My band "The Sound of Anyone." - General

Hello Facepunch. I just wanted to post this stuff here because we are trying to put ourselves out to people a little more. Have a listen, it's not all that bad. We are a real instrument band, none of that electronic crap and autotune. This is just our first EP. We hope to get a little better recording equipment and all as time goes on, but we need money first. Donations would be nice. Anyways, check it out! [URL]http://thesoundofanyone.bandcamp.com/[/URL] The album is free because there is no minimum bid when you pay the price. But if you wanna pay, that's cool too! We might raise the price if we get a bunch of downloads, so get it FREE while you still can. Thanks! Also, I'm the drummer! [url]www.facebook.com/halfawake[/url]

Nice drums, pretty flowing riffs, rhythmic bass, and a sort of mellow vocal. There is something off about the songs with the singing though, it sounds like there is a little too much reverb. That or the space that the singer is recording in isn't structured for sound. Other than that Its almost like journey and i like it so keep it up. P.S. whoever voted no, what the hell?

Holy shit, new music guys that aren't dupstep/electronic shit/wubwubwubbeezaar! I like you guys. I dont like your singer - if that's you, sorry - but he is really mumbley. Try redoing the tracks with him being a tad louder, so I can hear the lyrics. If your vocal-bro improves/is replaced, I could see myself having one or two of your tracks on my iPod. [editline]23rd February 2012[/editline] Also, the instrumental part of each song sounded extremely similar in each song, to the point I would have trouble telling the difference if you removed the lyrics. The next 2 songs you do, try making one really slow, emotional and focusing on the lyrics. The other, do extremely fast and angry - give yourself some variance.

Reminded me of [media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vE2JM31wnm0[/media]

I like your sound! But I do have to say, your vocalist gets a little drowned out, and the of reverb is not helping in that respect. I would love to hear the tracks with the vocalist boosted a little, because as it stands, he is getting somewhat bullied by your brilliant instrumentals. Hanging by a Thread and Thoughts at the Fireworks are my favorites, and I would love to hear more from you guys.

Have you guys considered reaching out to HumanFankind for donations? I could feature the band on the site if you'd like, just let me know. I like your music! Keep up the good work.

Well we are still kinda trying to set our equipment up properly and all of that. Our recording room wasn't structured for singing. Or drums for that matter. We had to put a bunch of blankets on the wall which helps. Anyways, thanks for the feedback and all! More comments are welcome. I don't really like to advertise on facepunch, but if you do like it, visit our facebook in the OP!

Wow, it's very relaxing. Sounds like something you'd listen to in front of a bonfire. Maybe with a small pouch of ecstasy.

[QUOTE=ExTek;34821961]We are a real instrument band, none of that electronic crap and autotune. [/QUOTE] Please don't do this. Oh and the mix is quite flat. The reverb on the vocals isn't properly highpassed(reverbs should be highpassed at ~100hz) which makes it very muddy. Also because the vocals have so much more reverb compared to the instruments they sound extremely disembodied. The worst thing about them is that they are reverbed yet still loud. Fix that shit. I like the guitars and drums in the mix. No comment on the bass, the songs are a little too trebly for my taste, personally I would turn up the volume. You shouldnt do hard panning like on the second song. It sounds very annoying on headphones, and the right channel seems to be louder. Also on the same sound the overheads(hihats) are cranked up way too high, and I hear cymbals EVERYWHERE. I like the drummer though. Okay the cymbals are a problem on all the songs. You might want to experiment with highpassing your guitars a little, clearing some 200-300 hz mud with some eqing.

>we are a real instrument band >says he hates autotune >uses reverb on vocals to hide them

I like it, very chill and pretty good recording quality. The mixes need some work but the people above have explained that. The vocals need a1000x less reverb, unless you're going for a muffled sewer kind of vibe. [quote]We are a real instrument band, none of that electronic crap and autotune[/quote] I wish you wouldn't play this guitar crap, back in my day people used full orchestras of [i]real[/]i instruments. (and ironically the vocals [when un reverbed] could do with a little autotuning anyway)

[QUOTE=Croix;34853906]Please don't do this. Oh and the mix is quite flat. The reverb on the vocals isn't properly highpassed(reverbs should be highpassed at ~100hz) which makes it very muddy. Also because the vocals have so much more reverb compared to the instruments they sound extremely disembodied. The worst thing about them is that they are reverbed yet still loud. Fix that shit. I like the guitars and drums in the mix. No comment on the bass, the songs are a little too trebly for my taste, personally I would turn up the volume. You shouldnt do hard panning like on the second song. It sounds very annoying on headphones, and the right channel seems to be louder. Also on the same sound the overheads(hihats) are cranked up way too high, and I hear cymbals EVERYWHERE. I like the drummer though. Okay the cymbals are a problem on all the songs. You might want to experiment with highpassing your guitars a little, clearing some 200-300 hz mud with some eqing.[/QUOTE] Thanks, that's excellent advice. Right now, we are only using garage band to record the instruments. I'm not a big fan of it. But yeah, I complained about the cymbals too, especially in "broken plaster." our mica were a BIT to trebly and close to the crash and ride. We have definitely considered working on th mixes a little more. We bough a new power mixer and condenser mics so the overall audio will be a bit better. We are in need of some studio speakers, because the speakers we use don't really bring out the mids. [editline]26th February 2012[/editline] [QUOTE=Skeeter;34854090]>we are a real instrument band >says he hates autotune >uses reverb on vocals to hide them[/QUOTE] It's not to hide them, thanks. It's because he liked the sound. We are going to turn the reverb down more next time. [editline]26th February 2012[/editline] [QUOTE=Grasp;34839748]I like your sound! But I do have to say, your vocalist gets a little drowned out, and the of reverb is not helping in that respect. I would love to hear the tracks with the vocalist boosted a little, because as it stands, he is getting somewhat bullied by your brilliant instrumentals. Hanging by a Thread and Thoughts at the Fireworks are my favorites, and I would love to hear more from you guys.[/QUOTE] Thanks so much. These comments make us happy. Thanks to everyone who has said positive things, as well. I'd reply to more people, but face punch is slow on my iPhone.

[url]http://humanfankind.com/the-sound-of-anyone-download-their-new-ep-now/[/url] Love your work. I'll gladly provide the first donation to you guys on HumanFankind. :v:

Sorry, I'm getting a little much gain from the vocals. They're also very round and dull, could use a little more high end or at mid-high, and they're also a little loud in the mix. The drums and guitar sounds very good, excellent job recording the set. In most songs the kit has a bit too much high (actually in some way too much), the cymbals get rather loud and a tad too sharp for me, and drown out everything else. Still, you're definitely better than the average band, tone down the cymbals and reverb on vocals a bit and you have a pretty good sound. Try experimenting with a little more variety though too, they're aren't identical but they don't stand out too much.

not enough funny poll options

In general its fairly reminiscent of band like The Nationals and Arcade Fire. Although try to use a more tasteful amount of reverb, if any. I quite enjoyed your sound. Thoughts at the Fireworks, Champion and Hanging by a Thread being the songs that most stood out to me. The guitar solo in Hanging by a Thread seems quite cheesy though. Good stuff, keep it going!

[QUOTE=Iceguize;35048947]In general its fairly reminiscent of band like The Nationals and Arcade Fire. Although try to use a more tasteful amount of reverb, if any. I quite enjoyed your sound. Thoughts at the Fireworks, Champion and Hanging by a Thread being the songs that most stood out to me. The guitar solo in Hanging by a Thread seems quite cheesy though. Good stuff, keep it going![/QUOTE] Yeah well our singer and guitarist like the national and arcade fire. I think hanging by a thread and champion were probably the best ones that were mixed. But when we play live, it all sounds pretty good. I have been reading on how to record things and I have suggested that we use more compression in our songs. I didn't equalize the overheads for the overheads good. I usually like more highs and mids for those so it can make the cymbals clear.

[QUOTE=ZZTop;34825917]Holy shit, new music guys that aren't dupstep/electronic shit/wubwubwubbeezaar! I like you guys. I dont like your singer - if that's you, sorry - but he is really mumbley. Try redoing the tracks with him being a tad louder, so I can hear the lyrics. If your vocal-bro improves/is replaced, I could see myself having one or two of your tracks on my iPod. [editline]23rd February 2012[/editline] Also, the instrumental part of each song sounded extremely similar in each song, to the point I would have trouble telling the difference if you removed the lyrics. The next 2 songs you do, try making one really slow, emotional and focusing on the lyrics. The other, do extremely fast and angry - give yourself some variance.[/QUOTE] If they just turned the vox up/compressed them it would be better. But these are am's. Not pros.

The music is good. You need better mixing though. You should also try to broaden out a bit, all your music is pretty similar sounding, although better mixing would fix that too.

The intense reverb wasn't too great, but other than that I really like it.

[QUOTE=chaz13;34861585](and ironically the vocals [when un reverbed] could do with a little autotuning anyway)[/QUOTE] No. No, never. Nothing needs autotune, out of tune singing sounds better than pitch corrected singing. Anyone who pitch corrects is worse than Hitler

[QUOTE=Eric95;35164004]No. No, never. Nothing needs autotune, out of tune singing sounds better than pitch corrected singing. Anyone who pitch corrects is worse than Hitler[/QUOTE] Wow what the fuck. Do you not realise most songs these days have at least slight autotune in them, just to avoid extensive tracking? Studio time costs fucking buttloads, and having to take multiple takes instead of correcting with something like melodyne or autotune is expensive. I have no idea why the hell you couldn't use autotune, do you have something against quantising too? Because that's used by most producers worth their salt also.

[QUOTE=Croix;35164406]Wow what the fuck. Do you not realise most songs these days have at least slight autotune in them, just to avoid extensive tracking? Studio time costs fucking buttloads, and having to take multiple takes instead of correcting with something like melodyne or autotune is expensive. I have no idea why the hell you couldn't use autotune, do you have something against quantising too? Because that's used by most producers worth their salt also.[/QUOTE] I realise most songs have autotune. And I think it's horrible. If a highly regarded professional singer can't nail the song in two or three takes that person shouldn't be a singer. And yes, I have something againt quantising, at least when it's done with a performance by a featured performer. What I mean by that is that if a record has the name of who played the synth it shouldn't alter the performance. If it's a one man band with someone who is known to program instruments it's not a problem because then there's no drummer. But if there is a drummer and his performace has been quantized without it being stated it's cheating. Like, if I make a song and I quantize the midi synths and drums in it I never show me playing it on a keyboard or pads. Because then it's not a recording of me playing it, and I'd be lying. It's the computer playing it.

[QUOTE=Eric95;35174169]I realise most songs have autotune. And I think it's horrible. If a highly regarded professional singer can't nail the song in two or three takes that person shouldn't be a singer. And yes, I have something againt quantising, at least when it's done with a performance by a featured performer. What I mean by that is that if a record has the name of who played the synth it shouldn't alter the performance. If it's a one man band with someone who is known to program instruments it's not a problem because then there's no drummer. But if there is a drummer and his performace has been quantized without it being stated it's cheating. Like, if I make a song and I quantize the midi synths and drums in it I never show me playing it on a keyboard or pads. Because then it's not a recording of me playing it, and I'd be lying. It's the computer playing it.[/QUOTE] I don't think you realise that most professional singers never nail it in like two takes. There's usually a lot of comping and doubletracking involved. I'd rather have a good song with the aid of a computer than a shitty song with a shitty take from a decent singer with no autotune to even fix that. Do you think compressing vocals is wrong? Compressing vocals does make the performance sound better. How about de-essing? And yes it's still a recording of you playing it, slightly altered by the computer to not sound shit. Personally I don't quantise everything, but I always drag shit closer to the grid so that it won't sound sloppy. Are you saying my music is less worthy than yours because I can't sing or play piano, only sequence and synthesise?

[QUOTE=Croix;35174356]Do you think compressing vocals is wrong? Compressing vocals does make the performance sound better. How about de-essing? And yes it's still a recording of you playing it, slightly altered by the computer to not sound shit. Personally I don't quantise everything, but I always drag shit closer to the grid so that it won't sound sloppy. Are you saying my music is less worthy than yours because I can't sing or play piano, only sequence and synthesise?[/QUOTE] There's a difference. When you're compressing a vocal track you're changing the sound of the performance, not the performance itself. It's like photoshop. Compression and EQ is like shifting the colors a bit and cropping a portrait photo to make it look better. Pitch correction is like changing the appearance of the person in the photo to make that person look better. I never said sequenced and synthesized music is worth less, I'm saying you can't say "Listen to this song, I played it on my piano" if it's quantized and enhanced. What you CAN say is "Listen to this song I made". And of course I realize there's heavy comping involved most of the time. That doesn't mean I think it's OK.

[QUOTE=Eric95;35175968]There's a difference. When you're compressing a vocal track you're changing the sound of the performance, not the performance itself. It's like photoshop. Compression and EQ is like shifting the colors a bit and cropping a portrait photo to make it look better. Pitch correction is like changing the appearance of the person in the photo to make that person look better. I never said sequenced and synthesized music is worth less, I'm saying you can't say "Listen to this song, I played it on my piano" if it's quantized and enhanced. What you CAN say is "Listen to this song I made". And of course I realize there's heavy comping involved most of the time. That doesn't mean I think it's OK.[/QUOTE] So your fundamental problem is that you can't properly use autotune and comping so you condemn them.

[QUOTE=Croix;35178619]So your fundamental problem is that you can't properly use autotune and comping so you condemn them.[/QUOTE] [I]"The only reason you dislike murderers is that you're bad at killing people"[/I] No, it's that I think it's wrong. I know it sounds good, but I think it ruins the integrity of the musician and the music. Anyway, I'm done hijacking this thread.

So let me get this straight... You'd rather make a song that's horribly produced and sounds like shit than drag that drum hit closer to the grid and "ruin your integrity"? OK.

Moving the drum hits makes it sound more robotic. No drummer, no matter what, is completely perfect. Besides, when you do that, It could screw up the entire track. Anyways, the band has a show coming up this week on Friday. It's our first paid gig. 240 dollars isn't so bad.

Here's an update. We played live the other day (our first paid gig) and we actually recorded it. This is a LOT better than the recordings. Anyways, check it out! [url]http://www.filefactory.com/file/5lar57auuqyv/n/The_Sound_of_Anyone_Live_at_Sweet_Briar_College_Set_One.zip[/url] [url]http://www.filefactory.com/file/4745ujaa9x5z/n/The_Sound_of_Anyone_Live_at_Sweet_Briar_College_Set_Two.zip[/url]