The Steel Guitar Forum

Hey y'all. Just finished another original song with a PSG part. Still very much learning my way around my StageOne but pretty pleased with how this one came out. Here it is if you want to have a listen. Happy to receive any feedback or constructive criticism!

https://soundcloud.com/st-justin/coming-up-roses

My inexperienced ear says it sounds good.....

I liked it. nice country song there. You asked for constructive critique, so I'll let you know what I think you might want to adjust next time.. The steel sound was a little too bright, and the nice guitar work to my ear was a bit too muffled. . As far as the playing itself you sound like a lot of us did early on.. A guy thats well on his way to becoming a pedal steel guitarist.. Noticeable rough edges, but already making good music on a tough as hell to learn instrument.. I am 40 something years into playing the steel and my "rough edges" will NEVER be sanded smooth.
Next recording, you might try a compressor to attenuate the peakiness on the steel a bit, try and round the tone on the steel out a bit, more mid and bottom, and less highs...Its all good, you are gonna get where you want to go, IF you work hard.. This thing demands time and toil, and no one gets around that fact.... best of luck, I look forward to hearing more!.... bob

Samuel Phillippe wrote:My inexperienced ear says it sounds good.....

Thank you for listening, and for saying so!

Bob Carlucci wrote:I liked it. nice country song there. You asked for constructive critique, so I'll let you know what I think you might want to adjust next time.. The steel sound was a little too bright, and the nice guitar work to my ear was a bit too muffled. . As far as the playing itself you sound like a lot of us did early on.. A guy thats well on his way to becoming a pedal steel guitarist.. Noticeable rough edges, but already making good music on a tough as hell to learn instrument.. I am 40 something years into playing the steel and my "rough edges" will NEVER be sanded smooth.
Next recording, you might try a compressor to attenuate the peakiness on the steel a bit, try and round the tone on the steel out a bit, more mid and bottom, and less highs...Its all good, you are gonna get where you want to go, IF you work hard.. This thing demands time and toil, and no one gets around that fact.... best of luck, I look forward to hearing more!.... bob

Thanks so much for taking the time to listen and offer feedback!

You're not the only person to tell me the steel sounds too bright. I did boost the high end in the box a bit to give it some shimmer. Not sure if I overdid it, or if it was the amp settings. I don't have a proper PSG amp so this time used a Princeton Reverb clone with a 12" speaker. I did compress it a bit but maybe could have squeezed it some more.

And I definitely need to practice more! If only I had more time and less-diverse ambitions

I thought it was great. I personally appreciate constructive criticism, but rarely give it.

I will say that the song is great. It really reminds me of Gram and the Burrito Brothers.

I say great job. Hooray for you for putting it out there!

Don Downes wrote:I thought it was great. I personally appreciate constructive criticism, but rarely give it.

I will say that the song is great. It really reminds me of Gram and the Burrito Brothers.

I say great job. Hooray for you for putting it out there!

Wow, you made my year with that comparison! I love Gram Parsons and the Burrito Brothers. In fact, one of the reference tracks I used for mixing was Sin City. I'm sure you mean the song in general and not my steel playing, though! Not worthy of even shining Sneaky Pete's boots. Thank you!

Never sell yourself short, my friend. We ALL have something to contribute. If we all sounded like Moody, there would be no Emmons.

Good job. Keep it up.

I agree with Bob - you're on the right track. Not only could the steel be warmed up a bit - although that's as much to do with your right hand as your amp - you need to bend your fingers back towards you and dig in - but also, I know we have make do with artificial drums but they are less annoying if you roll some highs out to put them at the back of the stage where they belong

Very nice!

Ian Rae wrote:I agree with Bob - you're on the right track. Not only could the steel be warmed up a bit - although that's as much to do with your right hand as your amp - you need to bend your fingers back towards you and dig in - but also, I know we have make do with artificial drums but they are less annoying if you roll some highs out to put them at the back of the stage where they belong

Thanks for the kind words and the tip about right-hand touch. Pick noise is definitely an issue for me so I'll give that a try.

As for the drums, that's actually me playing a miked acoustic kit! I'm using brushes so there's a little less snap. One of the challenges for me mixing this song was getting enough high end out of the overhead mics and compressing them to bring out the cymbals without making the snare too brittle. I think the brushes made it worse so may use sticks next time I find myself tracking something like this.

Bob Bestor wrote:Very nice!

Thank you!

I just listened to that again with better headphones, and damn, I still like it

You could probably make it slicker, but IMHO you would lose the character. If you wanted to experiment, you could add a smidge of compression, put a hi shelf to cut the twang (ever so slightly) a bit of reverb, and run it through a summing amp.

Or you can leave it as is and bask in the glory. I think it's fabulous. I'd buy it

Don Downes wrote:I just listened to that again with better headphones, and damn, I still like it

You could probably make it slicker, but IMHO you would lose the character. If you wanted to experiment, you could add a smidge of compression, put a hi shelf to cut the twang (ever so slightly) a bit of reverb, and run it through a summing amp.

Or you can leave it as is and bask in the glory. I think it's fabulous. I'd buy it

Thank you so much!

A nice country waltz, and well done! That's a dance floor filler in my neck of the woods!

I'm a home recording guy myself, and you've put together a nice mix on that one. Maybe bring up the steel a little, especially for the solo -- don't hide all that good playing!

Hey, thanks, Tom and Tom! Appreciate the kind words.

Sounds mighty fine to me Justin. Wish I had that ability to do what you did. I would add that the lead guitar is too mushy, too muddy. Needs brighten up. Steel is way to thin. Add some bass to it and presence or mid-range. Keep on trying and you will find what works. Just remember that what settings you record with will not work for on stage. Just takes time. J.R. Rose

Justin, I started many, many years ago with a Princeton Reverb and I think I remember I set the Bass all the way on, (10) treble at 5 or 6, reverb at about 4 or 5 but it has been many years. Went from that to a Twin, loved that amp but it had a few more knobs. But used pretty much the same settings, Bass on full and treble, mid-range and reverb some where in the middle. Volume around 4 or 5, You have to have enough power bottom to kick it out but learn to keep volume level at a level people can enjoy. Listen to yourself. Set your amp in a chair at ear level. Learn to squeeze your sound with volume pedal. J.R. Rose

JR, thanks for the feedback and advice!

Yeah, the acoustic guitar lead part I recorded with two small-diaphragm condensers, each about 1.5-2 feet away from the instrument. And I relied on my playing dynamics to distinguish the solo parts from the rhythm/fills for the rest of the song. In retrospect, I think there's too much room sound in that track. I should have close-miked it and done a separate track for the solo parts. You pointing this out definitely underscores that for me. Live and learn, I suppose!

Really appreciate the advice re amp settings. I usually have the bass down pretty low and the treble up pretty high for 6-string electric. I adjusted that a bit for the steel, and my Princeton clone has a mid switch on the back that I engaged and a 12" speaker to give it a bit more beef, but I never dreamed of turning the bass all the way up. I also have a Deluxe Reverb, which has more headroom, so maybe next time I'll try that and play around with the tone stack.

Thanks again!

Very Nice!!!

You're Welcome Justin, Keep On Picking, J.R.

Christopher Hans McGinnis wrote:Very Nice!!!

Thank you!

J R Rose wrote:You're Welcome Justin, Keep On Picking, J.R.

Well, I plugged my StageOne into my Deluxe Reverb with the bass on 10 and Treble on 5. Wow, what a difference! Was so much fun playing with that tone coming out of the speaker. If only I had recorded it that way! Thanks again for the advice.