Oh, You...

A dig at nostalgia, kind of...

I'm absolute shit at mastering songs, so this one's pretty fuzzy. Still, there are good bones there, I think. I'd love to hear what you all think, though - should I keep working this one, or let it die?

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posted by Pecinpah (4 comments total)

Everything is kind of trebly and squashed together in the center of the sound field; it's hard to hear the bass most of the time. Move the guitars to the sides and boost the bass. Someone with more experience than me can offer more specific filter settings. Definitely keep working on it.
posted by Johnny Wallflower at 8:40 PM on November 23, 2014

Thanks for the tips, JW. I appreciate the feedback.
posted by Pecinpah at 11:49 AM on November 24, 2014

I'm listening on terrible headphones, which I don't trust enough to comment on the tone.

But I agree with Johnny, some judicious panning here would work wonders. You could also do this with your backing vocals - split them and fan them out to each side a bit. You want to move them away from your lead, so it retains centre-stage, metaphorically and literally!

Also, your lead vocal is too quiet at times. Do you use a compressor? That would help to even out the moments where it peaks, and where it drops below reasonably audible. Memail me if you want tips on compression :)

Also, what recording software are you using?
posted by greenish at 9:21 AM on November 27, 2014

Thanks for the tips, greenish.

My equipment is as poor for recording as I am: an MXL condenser microphone through an M Audio Firewire box into Garageband on my MacBook (the guitars are generally plugged into the box directly, but anything acoustic goes through the can). It's more like a 'recording-setup-I-got-for-Christmas' than a serious tool, but it's what I have right now.

I use some reverb and compression in Garageband, but am inept in their subtleties. I will definitely be emailing you for compression tips, as I am told that that's the Golden Ticket to the whole enterprise of recording.
posted by Pecinpah at 8:05 PM on November 29, 2014