Boy Band

TripleM

Well-known member
I wouldn't mind your thoughts on this. IBB did the drums (well). I'm on the rest.

BoyBand1.mp3 - Google Drive

Lyrics for the curious:

Boy Band
You get a little nervous, but you sing along anyway
It doesn't really matter what anyone else has to say
You fiddle with the dials on your smart phone digital display
Then the song gets stuck in your head, and it won't go away
They're a waste of time
In someone elses mind
But to you they shine
You might as well be blind
To anyone who whines
That they're past their prime
At age 10 plus nine
Their hair's so awesomely fine

CHORUS
Because they're a boy band
You know you're a fan
You run and buy their record just as fast as you can
A cute front man
Is all you demand
You like all of your tunes spooned out of a can
They're blowing up yeah they're a boy band

They got a top end gear that has power to spare
And lots and lots and lots and lots and lots of product in their hair
You get a little self concious when you get swept up in the glare
So tape a smile to your face - keep up that vacuum stare
There's a condescension there in all of their faces
That you still ignore on a regular basis
Your dad said to listen to A Day at the Races
You pulled down a tune, but then you erased it

CHORUS

BRIDGE
Just like a siren
Yeah they come out firin'
You don't stop conspiring
'Cause you heard they're hiring
And you might just be a background dancer yet

You get a little nervous thinking 'bout what the cool kids say
But it all goes over... the minute that you hit play
Long as your phone has a battery life, nothing gets in the way
But you're stuck with sugar pop soul at the end of the day
You murder the lines
Yeah you did all the crimes
You do it every time
A mouth full of dimes
You paid up the fines
While you're sucking on limes
The party starts on time
And it all tends to rhyme

CHORUS
CHORUS
 
Real nice sounding mix. I like the overall character of the mix, the last few mixes i've heard from you have similar character. Real nice guitar sounds-not too polished-very real sounding. I like the plunking guitar melody-very cool. Vocals sit very well, your enunciation is and pitch is very good-i've noticed sometimes you squeeze many words into a line, the rhythm and timing here sound very good. Sounded like something was up with the very first line? Is it volume automated? The very first seconds of a vocal track can be the hardest i've found....Drums and bass sound really good too like a real band playing...It sounds pretty done to me, i think the mix matches the slightly punky aesthetic of the music while still sounding like a pop song. Nice work!
 
Nice mix! I like all the changes in the vocal harmonies and guitar lines you made since I tracked it. Drums sound good to me. Especially the toms, I'm thinking you did some nice EQ'ing there.

Bass and bass drum are linking up nice. If you make any changes to this mix I am thinking they should be pretty minor.
 
The vocal and guitars are a bit dry. In headphones everything sounds like it's fighting to be upfront. The hat could come down a db or two, too.
Good job, 3M.
 
Gonna be tough to bring the hats down. I suck at separating hat from snare in the overheads and snare track. There is only so much he can do with what I gave him.

After this recording I got some new hats that are not as loud. I am also working on just hitting the hats easier than the drums. I also moved my hats about 8 inches farther from the snare. I view that as a compromise - never wanted to compromise playing for recording but I really like recording so I did it.
 
Gonna be tough to bring the hats down. I suck at separating hat from snare in the overheads and snare track. There is only so much he can do with what I gave him.

After this recording I got some new hats that are not as loud. I am also working on just hitting the hats easier than the drums. I also moved my hats about 8 inches farther from the snare. I view that as a compromise - never wanted to compromise playing for recording but I really like recording so I did it.

Butting back in...I've been experimenting because of that same issue and something that is worth a try is the bent sm57 trick-where you unscrew the cap, rearrange the mic at a near '90 angle and tape it in place, i've been getting excellent separation using this. I found an article that explains:

The Bent Shure SM 57 Trick | Musformation
 
Nice performances, both of you. The drum mix sounds pretty good to me. I like the way the snare is sitting. It's very present but not overpowering, and the fills stand out as they should. Bass is at the right level. Good space around the lead vocal. Listening in the car, the guitars seemed a little lacking in girth, especially in the verses. Less of a problem listening now on my monitors.

One thing I think you could use would be more differentiation between sections. It's pretty much all at the same level of dynamics all the way through. Is there something you could add or take away from the earlier or later parts, to create a sense of development?

That's all I've got.
 
Sounds very dry to me. I'm not one for lots of reverb, but like some on the vocals and guitars. Very nicely balanced.
 
Stratomaster - thanks for the review. No automation on the vocal at all. But maybe there should be. Like the very first word of the song. That might be what you're hearing.

Nola - I like dry. I may boost the verb a bit, but it's not going to be by much. I played with the hats. IBB - what you're saying about the OH's is correct, but I could pull 6-7 more dbs out of the hats and make a difference. I think it's better without the hats in your face quite so much.

Robus - the drums were kind of meh sounding. Then I boosted the snare by, I swear, 1 db and they suddenly came alive. I'd never had that happen before. I thought the drum mix in this was really good.

mjb - another vote for verb... But I still hate it. :) Seriously thanks.

Thanks to everyone.
 
Ah I didn't remember if I recorded a hat track on that one. You can mix those really low if you want, it will still add some crispness even if it is 17 DBs below the overheads.
 
Really Like this tune , takes me back to early "Who" ; the vocal harmonies especially , has that "mod" groove to it , Raw , yet polished . Might think about accenting the first word on the seconded verses in some way , just to give it a bit more punch . I wouldn't add any more verb , just a taste thing , I like this dry , as is . Can't really add anything as far as the mix goes , sounds pretty tight . Thanks for sharing
 
I think this sounds great. Not sure if you lowered the hats already or not, but they sound fine to me.

Snare sounds killer, nice pop and not over the top. Toms sound good too. Guitars sound nice and warm in a good way, they sit in the track perfectly in my opinion. Bass sounds great too- yeah, I got nothin'.

It is a little dry, but not in a bad way, it fits. Any more 'verb and you might lose the vibe a little.

Listened twice and I still got nothin'. Awesome job, man.
 
The vocals on this are great. They have a real rocking edge. Others have commented on the dryness and it is super dry. Like you Trip, I'm no fan of reverb. But on this I would relent a little. I'd like to hear more room on the drums. The tune is well constructed and everything is so well performed, the mix just needs some space to breathe. Be interesting to hear some parallel compression on the drums, just a hint more delay on the vocals. Nice job
 
Cellar, Johnny, Bullsy, Irwin...

Thank you all for listening and commenting. I *may* wet a few things down. But by just a very little bit. Verb is not my thing. :)
 
I would compress the rhytmn guitar slightly to give it more power. I would also add just a bit of higher frequency on that snare, and a little reverb on the vocals as well.
 
Bouncy, peppy, poppy, yet subverting aspects of these attributes .
This sounds great as is to me and I think the match of energy/content is appealing.
On second listen I note the opposed, apparently panned hard left/right guitars going
back and forth with each remaining crisp and not stepping on each other. Nice.
 
I want to hear a third(?) guitar between the second and third verse lines. I feel the energy of the song could improve with some attention to those kind of spots, the so-called dull moments.

Nice collab guys. Great vocals 3M.
 
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