Thank You Jeus revisited

BroKen_H

BroKen_H

Re-member
Okay, I polished, retracked all the vocals, remixed the bass and guitar channels, EQ'd nearly everything to get things to stand on their own better...Let me know.



Next version: Drums balanced, backing vocals cut back, main vocal up. Fixed the crossover between the sub-bass and the bass. Reduced the reverb on the main vocal (no one but me complained about that, but I did it anyway).

 
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Playing and singing, drums etc are all good for me. Love the tones you have on everything, especially the power on the piano.
Some minor tweaks I would do....(personal preferences only).
The l/r piano seems a bit loud, and the lead vocals are not loud enough (except when the backups are going they punch through nicely).
Maybe a db or so up on the lead vocals (or bring them forward), and same down on the piano.
The focus seems to be on the piano whereas I would move the focus to the vocal.
I noticed a nice sort of balance during the cool guitar solo - then everything got loud again.
So that's my humble opinion....:D
 
Thanks for the listen, Gerry! I just split the stereo piano into left and right and gave a 4ms nudge to the left track so it stood out better. :) Guess it stood out too far!
I just retracked all the vocals, so there's still a few issues there. You have great ears (or at least they line up to my conception of the song. :laughings:
Did you give ear to the bass end of things? I feel like I might have gone overboard with the sub-bass synth I added to the bass part.
There's a secret about the "cool guitar solo" I'll let people in on after a while, or PM me if you're actually interested...

Again, thanks for the listen. It sounded 100% better than my first "final mix", which means my ears are still opening. :D
 
Getting a disjointed feeling overall. Mix levels seem out (loud piano, low vocals, low kick/snare, loud hats). There is a hefty enough bottom end, but it is very indistinct. I already mentioned the hats, but they are very distracting. They really cut through the mix hard and they seem unnaturally panned out (which could just be due to how much attention they are demanding so I'd say don't worry about that bit for now).
 
Awesome. I'll take a look at the drums tomorrow. I actually got an actual WEEKEND OFF! Amazing, considering where I work...:) :D :laughings: Hey mods! I STILL need my :manic laughter: Smiley!
 
Sorry B-H, I must have missed this one when you first posted it. Like others have said, I'm hearing rumble on the low end. The cymbals are cutting through more than the rest of the kit. I can't make out the bass well. There are pitch problems here and there, especially in that harmonized refrain (for example, 1:32). Performance-wise, timing could be a little tighter.

Good work so far. I appreciate that you always write lyrics that are meaningful, and sing in a way to put them across.
 
piano seemed too loud to me, i'd bring it down quite a bit. I was going to say, first, bring the vocals up...but then i realized that bringing down the piano might alleviate that altogether. the snare doesn't have much of an affect to me...it's very quiet and doesn't drive the rhythm as much as it could. really, the piano volume is the biggest obstacle holding the rest back a bit. The other features will shine more if that piano comes down a little. whatta u think?
 
I think the piano is fine where it is. It is carrying a 16th note melody that works well against the bass lines. It is well balanced with the lead guitars.

Overall I like the arrangement, too. Nice work.

Check the vocal melodies on the "thank you jesus" lines. Some wobbly pitch there.
 
ROBUS: I'm getting the feeling that the bass isn't translating well. I added a sub-bass rumble on purpose. It's low passed at around 250Hz, but maybe I should pull it down to 150 to keep the build up out The original bass was a bit low lacking, so I popped a synth sub under it. The bass I used to use lost it's electronics, so if I retrack (which is not optimal) it'll have to be with the new Stiletto. I know the part you're talking about on the vocals. I added a third harmony to the original and the last note sounds good on the piano, but not in the vocal. Got to either hit the note better, or go into unison on that note.

ANDRUSHKIWT: I'm getting a lot of that. That piano part has to pop out of the mix to be where I want it. I'm looking this afternoon. It'll come down, but I may carve some sonic space for it. Snare/kick vs overheads is an issue I'm looking at this afternoon as well. :)

SUPERCREEP: Appreciate the kind words. Wondering if the opposite of what's been said could be true. Reducing the piano volume (as is the consensus) will knock the piano/guitar/bass ratio out of whack again (played that tightrope for 2 days). Maybe bringing the vocals forward, or dropping some mild verb everything else...I'll see what my brain comes up with this afternoon.

Thanks all for the listens. Hopefully this afternoon I'll get another mix up.
 
Okay, that was quick. I A/B'd with the best version I had before retracks to get everything to sound like I liked it. Posted the revamp in the original post. Other than the extra on the bottom, and better vocals, it sounded really close. I think I pulled 1/2 a dB too much out of the piano...
 
Listened to the new mix. I'm curious why you need a sub-bass in there at all. It's not low end rumble that you need, IMO, but clarity and punch. A nice P bass sound would do very well there.
 
Listened to the second version.

I thought things were well performed. The vocal is probably not quite up to the standards of the other instruments however. A pitch problem here and there.

Mixwise, it seemed like everything was trying to be the center of attention. keyboards, guitars, bass, vocal, you name it. Everything was trying to be the loudest thing in the mix.

The piano part was cool. Kind of an REO - Roll with the Changes feel to it.
 
ROBUS: Added the sub-bass because my old bass was not giving me what I wanted bottom end-wise, and I was too lazy to retrack with my new bass...song was two years old, and I'm sorta resurrecting without a lot of work. I've been thinking about retracking the bass on and off. Looks like it'll have to be done. It's not a P, it's a SGR Stiletto, but it sounds nice.

IDO1957: I must have pushed them too far, or pulling other things may have caused them to be louder than I pushed. It seemed funny that you said they were too quiet, and now they're the part that's too loud. :) Such is mixing!

TRIPLEM: Thanks for the listen. You have nailed the hit on the head. My two biggest problems: 1) My voice is 55 years old, and was not used properly since around 1990. Lack of vocal exercises has made it difficult to deal with. It is getting better (you should hear what I replaced). 2) In an effort to get all the instruments to have their own space, ALL of my mixes sound like there are 3 or 4 solo performances going on at all times...I hear other people's clean recordings and wonder how everything sounds so separate and distinct. It is a skill I do not have so far. :) Thanks for the REO reference. Doughty was one of my influences in the 70s. I remember sitting down and learning Golden Country and Roll with the Changes note for note...good memories.

So, bottom line:
1) I need to retrack the bass. Fine. It's a great and funky little piece with a lot of chording and a couple spots of note+harmonic that was a lot of fun to play. BTW, it's looped. I only learned it enough to play each part and then cut and paste. It'll be a nice challenge. Then I can kill the sub.
2) Some of the vocals need fixed, and the harmonies need retracked.

Also, btw, did anyone guess the secret behind the lead guitar on the left?
 
I love the song! great lyrics. I love the arrangement too. As for the mix...
Good bottom end. There is way too much volume and sizzle (8K?) on the crash cymbals. Also the cymbal decay doesn't sound natural... like there is a gate on them cutting them off when they should still be ringing. I think the vocal is kind of thin and lacking in body.
great song man!
 
I listened on headphones on the second mix, guitar was a little loud (I say little for my ears and just a hair when it hits the hi parts) I agree the vocals are too loud, and there are a few pitch problems, I like off, but what I hear in this is not a cool off. I like what ever effect you are using on the vocal.

Bass part on the HP's sound fine. I think the vocals could be better with a few more tracks to make it sound more relaxed. It all works, but the vocals sound a bit stiff and would do better if they were known (like an old glove) and into it. Feels like you are trying too hard. But that is just an opinion.

Good stuff coming out of your house these days.
 
Mix is really good. Guitar tone is perfect for the song.

I think the vocals are a tad high. Maybe 0.4db, not a lot. It's much better in the second verse for some reason.
 
Jimi! Thanks for the listen, man. Great to hear someone likes the bottom. :) I'll have another look at the drums. I'm just about done with this. Just a minor drop on the vocals (maybe a few more retracks). Then I'll need to retrack the bass. It'll be a while to learn that monster again and get it down right. Appreciate all the compliments. I love this one. That's why I dug it back up. :)

Dave: I have the hardest time hearing my own voice when I'm out of pitch. I'm going to record the vocal line using my piano and then listen to both side by side to figure out where to retrack...my wife's idea. She's so good to me! The effect is from a RE called Polar. Dual pitch shifter. I run -7 cents on the left and +6 on the right with the main vocal straight up the middle. Really gives it a punch. Can add delay to both, but I don't like it that way much...

Phil: Appreciate you like the guitar tones. :) The guitar on the left (and the solos) are a real surprise to me that people seem to like them. I'll explain below. Another vote for less vocal, but maybe just on the first verse. That's kind of what I thought yesterday, so your ears and mine are pretty well in tune. I need to work out the harmonies on the choruses, too. :)

GUITAR CONFESSION: The guitar on the left is a soundfont of a Fender Strat. It is 100% MIDI and run through the Line6 amp in old Reason 6 (not available anymore) and a whole raft of mix wizardry to make pick chucks and harmonics and feedback all play nicely... Now that I've said that, someone is bound to say, "Yeah, well I heard that all along.,.." Yeah, whatever. ;)
 
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Broken-H, when it comes to guessing how a given guitar part was recorded, I just don't even try. It's a fool's errand, too much effort only to be told I was completely wrong. ;) For me, guitar tone is like sausage--if it tastes good, don't ask what's in it.
 
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