millinocket

[PoeticIntensity]

Man, I miss listening to your tunes, Pete. You have a style in your soul, bro. Few others can funk it up like you do with those beats. I love it.

That said, there are some mix issues. Everyone else pretty much nailed it with the lack of air and sub freqs.. Get those rockin' and you'll have yet another heatmiser masterpiece.

Oh... I also thought that for the style of song, the rhythm sounds seem to be quite centered. I imagine a bunch of people playing various percussive doodads all over the stage. If ya can, I'd start panning that shiz a bit more.

Fantastic!

 

[dobro]

I listened again. It's a bit dark in some places, I think. You gotta deal with this. Your stuff is easily my favorite stuff on this board. Lots of good stuff here, for sure, but yours is my favorite, is all. After mine, of course.

 

[heatmiser]

I liked these sounds. I thought the song itself was very good.
What can I say, I’m probably better off sticking with the big picture!

Thank you Jessica. I try to stick to big picture stuff myself. I don't have a good enough understanding of the technical aspects of things to absorb anything too specific anyway, but I try. I'm glad you enjoyed it.

I see you have a new mix up which I intend to check out momentarily.

 

[heatmiser]

New mix

Man, I miss listening to your tunes, Pete. You have a style in your soul, bro. Few others can funk it up like you do with those beats. I love it.

That said, there are some mix issues. Everyone else pretty much nailed it with the lack of air and sub freqs.. Get those rockin' and you'll have yet another heatmiser masterpiece.

Oh... I also thought that for the style of song, the rhythm sounds seem to be quite centered. I imagine a bunch of people playing various percussive doodads all over the stage. If ya can, I'd start panning that shiz a bit more.

Fantastic!

Awesome. Thanks man. Yeah, this mix has officially kicked my ass. I think it might come down to the tracking where I just kept choosing darker tones and stacked them on top of each other? I have been mixing and remixing the shit out of this the last few nights and I'm just not sure the super high or low content is even there to be boosted?

I did my best though, and I did pan the percussion further. I tried to incorporate a little of most of what was suggested here and I think it's better, but I'd love it if anyone would chime in and give me their impressions. New mix down below and in the 1st post.

Thanks again!

I listened again. It's a bit dark in some places, I think. You gotta deal with this. Your stuff is easily my favorite stuff on this board. Lots of good stuff here, for sure, but yours is my favorite, is all. After mine, of course.

That is super nice of you to say dobro. Thank you.

SO, now the score is 162 - 147...and yes, I guess it's all about quantity...

I didn't hear it as dark out of the gate, but many seem to be hearing it the same way, so I have extensively remixed the thing...faders to zero...etc. May not sound better or even that different to folks, but to me it is quite a change. Definitely more sub in the kick anyway, and what highs exist are more present. I cut a lot of lo mids from individual tracks, but did no EQ on the master.

I added a guitar solo in the middle. Yes, I know it is an obnoxious tone and that it is swimming in verb, but I tried more traditional, and objectively "better" tones, but they just seemed out of place and boring.

What do you think?

 

[fritsthegirl]

Yeh it's sounding really nice Pete, this mix is pretty different to the first one I heard, but I think you've addressed some of the comments and then some. There's a lot more clarity in the different parts which are all really interesting and cool. I still like it a lot.

Ha, I thought you'd just made up the name Millinocket, LOL, I can't believe that's actually a real place name.

 

[TripleM]

I thought this was real good. Like I always think about your stuff. I especially like the vocal. It worked so well in the mix.

I thought most everything sounded great.

Only one negative comment, I thought the low end could be a little stronger. I think a big, pulsing low end would be cool.

Not much else to say. Real good mix.

 

[dobro]

I found the biggest difference between the mixes to be the addition of the guitar solo, which I really like. As far as light/dark goes, either mix is listenable. I flipped back and forth between them and found things I liked in both mixes. Your call.

 

[kindafishy]

Great tune!

The cowbell isn't sticking out to me so you must have done something with it?

I am getting some murkiness in the upper bass region around the 200 - 250 (ish) area. Seems like there is some buildup there. That's commanding my focus right now so it is hard to comment on other aspects of the mix (everything affects everything).

This is a really cool song. Really enjoying the listen(s).

 

[Tadpui]

Listening to the 4/4 mix on some consumer-grade 5.1 speakers. This really sounds great to me. Love the bass, although I'm not tuned in to how my new speakers balance in this room. The vocals sound nice and clear, instruments all have their place. Nice song, nice performances. This is just a lot of fun, and the length is perfect for the idea for the song. You quit while you're ahead, I always respect that. Good job man!

 

[robgreen]

Guess I should chip in on the update as I pushed for the solo!

Cowbell sounds at a better level now I think, and the update is definitely an improvement on mix 1.

With the solo, I think I'd developed an idea in my head of how it would sound...and you came up with something completely different. I think I probably envisaged the traditional solo that you mentioned trying/abandoning, and hearing what you did threw me. I listened back over a few days to see whether I could shake my preconception and it would grow on me. I think it has grown on me to some extent, but I'm still not sure I'm totally sold on it. Maybe it's a wee bit formless overall and could do with working on that part a little more to hammer out the melody/structure? There are a few runs on the solo that sound a bit like they're from some kind of eastern scale and it would be really cool to hear that theme developed further. I think it could also be a bit louder too, it's still sitting very much 'in' the mix. Just my view, sorry I'm busting your balls on this one, but hopefully it's useful!

 

[BroKen_H]

Only kick I got from the second mix: The solo seems drawn back (spatially and dynamically). That's an awesome solo. Let's hear it! Spoken vocals are also back a bit in spots.

 

[BroKen_H]

Hey, that solo wasn't even in the first mix...Still sounds nice!

 

[chuckduffy]

I can't tell you how to get to milliknocket. I think it needs that patented KILLER HEAT BASS. That's about all I got.

Chuck

 

[Bubba po]

Hi, Heatmiser. The first mix sounds best to me. The second mix is a classic case of TMCSTB, in my opinion. Sometimes when you throw out a mix to public criticism you end up with so many conflicting tastes you end up chasing an unattainable end point. I believe that at your stage of the game you ought to trust your own instincts and go with what you feel is right.

This is a really fucking weird song though - and that's coming from someone steeped in the Alternative Rock genre.

 

[StuGort]

I like it....the stereo width is very good. The one nit would be the crash cymbal which is a bit harsh and seems to lack depth...or clarity...not sure. I don't know why I keyed into it...could be just lowering it in the mix would fix that for me. It's definitely one of those "conflicting taste" things.

 

[heatmiser]

Yeh it's sounding really nice Pete, this mix is pretty different to the first one I heard, but I think you've addressed some of the comments and then some. There's a lot more clarity in the different parts which are all really interesting and cool. I still like it a lot.

Ha, I thought you'd just made up the name Millinocket, LOL, I can't believe that's actually a real place name.

Thanks Trish. you're always very reassuring and I appreciate that.

Yup, Millinocket. I think it was something of a boom town back in its hey day when the paper mills were thriving. I stopped by there back in the '90's and it was a shell of its former self. Kind of looked like an abandoned town from the wild west with saloons and shit. Not the nicest place in Maine by far, but it's the gateway to Baxter State Park which contains the highest peak in the state, mount Katahdin. So that's kind of cool.

I thought this was real good. Like I always think about your stuff. I especially like the vocal. It worked so well in the mix.

I thought most everything sounded great.

Only one negative comment, I thought the low end could be a little stronger. I think a big, pulsing low end would be cool.

Not much else to say. Real good mix.

Thanks so much Trip. yeah, that's a common complaint on this one. I misheard things initially somehow and might have gone down the wrong path with the low end on this one. It sounded fairly full to me, but many people seem to hear it as weak there.

I wanted it to be more beat oriented, but there just wasn't that much low end content to boost. Thanks again.

I found the biggest difference between the mixes to be the addition of the guitar solo, which I really like. As far as light/dark goes, either mix is listenable. I flipped back and forth between them and found things I liked in both mixes. Your call.

Thanks dobro. I'm glad a guitar part was mentioned as I think it helps myself.

Yup, both listenable I agree. I couldn;t get either mix quite right but I'm leaning towards the second one just because the cow bell isn't out of control and there's that new part added.

Great tune!

The cowbell isn't sticking out to me so you must have done something with it?

I am getting some murkiness in the upper bass region around the 200 - 250 (ish) area. Seems like there is some buildup there. That's commanding my focus right now so it is hard to comment on other aspects of the mix (everything affects everything).

This is a really cool song. Really enjoying the listen(s).

Thanks. No, I think the cow bell eventually did get EQ'd to death and now it doesn't poke out so much which is a relief.

You're probably right about the buildup, but I just wasn't hearing it at the time. I thought I had a good, mid-rangey balance of things, but mud is not out of the question.

I'm glad you enjoyed it though!

 

[heatmiser]

Listening to the 4/4 mix on some consumer-grade 5.1 speakers. This really sounds great to me. Love the bass, although I'm not tuned in to how my new speakers balance in this room. The vocals sound nice and clear, instruments all have their place. Nice song, nice performances. This is just a lot of fun, and the length is perfect for the idea for the song. You quit while you're ahead, I always respect that. Good job man!

Thanks Tadpui! lol - yeah, I'm glad I quit while I was ahead. I got out of there just in time.

It's kind of a weird tune, but I'm glad that doesn't seem to be a problem in itself. Thank you for the kind words.

Guess I should chip in on the update as I pushed for the solo!

Cowbell sounds at a better level now I think, and the update is definitely an improvement on mix 1.

With the solo, I think I'd developed an idea in my head of how it would sound...and you came up with something completely different. I think I probably envisaged the traditional solo that you mentioned trying/abandoning, and hearing what you did threw me. I listened back over a few days to see whether I could shake my preconception and it would grow on me. I think it has grown on me to some extent, but I'm still not sure I'm totally sold on it. Maybe it's a wee bit formless overall and could do with working on that part a little more to hammer out the melody/structure? There are a few runs on the solo that sound a bit like they're from some kind of eastern scale and it would be really cool to hear that theme developed further. I think it could also be a bit louder too, it's still sitting very much 'in' the mix. Just my view, sorry I'm busting your balls on this one, but hopefully it's useful!

Ball busting bastard!

Yeah, well too fucking bad rob. I'm keeping that solo as is. I know it sounds kind of like shit, but I like it that way. So there!

Nah, I know it's more or less formless, but I think that's ok with such a weird backdrop. I'm telling you, I did like 10 runs through that section, each time with different sounds, and the normal tones just made me play normal which sounded too boring. I hit this effects setting on a pedal I had saved from years ago and it just screeches like a tea kettle all the time, even when you're not playing anything, It was the most obnoxious sound I'd come across in quite some time with this weird digital ring to it. I just fell in love.

Only kick I got from the second mix: The solo seems drawn back (spatially and dynamically). That's an awesome solo. Let's hear it! Spoken vocals are also back a bit in spots.

STFU noob!

Sorry. Just practicing.

Yes, that guitar is swimming in spring reverb. If I remix this I will try it louder, but it's so shrill it gets annoying pretty quickly as you turn it up.

Thanks Broken_H

I can't tell you how to get to milliknocket. I think it needs that patented KILLER HEAT BASS. That's about all I got.

Chuck

Chuck D!!!

Well you're no help...

I thought the wah bass thing was kind of cool? Not something I'd do on a regular basis, but once in a while? Bass not bassy enough for you? I could turn it up....

 

[heatmiser]

Hi, Heatmiser. The first mix sounds best to me. The second mix is a classic case of TMCSTB, in my opinion. Sometimes when you throw out a mix to public criticism you end up with so many conflicting tastes you end up chasing an unattainable end point. I believe that at your stage of the game you ought to trust your own instincts and go with what you feel is right.

This is a really fucking weird song though - and that's coming from someone steeped in the Alternative Rock genre.

I think the first one is objectively better too. Clearer and all that...but the 2nd one has less cow bell! and an added guitar part, so for those reasons alone I prefer it.

I also think that when you have a really weird fucking broth, you almost can't have too many chefs...the more the merrier! Is it that weird though? Is that ok?

I like it....the stereo width is very good. The one nit would be the crash cymbal which is a bit harsh and seems to lack depth...or clarity...not sure. I don't know why I keyed into it...could be just lowering it in the mix would fix that for me. It's definitely one of those "conflicting taste" things.

Thank you Stu. I have been leaning towards heavily compressed drums lately. Not real sounding so much as really trashy...I have super short attack and release settings on there and the cymbals get squashed in a way that I like, but it's very artificial. sounding. I'm not sure I'm happy with the way these came out though so much. They're close to how I wanted 'em, but not there. I wanted more of a wash I think...

Anyway, thank you everyone for taking the time to listen and comment. I really do appreciate it. Plenty of good stuff to think about.

 

[Mr Clean]

I'm late to the party, had a busy few weeks.....

I'm listening to the 04/04 Mix. I really like the beat and the rhythm you've got going with this one. I like what i could hear of the guitar solo but I would suggest turning it up quite a bit and making it a more prominent part of the track, kind of like Moby would do. I found it a bit too distant for my personal taste. You could probably bring more of the guitars up in general and have a more Stone Roses sounding track but I don't feel that's the kind of thing you're going for.

Anyhow, I really enjoyed the track. Always a pleasure to have a listen to your stuff. Beatbox is in my "Drum-along-playlist"!

 

[heatmiser]

I'm late to the party, had a busy few weeks.....

I'm listening to the 04/04 Mix. I really like the beat and the rhythm you've got going with this one. I like what i could hear of the guitar solo but I would suggest turning it up quite a bit and making it a more prominent part of the track, kind of like Moby would do. I found it a bit too distant for my personal taste. You could probably bring more of the guitars up in general and have a more Stone Roses sounding track but I don't feel that's the kind of thing you're going for.

Thanks for listening and checking in Mr. C.

I'm surprised about the guitar solo. I'm hearing it different than others...the tone is just so abrasive that I found it annoying when louder. I can hear it fine as is, but I think I am very sensitive to harshness in that range of freq, so maybe it doesn't need to be pushed so far back? Nothing really takes center stage on this one, just a whole bunch of things coming and going in equal measure. Kind of odd. There aren't many other guitar parts to boost...just a clickety clack strumming of deadened strings during the verses and two distorted guitars in unison during the choruses, could be interesting with those being louder though? Thanks again for the ideas!