BMU
Bigtime experiment with all new equipment/software. Lemme know what you think. I hope someone enjoys listening.
http://www.box.net/shared/xvdit76izm
Geeky details for those interested in such things: on this track EVERYTHING is new, what a ride (phew).
Superior Drummer 2 + Metal Foundry + Sneap Presets replaced the old Cubase built-in drum samples I always used. (The drums sound WAY better, not surprisingly.)
Reaper replaced Cubase. (Really starting to love Reaper.)
Freeware TSE-X30 & Poulin LE456 amp sim plugins instead of POD Farm.
Recabinet with Poulin LeCab for cab convolution impulses.
Some free internet Ampeg impulse for bass (replacing POD Farm). Bass tone still needs work methinks. (Should the bass come up in the mix??)
I also experimented with Toontrack EZMix presets on most tracks. Tracks still needed some EQ tweaking, but it works pretty well. What impressed me most were the reverb and mastering presets - work pretty darn well for pretty low effort and CPU hit.
guitarboy2828
FLIP!!!!! Great recording.. The sound quality is amazing, really cool! I know nothing about recording, all I can say is I really enjoyed the listen! ?
21Fretter
Wow, that really is good quality. I've used all those vsts + impulses before and I've gotten near to that quality :\ You've got the magical touch ?
makepeace
I don't no much (but I know I love yooou) about recording or metal for that matter, but that sounds pretty damn good! Well done ?
BMU
Thanks for listening and checking in guys, really appreciate it. Especially those of you who aren't even really into metal.
Magical touch lol. If only. Still very much trying to get there (wherever the elusive shifting goalpost "there" may be.)
Warren
Wow, another ripping track! 8)
I still can't get over how precise your playing is, and how you can keep it up over an entire track...
As for the track itself, random points:
I find the synth stuff in some places gets a bit dissonant (which might be what you were going for) but perhaps you could rework it somewhat to really fit behind and lift the lead? Listening around 1:24 to 1:35 and 2:20 to 2:35 or so it could just be a bit more melodic, in line with your climbing riffs to create even more tension? At the moment it's just kind of "there".
The double-picked stuff over the kick-drum in the beginning from around 21 is just outstandingly powerful and exciting!
Crazy, crazy speed at the 2:00 minute mark ?
I'm probably not the best bloke to offer crits on this kind of music but it's really, really well played. I just find that tech metal tracks in general sometimes lack a real "theme", some kind of signature riff or melody that makes them really memorable. All the old Metallica and Megadeth stuff I remember being chock full of great riffs that kept playing in your head afterwards. I get that this is a different, more technical genre though, so perhaps the whole aim of the music is different.
Great work though, especially with all new bits. The sound quality is tops!
BMU
Thanks Warren, appreciate it.
I wanted the synth to be floaty or spacey and kind of 'out-of-phase'. It's actually less disonant in this mix than it was previously, so that's good feedback, maybe it's still a little too out-there (but I like it ? )
You know I didn't play the entire track in one take right? I'd have to spend a lot of time learning all that if I ever had to perform it live. (Like most bands after leaving the studio.)
Yeah that fast section is 212 bpm, woohoo! I plan to do more of those, what fun.
costafonix
Excellent stuff BMU :applause:, how long does it normally take you to lay down a track like this?
BMU
Thanks. Err...ridiculously long? ?
Let's see, the opening weird timing riff I kicked around for about a week aimlessly before settling on a version and really learning to play it ... after that the song took shape, maybe another 2 weeks, including frequent delves into the Reaper manual etc. Lots 'n lots of hours for sure.
The fast bit + solo in the middle came last, that was done in a day or so (which shows the value of a nice healthy deadline!)
When I'm done with a song I always have tonnes of sketchy riffs & ideas left over I never used, they just stay on a muted track in the project - do you guys find that happening to you too?
costafonix
sounds familiar ? I have many half-written songs, but my style is just plain Rock, so there's no excuse for me not to finish stuff. I think you must have a LOT of patience to get the kind of precision that you do, so well done dude. Ok I feel a "New Years Resolution" coming on...
BMU
YES you got it, that's the key: patience. An abnormal resistance to tedium. Geeky studiousness. (So much for metal being for cool, wild 'n crazy people. Shhh don't tell anyone.)
BMU
One of the perils of insomnia is late night internet impulse buying. And so it occurred that I acquired Ozone iZotope 4 one recent morning at 3 am.
I haven't learned anything about this plugin yet, just threw a likely looking preset on the Master Out and tweaked a bit. Sounds pretty good to my ears lol.
http://www.box.net/shared/xvdit76izm
Version with EZmix instead of iZotope (just in case anyone cares enough to wanna compare them.)
http://www.box.net/shared/nnqexjkmm9
Seventhson
Oh jeez another dude that makes me relies how much I suck so bad :'(
Very nice ?
doc-phil
Amazing BMU... I always look forward to you posting another track. I wish I was as creative as you, I have abt 200+ riffs and ideas as guitar pro files on my pc that never get turned into finished tracks.. and half of them sound the same!
How do u get your guitars sounding so tight? Half the riffs I come up with I just have to abandon cos when it comes down to recording I can't play them cleanly enough - I always get like a fuzz surge when I'm palm muting, not sure if that means too much distortion.
Killer production, if I didn't know you had recorded this at home on a pc I would have thought it was done in a big studio. The bass is plenty loud enough for me.
Shot for the free track.. I shall listen to it many times methinks.
G-Man
Flip BMU, that is one tight/clean/heavy track! How do you get your sound so clean? I downloaded your other version in December and it ended up in my car on my mp3 player... Good work man! Dig the build up on the track then how it dissipates at the end, good stuff 8)
BMU
Seventhson wrote:
Oh jeez another dude that makes me relies how much I suck so bad :'(
Thanks dude. Like I said in your 'slayer solo' thread: a feeling I'm all too familiar with. Embrace the agony and transform it into cold blooded, stubborn determination to practice your ass off. That's really all there is to it.
BMU
@Doc-Phil: Thx! Yeah.. I've stopped hoarding riffs. If I don't use it in the song I'm currently working on, usually it's gone. Used to drive myself crazy, now I figure I'll just make a new one when I need it.
@Doc-Phil & G-Man. Wow you guys actually listen to this for fun, like in the car? That's awesome, goal accomplished. Hopefully in 2011 I can speed up my work pace, at least the production side learning curve is a little more manageable now.
Regarding clean 'n tight, I'm glad you think so... I don't know how. There's no one answer. It's the whole process and the whole signal chain. Mainly all the hours of just DOING it against a clicktrack I guess. Obviously you have to play tight and clean, be self critical and do as many takes as it needs. For a challenging riff, set up a MIDI file (e.g. guitar pro) and record against that. Try less distortion, sure. If it's unwanted string noise, tape up those top strings! (Usually I'm too lazy but for very challenging riffs I'll sometimes go to that extent.)
Kalcium
Inspiration :O daaaaaaammmmmmmmm!!!
seriously! amazing stuff! and such quality production, i also would have thought it was done in a studio! Seriously great stuff!!!
Isis
This was absolute rubbish! Reminds me of Zero Order Phase from Jeff Loomis ?
Manfred-Klose
it sounds good.
nice depth in the guitar.
the cymbals sounds a bit weird, try panning it differently and add some reverb(it sounds like it has some already) or experiment with something else, maby pan it closer to the center than hard left and right.
Do you play in a band ?
