Now if you can just get a fala mastering job on this version you'd be in business
.
You just made me spit ice tea all over my laptop.
When I first heard
Monkey Allen's song...I liked it right away and thought that it would be nice with some real drums and bass and mixed with a little more spread and definition. So I asked him if he would like me to rework it…and he agreed.
Originally, the idea was just to remix the existing tracks...but once I got all the individual files, I suggested that the drums and bass be re-tracked using real instruments instead of the MIDI tracks.
His recording options were limited by his lack of a formal studio environment beyond his control, so I understand why he was forced to use MIDI drums and bass.
Anyway...I had my regular drummer stop by one day, and we did two passes on drums in about 45 minutes...I ended up using just one of the passes without any comping.
I agree the snare is a bit on the dark side...it's a thick wooden snare. I asked the drummer to tighten it up a bit for a slightly higher pitch...but we only had an hour (which included time for him to hear the song and tweak the kit) to get the drums down as he had to leave.
I have a couple of other snares, and while my drummer and I both like the wooden snare, it’s not always the best choice.
On my recent album project we used that wooden snare on all 10 tracks...and on at least half of the tracks I agree the snare comes off a bit dark/subdued...though honestly, I don't like to go for the BIG POP with my drum tracks. Drums are very important...but I don't think they need to be in-your-face on everything...and much of today's Pop/Rock has the drums out in front real bold. If you listen to older Pop/Rock...drums were not as prominent all the time….but it’s up to each person to decide.
The Bass lines I tried to keep close to his original MIDI lines, with some small variations.
I then also added a nice Hammond organ spread across the L/R image, which I think really helps lift things a lot subliminally, and helps the acoustic guitars out.
The biggest change/work was my decision to do a clean ending to the song rather than the long fade as in the original version. It was a bit tricky and took some editing of the guitar lick and then I also added piano line on the ending in sync with the guitar lick.
Finally, I recorded a single
acoustic guitar strum twice, on two tracks, to use at the ending, since there wasn't any in the original. The strum was need for the ending of the guitars.
I told him I was going to go for a wider/bigger sounding mix…and I think it came out that way. If you listen to it on a bigger stereo system, the bottom end thumps real nice, and you can really hear the spread/depth.
I would love to have tracked the entire song in my studio...as I think it's a cool little tune, and
Monkey Allen has some nice melody/harmony ideas throughout the song. I think it's a very "radio friendly" song, so it would benefit from a proper recording….it has potential!
I told him if/when he decides to ever take a trip to the USA...we'll have to get together in my studio for some recording.
