Ramblings about Reampings, 2 Pennies for your Thoughts

    I am sure about it: almost every guitarist on the planet knows it:I cant get no satisfaction with my SOUND! X(
    Using the possibilities of the new RM i have reamped a track of mine with hundreds if not thousands of rigs. (I had reached the end of letter "G", when i stopped). To no avail. :thumbdown:
    So i want to know once and for all times: does my playing suck or do i have to book a course in mixing lessons? Now you guys come into play. Would you like to listen to the samples and tell me what is going wrong?
    I have listened to the clean guitar over and over and i cannot hear major faults. So why does the guitar sound thin and cold? What do i need, more pre- and post-EQing, more or better effects or does my playing suck. I could handle the truth, guys. I am no Michael Mellner, and i am aware of this fact. Nevertheless i cannot hear major flaws in my playing.Thoughts are much appreciated. 8)


    The Backing Track itself
    With a rig by Michael Britt
    The clean Guitars, via SPDIF, first 8 bars LP Neck Pickup, next 8 bars modern Strat HB


    Cheers

    My occupation: showing teenagers the many hidden secrets of the A-minor chord on the guitar.

    Edited 2 times, last by Geraldo7 ().

    To me, the problem is mainly the poor sound quality of the MIDI sounds that you use. Always keep in mind that the other intruments in a rock mix will make up about 80% ot the total sound. So even if you guitar tone and your playing are excellent you will never get a great mix like this.


    In this case i would work on the pinano, synths and drums. The guitar sound and the playing are quite good though the guitar needs more delay for such a track imo.

    To me, the problem is mainly the poor sound quality of the MIDI sounds that you use. Always keep in mind that the other intruments in a rock mix will make up about 80% ot the total sound. So even if you guitar tone and your playing are excellent you will never get a great mix like this.


    Thank you for your time you took listening. I appreciate this, Till. Somehow this is good news. Although ...
    I don't know where to start improving the mix. The drums sounded even worse without this EZmix plug in!! So, more or less i will have to rely on the knowledge of sound engineers like i did when making "official" demos. This tune was just a playground and nothing too serious. Thank you for your thoughts.

    My occupation: showing teenagers the many hidden secrets of the A-minor chord on the guitar.

    Quote from tylerhb

    To me, the problem is mainly the poor sound quality of the MIDI sounds that you use. Always keep in mind that the other intruments in a rock mix will make up about 80% ot the total sound. So even if you guitar tone and your playing are excellent you will never get a great mix like this.


    In this case i would work on the pinano, synths and drums. The guitar sound and the playing are quite good though the guitar needs more delay for such a track imo.


    +1
    This is pretty much the same thing I said in the other thread :) I included some suggestions for sound replacements there.

    I think the real thing that's missing on this track is a real bass line. The VST sounds very thin and I also think it's a bit lifeless in terms of the fact that you can figure out pretty easily it's quantised to a grid. Since you're using programmed drums, this adds up to a feel that's just too precise and mechanical, rather than fluid like the guitar. To boot, the bass itself sounds really electronic, whereas I would have preferred something with a little more low end and a more rounded sound. What you want is a little push and pull, after which you'll find the parts will stand out more and grab attention.


    There's a reason why computer programming hasn't replaced real musicians yet. I don't find any problem with your guitar tone, I think it's all sitting well in terms of clarity of the different instruments and I don't even find the keys too odd -- we work with what we have. But it would pay to get yourself a bass and lay down bass lines, I think that's the biggest reason why the mix doesn't sound full and seems a little "sterile".

    Some good recommendations in here already. I would forget about the guitar for some weeks, perhaps even mute the guitar tracks at all and try to make the mix as good as possible. Start with the drums. Get some better VSTi and stop using quantized midi drums or "programmed to grid" drums. Instead, try to get some midi tracks that were played by real drummers with an edrum. This will make a big difference. Use variations and fills.


    Next, get a real bass guitar and bring the bass to life. The drums and the bass together should already sound interesting.

    Thank you guys. :thumbup: @tylerhb i will replace the drums (which were said to be played by matt bisonette but sounds too sterile) with loops by a scandinavian drummer. i have bought those.
    that's a good idea. AND i will use the "route every drumpart to a single track" which will give me the ability pump up the drums. (usually i am too lazy for this, goodness 16 more tracks for the drums only). are you doing this all day without geeting headache? ;)
    @nightlight i have played a bass rig with my guitar, since i sold my bass 6 years ago. sounds even worse. i will add this nevertheless in the next post on monday, when i have a day off for making music. but i have bought trilian yesterday and you'll see that this will help a lot. well, i am happy that it is the mix and not the guitar or not only the guitar or primarily. that is good news, for the rest ... i will do my best.


    thanks for commenting, cu on monday

    My occupation: showing teenagers the many hidden secrets of the A-minor chord on the guitar.