are you overdubbing track by track while monitoring the tracks already recorded with compression applied? it sounds like there's a latency problem with the keyboard and guitar tracks ...

don't add compression on the tracks or the stereo bus while you do overdubs. it causes latency. make sure all comprssors are by passed when you overdub new tracks.

For a first time at it, nice job. Its lacking a musical feel but keep working at it. Every song you do, you will get better.

Kurt Foster, post: 402459 wrote: are you overdubbing track by track while monitoring the tracks already recorded with compression applied? it sounds like these a latency problem with the keyboard and guitar tracks ...

So you hear different instruments not lining up, is that what you are saying?

I've recorded every single track by itself, and as I monitored the already recorded tracks, I did the next one & so forth.

audiokid, post: 402460 wrote: For a first time at it, nice job. Its lacking a musical feel but keep working at it. Every song you do, you will get better.

Thanks for the feedback, I really appreciate it! I don't even know why I'm focusing on guitars when I'm lead pianist & vocalist. I guess I love exploring.
Any suggestions to how I could make it have more of a musical feel? I actually know what you are saying, but I would not know how to work on it.

When I first started all I could do is play one chord and two years later I was on the road touring with a band. You will learn everything you need to by listening to your favorite bands. That's how we all got to where we are today. Listening to others

Sent from my iPhone

Sounds like your tracks aren't on the beat, like they are playing late but it also sounds like you we're trying to sounds like that. It's what I meant by not musical.

Sent from my iPhone

Kuroneku, post: 402461 wrote: So you hear different instruments not lining up, is that what you are saying?

I've recorded every single track by itself, and as I monitored the already recorded tracks, I did the next one & so forth.

yes i hear the instrument not lining up

the first track. when you play it back (to listen to while you overbub the second track) do you have any compression on the first track or the 2-bus turned on?

Kurt Foster, post: 402465 wrote: yes i hear the instrument not lining up

the first track. when you play it back (to listen to while you overbub the second track) do you have any compression on the first track or the 2-bus turned on?

What exactly do You mean by "compression"? Do You mean if I have any of the tracks louder or quieter?
The only track where I made it louder was the electric guitar melody track, because my Fender Mustang I amp has this low-level recording issue, which is apparently something that everyone has with that amp (I looked into it).
I also added a reverb effect to that track to make it sound smoother since the quality changed as I made that track louder.

Also, the electric guitar melody was meant to have a late start if that is the track you are referring to that's late.
I use REAPER by the way.

Any advice on how to best line up tracks? Pay more focus during recording or just make nice cuts?

You're either wayyy out of tune or you're playing some pretty bad notes... probably both.

I didn't listen to the whole track because frankly, I simply can't listen to a track that is that far out of tune for very long.

Timing is way off. And I don't think this is latency. I think this is personal timing.

Tune those instruments, pay more attention to timing, go back and try again.

-d.

i was thinking latency because the piano sound is late exactly the same amount every time ... weird.

Kurt Foster, post: 402500 wrote: i was thinking latency because the piano sound is late exactly the same amount every time ... weird.

It might very well be on that particular instrument... but the timing is off on so many of the other parts that I suspect it's also a human timing issue.

DonnyThompson, post: 402484 wrote: You're either wayyy out of tune or you're playing some pretty bad notes... probably both.

I didn't listen to the whole track because frankly, I simply can't listen to a track that is that far out of tune for very long.

Timing is way off. And I don't think this is latency. I think this is personal timing.

Tune those instruments, pay more attention to timing, go back and try again.

-d.

"Tune those instruments", well, there is only one instrument that must be tuned. I don't think I can tune midi, can I?
And in which tracks do You see the latency/timing issue the most?

I tried to line the tracks up good enough, but I guess it has to be not just hair-detailed, but almost microscopic-detailed when it comes to the timing?

"Tune those instruments", well, there is only one instrument that must be tuned. I don't think I can tune midi, can I?

Well actually, yes you can. If you've got a transposition command enabled on a midi track you can be playing any number of half steps out. But I'm not sure that these aren't actual mistakes (clams) in the scale / chord progression you are playing note - wise, particularly in your bass line...

Either way, you've got some wrong notes in there, unless you're intentionally playing in some strange modal key that I'm completely unaware of.

Just guessing off the top of my head but you're in the key of E, right? The progression I believe you are trying to play is a very basic descending pattern, used commonly.

And I think what you are trying to get your bass line to be doing is E/E/E/E/ D/D/D/D/ C/C/C/C B/B/B/B/.... but that ain't what I'm hearing. Either that... or you are using some very strange bass synth patch with some pretty weird harmonic overtones built into the patch that are wreaking havoc with that scale, or you are playing a chromatic descending bass line in which case it's still not gonna work with your whole note chords descending as I described above.

If you are playing E/E/E/E then D/D/D/D/ but underneath that D major chord you are playing an Eb in the bass, then yeah.. that's not gonna work.

I mean, unless of course that's what you are after in that particular type of hair-pulling dissonance, and if you are, then you've done exactly what you've set out to do and I'll shut up about it.

As far as timing, yes, you are late on your down beats, at least in reference to your drum track. Whether this is due to latency or actual human timing error remains to be seen...

Have you tried quantizing the midi tracks? Sounds to me as if your bass line is playing descending quarter notes... so start with that track and quantize it to a 1/4 note resolution. Your synthy guitar patch appears to be whole note chords, so quantize those to a whole not res.

fwiw
-d.

Kurt Foster, post: 402500 wrote: i was thinking latency because the piano sound is late exactly the same amount every time ... weird.

I think he's doing this on purpose. Remember, this is his first time. Think back to the first time we used a two track lol. That what I'm doing here. 2-bus, I doubt our new friend even understands what that means?

DonnyThompson, post: 402514 wrote: Well actually, yes you can. If you've got a transposition command enabled on a midi track you can be playing any number of half steps out. But I'm not sure that these aren't actual mistakes (clams) in the scale / chord progression you are playing note - wise, particularly in your bass line...

Either way, you've got some wrong notes in there, unless you're intentionally playing in some strange modal key that I'm completely unaware of.

Just guessing off the top of my head but you're in the key of E, right? The progression I believe you are trying to play is a very basic descending pattern, used commonly.

And I think what you are trying to get your bass line to be doing is E/E/E/E/ D/D/D/D/ C/C/C/C B/B/B/B/.... but that ain't what I'm hearing. Either that... or you are using some very strange bass synth patch with some pretty weird harmonic overtones built into the patch that are wreaking havoc with that scale, or you are playing a chromatic descending bass line in which case it's still not gonna work with your whole note chords descending as I described above.

If you are playing E/E/E/E then D/D/D/D/ but underneath that D major chord you are playing an Eb in the bass, then yeah.. that's not gonna work.

I mean, unless of course that's what you are after in that particular type of hair-pulling dissonance, and if you are, then you've done exactly what you've set out to do and I'll shut up about it.

As far as timing, yes, you are late on your down beats, at least in reference to your drum track. Whether this is due to latency or actual human timing error remains to be seen...

Have you tried quantizing the midi tracks? Sounds to me as if your bass line is playing descending quarter notes... so start with that track and quantize it to a 1/4 note resolution. Your synthy guitar patch appears to be whole note chords, so quantize those to a whole not res.

fwiw
-d.

To be begin with, thanks for the detailed explanations here.
There have been no changes to the MIDI settings so it should be all standard.

Yes, the pattern is: Em-D-C-B
Musically speaking, I mean I could have a D and an Eb on bass, but it would sound pretty weird in this case & we know that wasn't the intention.

Now here is my chance to learn something new, what do You mean by "quantizing the midi tracks"?
Is that some technique/trick/tool to have the midi tracks work together in, for example, a 4/4 beat?

I'm kinda glad that I did post that first attempt of mine, trying to make different tracks work together ;)

i'm beginning to think it sounds the way it sounds on purpose. it's what the op wants it to sound like ...duh

audiokid, post: 402464 wrote: Sounds like your tracks aren't on the beat, like they are playing late but it also sounds like you we're trying to sounds like that. It's what I meant by not musical.

Sent from my iPhone

see post #7

hehe, you guys crack me up on this one.

Practice makes perfect

i saw that when you posted it.

i was still thinking he wanted it to sound uh well .. in time? silly me!

Thanks to everyone in participating in my first thread & first multiple-track recording experiment critique.

Hopefully I can upload a new little experiment tomorrow night, if not the day after. I'll be incorporating all the criticism & I'll be even happier to get Your guys critique on that since I will be using the piano and perhaps vocals.

PS: I crack up when I listen to that track that I showed You guys to critique lol

The main thing... the most important thing... is to learn about the tools of our trade.

Knowing what certain processors do - and how they do it - is absolutely essential if you ever want to improve. Regardless of whether it's EQ, Gain Reduction, Delay, Reverb, Spatial Enhancers...or in the world of Midi, things like Quantizing and note resolution, Velocity, Duration, etc...you have to know what they do and how they work in order to use them correctly.

Simply inserting a processor plug into a track or bus without knowing what it does and how it does what it does in respect to the various parameters and settings, will almost always result in a "WTF" is he doing?" response from those who do know.

You wouldn't use a hammer to drive a screw. You'd smash the crap out of it, right?

Know what your task at hand is before you reach for a particular tool in your box, and know exactly what that tool does and how it works.

Until you do this, you're gonna be... well... let me put it this way....you're gonna be smashing the crap out of a whole lot of screws.

fwiw
-d.