Maintiger has a hit song!

Posted: Sun May 14, 2006 12:52 pm

On the Songramp.com web site- It's in the top 10- like #5 right now-

http://www.songramp.com/view.ez?sampleid=44996

Stop by, take a listen and please, please vote for it if you can- lets see if we can make it #1!

This is a cool thing Cool

The song is "Brave Young Men" by Elrod Geare, written by maintiger, aka Xavier Calvera.

Thanks to all!- check out the whole album at:

www.elrodgeare.com

Posted: Sun May 14, 2006 11:42 pm

maintiger ! Congratulations on this fine achievement in your professional career! So nice to hear this kind of news, especially in this MP3 and I-Pod generation. Few people can comprehend the quality of sound within your recording. Quite nice. And all the work you must have put in to this? I mean in only took 4 1/2 minutes didn't it?

Drive through please
Ms. Remy Ann David

Posted: Mon May 15, 2006 6:15 pm

Brave young men is #2 right now!

http://www.songramp.com/tuner.ez?Hot=Yes

actually the song comes through through the mp3 very well- its a political theme about a vietnam vet father reflecting on his song in Iraq- "its time again to fight..... it's time again to die..."

Check it out if you can Remy and tell me what you think- and if you like it vote for it- we'll make it #1 yet! Very Happy

Posted: Mon May 15, 2006 10:33 pm

Well I went ahead and signed up at the site just so I could vote for your song! Good luck!

Now I need to catch up
Ms. Remy Ann David

Posted: Mon May 15, 2006 10:50 pm

thanxs-did you listen to it? whatcha think?

Posted: Tue May 16, 2006 7:43 pm

Xavier, I listened to your song multiple times. Was that you singing? I did enjoy the strong melodic content of the song with its mellow groove. Oh thank God for melodies! This might seem like a discriminatory comment but I just don't understand how anybody can record anything with the word "music" in it without a melody, i.e. hip-hop and rap immediately come to mind. The scourge of the music industry. I do Windows I just don't do hip-hop or rap, I don't care how much money somebody throws at me and they haven't yet.

I found your recording quite clean and bright sounding with great articulation. I don't recognize the sound of the console? I think you did it all ITB? What I did find slightly peculiar was your use of the ambient sample snare drum in the right channel? Kind of like old Beatles style? I also detected a lack of sustain on most of the sampled cymbals. That was about the only thing that actually bothered me. One of the great reasons why I used to overdub real live cymbals over top of sampled drums or, adding some EMT plate sizzle to the sampled cymbals with a short decay to cover up for lack of sustain and that cut off gate sound.

Although I found your vocal fairly smooth sounding, I would have liked to have heard a greater amount of compression since I really do like compression on the human voice. I thought the equalization could have been a little different as well, with a little more low-end rolloff in a little more high-end air but it may have more been the microphone than anything else, since I usually try to get my vocal sound from the microphone before I equalize it? I felt that the vocal at times did not sit well in the mix? I also thought the vocal was slightly darker then it needed to be, from excessive proximity effect? It certainly sounded like you may have used a large capsule condenser on his vocal that did not have enough presence or air to it? Maybe it was a RE20 on vocal and not a condenser microphone at all? There are very few vocals that I record without copious amounts of compression and that is usually only operatic voices. Although for effect I have used some compression and/or limiting on some operatic audition demos, to mimic 1950s style recordings of opera singers complete with 77 DX ribbon on the vocal.

All around I thought it was an excellent song and a totally professional job of recording and mixing! And although the samples you used were first rate, I really do miss an actual band. Those samples definitely give it a more high-tech sound however, which perhaps is what you were after? I thought this would have been a much finer song had real musicians been utilized throughout?

I hope you do not find my comments or opinions denigrating because they're not meant to be. I know you are a fine professional and everything we do is all very subjective and personal. Either way, you have made it darned near the top of the charts! I hope you make it to the dark side of the moon next time?

Looking for a higher power to record
Ms. Remy Ann David

Posted: Wed May 17, 2006 11:01 am

Thanks for your review and kind words Remy-
yes it was me singing and it was done in Motu’s Digital Performer ITB
The mic was either an U87 or my trusty RCA D77 (I forget which- would have to look up the notes) going through a grace pre into a rosetta AD
The drums were actually a v drum roland kit my drummer Stve used- At the time we did it we had sold the old studio and were setting up a new one at home and did not have a set up to record drums yet- the bass was recorded straight in through the same path as the vocal- and the guitars cabs were miced with a 57--- the samples on the synths were mostly in my mach five library and we did use some loops for the fx, flying the mix to soundtrack, adding the tracks there and reimporting them as separate tracks into DP- I agree with you that it would have been way cooler to have tracked everybody in the same room with an acoustic kit but we did not have the facilities at the time- Again thanks for the review and I am happy to report that the song is #1 in Songramp today.

Posted: Wed May 17, 2006 11:19 pm

Xavier, very cool! I really think you're vocal Mike was the U87 and not the 77D, although I could be wrong? Pretty wonderful that you are #1 with a bullet! (Please no guns) I know what you mean by trying to set up a new studio at home. I've done that quite a few times over the years and every time I have, I missed the real studio. Thank God for live recording! Live recording also works better for people that have ADD like I have. No lamenting over decisions. You're in and then you're out. That's what I like, drive-through recordings!

I think I will create a new drive-through recording studio and name it "JIFFY DOOB"?
Ms. Remy Ann David

Posted: Thu May 18, 2006 8:23 am

Super-size it , baby!

Posted: Thu May 18, 2006 7:29 pm

right on- Peace, brothers and sisters.... Very Happy

and Remy we did track the vocals with both but ended up using the '87- good ears!

Posted: Fri May 19, 2006 5:42 pm

Excellent song, its message comes thru, with every right that it has to.

From http://www.elrodgeare.com/ :

"Every now and then something snaps and out comes Elrod"

Very cool to have an alter ego Xavier. Cool

And equally cool to be able to swing that Yamaha SG so well. Nice guitar playing there.

And Ms. Remy Ann, I must say, great to have you aboard. Your experience and knowledge is an asset to all of us here at R.O.

Posted: Sat May 20, 2006 10:28 am

Thank you Tommy for those kind remarks. I do like to throw my excessive bodily weight around here at Recording.org. I think I'll have more french fries now? Maybe a big Mac? Caviar? Oh that's a hard drive.

Hi hat with mustard pickles and onions
Ms. Remy Ann David

Posted: Sat May 20, 2006 2:03 pm

Tommy P. wrote:

Excellent song, its message comes thru, with every right that it has to.

From http://www.elrodgeare.com/ :

"Every now and then something snaps and out comes Elrod"

Very cool to have an alter ego Xavier. Cool

And equally cool to be able to swing that Yamaha SG so well. Nice guitar playing there.

And Ms. Remy Ann, I must say, great to have you aboard. Your experience and knowledge is an asset to all of us here at R.O.

hey Tommy thanks man- I know you have one of the Original Yamaha SG's- this is the 25 year anyversary model, came out in '00 I believe
peace

Posted: Sat May 20, 2006 9:43 pm

RemyRAD wrote:

Thank you Tommy for those kind remarks. I do like to throw my excessive bodily weight around here at Recording.org. I think I'll have more french fries now? Maybe a big Mac? Caviar? Oh that's a hard drive.

Hi hat with mustard pickles and onions
Ms. Remy Ann David

LOL! Ain't no catwalk models 'round here. Just folks with a passion and the beef to back it up. Well, if thats what makes ya hungry...eat up girl!

maintiger wrote:

hey Tommy thanks man- I know you have one of the Original Yamaha SG's- this is the 25 year anyversary model, came out in '00 I believe
peace

I've never seen a left handed version until I saw yours! Rare indeed!

I bought mine new in '76 or '77, I can't remember anymore. An instantly recognizable tone, the Yamaha SG's are truly a world class instrument. I prefered Santana's tone back when the Yamaha was his main axe. Most PRS's are too dark, and one dimensional by comparison IMHO. PRS' play easily, and were(past tense) built to high standards which is why I think they became so popular. I'd much rather have a good fight with a Tele, than play a "10" top.

Posted: Mon May 22, 2006 11:29 am

[/quote] I've never seen a left handed version until I saw yours! Rare indeed!

.[/quote]
that's because since we were making an alter-ego we decided to make Elrod lefthanded and flipped the picture! my SG is really righthanded- but it does have a nice tone! Very Happy

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