Audiobus: Use your music apps together.
What is Audiobus? — Audiobus is an award-winning music app for iPhone and iPad which lets you use your other music apps together. Chain effects on your favourite synth, run the output of apps or Audio Units into an app like GarageBand or Loopy, or select a different audio interface output for each app. Route MIDI between apps — drive a synth from a MIDI sequencer, or add an arpeggiator to your MIDI keyboard — or sync with your external MIDI gear. And control your entire setup from a MIDI controller.
Download on the App StoreAudiobus is the app that makes the rest of your setup better.
Album mixes for critique
Hey folks, I've decided to take the plunge and try to up my game for an "official" "proper" album. I'm currently remixing songs and re-recording parts of songs and would love some feedback on the mixes and the pitch of my vocals. Because of my less than perfect monitoring situation, I'm not completely comfortable with my EQ and individual track level decisions. Here's a Soundcloud link to the the first five songs (probably should have started with just one). Critique on any or all of these is greatly appreciated. Thank You.
Comments
I really like your music/style man. I can't wait to hear a whole albums from you. I'm not sure I will be much help in the listening to your mixes and giving you feedback. I have decent monitors(for low end models), and some audio technica headphones, but I am still learning how to mix. Let alone even try to master.
The problem I have, is when I listen on my monitors, verses my car stereo, verses my headphones, verses the apple earbuds, it drives me flippin bonkers, it all sounds different, and I don't know what the hell to do to make it sound decent on all the platforms. Even after reading, and re-reading izotopes mixing guide.
Good luck!
I'm not an expert but the mix sounds good to me. I've listening with some $70 Sennhiserrs over the ear headphones.
I really dig your songs. They remind me of the post Beatles Lennon and Harrison (Beatles are my favorite band). Are you going to be on Apple Music? I'll buy your album on CD and upload it to my iTunes library in the cloud. Or if you are on Apple Music you would get some royalties from streaming. Someone on the forum posted a thread a while ago about how it cost $80 through CD Baby to get it to iTunes.
80.00$$ ?? Maybe it's different now, but I paid $25.00 four years ago on ReverbNation. It went to like 10 other streaming services and amazon and emusic as well. What about bandcamp? How much is that?
It's really nice to know you like my stuff; thank you. It really puts a smile on my face to know that.
How does the pitch of the vocals sound to you? I've been trying so hard to work through my pitch problems, and I think it's getting a bit better but I don't always know if I'm sharp or flat, just know it's not quite right. Frustrating.
What I think is helping me with mixing is really thinking about how pro stuff sounds on each platform. The differences between platforms should, as closely as possible, be the same between my reference tracks and my own tracks. Easier said than done.
Thank you for listening and taking the time to help me.
Thank you so much. Man, that's quite a compliment. It's so nice to know that someone who isn't family or friend would actually pay to listen to my stuff; very cool feeling. I was the one who started that thread about CD baby. So yes, when this thing is done, it'll be on iTunes. I'm pretty sure it automatically goes to Apple Music too. CD baby seems right for my purposes, but there are others.
My biggest problem (best to prioritize!) has been the pitch of my vocals. If you notice any spots in the tunes that sound sharp or flat, please let me know.
Again, thank you so much for your kind words and for listening.
Very competent '70s style pop/rock. Good work. I thought the vocals were fine and wouldn't worry about the pitch. I don't think it needs to be 'perfect' for that style, in fact a little bit of imperfection is probably a good thing.
I'm not a mixing/mastering expert either (more luck at Gearslutz perhaps?) But listening through my AKG240s I noticed some clicking issues. Specifically on Just a Little Bit More. Did you use a vinyl rip sample on that perhaps?
There are many options for doing this. For what I'm looking to do, it's between TuneCore and CD Baby. Right now, I'm leaning toward CD Baby, which is $89 per album. I'm just looking to break even. I think I can do that.
I'll give ya some feedback on the vocals when I can listen on a decent set of speakers. At work it isn't cutting it. I agree with pichi though, they sound good. Even the harmonizing you do is pretty good to my ears.
First few times I listened to some of your songs a few months ago, I was thinking gerogia sat. These set of songs makes me think of Tom Petty.
The guitar riffs are very catchy and sound great. Are you using TS or Positive Grid stuff?
Do your students know you are a musician? Curious, have they heard your songs?
I really appreciate you taking the time to listen and give feedback. Thank you so much. I used two short loops for the drum track, but I don't think that's where the clicks are from. I'm fairly certain you're hearing me change the pickup switch on my Strat. There may also be some pick attack getting emphasized by a lot of compression on that same guitar track. I also noticed some initial consonant clicks, which may be coming from the background vocals. Time for a click hunt. Thanks again @pichi.
Thanks again. I'll gladly take those comparisons and appreciate any feedback on the singing.
I'm not married to any of the iOS amp/effect sims. I've found all the ones I have to be useful. I use THM in Auria, Bias, Tone Stack, Flying Haggis, AmpKit, and AmpliTube through AudioBus as IAA baffles me. If there are any guitar parts in specific songs about which you are curious, I should be able to remember what I used.
In the beginning of every school year, I tell my students that I'm a singer/songwriter/guitar player, and it doesn't take too long before one of them Googles me and finds my SoundCloud page. Some of them think it's cool, and some actually tell me they like what they hear. The guitar slinging rock kids, who are few and far between in my school, want to jam. We usually get together a few times in my classroom after school. It's fun. Believe it or not, they're still playing "Stairway to Heaven", "Sunshine of Your Love", "Jumpin' Jack Flash", and even "Hey Joe" along with a bunch of stuff I don't know.
@supanorton said "Believe it or not, they're still playing "Stairway to Heaven", "Sunshine of Your Love", "Jumpin' Jack Flash", and even "Hey Joe"
Good to hear the classics still live on in the new generation.
@mkell424 It still amazes me to see a 16 year old kid playing "Hey Joe".
I wish I had that talent. And just think how good he's going to be in 10 years. After the kid graduates he should enroll in Berkley, start a band/solo career, or move to LA and become a session musican. Or all three.
I'm giving them a good listen tonight Supanorton.