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| New Soundfont Test by JDVLZ | 14 days ago |
| Ahh that sucks. Well next time you're at a gig, maybe talk to one of the local bands and see where they get their gear maintained? In the meantime, keep rocking, dude! | |
| New Soundfont Test by JDVLZ | 14 days ago |
| Hey dude, I have to be brutally honest here. You will -never- find a MIDI soundfont that gets even close to the sound of an electric guitar. The sound of an electric guitar is made up of a number of elements, and is way too complex for the software of today to accurately reproduce. Such MIDI synths can work okay in a pinch on a track that isn't guitar driven - say some dance music or the like, but in rock or metal music, they're never really going to produce a satisfactory result. This isn't to say you should stop using these tools to write music - they're very useful to give you an approximation of what a song or riff is going to sound like, and to share your ideas with people. If there's absolutely no way you can record real instruments, then certainly don't stop working with what you have. Just don't expect to get a realistic sound, because it simply can't really be done with these tools. On the bright side, it's not too difficult or expensive to get started recording real instruments, if that's what you want to do. I got my Line 6 Toneport UX1 from ebay for £41. This allowed me to plug my guitar in and process the guitar signal in the PC. In contrast to the MIDI synths, the software to do this kind of processing is getting pretty advanced, and sounds fairly realistic. The UX1 can also handle bass (and vocals, if you have a mic). There are a number of other similar products out there, but the Line 6 is the one I have experience with, and comes with the software package (if you buy used, ensure the disk is included!). Most of these softwares are really intuitive, and as an added bonus, you can practice, plugged in, in the middle of the night without waking up the whole house! Of course, if you're willing to shell out a little more, and already have a decent guitar and amp, you can start thinking about using a microphone (or several) to capture the real sound of your setup. I generally use an SM57 or 2 with a Zoom R16 recorder/interface, all of which cost me about £300. I reckon I get a decent guitar tone out of it now, and I'm don't have that much expertise, so it's definitely capable of more. As for drums, it's very possible to get pretty realistic sounding drums without ever hitting one. If you're using FL Studio and it's one of the newer versions, I believe FPC is a pretty powerful drum VST these days. http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/sep10/articles/drum-prog.htm <- This article is a great place to start for drum programming theory. It should give you an idea on the technique, and a quick google such should help you work out how to do the same with whatever software you're using. I know that's a lot of reading and effort, but it is WORTH it! Talking of google searching - while I've made a few suggestions here, I'd heartily suggest you do your own research and find an option that suits you best. A couple of things to look up would be: USB or Firewire recording interfaces, Amp simulation software, If you're interested in going the whole hog and recording your amp with a mic: Dynamic microphones: (Shure, AKG, Sennheiser are all great brands, and a good starting point for this kind of application). Most importantly, if you want to record real instruments, do a few searches and start swotting up on your sound engineering technique! The soundonsound website has a lot of good articles, and forums like Gear****z are also a wealth of information. Whatever path you choose, best of luck and keep making music dude! |
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| Shackle Me Not ( Street Session ) by THE_K_TEAM | 14 days ago |
| Pretty cool, I that thrashy riff from the intro particularly! The playing's all tight, and the mix works for the subject matter - nice work! | |
| Endless Storm by aoes | 16 days ago |
| Wow that's one clean vocal! I'd be more than a bit interested to know your signal chain for that one? Everything sounds really nicely recorded here, and the riffs are very catchy indeed. Also - really dig the drum sound - nice job dude! | |
| The Pool... Yeah, That's Right... It's Adult Swim Now Fool. by Uplink | 16 days ago |
| Brutal! How's your throat feel after those vocals though eh? | |
| Due Negligence by overphlow1 | 16 days ago |
| Pretty doom-laden stuff here, and a very enjoyable arrangement! A few suggestions though: Lots more bass guitar. Few more low mids for the guitar. A judicious application of reverb to both drums and guitars (moreso on the tremolo picked line that cuts in in the intro, if you like drama!) Those two things should help the mix start to sound a little fuller. All the individual instruments sound very well recorded, and there's real no reason for this not to be sounding even better than it already does, especially given the good quality of the recorded sound, the ace songwriting, and lets not forget your *stellar* performance! |
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| zeppelin on fire by VertigoSteps | 16 days ago |
| This one reminds me a little bit of the days I used to listen to a lot of Thrice - I mean that in a good way definitely! Very emotional feel to this song, pretty nice production. Awesome job structuring this song as well, it doesn't lose interest or get boring at any point, which is harder to achieve than it sounds! Thumbs up from me! |
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| Rolling in the deep (cover / need vocals) by Project__S | 16 days ago |
| I'm liking the arrangement here, you've been pretty creative with this! I'd love to hear it with some vocals on - good luck finding someone confident enough to belt this one out! | |
| Like I Never Lost You by lifeaftersix | 16 days ago |
| Lovely, sparkly, nicely balanced production on this! The vocals are a great vocal point, and the instrumental parts are all tastefully written and beautifully played. The drums sound great, indeed I had assumed this was an acoustic kit until I looked at your description again! Nice work! |
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| Dark room by buryallhope | 16 days ago |
| This is a pretty surreal listening experience! Very doomy, I enjoyed the filthiness of the mix, a little muddy in places, but still pretty fitting for the music. Good job! | |
| Sludge by THE_K_TEAM | 1 month ago |
| It is rough in a way, but that actually seems to add more to this song than it takes away. The mix is still good, with plenty of separation and lots of definition on each track. It's got a pretty cool grimy character, that actually suits the song's sleazy (in a good way) riffs pretty well. Fun track! |
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| Shrinking Space (2nd edition) by Nicklaus | 1 month ago |
| I guess you were going for a pretty dark sound with the guitar, huh? That tone could actually work for a doom metal sort of style - in fact I would consider an even fuzzier tone perhaps for the full on sludge. Unfortunately, it also sounds pretty out of tune to me, which can't really be fixed with anything short of re-recording. (Out of interest, what tuning is that, and what gauge strings?) All the other parts work really well though - the track as a whole feels pretty doomy, and well put together, with some good dynamics. So I'd say have another go at the guitar parts, from the top, and you should be golden. |
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| A Response of Epic Proportion (spruced up a tad) by overphlow1 | 1 month ago |
| Lots of cool riffs in here (and particularly enjoyed that divebomb about 3/4 of the way through - reminded me of Sikth. =D A bass guitar would fill out the centre of the mix really nicely, but in the absence of that you've done alright here. Maybe a bit of a treble boost for the lead guitar would be good, though, to let it speak over the over guitars? Nice song though, I enjoyed it. |
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| the porcupine dilemma by VertigoSteps | 1 month ago |
| This is very nice... reminds me of Thrice in the Vheissu days in a lot of ways - which is definitely a compliment - although I think I prefer your vocals! Also, my compliments to the mix - sounds beefy, well balanced and LOUD without losing too much in the way of dynamics. Awesome job on that front. |
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| Terror on the Wind by TheUnheard | 1 month ago |
| Ahh, looking at my archive - I never did upload the original here! Well, never mind, it wasn't much good, that's all that needs to be said! | |
| The End Carries On by overphlow1 | 8 months ago |
| Nice song, all the instruments mesh together nicely, and the transitions all work really nicely too. The mix feels a bit distant, and a bit dry, but you've got the the important part right, and that's writing and performing a ******* piece! | |
| The Eye of Horus by Heartland | 1 year ago |
| Love the use of reverb at the start, it's rare to hear it work that well in those quantities, props for that. The chorus effect seems a bit much to my ear though at times. Bass track sounds good where it is to me. The drums are nice also. Maybe the guitars could be a bit thicker... I guess this may be a symptom of the amp/sim you're using though. The base rhythm tone is nice though, it's mainly the lead that sounds a little thin from time to time. Not that I can talk, your mix is nice and clear, which is the important thing, and not something I can say about my own! Well done! |
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| destination death by SAHARIAN | 1 year ago |
| Cool song. One or more of those guitar tracks is clipping though, which is a shame because other than that you've got a nice tone going on. I suspect your toms might be too - that or your master bus. The vocals are ace though mate. Good work on those! Just a couple of other suggestions: Piano sounds a little buried - it's only there a short time, it might be a nice idea to put a spotlight on it for that moment, so maybe look at giving it a bit more prominence with your fader and EQ. More lead guitars please! Cool work. |
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| Split Seconds 2011 by voXager | 1 year ago |
| Have to say I love the female vocals personally! Interesting effect going on with the unison. The raspy vocals are actually pretty cool, they almost sound slightly alien, which fits in with the synths! For me there's maybe almost just a little bit too much space in the mix, but then while I like my mixes pretty dense, not everybody does. Maybe just sit the vocals a bit lower when you finalise them, as at the moment they sit a tiny bit above everything. Nice work! |
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| Scary Cherry by TheUpperclassB | 1 year ago |
| This sounds wonderfully live. Did you use a click or not? It sounds a bit like not but in a good way if you know what I mean? Vocals are lovely, and fit really well, which often female vocals don't in this style, so great work on behalf of the vocalist. The bass also sounds awesome, nice and punchy, loads of clarity. Guitars sound pretty cool too, I would say they could maybe sound a tiny bit bigger with some extra tracks overdubbed, but you they're also fine as they are, I love the tone you're getting here, very rich, what sort of amp did you use? Brill song, nice work! |
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| Monstrosity by furz | 1 year ago |
| The vocals on this are really cool man. It's a cool tune too, quite fun and bouncy - the synth parts fit in very well where many people would overdo it. My one gripe would be that the guitar tone is a little fuzzy for my taste. It sounds like the clarity on the mic/amp sim wasn't the greatest, and so the fuzzy tone makes it feel a little indistinct and cloudy at times. However it's still nice and powerful and sits where I'd want to hear it in the mix. Really it's only a matter of taste anyway, so I wouldn't worry too much! Altogether it's a nice song you got! Really liked the ending as well, it's a nice touch and shows great attention to detail. |
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| Cyclosarin by TheUnheard | 1 year ago |
| I have the multi-tracks for this all tidied up, I'm usually so un-organised! If anyone wants to have a play with them in your own DAW or whatever, I'd be more than happy to send these to you, just let me know with a comment or message. | |
| Accession of the Accuser (New Mix) by TheUnheard | 1 year ago |
| I have the multi-tracks for this all tidied up, I'm usually so un-organised! If anyone wants to have a play with them in your own DAW or whatever, I'd be more than happy to send these to you, just let me know with a comment or message. | |
| Void by ahumblepizza | 1 year ago |
| I love this tuning - it sounds awesome on Bland Street Bloom and it sounds awesome here. I know someone with one of those 7-string RGs - one heck of a beastly beast it is! I can see Eidolonia's point on the high end - it's a bit over-hyped which you can mainly hear on the cymbals. But you already know about that so I'll leave it be. If there's going to be vocals on this EP I would be ready to pay for it - the music is of such quality. |
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| Painted Warnings by ahumblepizza | 1 year ago |
| As far as this genre goes, sounds like you've got it completely nailed. Considering these are digital guitars the tone is full of complexity, and is nicely 'textured' to pick up on a overly used word in this thread. =P You could improve it by adding vocals - that's pretty much my only criticism. My personal taste would asks for bass and slightly more low end on the guitar, but I'm aware neither of these are particularly relevant to this type of metal. Basically, it's 'wel good.' Nice work. |
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| Aladna Hill by voXager | 1 year ago |
| Such a shame not to hear real guitars in this, as the intro is otherwise brilliant - and some real nice drum sounds here too. But those sampled guitars kick in and the spell is broken somewhat. I can't wait to hear the full version with real guitars and vocals, because this sounds like it'll be truly epic if done well. | |
| Against the Waves by KurtonNanogon | 1 year ago |
| Also loved the piano bits here - and yes, vocals would be great. My one criticism is that the guitars sound a bit -tooo- chuggy to my ears. Maybe a little bit less around the 300-500Hz range would give it a bit more definition? The bass guitar stuff is awesome, so I don't see any reason not to let it shine through. This isn't necessarily crucial but I'd suggest a bit more variation in terms of the guitar riffs, after a certain point I knew what was coming every time the dirt guitar kicked in, which can be good, but only up to a point. Overall though, good job! |
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| point of no return by SAHARIAN | 1 year ago |
| I would say the (nicely performed) vocals are plenty loud in this mix - rather than bringing them up, maybe try EQing the guitars and vocals a bit to give each their own space? Agree that it needs a bit more bass, maybe add a little bit of OD to it too just to help it blend in with the guitars. Also it fades out a bit abruptly - maybe lengthen that fade a bit? Should help it sound a bit more professional. I like the central theme here - very catchy - could vary a bit more, but you can't have everything. As I said before the vocals are very well performed. All in all a good little hard rock song - I think it'd be great live too, I can imagine plenty of people dancing along to this track! |
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| Tomb of the Redeemer by TheUnheard | 1 year ago |
| Hey, thanks for the very constructive comment! The main reason I haven't posted the lyrics is that they were written in about 20 mins, so they're fairly dreadful, but maybe I'll pop them up for a laugh. I forgot to save them so I'll have to re-decipher them first XD | |
| [LiesToChildren] Earth by Eidolonia | 1 year ago |
| Love this, feels like the most 'fun' so far. I too, like many others (it seems) really love the keyboards in this piece, reminds me of a lot of Finnish power metal - that's a good thing! Mix is very crisp, and everything has great definition. I would also agree with a few people here that the drums could do with maybe 3 dB more. I don't think a good bit of reverb on the snare would hurt it in this piece, at least in those slower section, that'd make it sound nice and BIG, sure it's a slightly cheesy trick in some people's eyes but I think it'd fit quite well here. Tl;dr - Excellent as usual. Awesome Keys, make the drums a bit louder though? |
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| [LiesToChildren] Fire by Eidolonia | 1 year ago |
| This is beautiful. What strikes me the most is that bass tone (would love to know exactly what equipment/plugs etc you were using there). The guitar tone is great, and the heavier sections remind me a little bit of Metallica. There is a feeling that it's slightly 'dry' for want a better word, but on the whole it's great. Another area were you really excel in this piece is the atmospheric use of reverb on the guitar and, i think some synths. It seems to set the piece in a dream-like environment - something I've noticed in a few of your works - and really brings it to life. | |
| [LiesToChildren] Horizon by Eidolonia | 1 year ago |
| Wow, I wasn't expecting such aggressive riffing here, especially after the intro. This is sounding really nice, good beefy guitar tone and the bass sits just right where it is now. Not 100% on the vocals yet - nothing wrong with them in themselves, but I sometimes feel like I'm not sure if they're meant to be in my face or in the background. In all though, it's sounding pretty good so far! | |
| Emergence by Eidolonia | 1 year ago |
| An interesting piece indeed. I think this could sound really impressive with live instruments and some really good musical expression, but you'd be looking at a very big budget there! Anyway, happy birthday dude, it's a big one, and may you be successful in all your endeavours henceforth! I can't wait to hear what you'll do on your album, and don't worry, it'll come, likely all at once. =D Many Happy returns, man, The Unheard |
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| At the Mercy of the Cruel Sun by TheUnheard | 2 years ago |
| Hey PinkFreud, I used a pre-set I made myself, using the Tube distortion pedal and Plexi Lead amp in POD Farm, as well as a compressor and a few other knick-knacks. There's a tiny bit of EQ'ing been done as well. If you wanted to get hold of that tone as a starting point for your own ideas, I could probably send you the files for it somehow at some point! |
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| Se7en by marshall2288 | 2 years ago |
| I love this - got a very heavy 'Southern' feel to it. I have to agree with Sublime that the recording 'quality' adds more than it takes away, although I wouldn't say it was low quality, just RAW, which for this kind of music, seems to be the best thing. Good dirty guitar tone by the way - it sounds great! | |
| An Insatiable Monster by TheUnheard | 2 years ago |
| I'm not a particularly good example to follow on these sort of vocals, but what I find works is to drink plenty of liquids before you even think about it. Then it's really a case of listening to metal vocalists you like and taking your best shot at getting that sort of sound. A lot of it comes from your throat and upper chest as well as squezzing air up from the bottom of your lungs like any singing. Just practise and you'll get it. | |
| Trigger by TheUnheard | 2 years ago |
| Hey Eido, thanks for the comment! Yeah I'm having some real problems with ridiculously spiky waveforms in Audacity at the moment. It's causing everything to clip at pretty low level and I'm not sure what to do about it really. That would probably explain the over compressed guitars as I tried to reduce the level of all those spikes. I've also tried the Hard Limiter recently but while it allowed me to "Amplify" things a bit more without illuminating the clipmeter, it didn't make things sound any better. The clip lights aren't lighting up inside POD Farm either, and no single track seems to be the problem. To be honest I'm totally stumped so any tips - from anyone - would be brilliant. Thanks again. |
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| Diminished Returns by Eidolonia | 3 years ago |
| This really is good. I don't have any criticisms as such, so I'll just point the highlights, which for me were the vocals - a very impressive delivery indeed, very close to professional sounding. And even more so the solo section which was impressive both technically and from an artistic perspective. It really added that final touch, which is what a solo should do! I am in awe. |
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| [Shadows] Escape by Eidolonia | 3 years ago |
| Favourite. It really does tell a story. I can see you've taken a variety of musical influences and made it into something truly original. I'd suggest improvements, but you've got me stumped on this one. You're very succesful at not allowing the focus of the piece to be centered exclusively on the guitar. The acoustic sections are beautifully executed. I'm definitely feeling the energy in the final section. You're certainly in control of the atmosphere throughout, and you use it to stunning effect. A video showing your plot outline would be amazing, but obviously that's as good as impossible to acheive without bags of cash, and the help of a record label. This is definitely a triumph, and never ceases to be interesting, despite it's epic length. Well done, I'm stunned by your creative talent. TheUnheard x |
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| Where I Am by herrsolera | 3 years ago |
 This is one of the most ambitious projects, and one of the craziest concepts I've heard on here, and yet you've managed to get everything to slot together perfectly. The musicianship shows wide and varied talent, and the vocals fit the style perfectly and provide that Latin atmosphere. This is the kind of music I'd be more than happy to hear in restaurants and so on, as well as at home, it has an ambience to it that makes me smile and want to move. If music can do that to me I know it's good. My only gripe would be that the electric guitar tone seems slightly thin at points. I'm not sure what's going on here, as this isn't the case all the way through but it's probably just me! In any case, this is an extremely good piece of music. Brilliant work. |
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| Desire by vegetal | 3 years ago |
This is an exceptional, professional sounding track. Reminds me a lot of Radiohead, although it sounds different from them at the same time. I love the dark sound, the fuzz and ring effects compliment the track perfectly. The vocals are indeed as close to perfect as anything I've heard on here. Even though I wouldn't usually listen to this kind of stuff, this one's an instant favourite for me. Excellent stuff. TheUnheard x |
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| The Evil Within by Outcry | 3 years ago |
| Starting from the start, the intro's good, there are a few very tiny glitches in the guitar playing but they're negligible. From what I can hear, the guitar work is good, but that sound really is hurting it. It could definitely do with being higher as opposed to the bass, which is doubly prominent as it's much more clearly recorded. As for the vocals - yep great delivery, as Eido said. The singer definitely has their own individual style. I'm not sure whether I'm all that keen on some parts of the drums but its a taste matter, it would be nice to have something more organic though. I'm liking the breakdown type part, and the solo backing immediately after. The solo itself sounds as though it'd be great with some clearer tone, there's some great licks there, but at the moment it's causing my speakers to make some rather unpleasant squeaking noises. I would say that this is maybe just a little too long - the chorus is used quite a few times, and you risk becoming repetetive. There are maybe a few parts of this song you could probably lose to make it more concise, without losing the essence and message. Don't be afraid to cut parts out if they're not necessary. Still, overall, this is pretty good stuff! The Unheard x |
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| Fit to Be Tied by Ignoramus | 3 years ago |
| Really nice work here. You've made the 3/4 time signature work for you, and it's really paid off. The guitar work is extremely tight with an excellent solo in the middle of the song, not to mention the solo at the outro, which brings the whole piece to a screaming climax. The piano and acoustic work is truly beautiful, and immaculate (but of course) along with sublime backing vocals, which lend so much atmosphere to those quiet interludes. The lead vocals ain't shabby either - the singer has a very distinctive voice, and a fair degree of talent. The drums may be computerised, but regardless, they're very tastefully used, and real sounding. My only suggestion would be that some extra chunk for the rhythm section would have given the song more power in the distorted sections, but that's a matter of opinion! All things said, this was certainly a project worth saving, and congratulations to all involved for producing such a mature and well thought-through piece of music. TheUnheard x |
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| Watch Them Die by TheUnheard | 3 years ago |
| Hey everyone, just to say, thanks for the crit. The drums are actually played by a machine in this track, but that you'd even think it might be real makes me a happy man! My band is actually looking for a drummer at the moment, so I guess we're in for a bit of a wait! By the way herrsolera, you're right, it is a bit loud - I guess I got lazy by that stage and there's actually three guitars in that part of the song - the lead guitar continues to play the same as the rhythm, and the solo was laid over that, so that probably explains the noise! And yeah the high notes are a bit shrill, if anyone has any ideas how to alter my lead tone to get rid of that, please tell me! Thanks Will x |
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| [Shadows] Eternal by Eidolonia | 4 years ago |
Hey this was pretty good. That tone sounds very nice indeed, and some nice riffs in there. The keyboards are probably my favourite part though. Sounds a little different which is always good of course, my only gripe was that it began to get a little repetitive, but by the time you notice that it's almost finished anyway! This is a good little piece. |
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