Check out my music!

[MyspAIDS]

Hey, I've been playing guitar for about 3 and a half years, and recording for a little over half of that time. I'm always looking for opinions on my work, so its be great if y'all could check out my music myspace and give me some feedback.

http://www.myspace.com/zackeyler

The one i'd like feedback on the most is Primal Insticts, but feel free to comment of anything you listen to. Thanks a bunch!

(P.S. before you listen to Into The Ocean, keep in mind that it was recorded one time through with 1 guitar and no overdubs.)

[Sirnogbert]

This is pretty good work man. Listened to the two tracks you mentioned so far, and the only thing I didn't really like was the breakdown with synths in Primal Instincts. Only other thing I can say is keep up the good work, and make sure you get yourself heard.

[MyspAIDS]

Thanks a lot man. Yeah, the opinions on that part are usually love it or hate it.

The crazy thing is, that wasn't a synth: it was my guitar run through a grain delay set to increase in octaves. Sure as hell doesnt sound like it though, haha

[Couch]

I'm a tad short on time at the moment, so I only had long enough to listen to Primal Instincts, and I have to agree with Sirnogbert. The breakdown between 2:20-3:05 just doesn't feel like it fits too well with the rest of the song. That being said, the rest of the song is brilliant, and you're way beyond your years on the guitar in terms of talent. Question: What did you use to record/edit your songs and what program to use to create the drum tracks?

[MyspAIDS]

I bought the Line 6 Toneport and i use that to record all of my guitar. As for the drums, i used loops because i'm poor, haha. Although i really need to get around to getting a drum sequencer, because i'm tired of being limited to 4/4.

The drum track of "Reflections of the soul" was made by me, however. i used the demo version of ableton live (Which comes with the toneport hardware, along with the Gearbox software) to place sample hits into a beat.

[Couch]

Which model?

I've got a Digitech RP150, and though I admittedly haven't really pushed it too hard or explored its full potentials, it doesn't seem to be quite up to the recording capabilities that I'd like. I'm looking to upgrade it sometime soon.

By the way, I'll get you some feedback on the rest of your songs sometime tomorrow afternoon. Today's been a busy day.

[MyspAIDS]

UX-1. And thanks man, looking forward to it.

[Couch]

Alright, I've returned with critiques as promised. Just bear in mind that I'm no music expert or critic and don't claim to be. These are just my personal opinions.

The Revival: Simple structure to the song as a whole, but I like the way it works. I know you're a guitarist and not a real drummer, so I won't go into too much with the drum track, but I do think it kind of speeds up too quickly in the intro. The rhythm guitar track could have used a bit more variation, but all in all works well for its intended use. 4/5

Reflections of the Soul: First off, I'd like to say that the little harmonic thing at 5:03 is almost orgasmic. Very nicely done. Secondly, I really appreciate this song because it hands down has the most emotion to it. Now, the guitar part that begins at 0:25 would, in my opinion, sound much better as an acoustic guitar or at least using an acoustic emulator. I couldn't hear any bass guitar in that song, which would have greatly improved this song. Admittedly, the lead guitar parts tend to stray away from the emotional aspect of the song in favor for more of an almost showboating nature, but they found their way back eventually. I also think you should have used a different distortion for the lead guitar. If a few things were tweaked in this song, I could say with total certainty that this would be my favorite out of all your songs. 4.5/5

Into the Ocean: This song has a very ambient feel to it. That's good and bad. Good because ambiance is great for evoking some sort of emotion out of your audience, and bad because no part of it will really stick in the listener's head. In other words, it's not quite as catchy as your other songs. Again, I didn't hear any bass which would have helped, and my suggestion would be to throw a few volume swells in there where you see fit. Maybe some sweep echo on the second guitar part that comes in around 0:06. Overall, it's great for the ambient atmosphere. 3.75/5

Primal Instincts: I've already given you the gist of what I think of this song, but I'd like to add that some of the soloing turns a little bland and just becomes noise. I mean, at one point I started thinking, "Holy shit, did I leave Dynasty Warriors 4 on in the other room?" :fmita: Some of it's really good and sticks out, but some of it could have been cut out of the track without damaging the song as a whole. Also, I'd experiment with different distortions and settings for the more metal tracks; the same distortion in every song will get really tiresome once you've written more songs. 3.75/5

There ya go. Hope I don't sound like a douche.

[MyspAIDS]

Not at all, i appreciate it very much. I'm in no way the best guitarist, so hearing feedback on each song helps out a lot. I would have done more with into the ocean, but it was written as a solo guitar piece, without any bass or second guitars. So at 0:06, thats not a second guitar, thats the same guitar that you hear in the intro. Its a two-hands-on-the-neck approach.

As for the playing on Reflections, I recorded it when i was younger and not very, uh, varied in my tastes, haha. I was very shred-obsessed and that was the only good piece of work i put out in that time. I'm more riff-oriented and more about writing things out rather than soloing, which is what reflections and revival were more about. Unfortunately, i dont think i'll be recording any more work until I get my arps down and improve my improvisational skills. But when i do, i'll probably attatch myself to the computer and record nonstop, hahaha.

But again, thanks a bunch for the input, it's much appreciated and I agree with just about everything you said, so no worries about douchebaggery.