Hi David, I really enjoyed this. The combination of strumming and finger style was well done. The vocals were the prize though. You really put emotion into it. Well done!
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Wow David! That was superb! Thats one of my fav songs and you did really good with it. I think that one is my fav from you thus far! Loved your guitar sounds also, and your vocals were spot on!! Nice reverb. What setup are you using if you mind me asking.
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Hi David,
Nice and smooth was my first thought. Indeed it was… Good tone on the guitar recording. Did you do much Fx processing on it? You got the DI aspect sounding good!
On the vox, I hear a little bit of level variations while turning your head. I wonder if your mic position was more from the the camera angle if it would help? That dynamic (if that was what you had on vox) is going to reject signal based upon how it is addressed. It is not bad on this one, just something that maybe could be improved?
Also, something is causing an artifact on what might be the vox. It kind of stumbles in places. Sort of like a glitch. I will fire up the desktop and see if it is on my end. Hum, it is on the other system as well. I find one such “glitch” at 3:34 in. There are others as well…
All in all though, this was a fine performance and a good showing!
All the best,
LB
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Totally enjoyed this,David. You’ve come a looong way, my friend, in every aspect of your performances.
Are you on the big stage yet?? If not, you should be!
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David, that was superb. Lovely playing and I thought your vocals really suited the song. Bravo, sir!
It’s odd how that happens with the drive to get practicing on the guitar. It happens for me from time to time but then as soon as I pick it up…
Thank you all. Uplifting to come back today and catch up on the replies.
@CT Glad you enjoyed it so much, Clint. I agree with you, lots to be said for playing with just the fingers. I think it works really well for this song. And in general the option to blend strumming with finger-picking really helps create dynamics and vibe that is perhaps more difficult to to achieve with a pick.
@philsmith Appreciate you calling out those transitions, Phil. That plus getting an even rhythm on the strumming (rather than a strumming rhythm that locks into the rhythm of the vocals) have challenged me. This is my second recording of this song and I think presents progress on those aspects as well as the timing of the two beat rest in the verse.
@RonG It has taken a while but I think I am much closer to that sweet spot in the production of a live recording now, Ron. It has taken some experimentation but I feel now I have a solid foundation to begin any live recording that can be tweaked to suit the song.
@sairfingers One of the things I find myself wrestling at times is comparisons, Gordon, and often feel if I practiced more, pushed harder, I could be better. Much improved now at not getting bummed out by that. I enjoy myself, keep improving, and the rate of progress and play-grade is irrelevant. That said ‘best to date’ are always the most satisfying words to hear since it represents ongoing improvement. Have to say there were only three bad moments and have not struggled with pain or needed to rely on pain-killers.
@Mari63 I think once one begins to get closer to autopilot on this song, then it just naturally becomes expressive, Mari. As I said before, when I play this, the images and association with watching the video after discovering it on the Cash album kick in. So it is a keeper in my repertoire, one to keep working on to smooth out the wobbly bit.
@rodc Good to hear, Rod
@saturno Good to hear you felt the mood and emotions of this song n my attempt, Claudia. If you’ve never watched the original video by Johnny Cash I encourage it. If I was asked to describe it with a single adjective then I’d pick ‘harrowing’. Despite that I think it is one of the GOAT covers, the original being by the Nine Inch Nails.
@SDKissFan I know I play this slower than JC does, Jeff, I do it in a way that comes ‘naturally’ to me. Still some phrasing challenges but shows that if we maintain a reasonably steady rhythm and put in heart and soul then the technical errors are likely to be over-looked. As for the song, that entire series of albums that JC produced with Rick Rubin towards the end of his career are peppered with jewels. If you (or anybody else) are not familiar, worth taking a look: THE COMPLETE AMERICAN RECORDINGS OF JOHNNY CASH RELEASED IN MAY | XS Noize | Online Music Magazine
@prbushe glad you enjoyed it, Peter, and will celebrate any and all positives about my singing, which has taken similar effort to learn and develop as guitar playing. Slow and steady in a deliberate way and progress comes.
@TheCluelessLuthier ‘vocals were the prize’ is a delightful comment, Mark, being one who was not immediately that good when it came to singing. As I’ve said to others, if one can get to grips with the song, it is one of those expecially evocative songs.
@Bytron08 ‘superb’ is quite a compliment, Bytron, glad you enjoyed it so much.
Of course it’s OK to ask about the production. The vocal and guitar are both plugged into the TC Helikon Play Acoustic multi-fx unit. The guitar gets a little reverb, delay, and chorus (all based on TC Electronic pedals) added plus the TC Electronics Bodyrez effect. My acoustic’s DI sound is not bad, but still suffers a little due to the quality of the built-in electronics. The Play Acoustic does a good job of getting closer to how the guitar sounds if mic’ed up. Then I can add reverb and delay to the vocal plus some other effects like doubling or harmonies. I use those effects but shoot for something that sounds better than dry but without sounding too processed.
The Play Acoustic has an option to output the guitar and voice on separate output channels. Those run into my Focusrite 2i2. The video is recorded using OBS. The vocal is sourced from one 2i2 channel and panned dead centre. I create two stereo input sources for the guitar from the other 2i2 channel. I add a time delay filter effect in OBS to one source. That contributes to a fuller guitar sound with some sense of stereo.
Then I use a gain filter on all three sources to get the individual and overall level to what I want. Stats for Nerds in YT shows the overall loudness of the video to be -3.5dB ie pretty close to the loudness standard used by YT. One must be careful when uploading to YT not to exceed that level as that would lead to YT autumatically limiting and compressing the video that would squeeze the dynamics of your recording. I don’t think there is any harm in recording well below. That just may mean listeners find the video really soft and have to turn up their volume. That said, since learning about that I have worked on being able to get closer to the standard level.
The recording is then made ‘live’ without any post processing which is what I wanted for these cover recordings. And who knows, never say never, should I perform live beyond an Open Mic I could use this setup to go into a mixer/PA to produce a sound that is closer to ‘studio’ quality.
It has taken some tinkering to reach this point and now I think I have a decent foundation for this style of home recording.
@LBro encouraging to hear it is sounding good to you, LBro, I value your opinion on production/recording. The details are all in my reply to Bytron above.
The vocal mic is a dynamic. I think it was pulled back about 6-8inches (if I recall correctly). Also positioned so that my singing is a little off-axis. You are spot on that every now and then my head moves too much and I suffers a level drop. I have a vague idea that I thought about putting a compressor on the vocal source in OBS, something with a slow attack, quick release and light ratio to just lift those softer bits caused by head movement but didn’t get around to it. So mic placement, the compressor, and better mic technique all things for the future.
I listened to the artifact and heard when I think you are talking about. No idea what may have caused that.
@oldhead49 that is encouraging to hear, Dave. This year has been a disrupted year, having had C-19 and then the surgery. I was doing well, I think, at the local OM. I need to get back into that on a regular basis again and that would eventually lead to my next step which would be an invite to perform at one of their regular shows in which the host invites 4 performers. The slot is longer than the OM and has a bigger audience. I shall keep doing what I do and in time I will ‘crack the nod’ (as we say here in SA).
@SgtColon A second ‘superb’, I shall just accept and enjoy the accolade, Stefan (however, hard it is to associate with my playing and singing). The ups and downs are natural. In this case knowing I was going to be out of action due to the surgery put me into a different mindspace. So I was taken by suprise when the impulse bubbled up to make this recording the weekend before I went in. Not quite the same deal as Neil Young’s Prairie Wind but in my own way, some echoes.
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Seems I missed one, so now its your turn while I play catch up, in between some much needed focused practice, Grade 3 style.
Loved it. The production, fx and level tweak are rock solid and payback for all the improvements you have made. Sounded really good, despite your comments. Playing was sharp and the vocals just right for this one. And its a tricky one at that and not as easy as it appears when singing and playing. I’ve yet to accomplish a stutter free run but come back now and then. Perhaps this is a banker for a future Open Mic, its certainly good enough as it stands.
Hope you’re doing well and getting bac to normal (slowly !!)
Cheers
Toby
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Thanks Toby.
It’s such a great song, that Cash interpretation is such a winner. I think the production may be my bets yet, really getting the most out of the Play Acoustic and use of OBS. For sure I’d play this in an OM.
I am indeed taking it slow and steady, following doctors orders.
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