Chapman123

I tried to cover this song....how did I do? 

Thanks for the critique in advance

I've recorded a new song. The recording quality isn't ideal because I don't have my editor anymore. This is the raw recording. What do you guys think?

https://soundcloud.com/aaron-chap/smoking-it-low ​

Thankyou HoneySuckle11 (I might have laughed a little saying that name ). I'm glad you enjoyed it . Side note: Honeysuckle's are a delicious hiking snack.  

Thank you, . You should try it, playing an instrument at the same time really makes the song feel more real to me when I record.   

Recording quality isn't as good as others I've done because the mic was too close to the guitar, but you can still hear my voice well enough. It's a very soft song. I'm quite proud of this song because I've, as far as I know, invented a new guitar tuning. EAD(or G)CFE

Here's a cover I did. https://soundcloud.com/aaron-chap/milk-and-honey-jackson-cfrank-cover

Be Brutal. 

Thanks Pekka, I appreciate it . 

Haha Ronws my stuff has been very somber lately. I hope to create some lighter tunes soon.  

I think I can do better and I'll probably try it again later but what are your thoughts ? Jackson C.Frank was surely a folk and blues genius. 

https://soundcloud.com/aaron-chap/jackson-cfrank-milk-and-honey-cover

I was listening to some Jackson C.Frank and his sound inspired me to write this song. It's a very rough recording but I'll appreciate everyone's thoughts. Some of the phrasing needs to be cleaner and the guitar in some areas polished but I think it's an interesting track. Currently I have 5 songs on the album but I'm now considering adding three more because I still think there's a little more to say. I might throw in the good recording of this one in  and two other songs which I will record the demo of soon. Here's the demo https://soundcloud.com/aaron-chap/a-pool-of-nightrough-demo

Thanks for the kind words Pekka  

Thanks everyone for the feedback, I appreciate it. I'll upload my picture now, I forgot all my pictures are on my separate harddrive. KillerKu, thanks for the advice . I noticed the Trust song has the most catchy melody too out of all mine but it isn't as approachable as some of the others; nonetheless it's still one of my personal favourites. I noticed that today with the nursery rhymes, I was unpacking some belongings of my grandmother and I happened to play an old one, the similarity to a pop song's pattern really struck me.  

I've finished my album now, here's the last demo song. The good recording is finished but I'll save that for the album. Tell me what you think of the demo version? 

Thanks for the response KillerKu . That's exactly what I was going for, I just wanted to make sure it felt appropriate for the song and not gawky or hollow. I wanted the guitar and the voice to still complement eachother but I wasn't sure if I had gone too far with the vocals. You cleared everything up for me though.  

Here's the link lol 

I think I'm going to try this structure(I agree with many areas of your perception) and we'll see how it goes . 

I'm traveling home to see my friends. (nostalgia and longing)
I don't think I'll return again. (feeling torn)
The wind and I have never been friends. (loneliness, mixed with frustration)
Its slithering sheets only pretends, (betrayal) 
I won't chase its tricks again. (regret)
To be something, it never plans. (independence)
So down to the frozen river I go. (resolute)
In search of secret treasures I go. (adventurous)
I'm peeling through this earthly womb.  (Investigative, freedome)
I'm shedding away this earthly skin. (renewed energy)
As the dust, carried in the wind. (Grieving loudly)
As the dust, carried in the wind. (Stifling grief more quietly)
As the dust, carried in the wind. (Almost speaking)
As the dust, carried in the wind. (fading (almost a whisper)
Beneath all swears, prayers, and stares, (small, wonder)
In the morning light. In the morning light. (hope)
Drenching the sin, letting sunshine in. (enlightenment)
A wandering soul pleas for more. (pleading)
A wandering soul pleas for more. (pleading more urgently)

Thanks ,I appreciate the insight. I agree, I need to create more of an emotional connection with this song. Haha my voice probably lacks spirit in many areas of this recording because I recorded at around 3am in the morning(sometimes the inspiration arrives at an inconvenience:P). I definitely need to add more oomph with the lines" As the dust carried in the wind". I have a basic zoom h4n recorder; my recording goes as follows:

For this recording I was too tired to sing and play at the same time so I multi-layered.  

Guitar First: 

-Get some cardboard and create a box for the mic to sit in, leave a small hole for the tripod and a side open. 

-Recorder placed just below the body of the guitar, about 2ft,(to pick up the lower bass ends) and positioned off to left of the guitar, so that the recorder's mics are facing diagonally towards the fretboard( from the arm strumming the guitar,  take the position of the elbow and move back some, that is usually where I'll stand the mic. This prevents the recorder from becoming too muddy and it will be able to pick up more room ambiance too- clarity

-In Adobe Audition I apply an equalizer- to raise the lower ends a titch and adjust overtones- I also add a very subtle amount of reverb(less harsh that way)  

Voice: 

-Since I recorded most of the guitar from the left side, I record the voice from the right side to compensate a little. 

-Place a thin cloth or a windshield over your mic. 

-Set preamp to about 68 

-Position recorder in front of you mouth about 1ft away. 

- In adobe Audition I apply a very subtle amount of reverb and I crank up the highs and raise the lows slightly, because the zoomh4n has a very even range I like to raise the areas where my voice lies so that any background noise will be unnoticed. When you raise the high ends you can get this very vintage/warm sound and softness added.

Rendering:

-I render to wave or monkey audio; I find that mp3 audio can lose a lot of detail from being overly compressed.  

I tried to write a more unsettling song but I'm not sure if my voice and the guitar are blending well or if just sounds awkward, any input? BTW, these are just some of the songs I might include in a future demo album, I have some more which I won't upload to soundcloud but I'm seeking some opinions on these songs to determine whether or not I should have them on the cd. haha I did forget, sorry  

It's a rough take for sure, I'll have to re-record it all better, but what do you think?  The diction is really bad in the recording, I'll fix that in the next recording . 

I

Thanks Killerku, I have no idea what my goals are...I guess we'll find out. Exactly ronws you captured the vibe perfectly. I wrote the song originally about how some people are so quick to put their trust in others; however, they rarely have trust in themselves. It's an interesting scenario which I see happen often. After I got this idea I then mixed it around some, until this descent to madness was created. I'll continue to write and I'll have the album for release 

Oh I won't be posting any songs for a while, as I'm going to try to finish an album...so I'll keep some songs for a pleasant surprise. Also the title is suppose to say *will 

I was suppose to re-record "A Gaze" song, but I accidentally stumbled into an interesting guitar placement..so I wrote this song. I quite like the movement of the song, hopefully you'll enjoy. 

Thanks everyone, I'm pretty happy with how this one turned out. I'm going to re-record it tomorrow and show you the finished piece .  KillerKu thanks, I tried my best to not make it appear tacky and cheesy. I've been listening to You Am I recently, they were masters at this style of writing,

Here it is, check it out. I tried to turn things around a little bit with this one. 

Thank you. I agree, it is really more of an artsy piece. You've given many things to consider, I might write a more liberating song.