Maiden songs

Rainmaker

Rainmaker

Bee Bee King
Hey all,

I recorded two Maiden tracks today, The Trooper and Aces High...

Please have a listen and comment on tone and technique, where I can improve, etc.

The Trooper
Aces High (don't mention the confused ending btw :p)

I reckon I got good tone with this Impro

And while you're at it...

Check out my mate singing Blackbird - at first we told him he was great... then brought him over to my place, recorded him - cracked up, and played it back to him :p He was embarrased, but he said he didn't mind me sending it around.

James singing Blackbird

Btw, whats the deal with covers on SoundClick - is it legal? I read the notice but I didn't completely understand.

Bee
 
Re: Maiden songs

Edit: Remember to right click then save as to get the clip directly
 
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Re: Maiden songs

you know.. you didnt need to send me a PM about this. i'm all over the clips section and if it's maiden in the title.. you know the rest

anyway. i dont know to what extent covers are permitted on soundclick.

the trooper:
the rythm sound is a little gritty. the harmonies are spot on, no suprises. the sound is THERE if you know what i mean, without playing them back to back there's hardly anything diferent to write home about, rougher if anything. adrians solo is your take, very good too (but you played on the neck pup right? never play adrian on the neck pup ;)), i just need the murray solo too ya know ;) it aint that hard.
issue with the intro vocal breaks... there is an insert silence option you know ;)

there's some clipping on the rythm track in the background, if we're allowed to be nitpicky, so you should work on the editing a little bit

aces high:
class! but you dont nail the sound completely in the intro, AND I NEED THE SCREAMING FOR GAWDS SAKE!!!! it aint complete without vocals. playing is top notch, i give you that. the double harmonies are done very very well. oooh, there's even the thrill that adrian does.. cool, thought of detail :D but you play it wrong, well, not wrong but diferent.. we cant have diferent.. record the whole thing again :rolleyes:. the solo is very good, it shows that you've been doing this for quite some time. you try to nail it perfectly, but there's this and that that isnt really 100%, NOTHING wrong with that, i for the life of me couldnt record something like this. nevermind the off outro, it's supposed to be like that :D

awesome takes bee. i wish i could play like that when i was your age. i just notice ONE very important thing. one of the most important things in maiden music beside the vocals. i'll let you and any others figure out what it is ;)

where did you get the backing track though.. or composed drums? or did someone you know play them? they're great

there. next time you dont need to shoot me a PM ;)
 
Re: Maiden songs

OOOOO, what a can of worms you've opened! Well, I think my comments are going to be quite different from Davey's :D. (suprise, suprise).

First of all, I'm glad you PM'd the Maiden heads! It shows 2 things: One, that you're genuinely stoked about what you did, and Two, that you are willing to accept criticism ... b/c you are not going to find more fanatical fans out there than Maiden fans, period. Hey, I saw Maiden 6 times in 2004, and would see em 6 more if they came within 200 miles of my house!!

Onto the clips:
THE TROOPER. A++ for effort. The rhythm playing is great. The tone? I'll get to that in a minute ... You kick off the 1st solo on the wrong note. Methinks you didn't bend it enough. I absolutely LOVE the drum track!!! Can I have it?! I would love to do my own take over that backing!! (W/PJ singing, of course ;) )As for the guitar tone: IMO, it's too gainy, in that it's a bit buzzy, and seems to break apart. It's also waaaay too compressed sounding. I think the chorus effect is too high on the leads, as well. I would suggest using less compression and a less buzzy distortion sound. Feeling was incredible, tho, and the harmonies were spot on!! :D

Going to play ACES HIGH and post as soon as I'm finished ...
(4:42 later ...)

Okay, once again, A++ for effort! And I want that backing track. The guitar sound was a bit closer to the real thing on this one, tho still a bit too solid-state-buzzy for my taste. Everything sounded great, aside from 2 things: the opening lower harmony sounds a bit out of tune, and the ending is a train wreck. Hehe, I know you said to ignore it, but this is MAIDEN!! :D :D

I loved the whole thing. I would say, don't re-track them. Take what you've learned from these songs and write your OWN killer Maiden-inspired tune!! Now, that's your homework!! Go and bee fruitful!! ( :smack: I know, my puns suck!!)
 
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Hey Davey and TO,

The harmonies are actually off the backing track, they have one of the guitar parts in the Maiden ones, sign up at www.backingtracks.cjb.net, they have heaps of Maiden! I can't wait to hear you guys on it! :)

Edit 3: You think I did all that stuff? Ahh I hate to disappoint but its the backing track that is mighty detailed, Davey. :)

There's three versions of The Trooper (one with singing) and one of Aces High, heaps of other Maiden and SOOOO many other bands, very prominent ones.

Thanks a lot for the analysis, I really appreciate it - going to take all this advice very very seriously.

Bee

PS: No probbies, Dave.

Edit: When you sign up for that site, make sure you show threads from the beginning, not just a week ago (default), otherwise you'll only see the most recent few.

Edit 2: 6 times... oh man, someone's got the life :p
 
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thanks for the site bee. but i dont know if i'll be recording any as i know i'll butcher them up... there's one thing writing your own stuf in your head.. for me, it's a totaly diferent thing recording a cover.. cos you got a standard to live up to and lets face it maiden are way up there.. you see em? no? i dont either >.<
:rolleyes:

aw bummer, you didnt do all the tracks? which ones are yours? good takes nevertheless (and i agree with TO on the guitar sound.. i just dont know how to put it into words)
keep up the good work =)

now i go write stuff
 
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Davey said:
but i dont know if i'll be recording any as i know i'll butcher them up... there's one thing writing your own stuf in your head.. for me, it's a totaly diferent thing recording a cover.. cos you got a standard to live up to and lets face it maiden are way up there.. you see em? no? i dont either >.<
Click to expand...
So true, but everyone knows that, so its worth a try! I always get excited when I see a Maiden cover, so if you ever think about it - please do, I'd love to hear it :)
 
Re: Maiden songs

damn, to my ears that sounded great :headbang: i LOVED aces high, P.S maiden is my favorite band ever.
 
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Bee, you didn't have to PM me either, if I only see "Iron" and/or "Maiden" in the Tips and Clips, I'M THERE! ;) Ok, I'm not the type of guy that is good at saying anything negative, so for the purposes of these clips, I'll put on my Constructive Criticism Cap :)

The Trooper:
Tone is pretty buzzy! Sounds a lot like my brother's (Fatty Woo) sound. Some people like that tone, I'd say just tweak it a little here and there to get it more real sounding if you really like it. Solo was nicely done! First bend needed more umph! You can take Murray's solo, trust me on that one. It's cake. Overall, your playing is superb, you don't have any trouble with timing, and I'd say you did the song justice. Just go get a singer now, and you're set! "The Trooper" was the first Maiden solo I learned, so this really hits home :) Do not let tough-sounding solos scare you away!

Aces High:
Intro sounds a bit off. Again, the tone is fairly buzzy. Everything else sounded really really good. The solo was great as well. I wouldn't worry too much about the outro, at that point, your fans will be throwing you their panties and jock straps anyways ;)

You chose your songs wisely. Just keep it up, man!


As for your friend...hmmmm. He needs some pitch training! Ok, taking off my Constructive Criticism Cap.

Awesome!
 
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Re: Maiden songs

Hey, one of you guys want this new avatar I made? Just take it.

IronMaidenPic.jpg
 
Re: Maiden songs

hey rainmaker.... or any of u guys who know the answer to this... how do you get those backing tracks onto a track in a recording program? i use ACID 4.0 if that matters. by they way, killer songs u got there rainmaker.
 
Re: Maiden songs

clint_41 said:
hey rainmaker.... or any of u guys who know the answer to this... how do you get those backing tracks onto a track in a recording program? i use ACID 4.0 if that matters. by they way, killer songs u got there rainmaker.
Click to expand...
You should be able to bring in the backing tracks from doing something like File > Import > Audio ... then locate the file and import.
 
Re: Maiden songs

TwilightOdyssey said:
You should be able to bring in the backing tracks from doing something like File > Import > Audio ... then locate the file and import.
Click to expand...
k thanks, ill give it a go when i get a chance.
 
Re: Maiden songs

Hey Clint, I'm using a program called CakeWalk - its really good, give it a go! Simple to use.
 
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