One Last Ride

[Rainmak3r]

Hi all,

I just upladed a new track:

https://soundcloud.com/lminiero/one-last-ride

This was actually ready months ago, but I didn't like how I played/recorded it, so it stayed in a drawer for a while, until I decided to get back to it today.

The main inspiration behind it was Forever Free, an old 80s power ballad by W.A.S.P.: I always loved the song and the video, and I recently found out there's a sad story behind the lyrics too. The acoustic guitar parts basically came out of improvisation: I would take my guitar, play with it, and the acoustic intro you can hear here often came out, which immediately made me think of that song. When I finally bought a cheap 12 strings guitar, I decided I had to start refining the chords and arpeggios, and that's how the track finally came out, with a softer beginning (which reminds me of some 70s songs) followed by a heavier crescendo. I liked the idea of a biker about to go on his last ride, and since I recently watched the whole "Sons of Anarchy" series, Jax Teller seemed to fit the bill of the song's mood, hence why he's the track image on Soundcloud.

I was saying how I didn't like how I recorded it at the time. I'm not particularly happy about it now either, to be honest... the acoustic parts are a bit underwhelming, especially considering how good a 12 strings guitar can sound, but that's mainly my fault: it's quite harded to play, and I don't practice it enough. The heavier part is a bit too chaotic too, though, and IMO a step backward compared to, e.g., Man with a Clan. Finally, one of the reasons why I stopped at the time was also because I didn't feel inspired for the solo: inspiration eluded me today too, so I simply came up with a harmonized guitar part and a bit of tapping at the end, which I feel to be a bit anticlimatic. That said, I didn't want to hold on to this longer, so I'm releasing it as it is: I hope you'll enjoy it nevertheless! Especially considering that, thinking about it, it's probably the only thing I've ever shared that's in a major chord, and so moderately uplifting

Looking forward to your feedback!

[folderol]

Mostly I liked it. The only thing I though let it down was the somewhat 'woolly' hits in the percussion from the mid point onward.

[Rainmak3r]

Mostly I liked it. The only thing I though let it down was the somewhat 'woolly' hits in the percussion from the mid point onward.

Thanks for listening! What do you mean by "woolly" though? My drums are always luckluster, so this time I tried to use different compressors for kicks, snare, and toms. Pretty sure this made them sound even worse than usual, but I'd like to understand how worse

[folderol]

It's the snare. Listening on headphones it's loud (too loud) but dull. To me, it doesn't really seem to fit at all.

[Basslint]

Very good! Always like when you try exploring new...sonorità, diciamolo

Although I can't stand power ballads except for some (and I'm willing to namedrop them, if necessary ) I could make it to the end so I guess you passed the exam

I agree with @folderol about the drums. I have the same problem but in my case it's even worse - I can't even program the things, much less mix them yours aren't the worst but that snare ruins the piece a bit.

As for the 12-string guitar, I think you played it well for a different genre (jangle pop and psychedelia). These late 80s-early 90s ballads used to have very polished acoustic guitars, sometimes they weren't even acoustic but actually electric guitars with EMGs, a compressor and a clean tone so I think the acoustic and electric parts feel a bit disjointed.

Anyway, I told you I disliked power ballads so trust my feedback even less than I would normally suggest but you did the right thing to release it, it definitely feels like an author piece.

[LAM]

Every tune by @Rainmak3r is a guarantuee.
I really like the guitar and overall is a really good song.
The only thing i didn't like so so much is the timbre of strings in the first half of the song, they sound too much in contrast with the "real" sound of the guitar.
Said that: ottimo lavoro!

[Rainmak3r]

It's the snare. Listening on headphones it's loud (too loud) but dull. To me, it doesn't really seem to fit at all.

Oh yes, then it's the usual issue... the snare is always what bothers people the most
Unfortunately I think that's what the sample sounds like, and I can't seem to find the way to get it better (for my own ignorance in terms of sound engineering, of course). Any time I decide to start looking for an alternative, I hit a wall due to the high learning curve when it comes to integrating drumgizmo kits in my workflow (most only have Reaper templates, on their website), but I'll definitely have to sort this out sooner or later...

[Rainmak3r]

Very good! Always like when you try exploring new...sonorità, diciamolo

Although I can't stand power ballads except for some (and I'm willing to namedrop them, if necessary ) I could make it to the end so I guess you passed the exam

Please do namedrop, I may find out about a gem I didn't kbow about
I always loved power ballads, when done right: when done wrong they're cheesy and unbearable (and there's many of those, especially by hair metal bands), but when done properly you you get the best of both worlds!

I agree with @folderol about the drums. I have the same problem but in my case it's even worse - I can't even program the things, much less mix them yours aren't the worst but that snare ruins the piece a bit.

Yeah it's the usual issue with the snare, and I really can't seem to find a way to fix it (not with my skills for sure ) I'll just have to find an alternative, but I'm so used to this process and this kit that it will take a while and some effort for sure.

As for the 12-string guitar, I think you played it well for a different genre (jangle pop and psychedelia). These late 80s-early 90s ballads used to have very polished acoustic guitars, sometimes they weren't even acoustic but actually electric guitars with EMGs, a compressor and a clean tone so I think the acoustic and electric parts feel a bit disjointed.

Good point. Thinking about it, even "Forever Free" may not have real acoustic guitars, even though they do show 12-strings acoustic ones in the video. In the original recording I made months ago, the electric guitars were less heavy and less distorted: I recorded everything with the Telecaster and a lighter distortion, to give it more of a 70/80s feel. I didn't like much how they sounded, though, a bit too thin, so I changed approach when I came back to it. Maybe keeping the old ones may have helped them be less disjointed, who knows: as a "bridge", here, I just did a decrescendo on the acoustic part and a crescendo on the electric part for a more-or-less smooth transition, but that wasprobably too subtle or ineffective.

Anyway, I told you I disliked power ballads so trust my feedback even less than I would normally suggest but you did the right thing to release it, it definitely feels like an author piece.

Thanks as usual for listening and for the precious feedback, glad you liked it overall!

[Rainmak3r]

Every tune by @Rainmak3r is a guarantuee.
I really like the guitar and overall is a really good song.

Thanks, you're always too kind!

The only thing i didn't like so so much is the timbre of strings in the first half of the song, they sound too much in contrast with the "real" sound of the guitar.
Said that: ottimo lavoro!

What do you mean by timbre? I did play this on a real 12-strings guitar, although a very cheap one from Thomann I must admit

I wonder if this may have something to do with how I recorded it. As I've done in a few older tracks already, I recorded it using two sources at the same time, and so in two different tracks: one from the integrated pickup, and one from a mic placed in front of the guitar. This is supposed to help capture different aspects of the sound, and it did help in. e.g., "Out of the Void" and "Skjaldmaer", but I'm wondering if it was detrimental here. I also added some compression, so I hope it didn't compromise the sound rather than improve it. It may also be just me playing the guitar badly, which is very much possible: I had to do a lot of takes for the acoustic parts, often stitching consecutive parts together, as I had some difficulties getting them to sound right (mistakes, muffled strings, etc.).

Thanks for listening and the nice feedback!

[Michael Willis]

Ehh, you're way too critical of your own work. I thought the acoustic parts were fantastic. I was wondering why it sounded kind of like a mandolin until I read in your description that it is a 12 string guitar, which makes sense. Something about the chord progression around 0:40 - 0:55 really spoke to me. I wasn't as interested in the electric guitar part, I guess it is just not the style for me. For whatever it is worth, I would love to hear you produce a folk-rock piece with just the acoustic twelve string all the way through.

[Rainmak3r]

Ehh, you're way too critical of your own work. I thought the acoustic parts were fantastic. I was wondering why it sounded kind of like a mandolin until I read in your description that it is a 12 string guitar, which makes sense. Something about the chord progression around 0:40 - 0:55 really spoke to me. I wasn't as interested in the electric guitar part, I guess it is just not the style for me. For whatever it is worth, I would love to hear you produce a folk-rock piece with just the acoustic twelve string all the way through.

And you're way too kind! I love the arpeggio you mentioned too, and how it sounds more full with the 12 strings than when I improvised it. I've been thinking about what the influence might have been, as it reminds me of something, but not sure what (probably something I liked from the 70s).

I did try a bit of folk in "Mary", some time ago, which also had some acoustic guitars, but I don't think I could come up with something meaningful and interesting if the guitar was the only instrument playing: I'm not skilled enough to play or come up with something that can sustain the whole song on its own. Even in "Skjaldmaer" and "Out of the Void", the acoustic parts playing on their own were limited to short intros.

Thanks for listening and for the kind words!

[milo]

I really like the 12-string guitar in this piece. I agree with @Michael Willis -- I would love to hear more of your acoustic guitar. I have been wanting to buy a 12-string for a while, because I just love their sound. I have a song that needs a big acoustic Tom Petty-like rhythm guitar sound, and I'm waiting to record it until I get my hands on the right instrument.

I'm not a metal guy, but I always like your metal stuff for some reason. Not sure that this particular fusion of 12-string acoustic and metal really works for me, though. I agree that some sort of bridge would help that transition. But I thought your solo was pretty good. I judge a solo by its musicality more than by its technique, and I think you hit the spot as far as I'm concerned.

Regarding drums, you should really give the AVL Drumkits a spin. I don't know if they can be adapted to work for metal, but they are easy to use, allow reasonably fine control over the individual sounds, and don't force you to learn a whole new interface or application. I love the snare sound on the Black Pearl kit.

[Michael Willis]

Almost completely off topic, but whatever...

Where I grew up there was a road that went to the top of a plateau overlooking our little town. Past the overlook was a rather steep drop of about 200 meters elevation. One weekend my friends and I took some ladies up there for a picnic dinner. One of my friends imagined what it would feel like to drive the car off the edge; he said, "That would be one wild ride. Too bad you could only do it once."

Years later I lost that friend due to medical complications. Reading the title "One Last Ride" and listening to this piece of music made me think of that comment of his, and brought back some great memories of time spent with him.

Edit: I found a picture from the overlook. My house was by the left side of the mountain in the background:

[psyocean]

Amazing masterpiece!

[Rainmak3r]

I really like the 12-string guitar in this piece. I agree with @Michael Willis -- I would love to hear more of your acoustic guitar. I have been wanting to buy a 12-string for a while, because I just love their sound. I have a song that needs a big acoustic Tom Petty-like rhythm guitar sound, and I'm waiting to record it until I get my hands on the right instrument.

Oh I definitely recommend getting one, it's quite the experience! I purchased this very cheap Harley Benton on Thomann (the most popular European music instruments reseller), and despite it only costing around a hundred bucks, I was quite impressed: it even has a decent integrated pickup with its own equaliser. I'm sure an expert player would have a lot to complain about this guitar (there must be plenty of reasons why it's so cheap), but for what I need and want it was perfect.

I'm not a metal guy, but I always like your metal stuff for some reason. Not sure that this particular fusion of 12-string acoustic and metal really works for me, though. I agree that some sort of bridge would help that transition. But I thought your solo was pretty good. I judge a solo by its musicality more than by its technique, and I think you hit the spot as far as I'm concerned.

I'm glad you liked the solo! I also always try to approach them from a melodic perspective, adding "faster" parts as glue or later, so I'm glad that, despite this being a fallback to what I wanted to do, it still came out interesting. On the heavier part I agree, it definitely isn't the best I wrote: that's probably because it did come out as an appendix to the acoustic part (which is where the song came from), and I tried to follow the way "Forever Free" itself transitions betweeen the two moods. My guess is that it feels more abrupt than it really is because it lacks vocals: with someone singing (like "Forever Free", that is), it might sound smoother.

Regarding drums, you should really give the AVL Drumkits a spin. I don't know if they can be adapted to work for metal, but they are easy to use, allow reasonably fine control over the individual sounds, and don't force you to learn a whole new interface or application. I love the snare sound on the Black Pearl kit.

I did try both Red Zeppelin and Black Pearl some time ago, especially for my very first song. I do like how they sound overall, but as a "metalhead" at heart I find the kick too muffled (if that's the right word for it?). One way or another, my songs often end up using double pedal kicks with the so called "machine gun effect", and they don't sound that natural on those kits. I'll definitely have to start using them more for quieter or less frantic things, though.

That said, I decided to start experimenting with the CrocellKit next. I have been impressed with it since @finotti used it in these two covers he made, but unfortunately there are no Ardour and Hydrogen templates around to use it, and the one finotti kindly made unfortunately doesn't seem to work for me. As such, I was quite intimidated as I lack the skills to write new ones myself, but doing a quick hack I noticed that if I use the ones I have for the Muldjord kit and load Crocell in DrumGizmo instead, something proper comes out anyway, apart from a few missing or misplaced sounds. This means that, rather than writing something from scratch, there's a good chanceI can just tweak those to get it working properly. And I already have a metal song I could try it with (another one of those I started recording several months ago and then shelved for some reason).

Thanks as usual for listening and for the feedabck!