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Bumping this back up to the top and taking the opportunity to say Song one is as finished as it's going to get. Song two will be ready on time. Is this project still on track?? How many confirmed submissions do we have yet? Is it going to really happen?
While we're at it, I have some technical questions too, for Pierre I guess. About final mastering. I'm considering running my final mix through an exciter/expander to see what effect it may have. I don't want to do anything that you'd be re-doing, or that would mess you up. If I've already got too much bass or compression or something, I could remix it here from the individual tracks and resubmit it. I'll be sending both songs along in about a week for you to review.
For a peek at what I've been furiously doing with all my time since January, download an MP3 of one of my home-brewed songs at this link; Rockwall Daze. It is a song my brother wrote and asked me to put to music. I used it as an experiment to try our recording on my own PC and I have to say I'm very satisfied with the results. This song is in fact one that I got permission to re-do the lyrics on and will be my second submission, retitled "Letterville Rocks Me".
If anyone else is interested in recording on their computer, I can highly recommend this software called n-Tracks. Free useable demo download and fantastic discussion group to assist getting you started. Careful though, highly addicting.
I'm ready with my songs, but I dragging bottom on the Cheryl Nordby/Draper song. That song may need a couple more weeks to complete.
If everyone could use some extra time, then lets take some extra time. We could push the deadline back to May 1St. My winters are pretty slow, except for this last one, which cut me short on some free time.
The April 1st deadline was to light a fire under our butts to get moving on it. If we are making good progress on the project, then I'm a happy camper!
------------------ Draper The Signmaker Bloomington Illinois USA Be Sure to Check Out My Next Article On "Sign Shop Photography" in the March Issue of Sign Builder Illustrated! 309-828-7110 drapersigns@hotmail.com Draper_Dave on mIRC chat
Posts: 2883 | From: Bloomington Illinois USA | Registered: Nov 1998
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posted
Hi, Joe. Go ahead and use your exciter for listening purposes. Unless it's a top end unit, it could bring the floor noise level up. If you actually use it for finalizing, make sure it's a very quiet exciter. The way to test is to rout the signal through the exciter but don't play the tape/ce. Turn the volume up and punch the exciter in and out of the loop. Did any low level hiss come in?
Low end/high end I can deal with. Compression I CAN'T deal with. I can't lessen compression. Unless you really need to compress a track, I suggest you don't use it. I know some engineers love compression, but make sure your mix is edited on control room type monitors that are DEAD FLAT. Can you tell me what you compressed? Vocals,drums, keys?
If the end result is clean and quiet, I won't touch it. I'll be listening to it through a "finisher" just to see if it needs any enhancement at all. I don't like messing with anyone else's mix, so it's not likely I'd change it unless there was a real obvious problem, and then I'd call you first to discuss it.
------------------ St.Marie Graphics & Makin' Tracks Sound Studio Kalispell, Montana stmariegraphics@centurytel.net http://www.stmariegraphics.com 800 735-8026 We're chiseling every day of the week! :^)
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OK Pierre, I won't mess with it. I don't have good, flat reference monitors. I did use some compression on vocals and guitar - but appropriately I think. Still, if you need to jazz it to get it to 'fit' in with all the other cuts, I trust your judgement to adjust with discretion. For what its worth, that exciter plugin I got yesterday seems like it will come in very handy for adding some sparkle to thiongs - my acoustic/electric guitar in particular. The tests were very encouraging. Too bad I didn't have it when I was mixing these songs. Oh well. There'll be more chances.
Sara, yes, that's my real voice. It almost sounds like I'm singing, don't it?! hehe.
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Geez, Joe! You're gonna put "sparkle on your thongs"!! I don't know if I want to see that one!!
What brand of exciter did you get?? They really are cool. Ours are Rane, Joe Meek and KlarkTechnik. They're in the $3,500 category and dead quiet. That's always the problem in control rooms. Having processors that are quiet.
------------------ St.Marie Graphics & Makin' Tracks Sound Studio Kalispell, Montana stmariegraphics@centurytel.net http://www.stmariegraphics.com 800 735-8026 We're chiseling every day of the week! :^)
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Wow. that a great slip-up. My thoings need all the sparkle they can get! Ive been noticing lately some misspells can be far more entertaining than the correct word.
Did I hear this right, Mark Fair is coming on board? Yippee! Can't wait. If anybody want's to hear more original stuff, I just posted another song here: Jupiter's Ride. It's nothing at all about signs and will NOT be on the Songpainters CD, so get it while its hot. Hope you like it.
Pierre, my exciter/expander is not hardware, but a DirectX plugin that works like any other dsp effect in my multitracking program. I'm sure your Joe Meek could kick it's ass all the way to China, but mine was free. And that's pretty damn exciting to me!
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Actually that's good stuff, Joe. I have ProTools 24 track for the computer, but we still prefer the SonyMCI JH24 2" 24 track recorder. We do mix down to digital for DATs and CD burning. The pulg ins are a lot easier to use. We do all the mastering for CDs with the computer.
------------------ St.Marie Graphics & Makin' Tracks Sound Studio Kalispell, Montana stmariegraphics@centurytel.net http://www.stmariegraphics.com 800 735-8026 We're chiseling every day of the week! :^)
posted
Naw, Mark.....the De-Flatulator is old news. Now the new Flatulator REALLY puts out!
------------------ St.Marie Graphics & Makin' Tracks Sound Studio Kalispell, Montana stmariegraphics@centurytel.net http://www.stmariegraphics.com 800 735-8026 We're chiseling every day of the week! :^)
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