A Train Robbery

Folks, I apologize if I'm posting too much of this kind of stuff, but I'm pretty stoked. I had time to fiddle around today and I made my first ever music track with my DAW software for recording audio! It has a mandolin intro and some mandolin chop throughout to go with the guitar, but it sounds like the mandolin chops are getting lost a bit. I still have a lot to learn about recording and mixing audio.

The song is A Train Robbery. Enjoy

You deserve to be more 'stoked' than that Loco ! What a 'submission' to wake up to ! Is that you harmonising with yourself or did you ship in 'brothers' for the gig !?
Very excellent.

In my opinion, the Newbies group is about our journeys with this little 8-stringed instrument we all love. In a little over 2 years, you're doing THIS!! It's fantastic and inspirational to the rest of us, Mark. Well done.

I saw you posted in another forum you're getting some crackle. I didn't hear any on the above version, but if you're getting it when exporting, it could be volume levels. Digital can be pretty unforgiving.

Welcome to the world of recording ... it's another education in of itself.

"And our Oscar nomination for best digital audio work in the Newbie mandolin/guitar category - A Train Robbery performed, directed and produced by Mark Gunter. Let's make sure I get the right envelope this time."

Cool!

Well, I am flabbersmacked. Gobgasted. I love it.

Away from the keyboard now and typing on the phone (which I detest) but wanted to say thank you for the comments. Bbcee, it seems that I had left my daw open on my laptop which was tying up audio resources on my computer and Causing the crackle within my own system playback

Very cool!

Thank you Bonnie

That sounds great Mark, really well done!

Thank you Yves!

That's really good Mark, you should be proud of yourself! I've been trying to get to grips with DAW software for a while now and haven't produced anything nearly as good as that. Which DAW are you using? I'm playing with LMMS and Ableton.

Thanks Jes, this is Ableton Live 9 Lite, it came with the Focusrite Scarlett Solo. I bought that over two years ago, before I even got into mandolin, and only just now got up enough gumption to finally do something with it.

Wow, that is a outstanding job Mark

Thanks Otto!

I had a 32 track studio for quite a few years. Pretty much sold everything off when I damaged my neck and ended up in surgery.

A limiter and compressor would even out the whole mix. I would definitely back the vocasl off just a tad though. Its pulling away from the instruments.

Other than that, I think you've down and incredible job with this! Your voiced fits the song and melody perfect. Thanks for sharing this!!!

Thanks for the feedback, WmBuoyMaster!

I went in and tried to re-mix using your suggestions. I know very little about what I'm doing, though. Please, when you have a moment, listen to this and critique:

I've got this image of you now Mark!
https://marinewestecology.files.word...3733628291.jpg

Cut you an album now. Really good for what you have there. Thanks again for sharing. I'm a Jessie James fan too. Love that old history of the West and outlaws.

Don't apologize for playing. That's like apologizing for breathing.

I like both; of course, I am not at all conversant in the technicalities. As a casual listener the second version suits my ear slightly better, I think because I hear the mandolin very slightly more clearly. But given my high freq hearing deficit, that could well be a defect. Anyway, I would be very happy with either if I bought a CD with your stuff and it was all like this.

I appreciate all the feedback

Of course, a lot of what I hear when I listen to myself are the problems -> the things I could do differently to improve the recording. The biggest problem with that video is that I was too excited to get it done right away, and I think it would have been better if I'd listened a bit more and done some tweaks before making the video. Living and learning is what it's all about.

This is cool: