because of your implication that he was one of those fucking morons.. you should know as well as anyone else that broad stereotypes don't fit everyone and that you should at least offer the chance to someone to show themselves before you classify them in some generic and negative group.

[Drem]

Yeah, sorry, I just don't ever expect anything out of anyone til they prove it, which you did and I digressed

On a different but related subject, my life is full of people that are all talk and no game, if that gives you a little insight to my general attitude (bcz we seem to bump heads a lot)

Sorry I come off so abrasive

[araby]

CAN'T WE ALL JUST GET ALONG?!

also, this song is awesome but it's even better live because of the energy pat and alex bring to it. by far their most fun song to listen to.

there was talk for a while of having our dad lay down the bass (i think he did so at a live show in our hometown?) but maybe that's not possible in the studio since he lives 1.5 hrs away and gas is uber expensive

It can be done.

[Tossica]

I like! Nice work guys! Very professional sounding.

[brinstar]

thanks for the feedback and compliments everyone

i know we have a long road ahead, both in production skill and in performance, but hearing comments like these sure does billow the sails

the other guy set up a myspace page a while back, if anyone cares to track our progress go to http://www.myspace.com/amodernprometheus and drop a friend request. there are currently a couple other tracks up that he recorded without me before the project got off the ground.




*btw, for those who don't understand the name (which in our experience so far includes like 85% of everyone we meet): in greek mythology, Prometheus was the Titan who stole fire from Apollo's chariot and brought it to mankind so that they may prosper (read: evolve beyond retarded cavemen). Zeus, whom Prometheus had aided in the Titanomachy, punished him cruelly by chaining him to a rock in the Caucusus, where his liver is eaten every day by a great eagle (only to be regenerated due to his immortality). Zeus is an asshole imo.

Anyway, fire had a profound effect on mankind, and it is often regarded as the single greatest technological leap. fast forward millions of years to a young gal named Mary Shelley, who decided to write a freakin' awesome book titled: Frankenstein; Or, A Modern Prometheus about a scientist who pieces together from a variety of sources the secret to life itself, and inadvertently creates something at least as intelligent as himself. his contribution to the medical sciences, as he says in the book, represents such a huge leap in human understanding so as to make him "A Modern Prometheus." if you've never read the original, you really should, it's one of my all-time favorites.

booyah bitches

edit: contemporary editions of the book often leave out the subtitle, which really pisses me off ;\

[Trielelvan]

I think you're slightly confused. I never mentioned you.

... and as there were only 2 responses, it was aimed specifically at me then?

Ok.

Not that I care about your e-pissing contest, but here:

I wasn't a music major - I chose to go a different direction in college, but if you really want to get into semantics, I have composed, conducted, performed, am classically trained in opera (previously soprano, now mezzo), play 13 instruments, and have sung/recorded with a few bands in the past (all local, nothing major - just fun), and all started at the age of 6.

This adds up to exactly nothing except I love music and does not qualify me in any way to say that my opinion is worth more than anyone elses, but ask for opinions he did, and I know what *I* think sounds good/right, so I offered my 2 cents.
It's not nitpicking or "looking for something to critique."

[Gypsiyee]

Yeah, sorry, I just don't ever expect anything out of anyone til they prove it, which you did and I digressed

On a different but related subject, my life is full of people that are all talk and no game, if that gives you a little insight to my general attitude (bcz we seem to bump heads a lot)

Sorry I come off so abrasive

it's cool ~ we do seem to bump heads a lot, but I think that boils down to the simple fact that not only are we both button pushers, but we both have lots of buttons ourselves, so we egg each other on then go on the defensive.

Jonathan is probably the nicest non-confrontational person I know (unless it comes to me, then he has no problem with confrontation ><) and since I'm naturally defensive of my loved ones, it's moreso with him since he's so laid back.

I'm sorry you have such douchebaggery in your life, though, seriously. I've become quite the cynical person over the years too.. but I try (albeit often unsuccessfully) to give everyone a fair chance to make my dumbass list. 4 out of 5 times they will, but there's always that diamond in the rough

Brin - thanks for the history on your name - I actually never read Frankenstein, but I always did adore greek mythology

[brinstar]

yeah both the book itself and the creature created therein (who was never actually named) are vastly more intelligent than the various hollywood versions that have surfaced over the past 75 years. if you ever get around to reading it you will be very surprised at how different the creature is from the one in everyone's collective pop culture consciousness. there are some who say it is the very first science fiction book ever written, and i can't really argue with that claim.