Two New Songs From Big Chris & D'Bare Bones Band

What is a spectrum analyzer and where do I get one?  Can you use it with an old school digital recorder?  I am not using a DAW for recording/mixing, so a plugin would not work for me.

All those things of a spectrum analyzer and other complicated stuff you need to record and make cool music is to much for me. I'm glad to know how the mixer works.

Ah, I forgot that you're not using a DAW. Sorry about that, Chris. If there is an equivalent tool for your set up, I wouldn't know. In your case, I suspect you'll just have to play with the EQ to make the bass less prominent and dampen the timbre a tad. I've never used a physical board though so I'm not the one to ask about that.

RV2, when a song is recorded, each instrument (the vocals, the guitar, the drums, etc) has its own microphone (the drum kit will have 3-5 mics). The mixer just takes all the different instruments in a song and balances them out so that each can be heard. A good mixer will separate the sounds so that they don't sit on top of one another. It's a hugely complicated process. A professional sound engineer takes years to learn how to mix so folks like Chris and John and me have a lot to learn.

I am doing good with mixing but it is taking some time to get everything dialed in.

I am going to redo "(Burning) Bush" just a little.  I did a quick scream at the front that just doesn't work for me.  I can remix it without changing volume of each track and just not activate my vocal tracks as soon so I cut that out.  Boom.  Done.

I think I want to re-record the vocals on "Bootlegger's Prayer" and "Chick Flick".  While my vocal delivery is okay, it lacks luster as I find myself singing the same notes over and over.  This makes part of the song sound almost monotone to me.  It lacks luster anyway.  So,I may redo those tracks but keep the music levels where they currently are as I am SO close on those.  I feel that redoing the vocals could make these song sound better.  I may add more backing vocals to "Bootlegger's Prayer" as it just doesn't have anything.  A little extra polish in the choruses could make the song pop.

Re-recording makes songs better.

Just tweaking things that sound awkward to me now will make huge improvements.  In the past, I've gone with the whole mindset that close was good enough.  I made vast leaps in quality on the last release and I want to push it even further this time.  A few tiny re-records before the songs are done are not much to have to deal with in the grand scheme of things.

I love harmonies and backing vocals, so reading that you're going to be adding more of those is good for me.

The new album is coming along nicely.  I have 5 songs mixed and mastered now.  I have to redo some guitar work on one of the two slow songs.

I am thinking of taking some inspiration from Van Halen for my album cover.  They used the maritime flag that represents their album title "Diver Down".  If you see this flag being flown on a boat at sea, then you know they have divers in the water.

Well, my album is tentatively called "Man Overboard".  I am thinking of using the Van Halen idea for my album.  The flag is similar, but the color scheme is different.  I will post it below.

Cool idea!

It's really cool if you get the reference, but I never would have known.  At the time the Diver Down album came out I didn't know that was the maritime flag for someone diving until it was pointed out to me....so I'm probably not the best one to ask.

I agree, that's a good idea, although Staybrite may have a point...

Maybe that flag with a lifesaver together?  Here's just the lifesaver...

I like the lifesaver.

Fundy wrote:

Maybe that flag with a lifesaver together?  Here's just the lifesaver...

Now that is obvious enough for me to get!  If you did something like that for the front cover, and used the maritime flag on the back (like the backdrop for the song titles) you would have the best of both.

Fundy wrote:

Maybe that flag with a lifesaver together?  Here's just the lifesaver...

Actually, I had thought about this but I was afraid of it being too cheesy.  It looks better in practice than I thought.  Is this picture copyrighted or is it something that is a free to use photo?  If it is a free stock photo, this would definitely work for a cover.

I found it on google, but made sure I typed in copyright free and was allowed to alter it and use it.  The original image comes from pxhere

https://pxhere.com/en/photo/1174298

Xid wrote:

I like the lifesaver.

Hope it doesn't go Underground

Fundy, can you make these changes to the title?  Move "Man" to the top of the float and center it?  Center "Overboard" on the bottom?  Change the font to white and highlight with a black around theouter rim?  If not, plain white will do.

I like the cover art- that is very eye catching.

alldatndensum wrote:

Fundy, can you make these changes to the title?  Move "Man" to the top of the float and center it?  Center "Overboard" on the bottom?  Change the font to white and highlight with a black around theouter rim?  If not, plain white will do.

Fundy...secretary for hire.       

Jen5 wrote:

alldatndensum wrote:

Fundy, can you make these changes to the title?  Move "Man" to the top of the float and center it?  Center "Overboard" on the bottom?  Change the font to white and highlight with a black around theouter rim?  If not, plain white will do.

Fundy...secretary for hire.       

Sort of.  We let him hang around us for favors.  We are just that cool here! 

He volunteered this artwork and I am just asking for a couple of changes since everyone seems to be liking this.  We can get this part of the process done and I can focus more on mixing/mastering and even a few re-records as I go.  I am changing most of the guitar work on the remake of my old song "Give It To Jesus". I am trying to make it sound less like a hard rock power ballad and more like a Third Day worship song sound even though the lyrics aren't worshippy at all.

I have completely redone the vocals on "Please Don't Make Me Watch A Chick Flick" and "Bootlegger's Prayer".  They both felt too monotone to me.  I needed to do something to make them pop.  My natural voice is definitely more geared for the doo-wah "Yes, I Know" song I did.  So, I need to do whatever I can to make my voice shine on my projects.  Recutting the vocals was needed.

Here's what I've done so far...