Walk, Don't Run (Or Else You Might Poke Your Eye Out)

OK, folks, here is my first feeble attempt at recording. It is my destruction of the Ventures' classic "Walk, Don't Run." This is a relatively clean take (relative to my other, far crappier, takes). I don't have a whammy bar, so I couldn't add those effects. I also normally slide the last chord down a half-step and back again, but I didn't this time. The only post-processing I did on this was adding compression to my part.

I played this on my Squier '51 with the bridge humbucker into my Vox AD30VT using the Boutique CL preset. I took the line out to the line in on my Creative Audigy. The recording was done in Audacity running in Slackware Linux 11.0. I found the backing track online somewhere. I altered the pitch of the backing track to Eb, since that's what my '51 is tuned to.

If you are brave, check it out at the Box.net. My apologies to the Ventures. I'd be happy to hear constructive criticism. And, no, I have no intention on giving up guitar

Marnold,
I like your take on this very much! I haven't heard that tune in ages.
I like the setting you used, and the recording job was clean, something I don't always get when I record.
I would recommend turning up the backing track just a little, and checking your guitar's tuning, to my ears it sounded like maybe a chord in there sounded a little out. Your picking was nice and clean, another thing I liked. I play kinda sloppy sometimes when I record, don't know why. I may do a take 5 times in a row clean, but when I push that record button I choke.
All in all, a very fine first. I wouldn't call it feeble at all. I did far worse (still do some days).
I'd like to hear this after you get more comfortable with recording and get a whammy bar!R
Glenn

Great job Marnold. I'm sitting here doing the Shag. It's hip baby.

It may very well be slightly out of tune. More likely, you are hearing the fact that one of the slots on the nut is cut too high. Most of the time, you don't notice it. On a couple of the chords, it's a bit jarring. (Edit: I just checked the tuning. The culprit is the high slots on the A and particularly the D strings).

Regarding the volume of the backing track, it sounds a lot better balanced in Audacity than it did when I had it spit out the MP3. All a part of the learning curve.

Good job, Marnold, especially for first time out! Had me "hangin' ten" off the edge of my computer chair here! R

You might want to try that tune with the Tremolo reverb effect on your Vox and get even deeper in that surf groove.

Pretty darn nice for a first recording great job here. Love that clean tone maybe just a little more compression if your able with your gear, it will cut down the overtones, but otherwise thats sounding good

Re: clean tone
That's one of the main reasons I wanted a '51. My Fender's pickup is pretty hot, so with the same settings on the Vox, the amp will overdrive slightly. It's not altogether unpleasant, but it's just not what I wanted.

Re: tremolo
I have messed with that effect a bit. It's all reverb on the original recording, so that's what I went with. I really like the Vox's digital reverb. Actually the one on my little Blazer is pretty cool too. That one's actually a spring unit!

As an aside, my '51 is now on a wall hanger in my office. It's not only an instrument anymore, it's an objet d'art!

Marnold: Don't be so hard on yourself. I really enjoyed it. I have been loving all the surfy (smurfy?) tones coming out of the list lately, yours included.

Really enjoyed it Marnold... thanks for sharing and let's hear some more from you now that the ice is broken.. and not the guitar...

applause: applause: applause:

Marnold, sounds fine! Surfs Up!

Clean and tight. Nice job!

Cowabunga Mar-dood! That's seems like a whole lotta fun to play.

I love to play that song, and your version does the song justice. Great job playing and recording.

aeolian

Marnold ! that was fantastic ! Nice timing and handiwork.
It's going to be buzzing through my head all day now.

This was great! Love the playing...very articulate. Nice recorded tone as well.