The Empires - Six Track EP

[Mr Anthony]

Hi there!

So I play bass for a band called The Empires, yes the guitarist and drummer love Star Wars. The current members, Lee - guitar/vocals, Jack - drums/vocals, and me, Anthony - bass/vocals, have been togehter for over a year now. We've got a handful of gigs under our belts and it's been high time that we actual made some recordings. Since I have near unlimited access to a recording studio here at Lincoln university, I jumped on the chance to record this EP with a friend of mine. I've just finished all of the mixing this evening, and whilst it's a little rough, I think it's turned out pretty good. Mixing isn't really my forte, more the writing and playing.

Anyway, if you're interested, you can have a free copy, just follow this link to Google Drive, and download it - [url="https://docs.google.com/file/d/0By2rXdl2xorRbXNfWVRFTzFQMGs"]https://docs.google....bXNfWVRFTzFQMGs[/url]

Who doesn't like free music?

If you don't want to download it, not a problem, head to our soundcloud page and listen there.

We like bands such as Alkaline Trio, Brand New, The Gaslight Anthem, Bruce Springsteen, Coheed & Cambria, and many more, so there's no real genre which we stick to so I'm placing us in the Alt. Rock genre.

Thanks guys!

Enjoy!

We’re on Twitter - [url="https://twitter.com/TheEmpires_Band"]https://twitter.com/TheEmpires_Band[/url]

We’re on Facebook - [url="https://www.facebook.com/theempiresband1"]https://www.facebook...theempiresband1[/url]

We’re on SoundCloud - [url="https://www.facebook.com/l.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fsoundcloud.com%2Ftheempires_band&h=eAQEaIKmG&s=1"]https://soundcloud.com/theempires_band[/url]

We’re on YouTube - [url="http://www.youtube.com/channel/UC1QLdmrAdmGJIYhi3D6_acA"]http://www.youtube.c...dmGJIYhi3D6_acA[/url]

Edited March 8, 2014 by Mr Anthony

[mcarp555]

I listened to "Help Help" and "The Quiet Things..." from Soundcloud - I don't think the material is bad, but I'd certainly think about doing a remix. The guitar is not punching through like it should, and the vocals are too far back in the mix (this may be too much 'verb and incorrect EQ settings). The drums come through best, with bass there as well (although I think it could also use better EQ).

Certainly one of the dilemmas with bands in the studio is, do you add more to make the recording better, or keep it basic to present a more accurate picture of the band live? If the latter, then certainly bringing up the guitar & fixing the vocals is crucial. If you want to make the best possible recording, then I'd strongly suggest adding a rhythm guitar track to the proceedings. The overall feeling I'm getting from the tracks is almost ethereal, which is probably not the sound a working live band needs to project.

But don't get me wrong - the vocals are good, the playing seems fine, but there's no excitement, no "Wow!". It makes the tracks a bit lifeless. I think all of this can be fixed, however, with a little more woodshedding in the studio.

[Mr Anthony]

Cheers.

I know precisely what you mean. Mixing has never been my strongpoint, and this is really the first time I've ever had to have a go at anything of the scale.

I listen to my mix of these, and then some other recordings both of bands I like and others at the same level as ours, and I can definitely notice that the mix is lacking that 'wow' you're talking about. It doesn't sound right. It's muffled, and certainly needs more work.

I should be able to really sink into it in the coming months or so, because it definitely warrants a second look.

Thanks for the feedback, appreciated!

- Anthony.

[Mr Anthony]

In case anyone is interested, a full remix has been done. As ever, it's not perfect. But it is much better than before. Goodbye extensive reverb! Completely free, just like before. We've also got a couple of gigs coming up in July if you're interested.

Download here - [url="http://l.facebook.com/l.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fbit.ly%2FTheEmpiresEP&h=SAQFl5DkH&enc=AZP_JJ7t0ejddpWvdnyy_a2bAbdznZD8rUB_jofLnea1et97jP9aYviYk9Pfif1-JDi4rwuTh71wR-yEtH01Nro7-fhh1cz3NbVybHNcbl-1AkuNwUf0BglXVlDY2MbvCTJqpUHhGUJy_lx7ArUSqlXF&s=1"]http://bit.ly/TheEmpiresEP[/url]

Cheers,

- Anthony.