audition tape

[zepp_rules]

Yeah! I finally finished my audition tape for the college i'm applying too. i thought i'd share it with you guys. it's a little choppy and not quite as good as i would have liked it, but here it is. i would appreciate your comments:

www.geocities.com/forgedsoulmusic/Josh192.mp3

(you'll have to right click and "save target as")

p.s. many thanks to Azrael, i used his tab.

[Edited by zepp_rules on 04-13-2003 at 12:08 AM]

[Dr_simon]

Hey Dude,
I had a listen to you mp3

Your playing was very good so don’t think my comments are negative. However, you can probably make the end result much better by doing some fairly simple things.

First up, how did you record it?

I think that their is a lot of mileage in getting a "hotter" signal and one of the easiest ways of doing this is to record direct. It sounded like you were using a microphone and this complicates matters quite a lot.

Recording direct is easy and involves plugging you stomp box / amp headphones out / multi-effects unit directly into the "line in" socket of your tape recorder / computer. Then, set your levels and shoot!

From this point you will also be able to bring out more "texture" in your playing via tweaking the EQ. There is very little bass at the moment, which makes the tone sound thin, and this is totally fixable.

Also (I don’t know if this is a total no no) have you thought about having a metronome or something in the background?

You may also want to try several different pieces (I know this is a lot of work) and then pick the best one after standing them next to a commercial recording of the original piece.

Some times it can really help to get in touch with a good teacher and get them to help out with a piece. Tell them you are making an audition tape and can they help. This will cost about $17.00 for a half hour session however if it is the difference between a scholarship or not, 3 x $17 bucks in a drop in the ocean!

Hope this is helpful
S

[zepp_rules]

thanks, i used my friend's vetta amp to record it. no mic, the amp plugged into the computer.


i went back and listened to it, it does need some bass, which i can add. also i didn't use a metronome because it's supposed to be freetime.


a teacher would be nice, but my circumstances right now don't allow for it. thanks for your input, i appreciate it.

[Azrael]

yo zepp!

cool!! though some notes seemed to be slightly off. however -i suggest you add a bit of reverb to it all to make it not so dry-sounding. good luck!

[zepp_rules]

yeah, i missed some notes but i decided to just go with it. on the final version i added some reverb and cut some of the gaps and it sounds pretty good now.

[Hootayah]

Is the file still there?
All I'm gettin in Explorer is 'resource not found'

[zepp_rules]

ok guys, i updated the link. it's also the updated version of the song. with fewer gaps and reverb.



http://www.geocities.com/forgedsoulmusic/Josh192.mp3

[Azrael]

pretty cool - one thing i´m missing: vibrato! add some vibrato to your play - it will make it a lil less mechanical!

[Dr_simon]

I don’t want to be mean dude but Id have a go at weeding out "wrong" notes.

I don’t know if it is you or the tab but Id have a go at listening to the original or may be getting hold of a different transcription.

I’d also try and slow the whole thing down a bit. Texture is also important when you are tapping like that and unless your EQ is very carefully tweaked you can sound like some one playing a “Rolf Harris stylaphone” as the attack of each note gets lost in the mix. May be picking some of the notes as opposed to tapping everything at the very beginning of the piece would help ?

Hope this is constructive, keep at it man !!!


[Edited by Dr_simon on 04-13-2003 at 07:40 PM]

[Azrael]

i checked it cuz i thought my tab might be wrong for he did the same mistakes twice... but my tabz are correct. go listen to my version - i played it accordingly.

I personally would also not tolerate such wrong notes - because they ruin the overall impression - especially when its an audition tape - i also would suggest to do the whole thing a bit slower but therefore much more precise and with a bit more feel (vibrato!!!)



[Edited by Azrael on 04-14-2003 at 08:34 AM]

[zepp_rules]

i not especially happy with this, but i was on a deadline so i had to rush it. oh well, the guy at the school liked it sot that's what matters. hopefully, i will get a chance to go back and make a better recording. there are a lot of things i'd do differently. i was aware of all the things you guys said, but like i said, i was on a deadline.