Innocence

June 19, 2013 5:41 PM

Straightforward classic pop. I banged it out in GarageBand yesterday. Music and lyrics by me. I also did the vocals, guitars, and bass tracks. Plenty of rough edges I know (my voice isn't great, the guitar solo should really be horns, and the drums sound a bit lifeless), but otherwise I think it came out pretty well. Back to studying for the bar exam!

Track breakdown:

-Three guitar tracks
-Two tracks doubling for background vocals and handclaps, one track for vocal
-One bass track
-One lead vocal track
-Two drum tracks: one a GB loop with a few fills, the other a very basic SmartDrum pattern

posted by holterbarbour (4 comments total)

I really like your voice! It sounds like you are singing like you talk, which is to say comfortably. And those handclaps!! How did you record those? I never have any luck.
posted by prozak at 9:23 AM on June 20, 2013 [1 favorite]


Thanks so much! Never given much consideration to how I sing; this is at the very top of my range, and I was just trying to hit the notes :)

Normally I do my GB stuff in iPad, but I had to do this on the Mac since it's the only way I can hook up my mic. Tweaked the reverb on the vocals a bit after I posted this, and I think it's a big improvement.

Handclaps...just did two layers, about two feet from the mic. The more I listen to this, the more I want to adjust the sound on them; they're a little too present and don't quite sync up in places. I put one of the handclap/harmony tracks on the left channel and the other on the right. The recording space may have played a part in how they sound- I'm house sitting right now and the empty living room is a bit echo-ey.

There's also a bad note in the guitar "solo" that I managed to fix in GB. I'm a real beginner at recording. Mind BLOWN that you can do that.

So the "to do" list is this: adjust handclaps, re-do harmonies, maybe try again on the solo.

The mic is a Samson Meteor: http://www.samsontech.com/samson/products/microphones/usb-microphones/meteormic/ Bought it for about $69, on sale from a bit over $100.
posted by holterbarbour at 12:16 PM on June 20, 2013


I wouldn't mess too much with the handclaps. It's easy to fall into the trap of fixing too much, but with the garageband drums the natural handclaps add the right amount of looseness. And, they sound good to me.
posted by dobie at 2:52 PM on June 20, 2013 [1 favorite]


Reminds me of Belle and Sebastien, which I love, so kudos to you!
posted by Doleful Creature at 12:43 AM on June 28, 2013 [1 favorite]


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