So how much does this clip of a song I'm working on suck?

[originalpckelly]

:shrug:

It's the top clip, and it's just a sample:
http://www.myspace.com/pckelly

[MrCoffee]

1. I never listen to music like this, so I have no frame of reference with which to respond

I didn't turn it off halfway through, if that helps.

[originalpckelly]

2. So I guess that puts you in the vomit choking back category?

:-)

[Droopy]

3. It sounds like what I imagine Scandanavian pop sounds like

Like something you'd hear in a disco in Norway. It's interesting and I'm all about exploring my creativity so I urge you to explore your's.

[originalpckelly]

6. :P

Thanks...

[boilerbabe]

4. You didn't give us any good options there!!

I thought the music was quite pretty. So why are you not giving your audience an option to say so? Silly you, stop being your own worst enemy.

So did your one-year old niece write it or not? Is she a prodigy ahaha. Quit it and acknowledge yourself, hunny!

Don't forget to finish the song, ok?

[originalpckelly]

5. I won't forget to.

Thanks, I like self-deprication though. I live to lower expectations, then beat 'em. Sort of like Scotty says it'll take a week to fix the warp engines, then gets it done in hour, looking like a genius to the captain. :P

[JVS]

7. Reminds me of this guy

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lp_PIjc2ga4

[originalpckelly]

10. I had one of those guitar-ish keyboard when I was little!

:P

Aww that's awesomely bad!

[MilesColtrane]

8. Makes me want to put on some Drakkar Noir, a bolo tie and my Girbaud parachute pants.

I expect Teri Nunn to come in after the first eight bars.

Whether that's a good, or bad thing, depends on what you were going for.

[originalpckelly]

9. Definitely going for an '80s dance-ish feel

So I guess this is ok with that goal mind

[yorgatron]

11. you ever hang out at

http://acapella.harmony-central.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=18

[originalpckelly]

13. No, but I will now.

Thanks for the link. :P

[Fire Walk With Me]

12. A combo of prog and synthpop? Interesting.

Is that a JX8p doing the chorusy, portamento'd lead sound in the second track (is present through the fade)? Reminds me of that synth.

[originalpckelly]

14. It's all my Alesis Micron.

That little synth is awesome, although I have a little more work to do on its connections, there is way too much noise on the line. I'm switching to Monster cables from my RadioShack ones, to kill that damn noise.

[Fire Walk With Me]

15. Okay, at least I got that it was digital.

I did a few of the sounds in the ION; I don't know if they made it into the MICRON.

Keep up the good work. Making music is its own reward, and you're going in an interesting direction.

[originalpckelly]

16. All programs from the ION are supposed to work 100% on the Micron...

It's the same synth, but it now has reverb and long delay, although I prefer to use Sonitus:FX in Sonar or something like the Lexicon Pantheon reverb plug-in.

[Fire Walk With Me]

17. I'm not aware if they re-voiced the MICRON or if they simply transferred the ION

sounds into it and left it alone. That came after my time at Alesis... I'm looking forward to hearing more of your music.

[originalpckelly]

22. That's pretty cool that you were there...

I don't own an ION to make the comparison, but what I've read and heard from people who used it, said that it was indeed that same synth only in a smaller package. You know what they say, it's not the size of the synthesizer that counts, it's the motion in the oscillator.

[B3Nut]

18. Skip Monster.

Overpriced and overhyped. That, and they sue anyone who uses "Monster" in their name, even childrens' clothing shops. ProCo makes perfectly good 1/4" cables with metal plugs and good shielding, made in Kalamazoo, MI. Monster is IMHO a waste of money (and a bad corporate citizen...arrogant to the max.)

Also, you may well have other sources of noise such as ground loops, etc.

Todd in Cheesecurdistan

[originalpckelly]

29. Yeah, I'm going to have to go through and figure this out...

you can definitely hear the noise at the start of this clip.

I added you on myspace too! :P

[B3Nut]

19. I thought it was quite cool, myself.

I'd like to hear the whole thing when it's done.

Take My Fear Away is a neat cut, I like it! I dug the organ-y thing in the middle...cool!

I wish I had configged my MySpace as a music page...didn't know the diff when I signed on, wasn't paying a lot of attention. Drat....

Todd in Cheesecurdistan

[originalpckelly]

23. That's actually a very old one.

It's going to be released on iTunes in late October, under my "Der Zauberer" label as "Space Voyage" and I'm going to make so little money off it, that I'm certain I'll end up paying more to distribute it than I make from it. :P

[harmonicon]

20. get rid of the reverb

reverb is the mind killer

[originalpckelly]

21. It helps it sound '80s

[harmonicon]

24. no way

If you actually want it to sound "80's", you should use gear from the 80's - unfortunately, a decent reverb in the 80's could only really be had in studios. The fake stuff just doesn't cut it.

[B3Nut]

25. Most studios in the 80's,

with the exception of really big rooms that had the luxury of live chambers, used EMT plates and later early digital processors from Lexicon, Ursa Major, and Yamaha. A good reverb plugin (especially the newer convolution 'verbs) wipes the floor with the processors most rooms could afford then. (EMT plates are excellent, but are more or less one color or character of 'verb.) Even the freebie Digiverb that comes bundled with ProTools can sound quite good if set carefully (hint: EQ the send to the reverb if possible rolling off a good bit of top end, and nearly all of the low end going to it. Smooths it out and keeps it from getting muddy in the mix. Most reverb plugins have filter settings right in the main window that will allow this.)

Reverb can be overused, but is useful along with delays for creating a sense of space. There is nothing like a real reverberant space, however...I have an organ and choral recording from St. Sulpice Church in Paris that is just sublime, one of the best classical recordings I think I've ever bought (The Widor Mass, on the JAV label, an expensive multichannel SACD disc, but it was worth it. It's jaw-dropping!) I'd love a reverb plugin that was based on a sampled model of an old stone church like that...best reverb *ever*.

[harmonicon]

26. plug-ins just aren't the same

I was thinking of plate reverbs, which nothing digital ever sounds like, but also of the old lexicon units. I know that modern stuff can run rings around those things, but if someone's going for an 80's sound, I think the way to do it is by actually getting an old lexicon reverb. Same goes for synths - plug-ins are total crap compared to the real deal, if you're trying to replicate something.

I've used hardware and software both when recording, and each has it's place, but one thing can not replace another in any transparent way.

[datasuspect]

27. where's the break

and when does simon le bon start singing?

[BlueJazz]

28. Stop after the first 8 bars and write something with a cool "Hook"

The second 8 bars is too redundant. :)

[originalpckelly]

30. Yeah, I write with a sectional style, so there's not telling what this going to become.

I think I'll actually start off with something quieter, and to make a hook, I'll add some type of catchy accents to this clip. It does run too long, I was just thinking that. It deviates from traditional pop styling, and not in a way that feels really good.