Hanksterman
Joined: Jun 26, 2019
Posts: 7
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Posted on Jan 15 2020 05:33 AM
Hello, everyone!
Surf music has been my passion for quite some time but it is only recently that I have started to make an attempt at playing, writing and recording tunes with a surf sound.
My skills are pretty basic and I have no formal training, but I find the process of writing incredibly absorbing and satisfying.
I am currently in a bit of a vacuum with regards to people who listen to and understand surf music and where I leave it's quite hard to find someone, who would be willing to take a look at what I've done so far and offer an honest educated opinion, let alone some constructive criticism.
With this in mind, I have decided to try and post a couple of tunes here, at the surfiest forums known to man (the surfiest known to me at the very least).
The recordings are very basic - pre-recorded drums with a strat recorded direct through a digital processor, but are good indication of the direction that I try to develop in.
https://soundcloud.com/hankster75/vanishing-point-1
https://soundcloud.com/hankster75/breakwater
Would be very grateful for any critique / feedback and thank you very much in advance for your time!
Best,
Gennady
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stratdancer
Joined: Dec 11, 2013
Posts: 2532
Akron, Ohio
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Posted on Jan 15 2020 06:07 AM
Sounds great. You are definitely heading in the right direction. The only critic I would offer is that when digitally programmed drums are used, my personal opinion is that they get set back in the mix. Since the beat is so perfect and the dynamics are non-existent, they can immediately be identified and take away from the performance of the guitars and the song development.
— The Kahuna Kings
https://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Kahuna-Kings/459752090818447
https://thekahunakings.bandcamp.com/releases
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Hanksterman
Joined: Jun 26, 2019
Posts: 7
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Posted on Jan 15 2020 06:22 AM
stratdancer wrote:
... The only critic I would offer is that when digitally programmed drums are used, my personal opinion is that they get set back in the mix ...
Thank you very much for listening and for the very valuable point re. drums - it is incredibly hard to make a song "breathe" with digital ones. I will definitely try to play around with the mix as you suggest...
Best,
Gennady
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Samurai
Joined: Mar 14, 2006
Posts: 2145
Kiev, Ukraine
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Posted on Jan 15 2020 06:43 AM
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el_pablo
Joined: Apr 16, 2012
Posts: 91
Biot
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Posted on Jan 15 2020 07:30 AM
I liked them. Keep on writing tunes.
— Paul
The Dead Planet Surfers
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Joelman
Joined: Sep 07, 2006
Posts: 1472
Redlands, CA
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Posted on Jan 15 2020 01:45 PM
Vanishing point starts off real surfy, but evolves into a blues style for a bit.
Breakwater sounds as surfy as any I have heard. Nice going!
I don't have a band and I am forced to use canned drums too. No big deal to me. At this point in life I'm just a bedroom player anyway.
If you plan to get a band together, Flesh out your songs. Then look for players that are fine playing your music. Don't tell it surf 'till someone wants a name put to your style.
Most players shy away from the surf term, but are fine playing just instrumentals. Unless they want to be a singer. Then they need to find a new band.
Keep going you are onto it.
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Surfing_Sam_61
Joined: Jan 15, 2019
Posts: 1515
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Posted on Jan 15 2020 06:58 PM
Sounds alright Hanksterman.
Hard to define Surf in a nut shell, but I will say the most new instrumental Surf I have heard so far is more of a European Shadows style of playing scales than what was found in California in the early 60's.
The old Big Band vamps are gone now as well, Tape delay is missing now and replaced by digital pedals etc, along with Country and Western style progressions found on early Surf on the leads etc. used by Duane Eddy along with The Fireballs who were both a major influence on early Surf Bands.
But that was way back then, this is now, Surf today has all kinds of new influences just like in the olden times when any new genre comes about, its usually a mix of many different form.. It can be whatever you want it to be now just like back then.
Yeah like Joelman is saying, canned drums coming out of a drum machine lacks feel, but my Alesis AR-16 has functions to give it a human touch where you can swing the notes before and after the beat with 1/325, 2/325, 3/325 combination of variations note wise at times through a selected drum pattern, just like a real drummer does, very tedious to do too. It makes these off notes just like a real drummer being its impossible for a human to play like a drum machine. Also you can vary the volume of each drum note that adds in feel, along with planned accents and grace notes etc.. Snare rolls can sound machine gun like with out accents and swing note, and different drum note volumes put in etc. That's what the human touch is (basically planned mistakes) as far as drum machines go 
I forgot to add its better to take a drum preset pattern or one you made up and copy to two different user banks. Then modify both with different swing notes each and accented notes etc...then copy those to a song bank in different combinations. That will give you a realistic sounding backing track on the drums. It will sound more like a real drummer and drum kit. Drum machines have perfect time and volumes. So you have to put in accents, swing notes, grace notes, different drum volumes (even in fills) and all that jazz to sound like a live band drummer.
Another time saving technique is to do all that for one complete turn around, then copy that to another song bank as many times needed for that song measure wise. You can create Verse and Chorus song banks as well first to copy to a final song bank to save time building a song drum track faster etc.
.
Last edited: Jan 15, 2020 19:56:54
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drumsdick
Joined: May 29, 2007
Posts: 224
Central CT, USA
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Posted on Jan 15 2020 08:51 PM
These sound great, H’man!
I love your drum fills.
I encourage you to experiment with a simpler “4-on-the-floor” straight quarter note kick drum beat, and use ride cymbal eighth notes in place of your high-hat. You may find that to be less choppy and will provide a more steady, driving feel.
My two cents for your evolution of your sound.
Nice job!
— *Dick B.
The Aquatudes
http://www.aquatudes.com
http://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Aquatudes/107419619521
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Hanksterman
Joined: Jun 26, 2019
Posts: 7
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Posted on Jan 16 2020 09:04 AM
Thank you very much for advice!
Indeed, finding people to play with is a logical next step.
Best,
Gennady
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Hanksterman
Joined: Jun 26, 2019
Posts: 7
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Posted on Jan 16 2020 09:06 AM
drumsdick wrote:
These sound great, H’man!
I love your drum fills.
I encourage you to experiment with a simpler “4-on-the-floor” straight quarter note kick drum beat, and use ride cymbal eighth notes in place of your high-hat. You may find that to be less choppy and will provide a more steady, driving feel.
My two cents for your evolution of your sound.
Nice job!
Thank you very much! Will definitely experiment with the various ways to get that driving feel. So far, looking at the various advice and tips, it looks like the drums are a major area for improvement for now.
Best,
Gennady
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Hanksterman
Joined: Jun 26, 2019
Posts: 7
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Posted on Jan 16 2020 09:08 AM
Surfing_Sam_61 wrote:
Sounds alright Hanksterman.
Thank you very much for the very detailed advice!
Time to do more work on the songs with the newly acquired knowledge 
Best,
Gennady
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Hanksterman
Joined: Jun 26, 2019
Posts: 7
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Posted on Jan 16 2020 09:09 AM
Samurai wrote:
pretty good!
Thank you! Liked your stuff a lot as well!
rgds,
Gennady
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Hanksterman
Joined: Jun 26, 2019
Posts: 7
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Posted on Jan 16 2020 09:10 AM
el_pablo wrote:
I liked them. Keep on writing tunes.
Thank you!!
Best,
Gennady
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SixStringSurfer
Joined: Sep 23, 2014
Posts: 1353
Memphis, TN
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Posted on Jan 16 2020 09:31 AM
I like your songs! I am in the same boat with virtual drums, it's a nightmarish, tedious process to get it sounding halfway decent. Nothing compares to a real drummer.
One more little piece of advice... When I record a song, I prefer to place a mic in front of my vintage Fender amp, and record a live guitar for the mix. That is just me personally. Having said that, I think you did a great job. Keep up the good work!
— MooreLoud.com - A tribute to Dick Dale. New videos uploaded
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The_Cholla
Joined: Jan 21, 2015
Posts: 191
Newport Beach, CA
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Posted on Jan 16 2020 07:43 PM
For better drums programming I highly recommend Superior Drummer, it's pricey but totally awesome. What makes programmed drums sounds fake is the lack of variations in velocity, in SD that can easily be edited and make drums sound much more real.
— Yannick
Lead Guitar in Blackball Bandits : https://blackballbandits.bandcamp.com/
Solo project : https://thechollasurf.bandcamp.com/releases
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