hey thanks ultra.
was there a specific part that you hear getting offbeat or was it just the whole thing?
it could just be the left channel because we have a lot of panning going on in some places.
but it could also be way off too.
i've been listening to it so much (to mix) that i can't tell when things aren't right anymore.

i noticed that myspace completely butchers the sound of my tracks especially.
i think it might be because they aren't completely mastered yet.

i posted another song from the EP now.
it's much more "minor" than the previous tunes.

What it sounds like to me is latency problems with your recordings. Even if you're running the best software with the best hardware you're still gonna get this problem.

Basically it takes time to transfer the data from your instruments/midi input devices into your computer. As a result, when you record over a click track (or with another track), things won't line up no matter how exact you are playing because there is a slight delay.

The solution is simple but time consuming. Zoom in on your recorded tracks and make sure all the beats line up by simply clicking and dragging your tracks. This is naturally easier with percussive instruments as teh decay is much quicker and easier to spot.

Let me know if that helps

yeah that does help.
but my problem is the acoustic instruments (i.e. acoustic guitar, bass, vocals, hand percussion...) all have a little latency...
and the electronic stuff does not.

so i end up zooming in and kind of guessing with all the acoustic instruments.

i'll take a closer look at goodnight, goodnight this week.

quote:

Originally posted by acousticrock:
yeah that does help.
but my problem is the acoustic instruments (i.e. acoustic guitar, bass, vocals, hand percussion...) all have a little latency...
and the electronic stuff does not.

so i end up zooming in and kind of guessing with all the acoustic instruments.

i'll take a closer look at goodnight, goodnight this week.

That's what I'm saying, it shouldn't be guessswork. You should be able to zoom in far enough until you get to the point where you are lining things up to the millisecond.

oh man i wish it were that easy.
i'm using a program called MAGIX music which isn't that in-depth.

i tried my hardest for find a hack for protools or even sony vegas... but i found nothing.

so i have to guess.

quote:

Originally posted by acousticrock:
oh man i wish it were that easy.
i'm using a program called MAGIX music which isn't that in-depth.

i tried my hardest for find a hack for protools or even sony vegas... but i found nothing.

so i have to guess.

The program that I had the easiest time learning was Cool Edit Pro 2.0. That one will give you all the basics you need. The only thing is, I only know how to record 2 tracks simultaneously on it (But you can record about as many tracks as you want). Sonar Cakewalk is another good program-- plus, if you get it, the effects plugins will carry over into cool edit for you to use in that program (cool edit uses significantly less ram, thus causes less latency).

I've tried vegas, and I don't really like it that much. I think that adobe bought the rights to cool edit and made a fancy name for it and all that. I am thinking of seeking the new version of it out now that i have a computer capable of running more advanced software.

Anyways, if you're gonna record stuff digitally, you have to have a program that allows you to pinpoint things to the microscopic level of hte soundwave in order to edit things correctly and accurately.

By the way, what microphones are you using?

that's awesome information man. thank you.
i'll definitely look into that program for the next batch of stuff that i record.

another problem that i have is my beat programmer lives in a different city... so he does his stuff and then sends me what he has. the problem is his stuff doesn't have latency and my stuff does so i've got about 15 tracks lined up based on my latency but when my friend sends his stuff he's got about 7 tracks without it.

i'm still working out the kinks of living 250 miles away from my band member.

i'm using a shure-57 and a mxl V62 condenser.

I think there is a misunderstanding or something. By latency, I mean that even though it seems like you are playing on time with your background tracks, it will record a little bit late. With most recording programs (all of the ones that I've come across, anyways) you should be able to zoom in and move the little blocks of recording however you please.

Take this screenshot for example. If you look at the soundwaves, they are all fairly close to each other. However, if you look at the bottom portion of the program, you will see that the entire screen only encompasses about 1/5 of a second. Latency can cause things to be as much as 1/4 of a second late (in my experience with slow computers).

If you look at my bass guitar track in comparrison to "track 3" (which is a midi/sound track), you will notice that it comes in late. However, while visually speaking it is about half a centimeter, it is actually only five thousandths of a second.

I would definately suggest to the person programming your beats that he, too, needs to work on making things... on beat. Somteimes it's off, and that is not good. The beat should be the foundation of a song. The beat should be what you record everything else over- so if the beat is off, everything else will thusly become more and more difficult to play properly. Maybe suggest to him/her that a metronome will help to solve this problem.

You don't want to waste a bunch of creative energy on songs that will end up off beat and dodgy and all that. It's better to get it straight from the get go and work off of something that has a solid foundation. I would almost go as far as to say that it's better to hit the wrong pitches than to be off beat.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Steven.,

hey man -
thanks a lot for taking the time to do a screenshot and everything for me.

my program allows me to move stuff around but it's tough when there are over 20 tracks and some start sooner just based on the timbre of the instrument.

BUT i went through and cleaned up all the tracks. i think they're much better now.

i posted a new tune on www.myspace.com/themodernantiques

the old "goodnight, goodnight" is still up there because i like seeing that it's nearing 300 plays.

the cleaned up version will be on the actual EP which should be on itunes in a couple weeks.

Alright the EP is now available on ITUNES!
Here: http://phobos.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewA...playListId=282410100

I also just posted a song on www.myspace.com/themodernantiques that was entirely inspired by The Postal Service/Death Cab (more specifically 'Soul Meets Body')
It's called "I'm an Expert".

Check it out if it sounds interesting!
Or if you want to critique it again... "I'm an Expert" was kind of written was all of the comments from this thread in mind.

So I could cite you guys as co-writers...