Mountain Side Slide

This song I recorded with the thought of sitting at the top of the mountain(meaning any struggles or objectives that you have over come or reached in your life)and now you are on the down hill side(Mountain Side Slide)of it.I hope that you will enjoy it.

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posted by Randy Curtis (8 comments total)

Nice work and a fine debut man! This is really stomping!

If you don't mind a few minor nitpicks on the production side of things I'd say the track suffers a bit from the drum track. The lack of variation in the drum sounds (the hi-hat is the worst offender here) make the track sound less natural then it should. Minor variations in the levels (or reverb if you're using it) would make a difference or having a second set of samples that you can randomly switch between. (Don't know what you're using so hard to say what the best way to do this is)

Also it sounds to me like the main guitar was recorded straight from the guitar's pickup which makes it sound a bit 'thin' for want of a better term, and would probably be better mic'd up. Again don't know if this is possible with your setup.

Like I said, these are only minor observations on the track, can't wait to hear more! (This comment is way longer than I intended!)
posted by TwoWordReview at 3:44 PM on August 20, 2007

So we have a new gun in town, eh? Well, hell, that kicked ass! I can't wait to hear more.
posted by snsranch at 6:03 PM on August 20, 2007

Thank you Two Word Review for your comments. I am glad to see that some one takes interest on the tech side of the music. I rushed this song out to get it heard by different ears other than mine( tunnel vision). I still have a lot of tweaks with this one and my other projects, they are also unfinished, too many coals in the fire. I sincerely welcome all input because it lets me know the areas that I have over looked(tunnel vision) in the productions.I will be posting other projects on a regular bases now that I am a part of this family. I again thank you for taking the time for listening and the positive feed back.

**Randy Curtis**
posted by Randy Curtis at 6:10 PM on August 20, 2007

(This comment is way longer than I intended!)

Yeah, TwoWordReview, you're not exactly living up to your username there, buddy! ;-) But yours is the type of comment that I think MeFiMusic could use plenty more of. As for myself *ahem*, I often go into some detail like this in my comments to MeFiMu, cause I think these are the kinds of things that will be most valued by contributors here. Particularly since many folks who post songs to MeFiMu are hobbyists, non-professionals, or folks just kind of starting out, first getting their feet wet in the waters of recording/production etc.

Randy: I'd echo TwoWord's points on the drum part, but I don't think it's just the sameyness of the hat sound, I think it also has to do with the programming, the part. Since the rest of the track is mostly live playing, very human, the strict, machine repetitive nature of the drum part makes for somewhat uneasy combination. If you really need to go with machine-drum parts (as opposed to a live drummer) then I'd suggest going in there and tweaking those drum parts a lot. Use multi-samples, and work with level changes as TwoWord suggested, but also try to get in there and make it sound like something a human might play.

Having said that, I'd also add that the obvious and intentional combining of very "human" parts with very "machine" parts is in fact an avenue definitely worth exploring: one ripe with possibilities for sonic interest. But if you want to move it in that direction, I'd say you should take it a lot further: maybe discard the hi-hat/kick/snare sounds altogether, and replace them with something of a different order, say, electronic percussion sounds, samples of springs or tin cans or suchlike.

One other point, specific and technical: TwoWord suggested variations in reverb as a way to bring variety and life to that hat part, but I'd disagree. You definitely don't want too much verb at all on a hat part, it winds up sounding cheesy real fast, and therefore any variations in reverb level will, I think, only call more attention to the "fakeyness" of it. Rather than verb, here's a little trick than can bring subtle variety to something like a sample hi-hat part: use a touch of phase-shifter or flanger on it. Just enough so that you get those little variations in the waveform that'll give that hat a slightly different sound throughout the course of the part.

And this now qualifies as the longest comment I've ever made to MeFiMu, and perhaps to MetaFilter as a whole!

P.S. Randy, on MetaFilter there's no need to sign your name after your comment: your name's already there with the time/date stamp! (This message brought to you by the Department of Redundancy Department)
posted by flapjax at midnite at 7:30 PM on August 20, 2007 [1 favorite has favorites]

I like flapjax's phase shifter/flanger idea a lot, gonna be using that one!
posted by TwoWordReview at 6:49 AM on August 21, 2007

Thank you guys for the wonderful comments and the helpful tips. Y'all have been right on the money so far, I did record this straight from the pick-up and just placed the drum beats on the track with no dynamics making it sound mechanical. You guys have a much appreciated ear that will always be welcomed with me.
posted by Randy Curtis at 11:08 AM on August 21, 2007

Playlisted! :D
posted by LN at 6:27 AM on August 24, 2007

Thank yall for including me on the podcast featured track
I love Yall
posted by Randy Curtis at 11:20 PM on August 29, 2007