Looking out on Mackinaw: New song with Easlern and Ibleedburgundy!

[Robus]

Thanks beagle. There will be another mix to tame the low mids and increase vocal clarity.

 

[ido1957]

This is a nice one. Kind of have a seventies vibe to it with the major seventh chords.

I think the instruments all sound pretty nice. My only nit is that the vocals sound a little unintelligible and buried, mainly when all the instruments are playing. It sounds as though they could use a little more highs and a sweep through to find a frequency that's making them a little too bloated in the lower mids. At the end, when they're on their own, I can understand every word, but for most of the song (full band), I was having trouble understanding them. (I purposefully didn't read the lyrics so I'd remain unbiased in this.)

Cool tune and great performances. Just wish the vocals were a little clearer (performed very nicely though).

This is pretty much what I thought when I heard it (Google mix). Great performance...

The vocals need some eq to make them clearer. Also the right side guitar (in my HP) is too loud, both rhythm and solo. It's much louder than the vocals - more apparent as the higher frequency range of the guitar will dominate while the fader looks ok. My LP does exactly that - it's great in the lower range but sounds twice as loud in the upper as the speakers don't need as much power to reproduce them. The lead sounds great (all the instruments are great actually) but it makes it sound like a guitar song and not a vocal song. The overall volume is also too low for me - I hate the loudness wars too but this is really hard to hear without cranking my interface. I'm sure you could "master" this and get a lot more volume without crushing it. Just a thought...

 

[Robus]

New mix in the OP.

Looking for clarity in the lead vocal. I think the low mids are more under control.

 

[robgreen]

Sorry Robus, I preferred the last mix I think - the vocals are just slightly too far out in front for me now. I liked where they sat on the last mix. Going from memory (I thought I'd downloaded the google link, but doesn't appear to be so), but the harmonies sound a little more prominent in the new version and I do like that more.

I dunno, you're not going to please everyone, so it's your call.

 

[TripleM]

I think I missed a mix. All the stuff I liked before, I still liked.

The lead vocal (going from memory) is a little less processed. But to me it's still a bit unnatural sounding. In spots, it sounds like there's a chorus on it. It is still sibalent in spots. The reverb treatment on the vocals make them sound like they're in a different place than the instruments. The "whoa whoa whoa" vocals, in particular, sound boxy. To a less extent, the rest of the vocals are a bit boxy. The instruments aren't boxy at all. I suspect it's the reverb that's doing it.

 

[Robus]

Thanks. There is a bit more reverb on the vox in this mix.

 

[ibleedburgundy]

I got a new interface and everything sounds 10x better on my system. It's really messing up my ability to be critical of this stuff lol.

 

[Nola]

I don't feel strongly one way or another. I agree with andrushkiwt it sounds a bit dark, particularly on very first fill where the drums pop in. If you add some bite to it (+2.5kHz on the top mic) I think that would be fine. Or add more bottom mic. Either way.

I think the snare fits the song. It could brighter on its own but in this mix i think it fits like this.

It's a good job by you guys. I don't really have anything to criticize with the mix or performance. I wish there was more dissonance, changes, or dynamics in the arrangement. To me consonant sounds only sound good more than 2 minutes if they have a reference point (dissonance) and otherwise they lose their impact/prettiness and just become repetitive. I'm glad the song is short because it does help with that issue. I'm not sure if you guys hear it that way or even want feedback like that, but since i think the mix and performance is good it's all i could offer.

 

[Nola]

Since Robus thanked me I guess that kind of feedback is okay. : D

So I wanted to clarify it doesn't have to be like...chord dissonance. But maybe a louder swell/dynamics, a distortion faint in the back (not sure this is appropriate for this song, but in general), a borrowed chord, a hemiola, a triplet, time sig change or any rhythmic change, modulation, whip out an ebow (haha), etc. That's all I'm getting at, so anything that can change the consonance up to perk the ear, and really only imagination is the limitation.

 

[Robus]

I get you. I gratefully accept all honest criticism and give back the same.

 

[Illsidgus]

Wow, that was great. I don't really have anything to add that hasn't already been said. Like someone else mentioned, it had a real early 70s vibe. There was nothing about this song that I didn't like.

 

[andrushkiwt]

Wow, that was great. I don't really have anything to add that hasn't already been said. Like someone else mentioned, it had a real early 70s vibe. There was nothing about this song that I didn't like.

That's what I thought, but easlerns vocals made it more modern - like a pop/folk/rock tune. The brighter snare helps with that too

 

[ido1957]

Listening to Mix 6 on the OP (Google Drive)

Snare could come down about a db or so - the snare tone is really good though.

Vocals much better. It drops in the low range a wee bit so slap a parallel compressor on this and keep it always at the level of easlern's high range. Trim down the low eq if low range sounds too bassy when you even it out. Try a reverb with a good amount of pre-delay so the dry comes out first and then watch the tails aren't too apparent. Could use a de-esser first in the chain as everything seems to be emphasizing esses in their own way.

At 1:50 / 3:20 and end you might want to push the arpeggio faders a bit as it fades a bit.

Guitar is now at a better level - it sits better overall and the solo still shines.

 

[TripleM]

Listening to the Google drive version. I think everything except the vocals sound nice. And as far as the vocal - the performances are great.

I like the vocal better. But to me it's still over processed. What is there now is much more natural sounding than the other versions. There is still some sibalant hyped high end. There is also a bit of chorus-y effect that seems to come and go.

I think there is a little more snap to the snare. I like both sounds - duller and snappier. Kick is a bit loud.

 

[Robus]

Thanks 3M. I agree about the vocal processing. I've got the low mids tamed, I think. There is still a sibilance issue that needs addressing--I seem to write lyrics with plenty of "esses!" Listening again, I've got too much reverb on the vocals. I'll do one more mix in the next few days, then give it a rest. Sometimes a month or two makes a big difference in how you hear a song, and anyway we are moving on to new material (I already have, actually). We will return to it at some stage, because the plan is to compile an album's worth of material.

Were you listening to the Soundcloud version? It really mangles this mix, swirling not just the cymbals as usual but the brightness of the guitars, the upper frequencies and sibilance in the vocals--bloody hell! Is the Soundcloud effect worse on this song, or am I just really hearing for the first time how bad it has always been?

 

[TripleM]

Were you listening to the Soundcloud version?

No, I was listening to the google driver version. They seem to have a pretty nice player. I liked the way it handled the top end.

 

[Robus]

Yeah, sorry, you told me you were listening to the Google version. If you have a moment, would you mind downloading the file and see if you hear the same issues?

 

[Armistice]

There is still a sibilance issue that needs addressing--I seem to write lyrics with plenty of "esses!" Listening again, I've got too much reverb on the vocals.

So do I. Deep V cuts to the volume envelope are my weapon of choice in taming them. I also tend to shelve off the reverb in the higher frequencies, which helps too.

 

[andrushkiwt]

not sure what I like most...the second verse or the "campfires blinking on the water" line. Just great imagery and writing Ray. And Nick really delivers those lyrics. Master this. Let's get a finished copy that's louder and has some more low end. come one! don't abandon it

 

[Robus]

Thanks! Don't worry, we're not forgetting about it. It's part of the project that we are working on. Once all the songs are tracked and mixed, we will master everything at once. On this one, I needed to give my ears a rest while finishing a couple of other tunes that are close. To my mind, the lead vocal needs one more tweak on the EQ, compression, and ambiance. I want to get it sounding a little more natural and do something about those esses. Treating vocals is, for me, orders of magnitude more fiddly than anything else, and I'm just figuring this stuff out.

For some reason the third verse is my favorite. Ever been up through Charlevoix, Traverse City, Petoskey area? It's on my "round Lake Michigan" motorcycle route that I ride every so often (maybe this summer).