"In My Time of Dying" - Rough Cut

[chefrusso]

Thanks Ney, that gives me some great insight. I was maximizing my sound levels into the line in of the sound recorder for the webcam so that they were just lapping at the top. Instead, I should soften the signal coming out of the Micro Cube (or really out of the UX2) so that they are more in the middle range instead. Guess I was guilty of trying to add too much flavor! This is an easy tweak because I can control the volume of the signal coming out of the UX2 by adjusting the volume knob for the monitor signal.

Actually, speaking of getting good tone, I did tweak these tones to try and emulate the sounds I heard on the original recording more closely. I started with one of their pre-programmed tones and I've been making small adjustments here and there on different effects so that I can hear how it ultimately changes the output signal. Your analogy of achieving good tone and how it is very similar to cooking really resonates with me. It instantly reminded me of when I was a young apprentice, working in my first restaurant, and I was asking the chef as I was looking at the spice rack, "How do you know what spices to use where? There's so many!" He told me the best way was to add a little and taste it, you can always add to something, but you can never take it away. He also said that with experience, you'll know exactly which spices to use and which spices you shouldn't. I've got to remember that when I'm searching for good tone, or using just the right amount of spice! (although with tonal "spices", you CAN turn the effect up OR down)

[N E Y]

Well.... Christian....
You need to watch the meters on the UX2 input AND on the Ableton channel mixer strip on your computer screen when you record.

The signal is getting destroyed at either point or at both...you have to see where.

You could have the levels right at the UX2 input by looking at the round UX 2 VUs and then they still can be way too hot coming out of the UX2 into Ableton......So you have to also see the Ableton meter to know that.

Your tone is fine....... recording level is not tone shaping in AD conversion.....only in analog tape recording can you affect tone by slamming the tape because of the complexities of analog circuit that allow for headroom and sound coloration.

In digital you get noise....not tone... the second you hit ZERO......Going Over digital Zero is like the electric chair for your notes and your tone and your music... a very ghastly and painful way to kill it.

I would describe it like this:

It is like unwittingly adding a dash of cyanide to your dish and watch your elegant yacht dinner guest spazz and jerk all over throwing the table overboard in a fit of final revolt as he passes away growling doglike, foaming yellow goop all over his amazingly immaculate tuxedo while his eyeballs spin uncontrollably as his latest Cannes hottie starlet soirée companion screams "Mon Dieu!" at the top of her lungs.


While this typical scenario has some fundamental dramatic merit, it is much too volatile to be of any extended musical interest..

By contrast, analog distortion does not brutally kill your note.....it molds it into a different sound very gradually as you increase input gain or output gain. It is beloved by humanity as a source of bliss.

I have a feeling your next recording will be......killer?..... in the American complimentary sense of the word of course....



http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ney_mello
2011 going on 2012? We know it is time to care about cool music seriously again!...and Your guitar is part of the scene!
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B001KMH8FM/?ta ... ppv63sgm_b

[chefrusso]

Cool Ney! I'll be sure to check levels at all stages of the chain. I wouldn't want to be responsible for serving someone some tainted meat! Great analogy once again, and you're definitely speaking my language. I was wondering what all these VU meters meant and how to apply them. I was hoping that I'd get this sort of instruction and I'm eternally grateful.

I think you're right though, Ney. My next recording will be killer! Thanks for the insights!

[chefrusso]

Hey Ney!

I tweaked the audio based on your comments and I think it made a world of difference! I made sure nothing was over -6 db throughout the entire signal chain and I didn't hear any more distortion on this take.

I made a shorter video for you to check out: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mh65ynXTj8o

When I initially watched this video, it was still being processed. The video was way out of sync with the audio, but I hope that'll clear up once they're done with it. On my computer, everything was fine! I think my next step is going to be to take over my daughter's flip camera once I get home and see if that produces a better quality video in the first place. I'm sure my computer is pretty bogged down when I record these things.

Anyway, thanks again Ney, for all your help and support!

[N E Y]

Excellent Christian.

Now it sounds professionally engineered (and I mean by a good pro recording engineer) .

That is a really beautiful recording.

My best congratulations!

Watch a bit more the time in a spot or two...It is slide playing so listen more attentively to what you are playing because in slide playing you don't have the same response as when you pick strings. You seem to be approaching it it mentally like you are picking and expecting the same lag time instead of playing slide, but the reaction time and lag time is different, like playing bass....So you have to compensate for that.



http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ney_mello
2011 going on 2012? We know it is time to care about cool music seriously again!...and Your guitar is part of the scene!
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B001KMH8FM/?ta ... ppv63sgm_b

[chefrusso]

Thanks Ney, that's awesome!

I was noticing that lag myself, but I couldn't figure out what was causing it. Mentally, I thought I was hitting the mark, but when I listened back, I heard the lag. I'll try and approach it differently as I work on this one. Thanks for your advice!

[Alexander]

that. was. so. cool. wow really awesome. It's really interesting to see what you're taking on now after finishing the rock and stairway course, and not to mention really inspiring as well. jules's comments seem on point from what little I can tell. btw, did you learn the song from tabs/sheetmusic?

What Tiffany said