Hey guys, these days of recording have got me thinkin a bit too big on some songs I think. I keep wanting to add things as simple as the odd bell and imagine some of our tracks would benefit greatly from strings etc when I play them out in my head. Its not something that we're doing, just the way I have them in my head.

Have any of you guys been in the same pickle and ever ended up with something not feeling satisfactory in terms of what your vision was in the first place.

I understand less is more but that falls into the same basket when trying to meet your own personal criteria while staying true to yourself and the band as a whole.

Mightily confused here and in fear of lack of satisfaction....

Thoughts, por favor

CC

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Fender Stratocaster (parts build)
Fender Telecaster 72 Custom RI
Fender Telecoustic Deluxe
Gretsch Electromatic Pro-Jet
Gibson Les Paul Standard Plus
Gibson ES-135
Zenith Type-17
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When we listen to modern professional recordings with dozens of tracks and overdubs and layers of special effects it becomes pretty easy to feel there's something missing from our own work. Listen to some recordings from the early 50's and suddenly yours will sound pretty good.

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Just think of how awesome a guitar player you could have been by now if you had only spent the last 10 years practicing instead of obsessing over pickups and roasted maple necks.

Believe me I've been chillin out to Big Bill Broonzy and Billie Holiday but you are right its listening to modern recordings especially guys that are from here and who we will be playing with. Who we are up against to be frank. I just want to go that mile further but not with anything we would find impossible to do live. Just a few finishing touches here and there and some overdubs. My heads melted, honest to god.

CC

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Fender Stratocaster (parts build)
Fender Telecaster 72 Custom RI
Fender Telecoustic Deluxe
Gretsch Electromatic Pro-Jet
Gibson Les Paul Standard Plus
Gibson ES-135
Zenith Type-17
Marshall 70's JMP Superbass 100w
Blackstar HT-5

CC,
Brother I know what you mean! I have been doing just that lately. I record and then feel like I am missing something so I add this or that and in the end, I have been going back and taking the stuff out. Sometimes it is best to just step back and let go of it for a bit. If you need anything form me over here just yell. I will be sending you an advance of the first 6 songs sometime in the next few weeks for your critique...believe me self producing sucks...LOL.
Eric

stuff i write always feels like i copied another song.... be it AC/DC, Nirvana, Led Zeppelin.... it always feels like i copied one of these bands... people i play it for say its good but i always feel like its just a crappy rip off

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Favorite bands:

Melvins
The Jesus Lizard
Cows
Big Business
R***man
Minutemen
Flight
Minor Threat
Big Black
Shellac
Karp
Scratch Acid
Wipers
Pixies

Sometimes I do get the feeling that modern recording is just a little too...overdone. The clarity of modern recording is great, but...it makes my music sound kind of...messy. I can play the same exact song, and sound half as good.

Sometimes I think a little simplicity should be added. It's interesting when a band sounds great in studio, but horrible on stage. Maybe sometimes we should strip away some of the heavy effects and just play music.

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Fender Fan Forever

I've always prefered the minimalistic approach as you can get to the point of having things too cluttered before you know it.Most bands in the 60s got by with as few overdubs and embellishments as possible even though there's a lot to be said about the Phil Spectre Wall-of-Sound approach it's almost impossible to reproduce in a live situation and people these days want to hear the studio recording sound in a live situation.I like to hear recordings as bare bones as possible,if there's too much going on in a track you'll probably miss a lot at first listen or second or......

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'65 Strat,65 Mustang,65 Jaguar,4 more Strats,3 vintage Vox guitars,5 Vox amps,'69 Bassman with a '68 2-15 Bassman cab,36 guitars total-15asst'd amps total,2 vintage '60s Hammond organs & a myriad of effects-with a few rare vintage ones.

A great artist always knows when to
step away from the canvas and put the brushes down.

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I couldn't have said it better. Sometimes... less is more.

Agreed! At some point you have to say "enough's enough!"

Look at what happened to Axl Rose with his "Chinese Democracy" album. Whether you like the album or not, it's hard to believe that he didn't spend a little too much time (what, 10 years?) tweaking it. Think of how much more he could've produced in that time if he simply put the thing out after a couple of years and then moved onto something else.

CC, you know what you are doing, I have confidence in you, my example is when I heard a couple of the new tracks from Majesty (now SuperBig) new record and that guy Johnny K put strings and such on those tracks sure it sounds cool but it isn't Majesty, they are a guitar band, loud and all over it guitar band, Johnny K may have been up for a grammy but he isn't helping, or maybe he is I just love rock and roll, guitars, drums and vocals, CC what ever you do I'll listen and love so it will be great.

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you can save the world with your guitar one love song at a time it's just better, more fun, easier with a fender solid body electric guitar or electric bass guitar.

Go with your gut. Everyone tells me less is more, which is fine, 'cause I don't know more, anyway. Try taking a break, and listen to your tracks a few days later. I'm sure you will find they sound great.

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2012 American Vintage Telecaster 1958
09 Fender american deluxe strat.
97 Gibson les paul special P90's double-cut
65 Princeton reverb re-issue
2010 Guild Gad-F40e

You will know when it is finished. Sometimes it helps to step away from the song for a little while work on something else (another song perhaps) and then listen to it again.

And please don't go W.A.R. on the songs. Even though adding layers can be fun sometimes the just to many layers. Two words: "Chinese Democracy"

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Deyr fé
Deyja frændr
Deyr sjálfr ið sama
En orðstír
Deyr aldregi
Hveim er sér góðan getr

I may be the last person to talk about self-confidence, but, don't beat yourself. It can be seriously annoying when someone has great music but is afraid to put it out because they aren't self-confident. I'm sure your music sounds great, and if you're proud of it, and it's the your best, then that's all you really need.

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Fender Fan Forever

It's not a confidence thing at all. If anything I'm overly confident!!

I do believe less is more but with the bands we are up against at the mo I really want to out-do them while remaining true to ourselves. My mates band is playing Download festival at Donnington this year and we have a chance of getting there ourselves for the 2011 festival but the path needs to be tread carefully with all things done right on the way. Such as these new tracks being damn near perfect.

CC

_________________
Fender Stratocaster (parts build)
Fender Telecaster 72 Custom RI
Fender Telecoustic Deluxe
Gretsch Electromatic Pro-Jet
Gibson Les Paul Standard Plus
Gibson ES-135
Zenith Type-17
Marshall 70's JMP Superbass 100w
Blackstar HT-5