Faint Aroma Pygmy Beat Extended meets Supercreep

rayc

rayc

retroreprobate


Written by rayc & supercreep
The 1st link is to a recent & early mix of a track I've been doodling with since January. This mix has nothing on the master buss - no EQ, reverb or limiting so you're able to get a good naked idea of the raw mix.
The 2nd link is the same mix with a little reverb, compression ^ a limiter on the master buss.
Supercreep put his hand up to do the vocals - he dug even deeper: tweaking the lyric and vastly improving the melody. Thanks Casey.
This isn't complete as the drums are still canned but I'd like to know how you folk think the vocals are sitting.
Lyrics:
Got my knapsack packed
No oversight
It’s not for staying
Overnight
Scar crossed lovers
A bloodletting rite

Chorus
Steady recall
Every word
Each a bullet
Hit when heard
Take exception
She’s taking notes

The even footsteps
Every steady breath
The faint aroma
Of crystal meth
The tattooed patterns
Every line a death
Chorus
Scar crossed lovers
In bedrooms dark
Each search reaction
Each leaves a mark
He’s keeping tally
When it’s all she wrote
written by ray & casey

A little, interim, tweak given that Casey is interested in re doing the vox and that real drums are likely to eventuate.
I've use some EQ on the stereo drums to get a little more snare and pulled the guitars down a little bit to allow the vocal some more space.
 
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Good stuff. Vocal up a dB?

I prefer the second mix. I don't think it's just because it's louder, because I turned it down and still like it better. It sounds more alive.
 
Good mix, good performances. I didn't think the drums sounded canned, will be interesting to hear when new drums are added for comparison.
 
Other than the kick, the drums are a little buried in the mix, but if you're going to replace them not worth doing anything to them. Lead vocal sounds a little muffled, maybe try adding a little 'air' to it's EQ?
 
Super! Mix 2 is my preference, just sounds better to me. Love the (almost) finished product. The components are all well done Ray and SC.
 
I really like the melody and arrangement, and the vocal performance.
I kept wanting it to be more driving, aggressive, or something. Like more emphasis on beats 1 and 3—guitars and drums. Maybe making the drums louder would satisfy this.
 
I agree with much of what I've seen so far. Good song, good singing. I'm not listening on good speakers, but the kick sounds heavy and the snare is too quiet... a louder one could add some punch. I'd like to hear it once you do it with real drums. Second link sounds better to me... ditto dobro's "alive" comment.
 
Dobro,
Thanks for listening. Maybe 1/2dB? The 2nd does jump ubout a bit more - amazing what simple masterbuss tweaks can do.
DM60,
The drums are from BandInABox. I couldn't export them & had to play the track in that prog & record them directly into Reaper via my Focusrite Scarlett. Thanks for the listen. I THINK real drums will power the track rather more aggressively.
mjbphotos,
I'll hold on the vocals until I get corroboration re "muffled" as I don't hear it myself. I know I have cloth ears so will look for similar comments.
ido1957,
Thanks Gerry. This is a very, very rare occasion where I've played any sort of lead line as well. I'm glad you like it. Casey's vocals really lift the thing.
Jessica X,
Thank you kindly! The aggression is probably averaged out as the guitars are all down strokes & I'm not flash at that, adding extra to emphasize a beat is probably something I'll have to learn with that pick method. Hopefully real drums will supply some of the aggression needed.
NotThatBright,
I was unable to tweak the drums on an individual basis so had to opt for gross treatments. Thanks for your generosity though.
 
vocals are great !! love the voice :D


as for sitting,a bit quiet maybe ... should be further forward imo (or guitars down a tad) ..




getting there the finished track will kick arse :D
 
I remember this one from last time without vocals or with perhaps your guide vocals ray? Or am I dreaming. It seems familiar...

Liking the vocals - would tweak (ie. raise) the volume here and there a dB or two - and it's a bit "separate" from the rest, if that's the word I'm looking for... though it's a great performance from SC, so I'm sure it'll sit in well in the final version.

While you're awaiting to replace the drums considering upping the snare a little and taking a smidge off the kick.

Guitar tones are good as always, but you probably haven't changed anything there. I liked them last time. Still do.

Nice!
 
CakewakKaked,
Ta muchly. The man from Little Purple Circles certainly has good pipes. I recommend all three of their albums as must haves. A bit quiet? Possibly. I'll be tweaking more obviously so will keep that in mind.
Mr Smith,
Cheers David. Yep, it was with my guide vocal - sad but a guide anyway. I've not done much other than a tiny bit of compression and initial volume automation so will be looking for ways to settle it in. I'll try to tweak the drums a little - it's a stereo file so a little problematic to fiddle specific parts.
 
Pretty cool to hear this with vocals Ray...I like the 2nd mix a lot better of course, but the 1st one ain't bad...

I'd bring up the overall level of the drums myself....oops....just re-read you're gonna re-record...never mind...

Guitar tones sound good, & the vocals are great, they really, really take the song to another level...
 
I think it sounds pretty good but I can definitely do better. Ray, when I get back from vacation I will take another stab.

Acoustic drums will kick it up a notch.

Ray, you are a great lyricist and I really like your work. I made some changes just to make it easier for me to set up a good melody with interesting syllable breaks. I am not sure it is a dramatic improvement over the original. Good stuff Ray, and I am ALWAYS happy to collaborate with you.
 
Listening to mix #2...

I think there could be a little less hihat overall. The drums actually sound very good overall. The whole Soundcloud hi-frequency thing is annoying, but its not a fault of the mix. It just makes it hard to judge the hi-freq area.

I know you've been round and round with these guitar tones. They still seem a little out of whack, maybe some phase cancellation in a multi-mic setup or something like that. The tone is good though, you might want to pare it down to a single close mic and see how it lands in the mix as a try-me.

The vocals jump out a bit in the louder phrases. As an experiment you might try slapping a more aggressive compressor on them and see if it tames that a bit, or maybe automate the volume for the louder parts. People love suggesting automation over compression but I find it to be a giant pain in the ass. I'd rather be a wuss and compress it :)

It's good to finally hear this with vocals over it. This one has been brewing for a long time!
 
minerman,
Thank you sai. Yep, the vocals certainly take this up several levels. I was impressed. Drums - well we'll seee how real ones fit.
Supercreep,
If you want to have another go I'm not going to say no! I'm pretty stoked with what you've already done but I'm happy to wait for more!!! I really like the changes to the lyrics - I usually write to strict meter and rhyme but that doesn't always fit a singer's mouth well. Not being able to sing or make melodies means I don't get a real grasp of that aspect. You did a terrific job melding the lyrics with a melody AND a mouth. I look forward to the drums coming along eventually but am in no hurry so you take your time with the vocals.
Tadpui,
Thanks for taking the time to comment at length. I'll do more work on the vocals - but probably more automation than comp. I don't mind the time it takes. Casey plans to redo the vocal but I can hone my skills on the excellent tracks he's already done in the meantime.
I'll look into the phase issues re the guitars & keep an eye out for any similar comments as well.
CakewalkKaked,
The link Supercreep referred to will garner you a free download of the 1st album if I recall correctly as well as samples from the follow ups. I bought a couple or more copies of the 2nd & third as I gave copies to friends with good taste. I only have one copy of the original = I think it went out of print before I realised I needed a 2nd copy to hawk around. Oh, make sure to click the lyric links - they're really, & I mean really, good.
 
Wow, this sounds pretty different from its last incarnation ray. I didn't initially recognise it.

Supercreep's vocals sound cool, and nice to hear it's evolution.

I kind of wanted that lead guitar type line to keep going through the song, or at least something to dual with the main guitar chug. Maybe if the chug was panned to one side and another line was panned to the other - maybe even the same notes, but an octave higher? Like that kind of Television type panned two guitar attack. I don't know if it would work or anything, but just an idea that struck me while listening. Hope it helps mate, I enjoyed the listen :)
 

A little, interim, tweak given that Casey is interested in re doing the vox and that real drums are likely to eventuate.
I've use some EQ on the stereo drums to get a little more snare and pulled the guitars down a little bit to allow the vocal some more space.
Rob,
Hello & thanks for the ideas. I had been thinking of possibly filling in a few spots with a variation on the intro lead. I'll give it a try when I've dried out & restored my recording space.
 
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