Mickguard Posted February 14, 2008 Report Share Posted February 14, 2008 So I started taking lessons a couple of years ago, trying to become a little more than just a singer who can strum a couple of chords. I've been working on putting some of my poems to music: Mickey Zero Myspace page --the relevant song is the first one, "The Root of Woman" And yesterday, I put down my first lil' guitar solo...all right, it ain't much, but it's a big leap for me (I'm not really into guitar solos, as you can tell from the other songs). Kind of like the bastard solo child of Pink Floyd and the Stooges. I suppose I should practice it some more (this is the third take) and re-record it, maybe I will eventually, in the meantime...be gentle. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marksound Posted February 14, 2008 Report Share Posted February 14, 2008 Not bad, kinda busy. Work on timing, playing in/with the groove. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mickguard Posted February 14, 2008 Author Report Share Posted February 14, 2008 Not bad, kinda busy. Work on timing, playing in/with the groove. Yeah, I was too stressed out recording it...and I had to fight the Strat's heel too much to get all the way up there. I'm going to practice up for a few more days, try it again later. What's cool is that I'm almost able to play what I want to hear...which is a first! Edit: Ah, wait, I know what happened...I re-recorded the drums (courtesy of my Electribe ES) and the rhythm guitar this morning, but didn't have time to redo the vocals and solo...I managed to get the vocals pretty well lined up to the new tracks (but they're still a bit off--the phrasing should be tighter than that), and then forgot to do the same for the guitar part...no big deal, since it's supposed to be buried anyway...I'll try to get it realigned tomorrow...and if I get a chance, try to redo those tracks over the weekend. Ain't computers neat? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikhailgtrski Posted February 14, 2008 Report Share Posted February 14, 2008 Not bad at all for a first go at soloing - keep working at it. Not sure if it's what you're going for, but that kind of bendy, not-quite-to-pitch thing actually works well in certain musical genres. Reminds me of a Lou Reed/Velvet Underground thing - not my cup-o-tea, but who cares? The tone is pretty decent - is that your Valve Jr.? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mickguard Posted February 15, 2008 Author Report Share Posted February 15, 2008 Not bad at all for a first go at soloing - keep working at it. Not sure if it's what you're going for, but that kind of bendy, not-quite-to-pitch thing actually works well in certain musical genres. Reminds me of a Lou Reed/Velvet Underground thing - not my cup-o-tea, but who cares? The tone is pretty decent - is that your Valve Jr.? Well thanks... I've fixed the position of the solo now, so at least you can hear what it sounded like when I recorded it, for better or worse. Don't know if it grooves more... I was bottle-fed on the Velvets, if that helps. I used my Strat through my DIY tubescreamer clone w/fat mod into my Vox AC 15. I Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mattharris75 Posted February 15, 2008 Report Share Posted February 15, 2008 Sounds good. I'd like to hear the solo a little louder in the mix. What is your recording setup? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mickguard Posted February 15, 2008 Author Report Share Posted February 15, 2008 Sounds good. I'd like to hear the solo a little louder in the mix. What is your recording setup? I run an old Mackie 1202 through a Marian Marc 8 Midi soundcard (excellent card) into Cool Edit Pro. I've only been recording at 44k, it's easier on my old computer. I record the amp and vocals with a decent diaphragm-type mike, although the acoustic is direct into the Mackie. I have a pair of Alesis near-field monitors that help a lot in mixing. And I use Izotope Ozone on the mixdown. Eventually when I've recorded enough of these poem-songs, I'll bring them to a studio and record the vocals again--the mike I have isn't really precise enough. I've actually raised the solo a lot more than at first -- I didn't want the solo to dominate the mix, just kind of work in the background. I think I need to play with the EQ on it (and the other tracks too) more than raise the volume. Maybe I can get a little more separation in the instruments that way. Most of the mixing has been done in between trying to get my work done! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mickguard Posted February 16, 2008 Author Report Share Posted February 16, 2008 Okay, I posted another mix, last one for the time being...I used some EQ on the lead then centered it more, and got rid of a lot of the clutter, so the guitar's a lot more audible now. I like the solo, I'm going to let it stand for a while. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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