On A Plain - Nerfana Neveryoumind recording challenge
On A Plain - Nerfana Neveryoumind recording challenge
Right, can I get back on with my life then?
As a baritone, I've spent my entire life not being able to sing about 99.9% of male voiced pop rock songs in their original key. Leonard Cohen songs? I'm your man. Kurt Cobain, not so much.
The song took 5 minutes to learn to play courtesy of some YouTuber, but then I had the problem of how to sing it. Can't do it in original key, and it's right at the bottom end of my register, an octave below, right amongst those notes you really don't want to be hearing as they're all cracked and horrible and with no volume at all.
But it's in drop D, and although I really don't like drop D, or drop anything, apart from drop bears, I didn't see an alternative - it sort of needs to be in drop D to sound of its time. So I just did what I could with the vocals, buried them in the mix and ran an overdrive plug on the main (low) vocal to make it even harder to listen to. Frankly, it's a fucking mess...
I have no effing idea what Cobain is singing about - "The black sheep got black mailed again, forgot to put on the zip code" - say WTF???
Kept it all reasonably minimal including allotting no more than 10 minutes to the drums. Soz about the silibants and fricatives. I lost interest in editing...
Yech...
As a baritone, I've spent my entire life not being able to sing about 99.9% of male voiced pop rock songs in their original key. Leonard Cohen songs? I'm your man. Kurt Cobain, not so much.
The song took 5 minutes to learn to play courtesy of some YouTuber, but then I had the problem of how to sing it. Can't do it in original key, and it's right at the bottom end of my register, an octave below, right amongst those notes you really don't want to be hearing as they're all cracked and horrible and with no volume at all.
But it's in drop D, and although I really don't like drop D, or drop anything, apart from drop bears, I didn't see an alternative - it sort of needs to be in drop D to sound of its time. So I just did what I could with the vocals, buried them in the mix and ran an overdrive plug on the main (low) vocal to make it even harder to listen to. Frankly, it's a fucking mess...
I have no effing idea what Cobain is singing about - "The black sheep got black mailed again, forgot to put on the zip code" - say WTF???
Kept it all reasonably minimal including allotting no more than 10 minutes to the drums. Soz about the silibants and fricatives. I lost interest in editing...
Yech...
Last edited by Armistice on Fri Jan 12, 2024 3:45 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Re: On A Plain - Nerfana Neveryoumind recording challenge
I like it.
His lyrics are quite often really random collections of almost rhyming words.
Nice harmonies.
His lyrics are quite often really random collections of almost rhyming words.
Nice harmonies.
Cheers
rayc
rayc
- Bubba
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Re: On A Plain - Nerfana Neveryoumind recording challenge
Dunno what you're whinging about, sounds great! I also don't know why you say you can't sing the main vocal in the original key, most of the verse is comfortably in your range. You could've just dropped the "Love myself, better than you" bit. No matter, job done.
Haggard Musician
Re: On A Plain - Nerfana Neveryoumind recording challenge
Sounds alright Armi. You could make a few tweaks to the mix and work on the drums a bit more if you wanted.
Vocal sounds fine too.
Vocal sounds fine too.
Re: On A Plain - Nerfana Neveryoumind recording challenge
man .... how the hell do you guys do this shit so fast?
I only just now decided on adrum beat to do mine over and won't even have drums ready till next week>
Geez .... ya'll must live relaxed free-time lives!
I'll listen tomorrow to all this.
I only just now decided on adrum beat to do mine over and won't even have drums ready till next week>
Geez .... ya'll must live relaxed free-time lives!
I'll listen tomorrow to all this.
Re: On A Plain - Nerfana Neveryoumind recording challenge
"most of" - I'd have to play this in drop B to actually sing it all in the same range and that's just not going to work...Bubba wrote: ↑Sat Aug 12, 2023 7:18 am Dunno what you're whinging about, sounds great! I also don't know why you say you can't sing the main vocal in the original key, most of the verse is comfortably in your range. You could've just dropped the "Love myself, better than you" bit. No matter, job done.
There are notes I can hit, and there are notes that are listenable. They're not the same way up high with me. I can get to E if I just have to briefly hit it and come back to something else lower. This goes E / F / D / C in successive notes - never going to be able to do that. Drop it down a tone and a half and maybe. But there's no good way to play that on guitar and my level of emotional investment in the project isn't that high.
Anyway, those who can, do.... those who can't, tell us they have sore and chapped fingers. Now if you used a decent water-based paint on your front door, maybe this wouldn't have happened.
Re: On A Plain - Nerfana Neveryoumind recording challenge
I agree with @Lt. Bob, don't know how you all crank this stuff out SO FAST!! Sheesh, it'll take a while for mine.
Anyway, I think it sounds great. Love the reference to Leaving On A Jetplane. . . too funny! I think you did a great job!
Anyway, I think it sounds great. Love the reference to Leaving On A Jetplane. . . too funny! I think you did a great job!
If I knew what I was doing, I'd be dangerous!
Re: On A Plain - Nerfana Neveryoumind recording challenge
Oh man, I just discovered that I actually have a basic template. Must have saved it after our zoom call!!
If I knew what I was doing, I'd be dangerous!
Re: On A Plain - Nerfana Neveryoumind recording challenge
Ah... suspect you're the first person to listen all the way through...
Well, to answer your question, it's an easy song to play, and it took less than half an hour to record the guitars and bass. The drums are really simple patterns without the variation I'd usually employ and the vocals were just first take stuff which are on very rough and I just ReaTuned the rough patches as best I could. Way less effort than I'd put into one of my own songs, but still a distraction I can now say is behind me.
Re: On A Plain - Nerfana Neveryoumind recording challenge
take a compliment!
Voice is fine .... have I told you before you sound like Zappa?
Very very cool man ..... have never heard the original so let's go see real quick .... I think I like yours better!
It's a nice job mang!
Re: On A Plain - Nerfana Neveryoumind recording challenge
Finally listened to this on good headphones this morning. Its pretty good armi - drums are a bit meh, but then you've probably not put much time into programming them and you missed the bass fill after the interlude.
There's more things that rhyme with plain. "I'm all terrain" "I'm being maimed" "I'm down the drain" "I'm out in the rain" "I'm on cocaine"
There's more things that rhyme with plain. "I'm all terrain" "I'm being maimed" "I'm down the drain" "I'm out in the rain" "I'm on cocaine"
- Bubba
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Re: On A Plain - Nerfana Neveryoumind recording challenge
It definitely sounds like an @Armistice song! I think you ended up with a good end result, especially for being such a quickie. Sonics are all good to me. I liked the goofs and the reprise at the end, that was some fun silliness. I think the vocal came out great, and the harmonies as well. Nice work man.
- vomitHatSteve
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Re: On A Plain - Nerfana Neveryoumind recording challenge
Nice!
Everyone is churning these out a lot faster than I'd anticipated. I gotta get my vocals tracked tonight and finish mine.
I like the vocal jokes slipped in throughout.
Everyone is churning these out a lot faster than I'd anticipated. I gotta get my vocals tracked tonight and finish mine.
I like the vocal jokes slipped in throughout.
- WhiskeyJack
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Re: On A Plain - Nerfana Neveryoumind recording challenge
Nothing at all wrong with this one Armi. LOL @ your exit with the word play. Very Letterkenny-esque wit of you. I absolutely love that bit where you break out into the "mistake". That mechanism always wins brownies points with me. The Copyrights have a song called Trustees of Modern Chemistry and they have a brilliant instance of something like that right around the min and half mark. And it is is quick and flawless. I friggin love it.
Mix wise i got nothing. Interpretation wise i think you nailed it. I like how you kind of made it kind of darker than the original too. Could b your lower ringe combined with the minimalist drums. Kinda has that shotgun to the head kind of vibe.
I'll see myself out.
Mix wise i got nothing. Interpretation wise i think you nailed it. I like how you kind of made it kind of darker than the original too. Could b your lower ringe combined with the minimalist drums. Kinda has that shotgun to the head kind of vibe.
I'll see myself out.
- TheTestingYak
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