KVR Audio

jbraner · Post by **jbraner** » Mon Nov 23, 2020 2:14 pm

Hi

I've got a new song out. It's called "Economic Impact" - you can check it
out here:
https://soundclick.com/share.cfm?id=14147768

This song features the usual suspects:
Made in Reaper
Superior 3 drums
MODO Bass
some Kontakt stuff
a few odds and ends
and my trusty Strats and Tele

Any feedback is welcome

Don't forget - Download CDs (including my newest one "Pull the Other One")
Are still available at https://www.cdbaby.com/Artist/JohnBraner
and all the normal streaming services.
CDBaby won't be selling physical CDs anymore - so just contact me if you want one - or look on Amazon or Apple etc.

htcnext2 · Post by **htcnext2** » Mon Nov 23, 2020 3:41 pm

The guitar reminds me of some 90's Alternative stuff. Good mix of bass and guitars. Well done.

jbraner · Post by **jbraner** » Mon Nov 23, 2020 4:06 pm

Thanks a lot for listening htcnext2 - and for your comments!

ChameleonMusic · Post by **ChameleonMusic** » Mon Nov 23, 2020 4:10 pm

It works - enjoyed it...nice playing and generally good production.

Small Points:
I felt that the guitar timbres were all a little bit too similar...could've done with a bit more separation?

Same for the whole mix to some extent - lacks that final edge of clarity with maybe too much frequency overlap between sounds?

Biggest Point:
Drums felt a little bit stilted alongside the live guitars...personally, I would've either edited them extensively for a more human feel or played them live on pads / keyboard. Good compromise I sometimes use is - program the kick and snare and then play all the cymbals live!

jbraner · Post by **jbraner** » Mon Nov 23, 2020 6:44 pm

Hi Chameleon - thanks a lot for listening, and for your comments - some things to think about

lacks that final edge of clarity

The Holy Grail! Who knows if I'll ever find it...

The drums start with Toontrack MIDI files, which are generally pretty good, and played by real people. Then I actually do edit them *a lot* - I haven't tried actually *playing* them in though - hmm...

ChameleonMusic · Post by **ChameleonMusic** » Mon Nov 23, 2020 6:57 pm

The drums start with Toontrack MIDI files, which are generally pretty good, and played by real people. Then I actually do edit them *a lot* - I haven't tried actually *playing* them in though - hmm...

Yeah, the drums weren't bad or anything...not saying that at all, but to my ear lacked the same 'live' fluidity of the guitars. I don't know exactly what you did, obviously, but I do know there's a temptation to copy and paste a lot with drum loops...and that's 100% fine, especially with extra editing on fill bars etc, but...

It can mean that many identical bars are just that...the same in every single way, which is not natural, obviously.

When I can be bothered, I go as far as:

1) individual tweaks to the MIDI velocities that are subtly different in each bar
2) individual micro tweaks to the flow by adjusting the timing of notes on a bar by bar basis
3) Micro adjustments to the ongoing tempo - up and down by incredibly small amounts via the graphic display

...just to give it as much humanity as possible!

Yeah, I'm slightly sad, I know!

jbraner · Post by **jbraner** » Mon Nov 23, 2020 9:06 pm

Well, those are good ideas!
I edit the MIDI a lot, drag things around, edit the fills, try to make sure there are never more than 4 things playing (make sure the hats aren't playing at the same time as a busy fill - unless it's just the foot pedal) - but there will still be some measures that are copy/paste *and* the overall beat is the same throughout - I sometimes wonder how much a real drummer would "mix things up"

Anyway - I'm making mental notes, and I *do* try to pay attention to the drum part - so it's a work in progress

SONG: Economic Impact