GFSA "Anything goes with a Twist" Challenge voting

Stoffeltoo

A super challenge which really tested my skill in recording on a cell phone. I do believe that most were also facing obstacles during the recording process.

Six entries with an even spread between beginner/intermediate and advanced. Each person has two votes one for each category. Poll expires in 10 days and all will be revealed...

http://guitarforum.co.za/gfsacomps/mp3s/at_rest_daveo1977.mp3 [b]Title: At rest[/b] Blurb: Acoustic guitar, vibes and bass. I used Easy Voice Recorder Pro, Sunvox, Timbre and MP3 Tagger. All the apps are available on the Google Play Store. Run time: 01 min. 40 sec. (when I preview it on a Mac, it says 3 min. 20 sec. but when I open it in QuickTime Player 7, it reads 01 min. 40 sec. Not sure why.)

http://guitarforum.co.za/gfsacomps/mp3s/no_place_for_you_wern101.mp3 [b]Title: No place for you[/b] Name: Wern101 Blurb: Recorded with Stagelight Mobile App. Did vocals and Acoustic on the same track, one take. Added Reverb and Limiter in the app. Imported to reaper and tried to add drums but after numerous failed attempts decided to abandon the idea. No post production mixing done in reaper, no plugins, nada. The song's a bit of a downer, and quite cynical, but we don't control what comes out do we.

http://guitarforum.co.za/gfsacomps/mp3s/johnny_slow_hand_stoffeltoo.mp3 [b]Title: Johnny Slow Hand[/b] Used the Bandlab Android app exclusively. The initial start off was a disaster with latency issues but i managed to get it sorted. some of the effects are glitchy and I stuck with big room for all tracks. The story... Fictional yet reminds me of two good guitarists who passed on in the past year which I had the pleasure to gig with, when they were not playing one man band gigs.

http://guitarforum.co.za/gfsacomps/mp3s/out_of_funk_meronrigas.mp3 [b]Track : Out of funk[/b] Category : Advanced

Blurb : Zoom B2 -> 10W Ibby Troubador -> Cell phone Mic (n-track). Dialed in a nice n dirty autowah for the bass which resulted in a fun groove with the drums off the B2, looped that in ntrack. Changed patches on the B2 and jammed to that loop with guitar. Was near impossible to line up the two takes on the phone...or I'd like to think my timing wasn't that off :)

http://guitarforum.co.za/gfsacomps/mp3s/summer_rain_jazzman105.mp3 [b]Song title: Summer rain[/b]

Blurb: I created the bass, drums and strings in iReal Pro on my ipad and recorded each track on Garageband on my phone. Lastly, I recorded the guitars over these using Garageband. The Ibanez AF105 (lead) and Yamaha APX700 (rhythm) went through a GT100 (for some "pre-amp tone colouring") directly into my phone - using an iRig interface.

I've never done this before, so it was great to find that all these tools can work together to create a decent result.

http://guitarforum.co.za/gfsacomps/mp3s/pussyfooting_revisited_blues_studmissile.mp3 [b]Title: Pussyfooting Revisited (Blues Twist)[/b] Category: Advanced. Blurb: Windows Phone.

Edit (Meron Rigas) : fixed links @ 2017/08/14 7:45am

(old forum) Poll Results: Voting open, two categories Beginner/intermediate and Advanced

At Rest DaveO 1977 Beginner/Intermediate: 1
No Place for You Wern 101 Beginner/Intermediate: 3
Johnny Slow Hand Stoffeltoo Beginner/Intermediate: 7
Out of funk Meron Rigas Advanced: 0
Summer Rain Jazzman105 Advanced: 8
Pussyfooting Studmissile Advanced: 2

Stoffeltoo

I think I stuffed up the links. Will fix this evening after work.

V8

Stoffeltoo wrote: I think I stuffed up the links. Will fix this evening after work.

Yeah...it happened to me the first few times too - no worries, I've fixed it and sent ya a email with what I changed,

Should all be working (If not post here and let us know)

Stoffeltoo

Thank you Meron!.
Now to the entrants.
Great turnout and cudos to all who entered.
I am massively impressed with the sound quality of the recordings.
Some surprises from the entrants which will make voting a difficult decision.

Jazzman105

You got that right Stoffeltoo... I've just listened to all the entries, and each one brought something different to the table. I'd have to listen to them a bunch of times before being able to vote

wern101

Well ok...It's clear that I didn't put in nearly enough effort into this one. Shucks okes - the tone you guys got is impressive, and the recording quality even more so. Well done to all!

Voting will be difficult.

Stoffeltoo

My impressions from the songs:

DaveO1977
A superb musical presentation which is underlined by the simplicity. Loved those silences that created a bit of tension. The keys? added that almost soulful sadness for accompaniment and rounded your work off very nicely. Well done!

Wern101
What an amazing song! You have the song writer's skill down to a tee. The rhythm guitar is sterling. Like the way you accentuate certain parts with the guitar and your voice is great. A great performance

Meron
Funky indeed! That quacky from the guitar had my head nodding in unison and the Lead! Mmmm awesome playing and a very nice mix. Come to think of it, this little ditty was bouncing around in my head today since the first listen on the cell phone.

Jazzman105
WOW! Peeps give a bow, we have George Benson on the stoep! This is superb! I cannot judge as I am not really at that standard. Thank you for a most delightful entry.

Stud
Never cease to surprise with a twist.
Awesome bluegrass rhythm going there. Like the song and the almost pedal steeling like licks supports your vocals like a scaffold. You can see and hear everything. Lekker song this one.

As to my entry. All tracks done acoustically, no effects other than the Bandlab effect choices to thicken the voice and give some big room reverb.
My leads in retrospect, not the best; but a very enjoyable challenge.

There you guys have it, my takes. Not going to vote tonight but will first take a Johan Loopman in black, then make my choice.

domhatch

yeesh. okay chaps. well played on all fronts. nothing to complain about, all very entertaining, and i must say i think i found the lead-up to the entries themselves just as entertaining!

great stuff
dh|

wern101

I am seriously impressed with the entries. And thankful that we did this as I think it opened up the world of mobile recording, well...for me anyway. The quality of recordings is beautifull! For me personally, the best quality I have been able to record so far (just have to figure out the acoustics of the room and tweaks to the DAW to make it better - in time)

My 10 cents: (and only based on what I hear - no technical crit)
Daveo: Really enjoyed this - nice and slow, clean and great sounding guitar. There were some bass heavy chords/notes which really made the song stand out for me. Well done.

Stoffeltoo: Great tribute man! Great playing there too. How did you fix the latency issue with Bandlab? The vocals sound very crisp and clear (Teach me!!!) Well done.

Meron: The dirty wah was fantastic!! Loved it - and I didn't notice any out of time issues. You're very funky indeed.

Jazzman: Stupendoes! I think, from where I am sitting, this is what the challenge was all about. Great example of the possibilities of mobile gear. (Been looking at the I-Rig myself) Great track!

Stud: I am always a fan of course - you never disappoint. You really should consider giving up your day job. I'll buy the album. ?

@Stoffeltoo: Thank you for the kind words. Really means a lot.

Voting done. ?

studmissile

At Rest DaveO 1977 - I liked this, beautiful spacial arrangement, loved the synth (what was that?), but not the metronome, I think it would of benefited from a more bass'y percussive sound?

No Place for You Wern 101 - Heart felt and intimate, sung and played beautifully. Loved the songwriting.

Johnny Slow Hand Stoffeltoo - Stand out, incredibly mixed? It's wonderful to hear your voice upfront. And the Harmonica was the cherry on top ? !

Out of funk Meron Rigas - Great groove track, tight enough! Always a pleasure.

Summer Rain Jazzman105 - Stand out, very impressive mix, the challenge perfectly executed.

Thanks for the kind words, my phone was useless. So my time was focused on an acoustic arrangement that had been rattling around my head. But listening to what can be done, it has definitely inspired me to upgrade. Well done all.

Stoffeltoo

Not sure if i should start a new thread on cell phone recording.
But to answer the two questions from the feedback discussions.

Disclaimer: these tips are for Android users.

Wern 101. I activated the monitoring icon on the cell phone while recording a second track with earphones as monitors. Needless to say it took me two days and 6 takes to discover that I should not monitor. I also did a latency adjust which corrected the 70millisecond lag on the phone.

Stud: As to the mixing. Again a hit and miss thing with the bandlab effects, volume adjust and panning.
It worked and after resting the ears for a day. A better mix in my opinion.

For getting my vocals forward in the mix, i built a mini tower from an assortment of boxes, a glass and a small piece of acoustic foam for the phone to rest on. The cell mike was about 250mm from my mouth while singing and playing the guitar.

The harmonica was tracked seperately and the acoustic fill with same guitar was done with the mike of the cell pointing to the 12th fret of the guitar and positioned on the desk in my man cave.

Balancing was a matter of messing with volumes and the rest is history.

Will I use bandlab again? Yes definitely.

daveo1977

studmissile wrote: loved the synth (what was that?)

Hey Studmissile! That was a SpectraVoice synth that comes with Sunvox. Sunvox is modtracking software for your tablet (I believe a PC version is also available).

Ja, that metronome. First I tried to play with just the visual cue (flashing red light) but I kept on not sticking to the beat. I was mostly successful when I could hear the click. It's a small battery powered model that I placed in the room, and I intended to at the very least cover the click with a kick. I don't have much experience with modtracking software, but you basically programme sounds in vertical channels. I had to load the recorded guitar part as a sample, and programme the other sounds (vibes, bass) in other channels. When I started adding a kick, I found it didn't always align 100 per cent with the click. Maybe its because of reverberation in the room, or the limitations of the software, or the amateur operator... I need to do more investigating, and more recording!

I thought each of the other entries were really groovy, and how cool is it that each chose his own unique tools to get the job done. Good on you, gentlemen!

Stoffeltoo

Dear forummites a friendly reminder to cast your votes before the deadline.
The entrants of these competitions deserve to be judged for their effort and time spent for submitting their work.
We kindly request that you listen to the entries and cast your votes

To those members who have already cast their votes, thank you from the entrants. ?

Jazzman105

Voted!
It was not easy... everyone truly brought something different. I've listened to all the entries at least six times, and after each round it got more difficult to decide.

I can echo Studmissile's notes 100%

studmissile wrote: At Rest DaveO 1977 - I liked this, beautiful spacial arrangement, loved the synth (what was that?), but not the metronome, I think it would of benefited from a more bass'y percussive sound?

No Place for You Wern 101 - Heart felt and intimate, sung and played beautifully. Loved the songwriting.

Johnny Slow Hand Stoffeltoo - Stand out, incredibly mixed? It's wonderful to hear your voice upfront. And the Harmonica was the cherry on top ? !

Out of funk Meron Rigas - Great groove track, tight enough! Always a pleasure.

Summer Rain Jazzman105 - Stand out, very impressive mix, the challenge perfectly executed.

Thanks for the kind words, my phone was useless. So my time was focused on an acoustic arrangement that had been rattling around my head. But listening to what can be done, it has definitely inspired me to upgrade. Well done all.

Now we know what can be done!

Stoffeltoo

Saw a video clip of bandlab demo using free loops with the app. Worth exploring for future projects.
Wern 101 you welcome to send me mail on tips for sharpening the vocals in bandlab recordings.

V8

DaveO1977 : Great recording, really captures the mood of the piece. I like the metronome in the background, adds something different to it, reminds me of a heartbeat. The backing synths were a bit soft, though. Great use of space - even the string noise fitted in the track!

Wern101 : Glad you entered, solid track - really developing your songwriting skills, lyrics very thoughtful - best effort yet?. You're playing has similarly developed - well done!

Stoffeltoo : Great production man, the best track I've heard from you yet! Can tell you spent hours slaving over this. Nice one!

Jazzman105 : What a intro to the challenges...woooo. Tasty and tasteful playing. The lead phrasing made it for me - special stuff. I'm in two minds about iRig - I'm very glad you did it that way, as it really showed what can be done, garageband backing sounds legit and the guitar tones are absolutely killer. But...I'm gonna be that guy and say it was a Cell mic challenge ?

Studmissile : On first listen I thought the muddy mic added a certain (intentional) lofi delta feel to this. Gave me a (again?) solid Chris Isaak feel on the vocals, which I thought reaaallly worked. Overall, dug the creativity in this track - time to quit your day job man!

Mine was 10m playing and 30m fiddling - irritated me no end, doubt I'll ever do any multi tracking on a 4in cell phone again. Not that it was a waste of time, that bass line has been added to my mental library of useful grooves...And reminded me to practice some more guitar if I'm gonna try and rip off any more SRV licks, damn I felt rusty!

What phones did y'all use for this challenge? Dave's & Stoffel's sounded particularly good.

Stoffeltoo

Thank you for the kind words. Yes i believe this was my best recording yet by far. I used a Samsung S5 'nuff said. The challenge was a journey of discovery and the simplicity of multi layering process. The mixing was a greater and frustrating challenge.

daveo1977

Awesome, Meron! Thank you for having a listen. I recorded on my first gen Google Nexus tablet - onboard mic into Easy Voice Recorder Pro.

Jazzman105

Meron Rigas wrote:
Jazzman105 : What a intro to the challenges...woooo. Tasty and tasteful playing. The lead phrasing made it for me - special stuff.

Thanks Meron.

Jazzman105

Meron Rigas wrote:
But...I'm gonna be that guy and say it was a Cell mic challenge ?

I don't know what to say to that... I had the tools and I used it. I believed that I was in the spec.