Rats and witches...

dachay2tnr said:
Something sounds out of tune to me in the beginning. Love the flute-y thing. What is that? Midi?

I agree with earlier comments that the guitar sounds like it's in a different place than the vocals. Maybe run a very, very slight reverb over the entire mix to help bring it together.

Also some stereo would help I think. Sounds like most everything is panned straight center. You might double track the hand claps and pan one full left and one full right, and pan the flute-y stuff a bit wider.

Catchy song. Not familiar with Expectations, so I don't know how derivative it is.
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Thanks for the feedback, the flute is midi, it's a vsti called Redtron, Flutter 4 ever. I'm in love with this mellotron thing.

I haven't had time to go back and revisit this song yet, but really appreciate the comments and will try these things. :)
 
Steenamaroo said:
I'm very late to the party. It sounds like you've made some changes already based on the comments.
I guess you had more clapping at some point? Going by that little bit at the start, I think taking it out is the right way to go.
I'd even take out the bit at the start.

I really enjoyed this!
I don't know the B&S song that was mentioned, so that didn't bother me.
I really liked the sound of the flute. It almost sounds like it's a sample lifted from an old raggedy tape recording, but in a good way!

Thanks for sharing. :) I hope we hear more!
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Cool, thanks heaps for the listen. :) it's not my best song, it took too long then ended up being a rip off, but I think there's still a lot to learn and do to it in terms of mixing. It's kind of annoying because I rarely get a quiet enough environment outside. This makes it difficult to mix and record vocals, which is why I haven't updated it yet. I've got Heathrow planes flying over from 5am-11pm and the house next door running their bandsaw for renovations 6 days a week. On the one day I get off from the noise pollution, I have to be home and do it in between the minute I get from the 747s flying over to land - it's seriously driving me crazy!

I reckon I might dump the claps too. Or record some proper ones. I was hoping to get some real flute to get a bit of panning going on with the midi flute, by I'm waiting for my mate to be around AND in the mood to record it (and for it to be quiet enough) but it's good people seem to like it as it is anyway. :D

There'll be more...
 
Hot_Mess said:
I totally totally love this. Too bad about the subconscious melody rip off. That's the WORST!
My suggestion is that the song would sound more driving, moving along if there was a louder rhythmic guitar behind everything going STRUM strum-a-lum-a-lum-a, etc. I just think it would improve it a notch if the backing music was louder and more rhythmic.
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Cool, glad you liked it. I hear you guys that have mentioned the guitar rhythm. I probably won't go back and change the guitar tracks here on this song, but I get what you're saying about it and will definitely keep it in mind for the next song. Thanks for the listen!
 
BurningBridges said:
I do feel like the instrumental is slightly dark, and then the vocals are very bright in comparison. In theory, the vocals SHOULD be the brightest element of the mix, but I would back off a little bit here to make things seem like they are more in the same space. Other than that, great job! Really enjoyed the song and you have a great voice for this kind of style.
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Thanks for taking the time to listen and feedback to it. I think the consensus is that the vocals aren't mixed/blended/sitting properly with the rest of the stuff, so I'll have another go at that. :)
 
Heya, you've got a lot of good advice in this thread, so I won't pile on with my 2 cent's worth. What I do want to say goes back to the post about your melody sounding very similar to Belle and Somebody... Don't worry about stuff like that. You might have some influences and use similar melody lines, but there are only so many combinations of notes that work well together. Eventually, somewhere out there are going to be songs with similar melody lines and it's not a problem. There are enough differences in accompaniment and delivery that separate your song from anyone else's.

Only someone as astute as Fleet would notice similarities. The rest of us 'humans' hear new material. :D

I really enjoy your lyrics; a comfort blanket with dark corners. Yet your voice is sweet and delicate and a real contrast to the words you sing.
 
rpm61 said:
I'm pretty sure I heard an English accent too, popular songs are sung in an AMERICAN accent, for future reference. And, I think the title should be "Crazy Bitches", I really like the lyrics.
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Thanks for the listen.

Ha, yes, the full title is Rats and Witches, Crazy Bitches - but I didn't want to curse in the title of the thread.

Popular songs are sung in American accent...LOL. You are kidding, right? But if you're not...being popular is something I spend absolutely no time thinking about it in any facet of my life. So it bothers me not. What would bother me is sounding like a fake douche bag, which I certainly would do if I tried to sing in any other accent other than my own.
 
Chili said:
Heya, you've got a lot of good advice in this thread, so I won't pile on with my 2 cent's worth. What I do want to say goes back to the post about your melody sounding very similar to Belle and Somebody... Don't worry about stuff like that. You might have some influences and use similar melody lines, but there are only so many combinations of notes that work well together. Eventually, somewhere out there are going to be songs with similar melody lines and it's not a problem. There are enough differences in accompaniment and delivery that separate your song from anyone else's.

Only someone as astute as Fleet would notice similarities. The rest of us 'humans' hear new material. :D

I really enjoy your lyrics; a comfort blanket with dark corners. Yet your voice is sweet and delicate and a real contrast to the words you sing.
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Thanks for having a listen Chilli. I always appreciate the feedback, I just wish I had more time and silence to work on it. I don't want people to think I just ignore all of the advice. It's always encouraging to hear the essence of what I write is appreciated. Cheers. :)
 
"I'm pretty sure I heard an English accent too, popular songs are sung in an AMERICAN accent, for future reference."
That's pretty funny isn't it?
I THINK/HOPE it's said with a chortle bubbling up, though one commentor in another forum holds that to do otherwise is unnatural &/or an affectation.
Lots of Aussie performers sing with an Oz accent/pronunciation/vocabulary and a few rappers have discovered that they don't need to pretend to be gangsters in word or voice to be accepted at home.
I'm pleased to hear your voice - perhaps it's the folkish nature of your tunes that allows you to be you and not reset to a default popamerican form of language. I think it's just you & your voice as it's held true in the less than folk setting of Watch.
I must admit to not having ain't, gonna etc. in my lyrics but that'd be because they aren't words I use commonly & I don't write to sell, (that should be can't), so have no need to adopt them.
Mellotron has a very nice set of tones. I use actual .wav samples, (one per note on the 'tron keyboard each roughly 7 seconds long and 5 different voice of the machine too), that I cut and paste as I'm far from approaching rudimentary with a music keyboard.
It's an excellent tune you have FTG!
 
rayc said:
"I'm pretty sure I heard an English accent too, popular songs are sung in an AMERICAN accent, for future reference."
That's pretty funny isn't it?
I THINK/HOPE it's said with a chortle bubbling up,
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I hope so too. There are probably 5 majorly distinct accents in America. Which one is used for popular songs?? :D
 
Chili said:
I hope so too. There are probably 5 majorly distinct accents in America. Which one is used for popular songs?? :D
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Yeh, it had to be a joke. Thinking about it though, I could try a Southern drawl bit like Sister Rosetta Tharpe, Elizabeth Cotton, Etta Baker. I love those chicks...:D
 
rayc said:
I must admit to not having ain't, gonna etc. in my lyrics but that'd be because they aren't words I use commonly & I don't write to sell, (that should be can't), so have no need to adopt them.
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Ah yeh, I hadn't even noticed I'd used ain't, I don't ever say that in real life, except when I'm being a smart alec, trying to sound like I know everything (but nothing) with comments such as...Ain't no lie, Ain't that the truth...With lyrics I find I'm a bit less picky, ain't no matter if I says it in real life or not, if it fits, it's in. :) Thanks again Ray, really appreciate your kind comments.
 
OK I did a bit of stuff with the vocals, added a bit of reverb and delay (thanks for the tips on bussing Dobro, this was a really useful thing to learn). Turned them down a notch too. I also removed the flutes in some parts and the handclap is gone. If you can be bothered to have another listen, I'd really appreciate if you can shed your opinion on the vocal sound, I think it's better blended in the mix now. I also adjusted the de-esser settings a bit, I don't think I'd done this quite right the first time and it was affecting the vocals quite a lot.

Here's the first one:


And the second one:

 
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rpm61 said:
I'm pretty sure I heard an English accent too, popular songs are sung in an AMERICAN accent, for future reference.
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LOL. The majority of popular popular songs are probably sung by americans. :facepalm:
Sure, some people affect an accent and use words they wouldn't in speech, but there are plenty obviously British singers out there.

Either way, it's not a 'right or wrong' scenario.
 
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yes a joke

My comment about the accent was tongue in cheek, a great many wonderful songs have been recorded with an English accent. I suppose I'm the type that likes to get a rise out of people but I meant no offense. I like this song and your voice is lovely!

I like the 2nd new version, the vocal and flute have a better presence in the song. The electric guitar is somewhat boomy in the bottom of this mix, have you thought of using a bass or EQing the guitar to remove the murk down there?
 
fritsthegirl said:
being popular is something I spend absolutely no time thinking about it in any facet of my life. So it bothers me not. What would bother me is sounding like a fake douche bag, which I certainly would do if I tried to sing in any other accent other than my own.
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A-fucking-men.
 
rpm61 said:
My comment about the accent was tongue in cheek, a great many wonderful songs have been recorded with an English accent. I suppose I'm the type that likes to get a rise out of people but I meant no offense. I like this song and your voice is lovely!

I like the 2nd new version, the vocal and flute have a better presence in the song. The electric guitar is somewhat boomy in the bottom of this mix, have you thought of using a bass or EQing the guitar to remove the murk down there?
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No offence taken. You never do know in these parts who's being serious or not unless there's a smiley behind it. :) Thought I'd give my opinion on it all the same, just because I'm an opinionated and stubborn mare. :D

I turned the electric up in the latest version, but I'll certainly have a look at that boominess. Thanks for having another listen!
 
Trish, the update sounds great – more rounded and blending better than the first version I heard. Really good stuff, well done! :)

Rpm61's comment about accents was pretty funny too.
 
+1 with Rob's post,,,,, I was just thinking maybe MY first post should sung in welsh?? (with a 'merican accent!) :spank:
 
robgreen said:
Trish, the update sounds great – more rounded and blending better than the first version I heard. Really good stuff, well done! :)

Rpm61's comment about accents was pretty funny too.
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Sweet, thanks for stopping by to have another listen, really appreciate it. :)
 
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