Friends, IGTians, musicians - lend me your ears (first time recording content!!)

Discussion in 'Guitar Gear Talk Forum' started by ultrabot90, Dec 23, 2010.

  1. ultrabot90

    ultrabot90 Like fishes need bicycles

    Offshoot/rebirth of the 'So I got some recordings I need to edit...' thread.

    While working through it all to crop the recordings, I just had this feeling that my playing and improvisation isn't great enough to be worth the trouble - and I just have to show the 'composition' anyway, not the amazing tone of my MG15 and awesome quality of my (MP3 player) mic and (non existent) interface. :p


    Here goes. I'm posting the stuff.
    It's not anything in terms of general comparison, and I personally have done fairly better improvisation at other times - sometimes you can hear the jitters I get while recording*. In hindsight I should've gone a little slower, little less hyperactive. The melody is also not that aimless and is a bit more motif based, usually.
    But - I can hear some nice ideas in the improvisation, and this is merely the beginning.
    Here it is - Please. Critique.

    Side notes -
    1. Is it just me or did the improv get steadily somewhat better till it got to #4? They were all taken in the same session (thehundredthone - "No shit, Sherlock." xD)
    2. Also - would like some tips on how to count while playing. I end up staying too long in each chord. And when I'm counting I can't quite 'keep an eye' on the melody, and it starts lacking thought that way.
    3. Rickkky - Now you have your revenge. XD
    4. Reading that thread reminded me - I didn't add any 'verb!! No EQ either. You guys tell me a little on what's lackin'.

    *But this session I got and used an idea - I didn't record when I wanted to, I simply kept the device on and recording all through. Much fewer jitters! I'll try this to record classical guitar as well - and add more content.
     
  2. rickkkyrich

    rickkkyrich Guest

    Glad finally you recorded. Congrats !!!
    I found the initially bits a little boring, it wud have sounded better if played faster. Towards the end i cud see some improvement.(Last recording i guess)
    Anyways great effort.. hope to listen some more recordings from you..
    Be Secured !!! :p:
     
  3. thehundredthone

    thehundredthone Well-Known Member

    Sounds like muzak to me. Specifically, the please hold, your call is very important to us. Is that touchstyle?

    I just gave it a cursory listen, don't have speakers at hand at home, I'll listen through earphones later and comment further.
     
  4. ultrabot90

    ultrabot90 Like fishes need bicycles

    @Rickkky - I knew you in particular would find it too slow XD Thinking in semiquavers takes some more effort - but I'll get there, I want to play faster too B)
    Apart from speeding it up, how do you suggest I make it more interesting?

    @thehundredthone - Muzak!? Curse you! Lol XD Anyway, I'd like to know what counts as muzak, what makes a music so. I like the parlour-ish music (IMO) of Fernando Sor and Tarrega. Perfect fit for cafes and stuff. Even the slower Bach pieces (=not the allegros, doubles or prestos; those are as shreddy as rickkkyrich could ever want) have that kind of 'ambient' quality. When I think about it, it seems to me that any and every music could be muzak - confusing -.-' Waiting for your comments and views.

    And where's flood, guitardoctor, alpha1 and the rest?!
     
  5. rickkkyrich

    rickkkyrich Guest

    i donno how to make it more interesting though but you can try using a backing track.
    you can make ur own track from www.jamstudio.com .. i donno much bout classical stuff anyways ..u know much better than me..
     
  6. ultrabot90

    ultrabot90 Like fishes need bicycles

    Ah, no, no backing tracks! Evarr!! Even here I played ze basslines. My dream for one day - 4 part improvisation! (=one person playing bass+3 melodies. This should be an example (can't see it myself, limited internet)).

    Now if only I could do something like this...frigging groovy!
     
  7. rickkkyrich

    rickkkyrich Guest

    As a musician you should be open to all ideas. You never know wat may sound good. Anyways thats just my opinion. Do watever satisfies your hunger.
     
  8. CARLOS SANTANA

    CARLOS SANTANA New Member

  9. guitardoctor

    guitardoctor Will Rx for food

    Wow, first recording, congrats! Unfortunately I'm out of Delhi and no access to a PC. Will get to listen to it in a week or so... I'm sure you produced something I can look up to, though!
     
  10. CARLOS SANTANA

    CARLOS SANTANA New Member

  11. ultrabot90

    ultrabot90 Like fishes need bicycles

    Thanks man, but you're the better judge of that. Waiting for your critique.
     
  12. CARLOS SANTANA

    CARLOS SANTANA New Member

    ultra ultra hows my stuff??check check.. :D tell tell.. :D
     
  13. flood

    flood New Member

    ...

    i'm not going to comment on the recording except for this: i'm sorry, but there's nothing to salvage there. perhaps you should really look into investing in an interface and going direct, using a compressor and an EQ or something. perhaps use positions 2 or 4 on your guitar for paralleled pickup output. miked dirty amps are simply not conducive to your style.

    i'll agree with the muzak bit, but that's just a result of the genre you've picked and how ubiquitous it is in... elevator music and the like. it really does sound like muzak to me too! don't take that badly.

    what i think is the REAL problem is, however, that this is your first recording. honestly, as a classical musician, it's imperative that you record your practice on a daily basis and play it back to listen to your errors particularly if you're thinking about doing it professionally someday. i hear a certain lack of fluidity and a certain "jerkiness" in your playing, which is something that will only be cured by both practice and self-critique.

    i appreciate the technical feat, but i appreciate interesting music more; i don't relate to your playing, but that's subjective. for whatever you've accomplished, the recording is killing it. look into an interface and playing clean. maybe also go slower and smoother. good luck.
     
  14. ultrabot90

    ultrabot90 Like fishes need bicycles

    It's much smoother when I'm doing a piece. Fluid quality in improvisation...will look into it. (like I said - I was too hyper when I did that. No wonder it was jerky.)

    Amp was clean o_O Mic, probably. I dunno what to do about this, what to go for first, an interface, a new amp, or a decent touchguitar. Will have to spend very wisely - I'm on the last of my savings (18k), and beyond that I'll have to earn (=performing, internet, anything and everything) for my gear - uphill, and if something develops a problem or if I find something to be limited or inconvenient, I might be stuck with that for years before I can afford an alternative for it. *sigh* It's damn frustrating because while you can plug problems in technique and stuff, if the instrument/amp is shitty you've no option (unless you're a luthier and/or a music electronics guy) but to BUY. And again, new product -> new problems -> buy! >_>

    Muzak...I never even anticipated this. I'll try learning some blues riffs or incorporate more progressions and chords in it (diminished, suspended, 6th, 7th, 9th, etc)...
     
  15. flood

    flood New Member

    touchguitar, compressor (or VST plugins that will do the job) and interface IMO. i don't think a guitar amp will help you at all; you can't accomodate for the range of a touchguitar on a guitar amp at all - muddy distorted bass, intermodulation distortion, high-cut at 5kHz... what you need is clarity and a high dynamic range.

    stop worrying so much about technicalities and invest yourself emotionally behind every note instead - never waste notes. nobody cares about technicalities. people don't *primarily* admire frank gambale and guthrie govan because of their virtuosity and technique or holdsworth for his uncanny harmonic sense, or scriabin and rachmaninoff for the complexity. they love them for the same reason people love green day - because they're honest about their music and can express themself musically. technique is nothing more than a very small tool in achieving that end. you're doing fine, just play with more conviction.
     
  16. ultrabot90

    ultrabot90 Like fishes need bicycles

    I think a touchguitar could take a while, financially (and what with the luthier not responding to my mails anymore.).

    Till then it's just me, this 7 string (so no problems with guitar amps; once my 9 stringer comes I'll definitely be getting a cheap bass amp), and an MG I'm going to try getting fixed.

    What say to an interface (POD GX - upto 5k) and a Roland Cube/Mobile Cube (upto 10k)? So where I have a laptop I won't have to rely on it's speakers, and where I don't have a laptop I can play through the amp.

    Point about playing - taken. Was just thinking something like that myself, today.

    Thanks.
     
  17. thehundredthone

    thehundredthone Well-Known Member

    If you put "blues notes" in just to make it more acceptable I'll pan you worse than I will after I've heard this properly.

    Invest in your instrument and it's extensions right now, unless your primary intent is to record. You're doing this for yourself, not for the internet.
     
  18. ultrabot90

    ultrabot90 Like fishes need bicycles

    I've only a theoretical idea of what those are - so no way am I even thinking of putting that in. I tried some bluesy improv but no way am I doing that! xD Instead I tried making it with more sense, and less 'random'/'just for the heck of it' notes. Tried not stuffing it with content and tried to make more sense out of a little content...and he liked what he saw! I got quite a few breaks which I did not want to cover up in Audacity (=cheating. I can't play that way, so I'm not editing it to sound like that - if it was a chance fluke in a section which I usually play well, I'd consider covering it up.), because it had a more complex rhythm...but once I'm comfy in that I'll post back. Cya folks, and thanks a lot for the responses! :D
     

Share This Page