OK Larry - taken you at your word and have put a bassvox track up. No clicks on your last mix, I guess I should have used and earlier version but starts at zero so timing should not be a problem. Now I’ll just sit back and see what you mob think. If it doesn’t fit with your voices, no problem
Netgrass Collaboration #2
Hello? hello? Where is everybody?
Geoff, I’m not the harmony expert (obviously) but I think your vocals sound good. I just re-recorded my vocals (again). I think they get incrementally better each time.
I’m still hopeful Ben is able to join us for this project, but it seems like maybe not the best time for him, so I tried my hand at a dobro break. I’m not sure it’s up to snuff, and I’ll gladly yank it if Ben can join us, or if someone else has a break they would like to try.
It’s kind of looking like Ron is busy with his new job, too. He hasn’t been around lately. Did you say you have a guitar break ready, Mike?
http://www.kompoz.com/compose-collaborate/home.track.project?trackId=213046&projectId=33855
Larry, nice Dobro! That’s pretty sweet. Ozzie, nice job on the additional vocal part. I think it adds nicely to it. Larry, I did have a “half” break I worked out. I can send you what I have if you wanted to record it. I made a quick recording to see if it fit, but I haven’t worked on it beyond that. Other things have gotten bumped up in priority.
Larry, mix 8 sounds good, harmonies are there now.
Guess I owe you an apology Mike as it doesn’t sound like it was you after all but something else going on…guess I am not use to hearing Falsetto used much except for in Monte Python shows when they are trying to emulate a female voice in their acting parts. 
Mike if you are having a problem finishing the guitar break them I can probably come up with an ending for you if needed, then you can play it.
Jesse
Yeah, I was the one screwing up the harmony, and I still don’t have it quite right. At least I’m trying to sing the right notes now, I’m just not hitting all of them.
Tabbing out all the parts was interesting. Harmony singing has always been kind of a mystery to me. I’d just search around and hope I found the right notes - which obviously doesn’t happen too often. But tabbing it out reduces it to a mathematical equation. No more guess work.
Thanks for the offer Jesse, but I just have other things needing my attention and I won’t be able to do it. By “half” break, I meant one half of the two split breaks.
Larry, you weren’t screwing anything up. It is neat tabbing things out, but it’s still sometimes hard to sing it once you have a plan. I have a neighbor who is a harmony machine. She is so effortless on harmony, I don’t think she can sing a lead part if she tried. I think that’s something some people just have a knack for. The rest of us have to grunt through.
worked this am then took an after lunch nap. Woke up & listened a bit.
Bari jumped onto the lead note in a few spots (Last phrase of CH) but getting much better. Weird singing that close underneath isn’t it?
some of the timing is off on the words on a couple parts too but nothing earth shattering.
To my own personal taste I’d leave this song 3 part, but ozi did cut nice track and has an excellent bass voice so it’s in from my from my section of the bleachers.
Are we using the 1st or second version of the mando? I was planning on cleaning out some tracks but will leave them both if I should.
Mandolin version 2 is the current track.
Kind words, Dave, but if you all decide the mix is better as 3 part I’m not precious about it being dropped. I would class myself as a baritone and I tried the bass part as an experiment to see how it would come out.
I recorded myself a few days ago with one my own songs for the first time and was very depressed on listening back to it - in fact I called a friend who has done some recording and he reassured me that most recorded raw vocals sound crappy until effects such as reverb are dropped onto it. So I decided to risk putting the raw bass vox up on the site.
The good thing is the positive feedback from you guys has given me back a bit of confidence about my voice to go on with my own stuff.
I remember how disappointed I was the first time I recorded myself, too. Not just vocals, but guitar. A raw recording is just that …raw. A dry recorded signal doesn’t have those nice room acoustics we’re used to hearing. If that was your first attempt at recording, I think you did pretty good, ozi.
Since I didn’t get much feedback on my dobro, I assume you are all awestruck and speechless at my virtuosity. Personally, I think it has potential, but it didn’t record like I’d expected. It sounds very reverby ( even though there is no reverb added and I was miked really close to the resonator). It also seems like the ringing notes and transient noises are more prominent in the recording than they are live, but I think that is probably caused by the same root issue.
I haven’t recorded dobro very much, but previously I’d used my SM57 instead of the condensor mic I used this time. I’m not sure if that’s the solution, or if miking further from the resonator would make a bigger difference.
Again, if I can’t get it to work, I’ve got no problem with removing it, but we’ve got to figure out what we’re doing with those last breaks.
Hey Larry, I did like the dobro (and I think I previously gave it props, my apologies if I didn’t). It does sustain more than some recordings I have heard. I think you are right, it seems that a sensitive condenser being close could account for that. I’d try backing way out and seeing what you get. You’ll get more ambient noise and room effect, but I think some of the sustained notes will be less prevalent.
You did comment on my dobro, Mike. Thanks. I think I’ll try a few different re-records this afternoon. Move the mic around and switch between my two mics. Maybe I can get a good take, but if not, at least I’ll get in some practice on my neglected dobro.
might try micing at one of the shoulders instead of the resonator.
I noticed the string noise and the fact that it is cranked way off to the side more than I did any over sustain or unwanted frequencies. It fit s the song well, I think you should cover the intro with it as well.
Might want to take banjo out of intro and down a bit in the chorous parts to clean things up a bit.
The ending is sounding full enough to me with the mando and banjo doubled up. that would finish the song except for the other guitar break.
Aren’t you working up a fiddle track, Dave?
I have the dobro panned, but it’s the same amount as the mandolin and banjo. I think it’s more noticable because the dobro just drops in from out of nowhere whereas the mando and banjo are there for the entire song.
In general, do you guys think the lead intrument should alway be centered? When I’m mixing, I sometimes close my eyes, imagine the sound eminating from a stage, and pick out where each instrument is (the mando player sounds like he’s off to the right, the banjo player to the left, etc). When I do that, it is disconcerting to have an instrument suddenly make a jump to the center, but on the other hand having the most prominent instrument balanced in the center seems to make sense.
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In general, do you guys think the lead instrument should always be centered?
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Not always. However, from my general recollection, that is what is most commonly done. Sometimes, moving the instrument as it comes into lead to center can sound kind of like someone moving to center stage for their break. That’s what I tried to do with your mando break in the most mix recent version I uploaded (start listening around 1:20). Was it a good effect? That’s subjective, but it didn’t sound gimmicky to me and it accomplished what I wanted. Sometimes, there is a natural break in playing that allows the instrument to move immediately without making it sound disjointed. If you were trying to get the “people standing around a couple mics” sound, then I think I’d be inclined to consider leaving it where it was on the soundstage. On the flip side, where you have something like Jesse’s break which was an additional guitar overlaid and the rhythm guitar continuing, I’d just start the lead in center and leave it there until the break was complete.
No such thing as always here, but in this style of music and recording I would have the leads very close to center if not there. I’m not big on overusing panning to try to prove to someone they own stereo equipment; I’m sure they already know…
As cutting a fiddle track, I can but I don’t think it’s needed. the resophonic guitar does the same job of smoothing out the sound probably better than my tinny/scratchy fiddle would.
Cool! Thanks for your ideas, guys.
I think I found an elegant and simple way to wrap up this song. See what you think.
http://www.kompoz.com/compose-collaborate/home.track.project?trackId=213257&projectId=33855
hmm…good idea but I’m missing the slider guitar now. I can see cutting the first break down to mandolin, but it would be nice to have the second one with the two instruments I think. I’ll leave it up to you guys. We originally made room for more musicians than we ended up with, so I can really go either way on this.
I would still cut the banjo out of the intro because there is a big volume blooper (my fault) in it and it just disappears for a bit. With the more active Bass and the mando brought out front a bit more there I think it would sound fine.
I still can’t put my finger on what bothers me about the harmonies, but I think it might just be the timbre of these particular voices combined is a bit different than what I expect. I like all the voices, just not sure they all match up with each other optimally to my ear. Not a big thing, just thought I’d see what you all thought.
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I still can’t put my finger on what bothers me about the harmonies, but I think it might just be the timbre of these particular voices combined is a bit different than what I expect. I like all the voices, just not sure they all match up with each other optimally to my ear. Not a big thing, just thought I’d see what you all thought.
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That was my point about the bassvox, whether it fits with the timbre of your voices. May I suggest than when Larry gets the notes right and is happy with the harmony he is doing that you mix just your 3 voices and see how they sound, compared to the 4 voices - no instruments. As I said before, if you drop my raspy voice out I won’t be offended.