The whole enchilada .... ahhhhh
Catch 22
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The vocal is mixed well 'out front', that's good, just a little too much reverb for my tastes with headphones on, but sounds better on my big JamBox referencing tool
.
Substitue just plain old delay, a very, very short delay for reverb when you find yourself not getting as much as you want from reverb, rather than overdo the reverb.
The delay feature of a reverb unit is not the same as a dedicated delay unit or 'plug-in'.
I can just about understand every word the first listen.
Your lyrics are generally challenging to sing.
There are some intonation inaccuracies in the vocal.
Bass and guitar are well mixed, but you can still bring them down a bit, maybe 2-3db, to let the little organ shine through a bit more. If anything is to loud, it's the bass.
I would like to hear more of the guitar during the solo at 2:10, yes, the bass is to loud.
Perhaps you have overcompressed the guitar track ?
Yeah, during the solo that guitar needs to 'float' on top of everything, the percusion and the bass are to loud there, bring them down 2db, and bring the guitar up 1db.
What I'm thinking is a 'brush cymbal' keeping time, that may be a little loud.
Goodbye For Now
---------------------------
The vocal is mixed at the right level on the very first line.
But as the instruments get going, the vocal 'falls' into the mix.
The vocal is not mixed out far enough here, or again there is a bit to much reverb.
Watch the level meters, if the level meters are at, or exceeding the vocal, well, the vocal is NOT on top of the mix and generally speaking in this genre the vocal must be WAY out on top of the mix ... not 'just a little on top of the mix' ... WAY OUT ON TOP.
The woodblock is a little hot, bring it down a touch, because of it's sonic characteristics it cuts through the mix very, very well already.
At 1:23 that cymbal crash obscures the words under it, that's a vocal track no-no.
You must already realize my tastes for the vocal are to be able to understand the words and NEVER have to even think, for a split second that I'm going to have to struggle to understand the next lyrical phrase.
The lyric is GOLDEN, especially in this style, we must be pampered here, we MUST understand the lyric and that demands 'vocal headroom'.
Joanne
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Again that woodblock is a touch to loud, because it has a naturally dominant sonic quality, drop it '3db' and we will still know it's there. It's the hottest thing in the mix right now.
The vocal is really good on this tune. I think you really like to sing this song.
The bass is booming out a little on the bottom end, you could roll that off.
I think the
acoustic guitar is more important than the bass here, please consult your meters.
Remember, the bass is a 'line-level' instrument and you and the guitar are 'acoustic instruments', acoustic instruments at the opposite end of the spectrum from the woodblock.
This is a superior vocal performance to the first two tunes.
Start examining your 'preparatory' breath, I feel like you are holding tension in the top 'six-pack' muscles of your abdomen. Let that belly fall out to get that preparatory breath in, gently flex the knees.
Practice just breathing in time to the song without singing. One gentle slow exhale for four beats, and one gentle inhale for four beats, a very slow breath at first with a small volume of air. Increase the speed of the inhale and exhale and the total volume of air as the song continues, as you 'need'. That's how much you need to sing it well.
Keep rythm and you will soon notice that it is the 'amount' of air you take in and the speed at which you do that, that becomes the key in not 'suffocating' or 'hyperventilating'. It is analgous to bow speed and pressure and the contact point on the string.
Then practice taking one breath for every 2 beats, then one for every 8 beats and remember a breath is an inhale AND an exhale and each is equally important. This is an excellent practice technique to develop a keen sense of preparation for singing lyrically complex songs. I have taken this technique from a teacher and incorporated the breathing techniques I have studied in the martial arts and hatha yoga, it works.
I like Joanne.
Longest Ceremony
--------------------------------
The instruments are much to loud here, the vocal is getting swallowed.
By the time the acoustic rythm guitar comes in ...
Lower all the instruments DO NOT raise the level of the vocal.
Create headroom for the vocal.
This is a good singing performance, the range is limited and it's peppy and you are doing a good job here so let that vocal out of that instrument prison you've mixed it into.
YOU ARE THE STAR, your VOCAL is the star, don't cheat us, don't cheat the lyric.
Now I can understand the lyric because your pronuciation is good, but I want at least 2db or 3db more on the vocal.
The organ just before 2:50 is just to loud. What am I supposed to be focused on here, the staccato organ jabs ... or the vocal. Leave no question about that matter. Create more headroom for the vocal, always in this lyric driven style.
Naked Disguise
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Drums are louder than the vocal ??? just by a hair maybe, look at your meters. At 0:10 and 0:11 no matter how much I listen I cannot understand that bit of the vocal.
Create more headroom for your vocal.
You already know what I'm going to say about 0:44, the vocal is buried.
Lot of commotion going on there, the vocal needs a lot more headroom.
1:20, drum is to loud, think about the sonic characteristics about this snare it is 'designed' to cut through the 'battlefield' during a WAR ... take it down 3db at least.
At 1:54, again the instruments are simply stomping all over the vocal.
At 2:26, the vocal is nice, but a bit to much reverb.
It seems the better the vocal section is ... the more you want to pretty it up ? Bad habit, (mix wise).
Rangoon
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That sidestick is to loud, you know that.
There is not enough headroom for the vocal.
I'm having difficulty understanding the lyric on this first listen.
I like your string arrangement the cellos filling on the verse.
This is a nice song, I'm at the hooks now ...
Yes, nice string arranging.
I'm going to be blunt, you need some vocal lessons, some serious technique work will take you to a new level.
You HAVE what you need, you need to learn how to use it better, and you are obviously intelligent.
Check out some yoga classes, hatha yoga, check out the practice of breath.
Get yee to a vocal 'teacher' at a university, someone who specializes in 'technique', seek out a baritone tenor or a second tenor, because you are a second tenor ... baritone tenor. Don't get a teacher who wants to teach you songs and reperetoire, get a 'technician'.
At 3:48 you really open up on that hook word, 'Rangoon', and I know it's in there, tension is keeping it in, pay close attention to the top two primary muscles in your abdomen when you are singing, they should be loose around your heart, your rib cage should be open and distended ... yes ... at all time.
Rangoon is a pretty song, we can hear your sincere affection for Rangoon here.
That stick is annoying the hell out of me ... lol
At the end, look into using a fade on all the instruments, it's tedious work, but it's worth it and it distinguishes the mix from the amateur to the pro. Better yet, send all the instruments to a single bus and fade them all at the same time.
Refugee
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The percussion in the beginning is mixed much more thoughtfully here, the nice guitar is secondary to your voice and yes ... the vocal is mixed much better here. Good vocal performance here also.
At 0:40, I'm gonna break that sidestick or woodblock into a jillion pieces ... bring it WAY down.
This is a cute song.
Nice pedal steel ? But that stick is killin' it.
At 1:51 the bass is much to strong, bring it down 4-6db, really.
Look at the meters here, the bass is going to be peaking way above the other things ... yes ?
3:06, bass still much to loud.
Good vocal performance on this tune.
Take Me Away
------------------------------
Instruments came down nicely when the vocals came in, did you sidechain compress the bus the instruments were on ?
Yes, I want more vocal here, the bass is booming just a touch over the vocal, the guitar is too loud.
I'm comparing everything in your songs to the vocal levels, because ya know ... that's what you are all about, the vocals, so the treatment of the vocal is absolutely key in all of your works.
I'd like to hear a string arrangement in this tune and cut the funky guitar except in the intro. IMHO.
When Worlds Collide
--------------------------------
Nice cello intro.
When that fine ass classical guitar comes in, mix the cello way, way back. Let's hear that flamenco guitar. We've already had a taste of that cello melodic material, push it out of the way, let us munch on that nice
acoustic guitar work.
At 0:44 when the vocal comes in, I'm hearing some keyboard instrument, it's too loud and too busy.
Yes, we need not only more sonic headroom for the vocal, but a bit more space in general here.
Bass is to loud, I'm at 1:38.
Ok, the hook at 1:51 should be SOARING above the mix ... need a lot more headroom here.
I can understand the lyric for the mostpart in this song, the tailends of some phrases are getting swallowed up in the bass and the geneal sonic clutter sometimes.
If you are using mastering compression, or when you are normalizing all these songs, you can overdo this, dynamics are good. We do have volume knobs on our equiptment, it doesn't have to be perfectly normalized ... now I'm talking about a lot more work here but that's your mission ...
I like the use of the cello here, that's a pretty good soundfont-sample.
The percussion is really to loud here, but I understand you are probably trying to cover the artificial cello sample here ... maybe.
Shiver
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Ok, the vocal mix is ok, but that stick is simply much to hot.
The stick is never a solo instrument ;-) , bring it down hotshot
By 0:34, you are bringing in this shimmering organ thing, well ... it's to loud, bring it down a few db please.
At 1:14 we have a very gentle lyrical moment ... these 'raindrops', and that stick is like HAIL on a tin roof
... you really don't need that.
The use of block or stick in soft music like this should be extremely sparingly used, it yanks our heads around ... don't cry wolf with it.
Shadow Boxing
-------------------------
Ok, I'm jamming along in the beginning.
Shades of Paul Simon here.
Listen to Paul Simon's music, see how they treat his vocal, that's how you should be mixing most of yours.
The instruments all need to be sent to one bus and then run a single compressor on that bus, so the vocal can always show a meter level above that bus, I really think that is a possible solution to get a better mix for your vocal.
Once again, run all the instruments to a single bus, and compress that bus.
I like this tune, I could drive down the highway in a convertible with the wind in my hair and all that with this playing ... tapping the foot here.
At the end of Shadow Boxing you 'drag' your chord formation up the neck of the guitar, this is amateur don't do it, it ruins the mood you have created with the song, unless it is really an artistic device you really mean to be in the song, otherwise it's kind of like saying 'this sucks' ...
A Blind Faith
----------------------
Very nice pretty guitar in the beginning, nice guitar sound.
This is near the heart of your vocal range, and the vocal is mixed nearly properly.
The guitar is a little dominating. Again check out my suggestion of seperating your vocal from all the instruments by sending all the instruments through one compressed bus, and the vocal is free to go through its own less compressed bus.
This is a NICE song, you enjoy singing it, I can tell.
If you really fill up your belly in preparation for this low vocal part and release all tension 'Before beginning the exhale and the phrase' ... that can get even better, and it's nice now, nice hook in your lower vocal register.
Is It Over Now
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Buddy Holly ?
Your voice is nice here, but it's just dripping with so much reverb ...
Paul Simon coming through a bit again, study his mixes and how the pros are treating his voice.
'Do we both know how' , nice job on that high part in the vocal.
'Do we both know how', the second time is good too, that's a tough bit to sing there.
Your vocal is one of the best takes here on this song. You get lazy on some of your pronunciation and I think it's because you don't have the lyrics in front of you. Take the lyrics and print them at a 14 font size, and just glance at each phrase before you sing it. Memory is great, but sometimes taking the 'brain CPU' cycles to remember can detract a bit from the intense amount of brain power it take to ... sing well under the gun of the recording session.
the guitar is just too loud, consult your meters. Your voice should really be soaring above everything on this mix, at 3:49, thereabouts you are up in your head-voice and you really open up your sinuses on one particular word, that's fantastic.
The third hook, 'Is it over now' is really done well. Notice how much louder one guitar is than the other, the sparkly guitar the strat, is much, much louder than what sounds like a semi-hollow body.
That's a good performance, just bring the guitar down.
Different
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Vocal is just buried. Get the lyrics in front of you here. Your pronunciation is suffering here.
Passenger
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Nice Jazz guitar in the beginning. The string orchestral hits are really faky here ...
Perhaps put a full slapback delay on these orchestral hits and mix them way, way back.
The bass is to loud.
Your vocal performance is nice here, don't let the bass stomp all over it.
At 2:15, I like this change, and the cello is nice. Good string 'Idee Fixee'.
Nice Break Section.
You gotta have a fade on the end of this, it just hits a little wall at the end.
Stranded
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A country tune. LOL .
I like the 'mexican horn section' IMHO.
The instrument are a bit loud again, I have to struggle to understand the lyrics they are at the 'understandable threshold' some are not understandable, and I always refer to the understandability of the lyrics on the 'first listen'.
Thank you for sharing a lot of 'you' with us here at homerecording.com , the opportunity to review the mix on an entire album and more has been a very good learning experience for me. Please post your equiptment list for the majority of this work.
