Re: [LAU] New Music

Hi, thanx a lot, zour mail reallz encourages me to go on.

On Thu, 2010-03-11 at 10:09 +0100, Jostein Chr. Andersen wrote:

> onsdag mars 10 2010 12.44.58 skrev Gerald Mwangi:
> > Hi Guys,
> > At last I've managed to put my music online.
> > Check out http://www.jamendo.com/de/album/62900.
> > 'Let it go' is my first Linux only production, and now I have fully
> > converted to Linux. Jack-Apps just rock!
> > Please send me your impressions.
>
> Congrats Gerald, really, really excellent melodies! It's not often I hear so
> many great songs in one place this days, and that woman's voice is just great!
>
> But excellent melodies like this deserves much more. Your music belongs to the
> absolute top division and have to be measured from that point of view - let me
> mention some things that leaves room for improvements first and end with the
> praises:
>
> When we talks about the sound and feeling, the whole thing sounds just like a
> sound font demo (with some guitar work processed thru plugins). That don't
> have to be a bad thing, but your melodies - which are much more demanding than
> they sounds like - needs to be played live by groovy people with good skills
> on their instruments. It is very easy to hear what you want, but your uploads
> sounds just like some boxed half finished versions of your ideas. And the
> disted guitars sounds really bad.
>
> You are confusing me :-) , the arrangements goes from very under arranged and
> demoished to excellent arranged in parts. Some songs have some beginner
> skilled guitar playing (and is also is out of tune in some places) and can
> also contain excellent playing and sounds (like your wah-wah work which is
> really good). I will say that the same songs very clearly contains both
> amateur work as well as professional work. And in one hand, it sounds like a
> sound font party and on the other hand the instruments separates excellent in
> the mix. To me, you sounds sometime like a beginner and sometimes like a pro.
> Very confusing.

I know 100% what you mean.
The thing is, the songs are a subset of the ones I've written over the
past 5 years. That explains the diversity.
Second, its just so hard to control all parameters of a recording
session alone. I play all the instruments, mainly guitars and bass, and
also arrange the recordings at the same time. Its very stressy for me
switching from the computer to the guitar and back. That's why I tend to
accept small errors, instead of recording the part again (after 5
takes). I'd just like to have someone else takeover the computer while I
concentrate on the guitar.

>
> It's very clear that you are an unusual talent when it comes to composing and
> making good melodies - you have without doubt a great potential of making a
> living of it! And the songs do have great arrangement and composing details
> here and there that makes me listen to this over and over.
>

Thanx alot

> Please, do this stuff over again, make some more songs, get some decent
> samples (drums and brass), buy a POD for the guitars on ebay.
>

I bought a POD last year, together with an Epiphone Les Paul, hopefully
audible on Let it go.
As to the mixing, I'm still learn alot everyday, when I analyze other
songs (Like from LAU/LAD or Jamendo).
Its just hard to get the right mix, that sounds good on every Hifi. I
alway test my mix on at least 4 Hifis and several earphones, then I go
to friends to test the mix there. And still after 5 years of experience,
I'm still an absolute beginner. Funny enough, make me be was my 3rd
production I made, its the oldest on the album, and that Lady is my
(late) Sister Helen Mwangi.

> I'm 100% sure that if you continue what you are doing and improves it, then
> you will be a well known name in the music world - both your songs and your
> voice are great!
>
> Finally, the songs I like best is: "make me be", "Let it go" and "aboutme",
> but that said: I like all of them!
>
> Jostein

Glad you like the songs
Gerald

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Received on Thu Mar 11 12:15:01 2010