Cant Let You Go

I don't know the original but your version sounds great. Hot rhythm section and all round playing. No issues with the mix on headphones
 
Great sounding mix. very clean!
I did find it a bit heavy on the bass side, and the guitars are a bit *too* thin and in the background, I thought. I messed with mid side processing just to see what would happen. I ended up with a crazy looking boost at around 200hz in the sides. haha

Here are the curves I was experimenting with ...

Mid
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Side
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Song
View attachment can't let you go adj1.mp3
 
I thought that chimey keyboard sounded very nice. Fit the song well.

Vocal is very clear and the singer has a nice voice.

The vocal is well on top of the instruments.

I agree that the mix is bass heavy.

The guitar sounds very distant. Its volume is low and it has a bit of high end rolled off.

Drums sound decent. But like the guitar the kit seems distant. The snare is very dry.
 
Yeah man! Very clean mix, nice groove. Good to see some real R&B on the clinic. Once in a while someone will post music like this, but usually the instruments are electronic.

Great bass sound. Good vocal for the genre, but it could use some support. It sounds like you have some kind of harmony vox going on, but they are low and indistinct. You could use some backing vocals that are strong and present, preferably female.

I'll echo what everybody else has said about the guitars. I'm a fan of understated guitars, but there is a sweet spot. It sounds to me like you were having trouble getting that lead guitar to blend, so you mixed it down. I can understand why. That spikey strat tone (good tone reminiscent of Steely Dan, but dominant), might be the source of your blending troubles. That guitar is going to call attention to itself, leaving you no choice but to turn it way down.

I'd suggest two things. First, if you are interested in doing more tracking, a smooth, understated rhythm guitar that can sit in your mix at a consistent level would be a good addition. Second, try automating that Steely Dan guitar. Find those nice fills that work with your vocals, and bring them up a bit. The rest can be mixed down or out.

The solo must come up.
 
I listened to both mixes. You're getting there on the second mix for sure. everything sounds good except the guitar that is doing the fills and lead. It is too shrill and thin for this tune in my opinion. A somewhat distorted guitar like this will work on a R&B tune like this: (Ernie Isley "who's that lady" for example) but it's a smoothed out distorted guitar sound. All these piercing highs are walking over the vocal and rythem section. It's not meshing with the song. You could try to eq and compress it. If it was me I would retract the guitar. I would listen to the Isley Brothers "who's that lady" several times and try to get a guitar sound coming out of the amp (or going into the recorder if recording direct) as close to that as possible.
I have learned, after spending untold hours trying to "fix" guitar sounds that weren't working, that just going back and getting it sounding right coming out of the amp....and retracking...yields the best result and is the quickest.
This is a fantastic vocal and arrangement...i think it will be excellent with the guitar sounding right
Great song man!
 
I agree with Jimistone.. guitar is too harsh for this piece. Except for that.. no complaints.
 
I listened to both mixes. You're getting there on the second mix for sure. everything sounds good except the guitar that is doing the fills and lead. It is too shrill and thin for this tune in my opinion. A somewhat distorted guitar like this will work on a R&B tune like this: (Ernie Isley "who's that lady" for example) but it's a smoothed out distorted guitar sound. All these piercing highs are walking over the vocal and rythem section. It's not meshing with the song. You could try to eq and compress it. If it was me I would retract the guitar. I would listen to the Isley Brothers "who's that lady" several times and try to get a guitar sound coming out of the amp (or going into the recorder if recording direct) as close to that as possible.
I have learned, after spending untold hours trying to "fix" guitar sounds that weren't working, that just going back and getting it sounding right coming out of the amp....and retracking...yields the best result and is the quickest.
This is a fantastic vocal and arrangement...i think it will be excellent with the guitar sounding right
Great song man!
jimmistone- spent some time listening to the iconic Isley Brothers tune "Whos That Lady" (thanks for mentioning it, hadn't heard it in along time) And then spent some time on the lead guitar sound. Didn't try to re create it ,but did try for a smooth distortion with a bluesy feel. Also did some more automation and edited out some parts that just didn't seem to work at all. Hopefully I didn't bugger it up completely , sounds better to me . All Input welcome as always
View attachment Cant Let You Go 2.mp3
 
jimmistone- spent some time listening to the iconic Isley Brothers tune "Whos That Lady" (thanks for mentioning it, hadn't heard it in along time) And then spent some time on the lead guitar sound. Didn't try to re create it ,but did try for a smooth distortion with a bluesy feel. Also did some more automation and edited out some parts that just didn't seem to work at all. Hopefully I didn't bugger it up completely , sounds better to me . All Input welcome as always
View attachment 99972

Yeah, it sounds much better now. Nice work
 
I think the vocal would sit better if it were lowered a couple db. It's stomping on the music, right now. Although, it sits a little better in the chorus.
 
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