Tax Evader's Birthday Bash

[mr_crowley]

So before leaving for Japan earlier this summer I had this riff kicking around. Sort of a rework of a really old song I wrote as a teenager but much more developed. It was sort of inspired of Ratt riffs in general and the Panama riff in particular when I first wrote it some odd fifteen years ago. I tried to rework to use it with my new band but it just wouldn't go in the direction. I thought that it turned out too cool to just throw away. Figured it's been a really long time since I recorded something just myself and actually finished it and put it out (I've done a shit load of demos last year or so but that are songs we work on as a band) so I figured I should that. As things turned out I also came home with a killer 80s guitar so I wrote the missing parts, tuned it a bit and laid down the foundations.

I had the bed tracks sitting there for a while and listening to it trying and figuring out what I should do with it but after a while just said "fuck it, lets play some guitar over it" and laid down pretty much all the lead guitars in one afternoon. Some minor tweaking and it turned out quite nice. I am not really where I want, or should be at this point, but the rust is coming off more and more and I think at 32 I am at the best as a total package. Meaning writing, playing, producing - all combined I am quite proud of myself.

I added some minor organ, string and horn parts. Mostly out of vanity and for the fun of it but it also came out cool I think, even though I have no idea what I'll do when I add those things, it's really heavy handed.

The guitar is all my new Edwards. To get that EVH-feeling I have a dry lead guitar in the left speaker and all the reverb of it in the right one. One rhythm panned hard left and one panned hard right. Nothing else. I have used the BIAS FX for processing. The modded Marshall patch with just tubescreamer (and one more boost don't remember which one) and an EQ pedal in front. I like that tone. But I think the real secret sauce is the UA Volt1 sound card. Since I ditched my old Focusrite and switched to that one everything I record come out so much punchier. It is a sweet little thing but sounds damn good!

However, enough talking - here it is - Tax Evader's Birthday Bash:
https://soundcloud.com/pontusgustafsson ... thday-bash

I happily take whatever feedback you got!! Thank you!
 
 

[Dinosaur David B]

Glad to see you back making music. 
 

Sounds real good!

FWIW, it's a struggle to hear the bass on earbuds. On my livingroom bluetooth speaker which produces more low end, the bass is there, but nowhere near as loud as the guitars and drums. 
 
 

[Tatosh Guitar]

Interesting. It sounds good, but I agree with Dave, the bass is basically non-existent on my headphones, and these are nice headphones....

The guitar tone sounds exactly like I picture 80s metal in my head. It sounds like Lynch on Under Lock and Key and I am getting some Ryche's Mindcrime overtones here and there. That is a good thing.

Now I am thinking I need a maple guitar...
 
 

[mr_crowley]

Thanks for the kind words! I am really happy with the guitar tone which came out way cool.

I hear you about the bass. I suck at playing bass guitar and use a cheapo one for tracking it (found it still sounds better than digitally detuning a guitar one. Which means the bass lines get sort of unimaginative and rather lifeless sounding and in turn I turn them down because of that... Way low I now gather. Becuse know what? I have issues hearing the bass myself on ear buds... Lesson learned!

I used to find Soundcloud pretty good for uploading music and keeping it rather intact but they must have changed something becuase listening back to this the mix is rather crushed compared to what I heard through my DAW. The guitar is a little shrill and the organ is as MIA as the bass. It adds loads of boomy low end (e.g. the kick doesnt really "click") does some weird thing around 1k and really softens the top end sizzle. Might need to find some other service or run my mixes through there before putting them out.

[Dinosaur David B]

How are you producing the bass? Direct? Amp sim? Adding compression? Are you rolling off the subsonics with EQ?
 
 

[mr_crowley]

Direkt into my UA Volt1. Then I go through the Logic sim to add some dirt and grime to the tone. I put i through some EQ to get rid of everything below 50 hz, give it a push between 100-200 as well as some around 5k. Scoop some out in the mids for the guitars to cut through and the add a decent amount of compresssion to even it out and give it some kick. Very basic stuff!

I think though, because of my lackluster playing, I tend to bury it a bit in the mix because I am not very fond of how it sounds. Guess I need to put some time in on those four strings as well next time I track something meant for the world. I've had the luxury the last 12 months to just hand a chord progression to the bass player in my band and he come up with some killer stuff! 

[Dinosaur David B]

Sounds like you're doing all the right things. 

I know you said you're not that happy with the bass or your bass part. Obviously, if you're starting with good sounding tracks, everything becomes much easier. It's a lot harder to polish a turd.

Even so, I can tell you from my experience, we probably spend twice a long (on each) producing the drums and the bass than we do on the guitars because drums and bass are just inherently harder to get sounding good. Guitars are comparatively easy. 

Silly question: Can't you get your bassist to lay down better bass part with a better bass for this song?

[Dr Nick]

Totally get that - really struggle to get bass sounding punchy without being muddy. 
Ditto kick drum. 

[deanulve]

at :30 sounds like something Skid Row would play

 

[mr_crowley]

Silly question: Can't you get your bassist to lay down better bass part with a better bass for this song?

 

You know what? Stupid me didn't even think of that as a possibility 

I have a fair few more ideas, we'll see how I go about tracking those