Remix or no?

[greg]

Yesterday, I just did a remix of my op.12, a short 2' song for guitar and synthesizer (my dad made up a rhythm guitar that appears twice in the song  )

i can't decide which version i like more, the absence of anything else in the original makes it unique, but the synthesizer colors it. 

http://www.mediafire.com/?sharekey=dcb128f2935e13684012e8015643d9c8ed6d1f69c494c821

[Ephemerid]

Yesterday, I just did a remix of my op.12, a short 2' song for guitar and synthesizer (my dad made up a rhythm guitar that appears twice in the song  )

i can't decide which version i like more, the absence of anything else in the original makes it unique, but the synthesizer colors it. 

http://www.mediafire.com/?sharekey=dcb128f2935e13684012e8015643d9c8ed6d1f69c494c821

This isn't necessarily my kind of rock music, but from a producer/engineer standpoint (which I used to do a lot of & still do in my personal time) I'll make a few comments:

Can you pan the instruments a bit more?  Particularly the rhythm from the lead-- like not TOO much of course, but just a bit.  I think it makes the mix a tad muddy.  A bit more rhythmic activity in the bass in a few places?  Add a few well placed cymbal crashes-- like for example, at the 1:37-1:42 mark, coinciding with the chord on the upstroke of the second beat in the guitar part-- kind of integrating the parts together a bit more like that can spread the energy into the whole ensemble sound rather than just the guitar.  Adds a bit of extra colour. 

As far as the mix of volume levels, fullness of sound, it sounds good!

[greg]

This isn't necessarily my kind of rock music, but from a producer/engineer standpoint (which I used to do a lot of & still do in my personal time) I'll make a few comments:

Can you pan the instruments a bit more?  Particularly the rhythm from the lead-- like not TOO much of course, but just a bit.  I think it makes the mix a tad muddy.  A bit more rhythmic activity in the bass in a few places?  Add a few well placed cymbal crashes-- like for example, at the 1:37-1:42 mark, coinciding with the chord on the upstroke of the second beat in the guitar part-- kind of integrating the parts together a bit more like that can spread the energy into the whole ensemble sound rather than just the guitar.  Adds a bit of extra colour. 

As far as the mix of volume levels, fullness of sound, it sounds good!

cool, thanks for the advice.

pan the instruments more, rhythm from lead?..... by "rhythm", you couldn't possibly mean "rhythm guitar"? There's a pretty fine seperation btwn that and the 3-note melody with the lead. (the section that ends up ending the song)
If you mean lead from synthesizer, i know exactly what you mean, it does sound a bit muddy in certain sections, especially when the strings hit the lower registers.

bass- i know what you mean there, too lol. I just did it in one sitting, had to finish it up before the day was over. So certain sections aren't the best bass lines ever lol. I wanted the bass to go up higher sometimes, but it ends up sounding awful with a synth! You could really tell it's synth unless you keep it low 


you mention "ensemble"....... hm, you're making me consider an arrangement for ensemble or small orchestra..... hehehe 
(maybe it'd be best to actually keep both version but give seperate op. numbers, the original op.12 and an arrangement op.whatever)

anyways, thanks for the comments Ephemerid 

As far as the mix of volume levels, fullness of sound, it sounds good!

my dad was the one who mixed the whole thing! 

[Ephemerid]

I just now spotted the poll question -- somehow I missed it.  Remix has my vote for sure between the two.

Its more of a personal preference maybe, but I tend to like more stereo separation-- in this case with the rhythm guitar because it seems like the guitar distortion is very similar?  Not sure (I can't listen to it again here at work  )

Not sure what sort of equipment you have, but if you are recording digitally & have a fairly good synth with a realistic string sound, I like to layer individual string parts and pan them apart somewhat.  After overdubbing each individual string part (violin 1 & 2, viola, cello & double-bass), about 30 tracks total, it sounds very realistic.  Its a tedious process, but the payoff is surprising! 

[greg]

Not sure what sort of equipment you have, but if you are recording digitally & have a fairly good synth with a realistic string sound, I like to layer individual string parts and pan them apart somewhat.  After overdubbing each individual string part (violin 1 & 2, viola, cello & double-bass), about 30 tracks total, it sounds very realistic.  Its a tedious process, but the payoff is surprising! 

it's decent, a Yamaha keyboard (as many keys as a piano).

wait.... ok, now are you saying, record like a string orchestra, except one instrument at a time- like if I wanted to do a 1st violin section, do 16 violins in unison, seperate tracks? I wonder how that'd sound with synth? Do you have any examples?

[Ephemerid]

it's decent, a Yamaha keyboard (as many keys as a piano).

wait.... ok, now are you saying, record like a string orchestra, except one instrument at a time- like if I wanted to do a 1st violin section, do 16 violins in unison, seperate tracks? I wonder how that'd sound with synth? Do you have any examples?

Yes.  Go here: http://www.myspace.com/jokerpop

The following songs I currently have up use the string layering technique:
Homecoming (check the 2:48 mark)
Love Not Blind (entering about halfway through the song)
With You and With Me

I've got better examples, but I don't have those songs up at the moment...

Granted, I was borrowing a friend's Korg for the string sounds, but even still, it doesn't sound real until you start layering tracks.  I tried using slightly different string voices for each part, very slight differences with reverb amounts, and different panning for each part. 

Sometimes I'll do that with rhythm guitars too-- it creates a really full, rich sound that a chorus box can't give you, or just random synth textures for a background cushion. 

[greg]

Yes.  Go here: http://www.myspace.com/jokerpop

The following songs I currently have up use the string layering technique:
Homecoming (check the 2:48 mark)
Love Not Blind (entering about halfway through the song)
With You and With Me

I've got better examples, but I don't have those songs up at the moment...

Granted, I was borrowing a friend's Korg for the string sounds, but even still, it doesn't sound real until you start layering tracks.  I tried using slightly different string voices for each part, very slight differences with reverb amounts, and different panning for each part. 

Sometimes I'll do that with rhythm guitars too-- it creates a really full, rich sound that a chorus box can't give you, or just random synth textures for a background cushion. 

cool, that's your page?
(check your friend requests)

i listened to the examples, but it's still pretty hard to hear the string part. I might just have to do this when i'm writing my orchestral scores (when i get the equipment, time, etc.) so this layering thing might be some, potentially, really really really really good advice.

[Ephemerid]

cool, that's your page?
(check your friend requests)

i listened to the examples, but it's still pretty hard to hear the string part. I might just have to do this when i'm writing my orchestral scores (when i get the equipment, time, etc.) so this layering thing might be some, potentially, really really really really good advice.

Yeah, I'll log in-- Angie & I haven't been keeping up the page like we have in the past (too many things going on right now).  I'll upload another song tonight where the strings will come thru a lot more strongly... I'll let you know when its up...

[greg]

Yeah, I'll log in-- Angie & I haven't been keeping up the page like we have in the past (too many things going on right now).  I'll upload another song tonight where the strings will come thru a lot more strongly... I'll let you know when its up...

cool, thanks