So, I’ve been messing around with basic recording. I recorded this today as a first time tester with basic hardware and thought I’d share it for you. I’m happy for any comments on playing, singing, recording or other (I have a thick skin ).
Details:
Yamaha Acoustic with aftermarket sound hole pickup.
Katana 50MkII
Audacity
Plantronics headset with boom mic. (zoom meeting type)
I recorded the guitar direct via USB from the amp into Audacity on the lappy then recorded the vocal separately and played with some reverb etc in Audacity until I thought it sounded half reasonable. As a first attempt and with basic gear, I’m reasonably happy at this stage.
Ah, Also is just me that hates the sound of your voice, I’m not sure this is what my missus meant when she said that
Hello Craig, that’s an absolutely enjoyable rendition of this song . Really nice and clean playing and a fantastic voice. Lots to be proud of and happy with .
I would love to hear the full version .
Thanks a lot for sharing .
Bravo and well done, Craig. The playing, singing, recording, and mix all really well done as you start in on the adventure that is music production.
I thought you did really well with the application of reverb. It can be easy to be a little heavy-handed with the reverb. In the game people talk of wet and dry where dry is the sound as recorded without effects and wet the sound with effects added. And building on that metaphor, one doesn’t (generally) want to drench the guitar and/or vocals in reverb in this single guitar and voice arrangement. Your use of reverb added some atmosphere and feel, which I liked.
Now as you get into this you’ll find that much of the feedback you receive is far more subjective than feedback related to your playing. With that said, getting the balance in your mix between voice and guitar can be difficult. Based on my own taste, I’d have lifted up the level of your voice a little. I tend to be looking for voice accompanied by guitar.
That’s a segue into your question about hating the sound of your own voice. I think that is pretty common. It is especially so when you first start to listen back to recordings of yourself singing. I found that my voice sounded quite different when listening to my singing compared to how I sounded when I was singing. I found this difference quite disturbing. Actually the same goes for when I hear a recording of myself speaking. Over the last few years I have become accustomed and am now used to it.
As to the quality of your voice and singing. I think majority tend to be their own worst critic and consider themselves to sound far worse than the people listening. In your case I thought you sounded pretty good. My ear isn’t fantastic in terms of offering accurate feedback on your pitching of notes but the whole recording sounded good to me.
As @NicoleKKB said, I look forward to a production of the whole song.
Hi Nicole and thanks. Yes, I sort of wish now that I had gone right through but at the time it was just a bit of a tester to see how it turned out. I’m encouraged so will probably make the effort to to do a full version.
Thank you @DavidP for the feedback. You also filled in some gaps for me as I had some understanding of the wet and dry terminology but you clarified further so thanks.
it’s funny that you say that. The last change I made was to just drop the vocal level by a couple of db. I think this is part of be unsure of the sound of your own voice so the tendency was to make the guitar a little more dominating. Point taken, I’ll pay some more attention to it in the future and be aware
that was a beautiful and enjoyable rendition, very well done!
Your playing was nice, steady and sounded clear. But what blew me, was your voice! You have a very recognizable timbre that I really like and that is quite unique!
Also, kudos for the whole production. It sounded harmonically to my ears and as I don’t have any clue on that, I’m not in the position to advice anything here.
Agreed to the others above: I’m really looking forward to hearing the whole song version (and also others)!
That was enjoyable and very competent. I think David‘s got you covered, so I will just add to the positives. On the sound of my voice, and my liking it, it has taken time and effort for me to learn to like my singing voice. I still actively dislike recordings of my speaking voice though… Let’s have the full song recorded!
Good playing and singing Craig. Can’t complain about that. Decent recording considering the kit you have available as well, once you get the focusrite it opens up a lot more possibilities.
I agree with all of the positives here. It takes time to get used to hearing your own voice recorded, let alone like it. Like others here I liked the sound of your vocal, would have had a bit more of it in the mix. Pitch seemed good, at least to my ear!
The way you pronounce “expression” is kinda funky and it actually surprised me to see that you are a native speaker.
But I guess it adds to the charm, because otherwise it was flawless and you have a very beautiful voice, Sir!
Thanks @Digger72 appreciate that. Yes, I should have done the full version but it more of a recording test than anything. It has inspired me to complete a full version sometime soon.
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. Really nice and clean playing and a fantastic voice. Lots to be proud of and happy with 
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it’s funny that you say that. The last change I made was to just drop the vocal level by a couple of db. I think this is part of be unsure of the sound of your own voice so the tendency was to make the guitar a little more dominating. Point taken, I’ll pay some more attention to it in the future and be aware 
thanks for the feedback (I think:joy: