tommyb Posted September 16, 2011 Share Posted September 16, 2011 The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down NEW VERSION! One of my favorites from years past, written by Canadian Robbie Robertson and made into a huge hit for Joan Baez in 1971. My version borrows mostly from Joan's arrangement but mine is slower. I corrected her lyrics in a couple places. Those familiar with this song know that she misinterpreted Robbie's lyrics in a couple places. I live-micd my Epiphone Masterbilt DR-500MCE except in one track. I think it sounds terrific. The bass is an Epiphone EB-3 SG, and the few short licks were done with an Epiphone Les Paul 1960 Tribute. Pay particular attention to the instruments, NOT my singing or playing...LOL! I think these Epi guitars are top shelf in sound and quality. It lets a hack like me have some fun without fracturing an already fractured bank account. I use a Sure SM-58 mic. My "amplifier" is POD Farm 2. The interface is a Line 6 UX-1 and I use Audacity DAW. Thanks for listening! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
L5Larry Posted September 16, 2011 Share Posted September 16, 2011 I love the recording of this song by The Band, and I enjoyed yours very much too. The sound quality of the instrumental recording is fantastic, sounds very PRO. The playing is also very nice, I liked the way you got a little "Dixieland" in there, and the first lead fill sounds very pedal steelish. Good job. I've performed acoustic versions of The Weight and Cripple Creek, always wanted to do this one. If you would like a little arrangement and production critique from an old pro, I'd be glad to give you a few insights, but only if asked. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tommyb Posted September 17, 2011 Author Share Posted September 17, 2011 I love the recording of this song by The Band, and I enjoyed yours very much too. The sound quality of the instrumental recording is fantastic, sounds very PRO. The playing is also very nice, I liked the way you got a little "Dixieland" in there, and the first lead fill sounds very pedal steelish. Good job. I've performed acoustic versions of The Weight and Cripple Creek, always wanted to do this one. If you would like a little arrangement and production critique from an old pro, I'd be glad to give you a few insights, but only if asked. I'd accept any comments or criticisms...I need all the help I can get! I've only been doing home recording for about a year and actually I quit playing back in the late 70's and barely touched the guitar for thirty years, so I'm still trying to regain any technique I might have had. One of the groups I played in back in the late '60's played "The Weight"...we all loved that song. I was never a lead singer back in the day...I usually sang backup harmony. You've probably seen the 1978 live performance of "The Night....." by The Band on YouTube. If you haven't it's, to me, THE version of this song. I would/could NEVER attempt to do it that way. I never get tired of watching Levon Helm sing it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jonnyg Posted September 18, 2011 Share Posted September 18, 2011 I thought that was a pretty good attempt. The instruments sound good and are well played and it's a good clear recording. You've got quite a nice voice to my ears but I feel you lack a little confidence in your singing and the way you sing is a little stiff. That's how it comes across to me anyhow. Either that or you've got PITA neighbours and you're having to sing with restraint. I think if you relaxed a little and just enjoyed it you could be a very credible vocalist. If I had to make a criticism I would say there's way too much reverb or delay on the vocals and I didn't get any of the bass guitar at all. The amount of reverb is a matter of choice and the track could be remixed to bring the bass up a little so not too much problem there. Hope you take all that in the way it was meant. Just an opinion not a criticism. All round, good job, Five stars. Thanks for sharing. Shameless plug for Reaper PS Have you ever thought of using something other than Audacity. Reaper is the Epiphone of the DAW world and it's my mission to get everybody to at least try it. $60.00 with free updates for around two years. Download the full, uncrippled, unrestricted version (5mb) and try free for 30 days. If you like it, buy it. If you don't buy it, it just keeps on working anyway. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tommyb Posted September 18, 2011 Author Share Posted September 18, 2011 I thought that was a pretty good attempt. The instruments sound good and are well played and it's a good clear recording. You've got quite a nice voice to my ears but I feel you lack a little confidence in your singing and the way you sing is a little stiff. That's how it comes across to me anyhow. Either that or you've got PITA neighbours and you're having to sing with restraint. I think if you relaxed a little and just enjoyed it you could be a very credible vocalist. If I had to make a criticism I would say there's way too much reverb or delay on the vocals and I didn't get any of the bass guitar at all. The amount of reverb is a matter of choice and the track could be remixed to bring the bass up a little so not too much problem there. Hope you take all that in the way it was meant. Just an opinion not a criticism. All round, good job, Five stars. Thanks for sharing. Shameless plug for Reaper PS Have you ever thought of using something other than Audacity. Reaper is the Epiphone of the DAW world and it's my mission to get everybody to at least try it. $60.00 with free updates for around two years. Download the full, uncrippled, unrestricted version (5mb) and try free for 30 days. If you like it, buy it. If you don't buy it, it just keeps on working anyway. Ha! That's a pretty good description of my "singing" voice. No, neighbors aren't the problem...it's my lack of vocal training for one thing. I was never a lead singer. Now that I'm actually attempting lead vocals, I guess I'm out of my comfort zone. My older sister who is a trained soprano said virtually the same thing. I'm concentrating almost entirely on making sure I hit the notes on key, especially the highs as my range seems to me at least to be limited. The delay is actually an attempt at over-dubbing the lead vocal which got out of snyc a little. I thought doing that might help enrich my rather "thin" voice. I think what I should do is stop trying to sing this the way Joan Baez did (a daunting task) and try to find my own way. I'm a bit surprised at your comment on the bass. I actually equalized the bass guitar at the low end to punch it up and on my system (a Bose subwoofer and two satellites) it can actually be felt through the floor. I like a deep, rich bass...not to "heard" as much as felt I guess. I have heard of Reaper and many have good things to say about it. $60 isn't really that bad for a full-featured DAW program. AND, since you get 30 days trial with an uncrippled version it's a no-brainer to try it. Thanks for your comments...they can only help! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest BentonC Posted September 20, 2011 Share Posted September 20, 2011 Nice- thanks for sharing! (I love The Band- great choice!) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.