Joseph

That's a good idea ..... I will experiment some more. My biggest mixing problem so far is getting the mix decibel peak right to avoid clipping, and yet get clear instruments. I am using Audacity and have no other fancy effects or filters .... it's all Audacity. It's hard to avoid clipping and yet get disparate elements in, due to their strange contributions, but I am learning.

There is likely some Haas yes, because I had two mics. I try to avoid phase problems but I guess they will always be there with two mics. I can't pan the mic outputs left and right because they will move to centre ..... and hence the double take.

Perhaps if I buy some hardware or plug-ins I could get a better mix ..... I am not sure. My gut says I should simply focus on recording better.

Thanks much Geno. I have much to learn with mixing .... you could say this is my first attempt ever.

The vocal delay is not Haas ..... it's a double take. I had to leave town the day after I did this last week or else I would have done another take. I may do it this week if I can. With more time and the right mood I can get the two vocal tracks to match better. I was interested in the accidental effect though, because I had not encountered this before.

I have to mix the background better, I know.

Thanks again! It helps.

It's an experiment.

I haven't been around in a while since I've been busy with non-musical projects. But I had an

itch to do something, and this took an afternoon, with instruments and vocals.

I will get back to it when I have time ..... but I would love some feedback. Critical too .... the

goods, bads and uglies.

wav file:

https://www.dropbox.com/s/33co6i6qvij6gta/OOU%20%28in%20progress%2C%20unfinished%29.wav

mp3 file:

https://www.dropbox.com/s/rxxxppw0y4dg41n/OOU%20%28in%20progress%2C%20unfinished%29.mp3

This was my Sunday night project. I ran out of time, but this

was the result. All my harmonizing voices, my guitar, and no effects.

Audacity recording -- so lots manual adjusting for time delays (a real pain).

Perhaps you'll tell me what you think.

mp3 file is here:

https://www.dropbox.com/s/om2ntiubrzjmmvz/Joseph%27s%20Silent%20Night.mp3

funny, I was about to post up that you have a S&G sound to this tune before I read that S&G did this tune! I really liked this version. I agree with MDEW that maybe easing up on the harmonies would be a good change, but it certainly isn't necessary. My only real critique is in the musical portion, not the vocal. In the music the "horns" sound just a bit off tempo through the middle of the song. That's it. That's all of my critique. Well done sir! :-)

Eric

Thanks much, Bernie.

Actually, I know a couple of things need to be fixed.

First, it was my first experience with using horn sounds etc. but what I did sounds pretty corny (it was a bit tongue-in-cheek) and you are correct about the timing. This was an audacity adjustment and I was sloppy. But even worse, I think the horns sound like a small group of elephants going through a poohing ritual. I have to migrate to some better effects.

Second, because I am trying to get a clean guitar sound (albeit very simple finger work) while singing first voice, and paying attention to recording level and mic distance etc at the same time, not having a drum-beat in the background makes my timing not constant. I can hear it. So I need to find a way to fix that, maybe by getting some percussion going first. I have to learn how to do that --- I still don't know how to. I am learning slowly. :)

You have a very nice voice and style for jazz. Keep it up. :)

I have never heard this song before. Is it a cover or original?

The original song was done by Pete Seeger (who was famous for his songs). I did the Simon and Garfunkel version,

though I did not have their background music or sound system. As I recall they were big on doubling voices and

U67s ..... but I was a child when they were singing. They are excellent.

Well.. that's weird because before I created the box account I was able to hear other's sounds in that page o:

I put my SoundCloud too if you have an account. Otherwise, I have no idea haha

I will check out Dropbox, later

Xam, I listened to it. It is hard for me to give advice in this area because I grew up in a musical family (a few generations) and so am a bit spoiled that way.

Here is what I think, based on experience with teaching many things. Leave aside this kind of music for a while. Choose a karaoke piece for a song that you really like with a very, good, clear melody. Liking it is very important. Then reproduce the melody ---- you have to stay faithful to it ---- first, as closely to the original as you can. When you feel you have the melody and nuances just right ..... then simply relax and sing in your own way.

You will know the instant you are there. Until then, do it not to arrive anywhere, but simply do it because you love the song ..... again and again, in a smart way so that you do not lose interest in it.

You can get there. :)

I liked it, too.

Thanks Ron. I hope to get better. Hopefully soon, I can get back to where I used to be. :)

I like the song. The harmonies fit well. I have no actual advice for you. I do have an opinion which is only my own preference. I would like to hear the song without too many harmony parts. At the most two extra voices in choice places. The words tend to get lost with too many voices.

The background vocals as a rhythm section is cool as an effect but using it throughout was a little too much.

I did not detect any faults in the singing itself or the blend of the harmonies.

Thanks MDEW. I may have more time in the Dec break (unless my wife drags me off some place) to focus, and I will try some harmonies with clean guitar work at the back. I get tired of the same songs, and so I'll do new ones. I want to get to a certain point before I attempt the ones I really want to do. I really enjoy original harmony work, without gadgets.

It sounds well done to me.

There were a couple of places that you were off-pitch in a very minor way (some say I have a sharp ear ) but it was not the high notes .... it was the low places where you were likely resting and less focused.

Forget about comments about things like "passion". Unless nearly everybody says that, you can rest assured what one or two or three people feel is a product of their current state --- a very subjective opinion that is a function of all kinds of things going on inside them. If you felt the song while singing it, you have done the needful.

The very last thing one needs to worry about is to sing like the original. What is best --- always --- is authenticity.

In this gadget crazy world of electronica, that authenticity is harder and harder to come by. But when it is there,

you see it instantly ...... and like a painting, it has great value.

Keep it up. :)

Is there a way to access the link without a google or a box account? I have neither.

Thanks Xamedhi. I was just focusing on getting the singing and harmony (mainly) right. My recording skills stink .... and because I have to pay attention to what is going on during recording, it distracts me a lot during singing.

I am slowly getting better at focusing. May I'll get to a point where I can just sing and not think about anything else.

I do not have the original on this computer, so I converted the wav file to mp3. There was a lot of clipping

in the conversion, so I compressed. The quality will not be as good as the wav.

I am learning slowly.

https://www.dropbox.com/s/bs57w6z0e15m55b/Last%20Night%20MP3.mp3

This is the very first piece I ever did with a real mic (50 years old), though the interface was real cheap. The previous one I posted was the same mic but a good interface. This was just a test because I had no clue how to record. So I think of the one I posted previously as my first recording, because I had a full system.

You could say they are my first two recordings (since I did not have a microphone or any system before these,

nor had I recorded, played guitar or any instruments or sung in 20+ years; actually more) .

The voices are mine, and so are all instruments. I layered one on top of another and it took some time.

The wav file is here and I hope you can download it. If you cannot, I'll try and post an mp3.

If it sounds like crap please tell me. I won't feel bad. I promise. I have a long way to go to get back

to form ---- that is what I think.

https://www.dropbox.com/s/kfwpxapg369e9mr/Last%20Night.wav

It appears the previous file was not downloading properly. I am changing it to an mp3 file.

https://www.dropbox.com/s/1by0fr83n8mha79/Let%20It%20v1%20%28mp3%29.mp3

I apologize for that. I am new to this and think it could be a problem with wav files tending to be large.

I will upload an mp3 file and post again.

My first real recording.

This is a 2am recording, after having just set up an interface with a Mac. I am singing and playing guitar. I picked up my guitar after 20+ years and am singing again. Yes, it's odd, I know. But there it is.

I will likely do more, especially in a few voices (harmony). This is a kind of test for me because I really have no clue what I may sound like to the outside world. The last time I did this sort of thing with any regularity was on stage before a couple thousand people in college (students mostly), but it was very long ago and much has changed.

The song was done a bit slow deliberately. I wanted to hear everything clearly to see how clean the pres on the new interface are. I am learning about all this ..... the digital music world is a *very* new world to me.

Any comments will be gratefully appreciated and I do mean that. Thanks in advance.

I am not sure if can add a link here, but if I can, the file is at this link on dropbox:

https://www.dropbox.com/s/owkv8k3vlxltsi3/Let%20It%20be%20me.wav