Jellica
Offline
England

I've just spent my lunch break listening to your 8BC trax. While quirky indie pop isn't my particular cup of tea, the only real criticism I can offer is that you should work on your mix downs and recording lot more. A few of your descriptions there say stuff like written and recorded in an hour or something and that does kind of show. Put more pride and effort and confidence in to your music and your listeneners will hear it.

You said above that "I have no idea who puts on gigs" look at a local listings guide online, Newcastle must have promoters that don't just put on straight up metal or punk shows, you need to go to some shows armed with load of CDs and talk to the people organising the event.

If you can't go to pub backroom gigs because you're 17 keep working on your mixdowns and recording and honing your craft until you are old enough.

Subway Sonicbeat
Offline
Brazil

Something I recently adquired is the patience to sit on my songs a little more and go for what I really want to do with my music.

TraceKaiser
Offline
Whitley Bay, England

Thanks dude!
I consider most everything on my 8bc (and in fact, almost everything I've recorded thus far) to be demos. You may notice, however, that there's two versions of the track Nuke. Check out the most recent one - it's from a recording session I did where I didn't record onto my tape recorder, spent some time doing it, used compressors and gates and reverb etc etc etc.
I plan on hopefully doing a release from these sessions, as they're of actually like, releaseable quality haha. If you're interested I'll drop you a download link, but yea.

Part of the reason I do consider the tracks demos (other than the rough recording obviously) is that I almost constantly evolve my songs. Mostly drums actually, but I always find myself going back to songs after a month or so and spending an hour or two just making everything tighter, and generally better sounding. I think a fair amount of stuff has reached as far as it can - or as far as I want it to - go organically, so yeah.

I did find a local label, who do digital and physical releases, and promotion. They also have a page basically telling people to not submit demos, and then ask people to submit demos. So I'm slightly apprehensive at that, haha. May well send something though, see what happens. Hopefully me and my couple of chip buddies will find a suitable venue - I think we're busking on Saturday at a science fest thing as well (Goto80 played during it last year iirc).

8-Bit-Rex
Offline
Chepachet, Rhode Island
Subway Sonicbeat wrote:

Something I recently adquired is the patience to sit on my songs a little more and go for what I really want to do with my music.

Same here.

But I'm a huge supporter of this idea.  I've written guitar songs for a long long time and can remain patient with those...not hurry up a track cause I'm ADD-out and want to work on something different...or releasing a track that I just kindof through together in a day. 

You need to genuinely believe the stuff you've written is perfect.  You need to listen to it a week later and think
"Geez...err...I still don't know what I'd change, it all sounds really great"

I've also listened to your stuff.  It's not AT ALL my style of music.  BUT removing my own personal biases out of the equation...I definitely can tell the songs haven't been given enough attention.  My biggest advice would be to work on the vocals.  IMHO they barely fit the music.  However, I do LOVE THE SHIT out of the ukulele bit.  I really do.  Run with that....it's unique and I think with some more time it could be fucking spectacular and I mean that.

TraceKaiser
Offline
Whitley Bay, England

Everything on 8bc apart from the more recent upload of Nuke is a demo, as I previously said.
And I've never been told that the vocals don't fit at all - possibly that's your taste in music creeping in?

That track's only up on 8bc so I could send it to a promoter, and he said
"Hi
I really really like that. It reminds me a bit of the better end of Kid Carpet's stuff.
Copied to iPod.
Chris"
So yeah. I think that might be just your taste in music haha.

Anyway yeah, disregard 8bc recordings/read my post just above yours. Everything is just rough demos really - I prefer to record something and get feedback off other people first, rather than make a song and do fuck all with it.

If you want to hear some recordings that I actually regard as good, and should be releasing, PM me. Otherwise, disregard my 8bc stuff because it is almost all early demos (apart from the lo-fi stuff that is. But you can't judge lo-fi by how well it's recorded, hahah).

Analog
Offline
Ciudad de méxico, MX

[ Persevere, don't quit!  ] x ad eternam.

Decktonic
Offline
Westfield, NJ

So then, have you tried Sonicbids? That's how I got my first gig.

chunter
Offline
Brunswick, GA USA

Get to know the promoters at your local venues; finding out who the promoter is and developing raport with them takes practice and can't really be taught. Try to play where your music will be understood and liked, and once you have an idea of who is listening, try to visit venues these people will like and avoid venues that they dislike.

Subway Sonicbeat
Offline
Brazil

BTW, TraceKaiser, that tape recorder really gives a nice lofi touch. I liked a lot your songs.

BR1GHT PR1MATE
Offline
BOSTON

honestly, after all this advice from some of the best artists around, you *better* get famous.  ;D

TraceKaiser
Offline
Whitley Bay, England

Thanks Subway big_smile
I love it, but obviously there are times when it just doesn't live up to what I need. Maybe if I bought some actual compressors and gates and shit instead of just using software ones for decent recording then I could get it to sound nice. But... Meh, haha.

The pressure's on ._.

chunter
Offline
Brunswick, GA USA
TraceKaiser wrote:

Part of the reason I do consider the tracks demos (other than the rough recording obviously) is that I almost constantly evolve my songs.

When I wrote songs with words, we had a principle best expressed in Q & A form:

Q: When is a song considered absolutely finished?

A: Never.

It doesn't matter if you record it for global release on OMG Records and your song plays every five minutes on every radio and television station in the whole world and on the moon too, you maintain the right to alter, add parts to, or delete parts from anything you create at any time you please.  I can provide actual tips and exercises regarding doing this and freeing yourself from the "this song is done forever" box if anyone is interested, but that should go in a different thread about composing.

PULSELOOPER
Offline
São Paulo, Brazil

If you guys have problems to get your music to the people, imagine here in South America.

ant1
Offline
uhajdafdfdfa
TraceKaiser wrote:

Maybe if I bought some actual compressors and gates and shit instead of just using software ones for decent recording then I could get it to sound nice.

no

8-Bit-Rex
Offline
Chepachet, Rhode Island
chunter wrote:

I can provide actual tips and exercises regarding doing this and freeing yourself from the "this song is done forever" box if anyone is interested, but that should go in a different thread about composing.

Um...yes this.
I'm pretty sure everyone including myself could benefit from such a thread.

BR1GHT PR1MATE
Offline
BOSTON
ant1 wrote:
TraceKaiser wrote:

Maybe if I bought some actual compressors and gates and shit instead of just using software ones for decent recording then I could get it to sound nice.

no

uhhh yeah, there are very few circumstances in which buying things will make you better at music