Last song from our live album - The Clash's "Complete Control" - pro mastered.
- Thread starter Bubba po
- Start date
robgreen
no face
I only know/own London Calling, so I'm getting a Clash education from you in here of late Bubba. This one's pro mastered already right, so I'm guessing that there's little else you can do with it at this point? No problem as it's sounding good! Nice performances and the mix is all nice and balanced. A couple of distorted peaks here and there that I'm guessing are printed on the tracks like on your last live tune, but they're not much of a distraction. I enjoyed the listen.
All those 35 thread views and 2 plays were me by the way, so you've got a 100% view to response rate on this tune! Well done!
All those 35 thread views and 2 plays were me by the way, so you've got a 100% view to response rate on this tune! Well done!
kindafishy
Member
This is one of my favourite Clash tunes, and I think you REALLY did it justice. It has a live sound (obviously), and it works really well for the production. I feel like I saw you guys perform this and then bought the (well done) off-the-board recording of the show.
Really nice job, really cool song. Yeah, some clipping, but it adds to the live cut sound of the production.
Good stuff.
Really nice job, really cool song. Yeah, some clipping, but it adds to the live cut sound of the production.
Good stuff.
Schwarzenyaeger
Formerly "Dog-In-Door"
Pretty good recording.
It's distorting quite a lot throughout on my speakers.
It's distorting quite a lot throughout on my speakers.
I thought it sounded pretty good.
I thought the vocal was a little too far out in front. And I thought the bass could come up a little bit in spots - but in some spots I thought it was sitting at a good level.
I think I'm hearing some over-driven mics on the backing vox. I wonder if that's what schwarz was talking about?
But that's it. Mostly minor stuff. Guitars sounded really good to me.
I thought the vocal was a little too far out in front. And I thought the bass could come up a little bit in spots - but in some spots I thought it was sitting at a good level.
I think I'm hearing some over-driven mics on the backing vox. I wonder if that's what schwarz was talking about?
But that's it. Mostly minor stuff. Guitars sounded really good to me.
Bubba po
Tiny Stonehenge Moment
Thanks, Triple M (And everybody else who has commented)
I added a slight chorus to the backing vox to give a little more of a "gang vocal" effect. I think what Schwarz is referring to is the occasional clipping on the lead vocal, which Rob Green mentioned and is actually on the track. I experimented with clipping out bits of the wav, but to no avail. I don't really know where the recordist took his record sends from on this, but he obviously doesn't have his levels right. I think the clipping is actually on the preamp of the live desk channel. Because the levels and sounds of all the recorded songs change throughout the gig, I suspect he took the recording from the post-fade sends. What he did on the desk affected the recording. It's a real shame because I think the rest of the recording came out very, very well for live.
Schwarzenyaeger
Formerly "Dog-In-Door"
Listened to it again.
I can really hear now what Slash meant when he said that he was influenced by bands like The Clash.
I recognized three of the licks in the solo from GnR songs.
I can really hear now what Slash meant when he said that he was influenced by bands like The Clash.
I recognized three of the licks in the solo from GnR songs.
Bubba po
Tiny Stonehenge Moment
Yep, that's a legitimate criticism. Definitely a fair point. But to be fair to the genre, the principle elements of the mix in most UK 70s punk recordings were always guitars and vocals fighting each other. Both had the aggression and traded off against each other, quite often losing the lyrics in the case of the Clash (but Strummer liked it that way). Drums and bass quite often just supplied the beat, which is not to demean their role in any way. You absolutely know I give my heart to this music, Greg, and I mix it how I like to hear it. That said, I did experiment with having the drums a little louder, but the bleed from the live mics made it so difficult to get a clean enough mix I kind of gave up. I may not have got the balance absolutely spot on, I admit that. Drums have become a hundred times more of an "out front" instrument in a mix, these days. I wonder if our ears have come to expect that.
Bubba po
Tiny Stonehenge Moment
Now that's interesting. In terms of skill and fluency in playing, I wouldn't put Mick Jones in the same league as Slash, and it's true to say that most "lead playing" trades a lot of hackneyed riffs between the genres. That said, the sub-Chuck Berry lick of barring string 1 & 2 whilst punctuating off-beat with a third string bend two frets up is so ubiquitous in 70s punk it's pretty much a defining guitar "motif".
Well with live tracks you do what you gotta do. I understand. I also agree about the UK punk drums. They were often an afterthought and drums are more prominent in American recordings. The Clash's drums got good though once Topper joined! He was a great drummer and he was well represented on everything after that first album.
Lol. True. That lick is everywhere.
Schwarzenyaeger
Formerly "Dog-In-Door"
Of course. GnR use it Nightrain but it isn't Slash playing it, it's Izzy. I've used it too. It's just so good.
Slash uses the next lick after that one (1:04-1:06 in your recording) in Nightrain @ 2:14-2:16 or so.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qyf8oRF6Trg
Thought it might interest you
Bubba po
Tiny Stonehenge Moment
Absolutely. And the tracks I've covered with his playing on them I've represented at an appropriate volume in the mix.
I'm absurdly pleased that you dig this music, Greg. It's at the core of where I come from, musically.
Bubba po
Tiny Stonehenge Moment
Of course. GnR use it Nightrain but it isn't Slash playing it, it's Izzy. I've used it too. It's just so good.
Slash uses the next lick after that one (1:04-1:06 in your recording) in Nightrain @ 2:14-2:16 or so.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qyf8oRF6Trg
Thought it might interest you
You've just identified the bit on "Appetite" that makes me piss myself every time. Izzy gets his "geetar solo". It's a bit crap. Clunky, hackneyed, a bit amateurish. Instead of leaving it to stand on its own they contrast it with Slash coming in straight after, showing how it ought to be done. I always visualise it as Izzy having done a nice chalk drawing on the sidewalk, then Slash comes along, gets his cock out and pisses all over it. Awesome.
Absolutely. And the tracks I've covered with his playing on them I've represented at an appropriate volume in the mix.
The Clash is easily probably my #2 band of all time. I even like Sandinista.
