Download mp3 file of my recording of Caravan

I have started recording some exotica tunes in my home studio, and have set up a website to post mp3 files- it's at http://www.raylindsley.com

Here's a link to the Caravan file:
http://www.raylindsley.com/Caravan.mp3

Any feedback/criticism is welcome
Thanks

[ Edited by: Urban Tiki on 2004-11-21 20:17 ]

[ Edited by: Urban Tiki on 2004-11-21 20:17 ]

[ Edited by: Urban Tiki on 2004-11-23 09:11 ]

Wonderful! Great job!!

I heard them both and could say that I´m deeply impressed. Did you play everything by ear or did you use music sheets to understand the main harmonies of these songs?

Keep on the good work!

[ Edited by: dinsdale on 2004-11-22 07:01 ]

Very, very cool! I loved the first one you posted, and this one is just as impressive.

Many Mahalo's!

I adore "Caravan" and I adore vibraphones, so you've had me from the git-go on this one.

I don't think I've ever heard "Caravan" done with vibraphones before. Extremely nice.

But ... since everyone's a critic ... I wonder what this piece would've sounded like if the drums had been more of a background thing, as opposed to up front, and with not such an insistent, almost frantic-sounding beat. A lot of the charm of "Caravan," I think, is its ability to beguile, as opposed to bowl over, the listener.

Love the flute solo. Perfect for this song. I wonder what it would've been like if there'd been a little surf guitar solo thrown in.

Anyway -- thanks very much for sharing, makes me utterly ashamed of my utter lack of musical talent.

Thanks for the response.
Satan's Sin, Caravan is one of my favorite songs and I plan to do several versions. I can see why the heavy Tom-Tom drumming may not appeal to everyone- I was trying to conjure up the feel of jungle drums but keeping something of a jazz/swing feel. I already have a version playing in my head with kind of a middle east hand drum rhythm, so hang in there. There's a surf guitar band in Brooklyn that does a surf guitar version. I may give this a try, but only if I can make it unique and not sound like theirs. They used to have an mp3 of it on their website. I can't remember the name of the band so I'll have to search for it and post a link.

Dinsdale, I wish I had the ear to do these without them, but I used a jazz cheat book and sheet music for these.

Fink Daddy, many thanks- I love this stuff and it's fun to create.

In the pipeline is a exotica version of Dizzy Gillespie's tune, "A Night in Tunisia". Its a bebop tune he did with Charlie Parker and is pretty uptempo and challenging- very complex melodic structure. Now that I'm getting the jazz stuff out of my system, I'm going to focus on mellower relaxing stuff- more in the Quiet Village vein.
Thanks all.

[ Edited by: Urban Tiki on 2004-11-22 11:39 ]

I have started recording some exotica tunes in my home studio

Very cool! What kind of equipment/software are you using?

Juno,
I planned to discuss the recording techniques, but I wanted people to hear the music first because most people don't understand the technology and whenever you discuss the digital technology involved think it's just computer synthesized. I even get people that say "oh yeah, I could tell that it's synthesized", even when it's not. They don't understand the difference between a emulation of an instrument on a synthesizer and a digital recording of the actual instrument. The technology of digital sampling has gotten unbelievably good. However, I also don't want to give the impression that I can play all of the actual acoustic instruments involved (I don't want to take credit for more than the moderate talent that I have). Besides piano and keyboards, I also play guitar and saxophone (but not on these songs)

The drums are a combination of real drums and drum samples pounded out on a keyboard triggering digital samples of real drum hits. These are not drum loops or packaged sequences, although I play the instruments into Cubase SX 2 before rendering to audio through several software samplers (primarily Halion 2 and Gigastudio 3). I've tried those, and it becomes pretty obvious because they are too perfect and repetitive.
The other instruments are also played live on the keyboard into Cubase. The acoustic upright bass is a fantastic sample called Trilogy by Spectrasonics. The vibraphone is Cool Vibes by Art Vista. The flute is from Vienna Symphonic Library. The percussion is various samples.

While they are played on a keyboard, I actually get method books on playing the actual instrument and practice the exercises on the keyboard to learn how real players approach the articulations, etc.

The songs are mixed down in Cubase through a series of digital and analogue processors, and mastered in Wavelab. Let me know if you have any specific questions about the equipment used.

I really like this one. I like the drums in the begining (maybe a bit overmixed?) because of the contrast it creates when the drums switch to the swing-jazz beat. It reminds me of Martin Denny's Diga Diga Doo when the slow jungle drums change to the more upbeat jazz part. I can't wait to hear more, and to see how your music progresses with time. Keep 'em commin'!!

Based on the feedback here about the drums, I remixed Caravan to bring them a little further back in the mix.
Thanks for the good feedback

The drums work GREAT in there, For some reason, the vibraphone lags all the way through by a couple of ticks. The flute works out nicely.

DAMN! THAT DRUM SOLO!!! LOVE IT!!!

Masterful. Might want to swing the main tune a tiny bit, but it can also be me simply used to the MSG cover version.

For an interesting torch version, check out Miranda Sex Garden's cover of this song.

yes man! dude you rock! thanks for sharing all this with us!

why worry about being faulted on your execution? - that'd read as poorly veiled jealousy! who cares how it was made...does it taste good?

LOOKING AND LIKING!

not jealousy, man. am a fellow musician. It definitely was worth the listen.

nightmare

i wasn't making ref to your post...all i am saying is...it's hard enough to make something without being hyper critical about limited means of expression and range - esp in something as tech as electronic music!

i never have the right brush or color - $!

no offense intended whatsoever!

It was expressive, man. If it wasnt exactly what you hoped to bring to the world, you still brought out something grand. Am still knocked out on the drums once again :)