Sweet Love - feedback please

[ido1957]

Here's a song that I wrote and recorded a while ago, but it needed some work. The main thing was re-recording the guitars using a mic on the amp instead of direct out the back. Since I'm on vacation this week, I figured I would try and re-record the guitars and mix this down.

The song is called Sweet Love and the link below should take you to the songs page.

http://www.soundclick.com/bands/page...?bandID=395006

Any feedback you can give me on this mix would be greatly appreciated.

[Gorty]

Originally Posted by ido1957

Here's a song that I wrote and recorded a while ago, but it needed some work. The main thing was re-recording the guitars using a mic on the amp instead of direct out the back. Since I'm on vacation this week, I figured I would try and re-record the guitars and mix this down.

The song is called Sweet Love and the link below should take you to the songs page.

http://www.soundclick.com/bands/page...?bandID=395006

Any feedback you can give me on this mix would be greatly appreciated.

Gerry,

I love the guitar tone! Nice work there on capturing the guitars! I like the way that the intensity varies in your playing in the sections of the song where it is called for!!

I also like the little runs on the guitar that leads in and out of the middle 8th/ future solo section!
The vocals could probably come down a db or two, but that is just a minor nit pick, but I am listening on my PC speakers at work so it is probably ok.
I love your ability to create these songs that have a common theme and yet are so unique in their individuality. You must have a great inspirational source!
The drums are a definite improvement in regards to the arrangement this time around!

I'm going for another listen Gerry, so keep up the good work and once again I can't wait to hear the guitar solo you come up with!.....I believe that you are going to have a guitar solo???

Gorty

[rayc]

TOP song. Good riff too, this has some good tension between the progression & the lyrics.
As Gorty says the runs in & out work wekk.
I have to relisten - are those little clicky sounds finger on string noises?
What effect/setting are you using for the guitar sound?
Gerry, how do you manage to maintain such quality in the song writing dept.? It's become my expectation that you'll get it right every time - just like I have of RAMI.
Excellent.

[Bulls Hit]

Yeah nice dirty guitar tones. They remind me of an old band called Badfinger. I agree with Ray, good songwriting here ido. The vocal melodies, bvs and guitars all blend together in a way that's just 'right'. I like it,cool song

[Greg_L]

Good song. Sort of a haunting type of melody. Guitar and drums sound great. No probs there. My only nit is I'm not hearing the bass very well. I think this is the type of song that the bass and drums can really get into a groove and really keep the song flowing. Maybe bring up the lows of the bass so it can thump along with the kick more. Otherwise its a nice song. You churn out some good stuff.

[Monkey Allen]

What I like best about this song is the singing especially the parts where the second voice comes in. It sounds pretty sweet. As far as instrumentation, it is pretty minimal...no tendency to overcomplicate things which I think is obviously good. Now about the vocals...how are they treated?

[jpw23]

Cool tune...really like the harmony guitar runs....drums could be a bit heavier in the mix, other than that, good song, good performance, great execution!!

[ido1957]

Originally Posted by Gorty

Gerry,

I love the guitar tone! Nice work there on capturing the guitars! I like the way that the intensity varies in your playing in the sections of the song where it is called for!!

I also like the little runs on the guitar that leads in and out of the middle 8th/ future solo section!
The vocals could probably come down a db or two, but that is just a minor nit pick, but I am listening on my PC speakers at work so it is probably ok.
I love your ability to create these songs that have a common theme and yet are so unique in their individuality. You must have a great inspirational source!
The drums are a definite improvement in regards to the arrangement this time around!

I'm going for another listen Gerry, so keep up the good work and once again I can't wait to hear the guitar solo you come up with!.....I believe that you are going to have a guitar solo???

Gorty

Thanks Gorty - I've remixed and have taken the vocals down a db or so. No guitar solo planned for this one. The main problem is I've loaded up all 8 tracks of my ADAT . Glad you liked the song - and yes I do have great inspiration .

Originally Posted by rayc

TOP song. Good riff too, this has some good tension between the progression & the lyrics.
As Gorty says the runs in & out work wekk.
I have to relisten - are those little clicky sounds finger on string noises?
What effect/setting are you using for the guitar sound?
Gerry, how do you manage to maintain such quality in the song writing dept.? It's become my expectation that you'll get it right every time - just like I have of RAMI.
Excellent.

Ray - thanks for the kind words....RAMI is a great songwriter/player so any comparison to him is most humbling....Those darn clicks are indeed string noise. You wouldn't believe the number of takes I did to reduce them to the level they are now. The guitar is my Kramer Pacer through my JCM900 with a bit of delay and comp from my GP8 processor.

Originally Posted by Bulls Hit

Yeah nice dirty guitar tones. They remind me of an old band called Badfinger. I agree with Ray, good songwriting here ido. The vocal melodies, bvs and guitars all blend together in a way that's just 'right'. I like it,cool song

Bulls Hit - I love Badfinger - remember the McCartney connection? Glad you like the guitar tones - mic'ing the amp makes a big difference.

Originally Posted by Greg_L

Good song. Sort of a haunting type of melody. Guitar and drums sound great. No probs there. My only nit is I'm not hearing the bass very well. I think this is the type of song that the bass and drums can really get into a groove and really keep the song flowing. Maybe bring up the lows of the bass so it can thump along with the kick more. Otherwise its a nice song. You churn out some good stuff.

Greg_L - Thanks for the compliment on the songwriting - yes it does have that haunting style..... I took your advice and brought the bass up a couple dbs and turned off the high pass (75Hz) filter that I initially engaged. Let me know if this is better.....

Originally Posted by Monkey Allen

What I like best about this song is the singing especially the parts where the second voice comes in. It sounds pretty sweet. As far as instrumentation, it is pretty minimal...no tendency to overcomplicate things which I think is obviously good. Now about the vocals...how are they treated?

Mr. Allen - Thanks for the kind words. I like to keep things fairly simple so they translate ok when played live (as much as possible). The vocals are main and two harmonies panned l/r. I think I used the Medium Male setting on the Triple C compressor on them when recording. On mixdown I added reverb from my PCM80 and compressed the whole mix lightly to get it to "gel" together...

Originally Posted by jpw23

Cool tune...really like the harmony guitar runs....drums could be a bit heavier in the mix, other than that, good song, good performance, great execution!!

jpw23 - Thanks for the feedback - glad you liked it. Took your advice also and set the drums up a notch on the most current mix.



The new mix is up using the feedback above. Please let me know how it sounds....

Same link - here you go......

http://www.soundclick.com/bands/page...?bandID=395006

[queepy]

1st off those vocals sound great!!Especially with the backing /chorus.As others stated , the guitars are nice and crunchy and complex sounding...kinda a Neil Young sound to 'em which is way cool in my book!I like my drums loud and this song sounds like it could use just a bit more muscle in that area....
Congrats on a killer tune....nice work!

[Gorty]

Originally Posted by ido1957

The new mix is up using the feedback above. Please let me know how it sounds....

Same link - here you go......

http://www.soundclick.com/bands/page...?bandID=395006

Nice work Gerry, The only point that I can hear that could benefit from some tweaking is that the drums could do with some beefing up a tad, or to coin a phrase as variaxman stated, "a bit more muscle". Maybe a slight boost in the mids for the toms and a boost in the bottom end for the kick!

Great stuff Gerry!

I like it!

[bigbubba]

Dude, this is a really good song.

I like the the words.

The vox are really solid on this. The backup vox are really really cool.

The bass is actually pretty cool. The drums could use some EQ'ing on the tom like was mentioned before.

The guitar tone is really a killer tone.

The backup vox is my favorite part tho.

The tune is really really cool. Like I said, you can't write a bad song.

[rayc]

What Big Bubba said is SPOT ON!
The reworking is terrific.

[Greg_L]

Yeah, it sounds much better now. Really good. Great job man.

[DavidK]

Good song Gerry. I like the background vocals, I dont recall them in your other tunes. It makes a big difference. The balance seems fine,another quality tune.

[Dogman]

I agree with the otheres comments on the vocals....well captured, and mixed. Beautiful chorus man...that haunting vibe adds much to the song...very cool.

Nice guitars...they fit this song well in sound, and what is played. Nicly done.
Great bass tone....it mixes well with the guitar, and really carries it's end of the tune.

Song as a whole is very nice. Good structure, and great choice of progression. Killer vibe man, and well done. I really like this.

[ido1957]

Originally Posted by variaxman

1st off those vocals sound great!!Especially with the backing /chorus.As others stated , the guitars are nice and crunchy and complex sounding...kinda a Neil Young sound to 'em which is way cool in my book!I like my drums loud and this song sounds like it could use just a bit more muscle in that area.... Congrats on a killer tune....nice work!

variaxman - Thanks for the kind words - glad you liked this one! I took your advice and pushed the low end eq for the kick, and added a db or two at around 225Hz to get some more punch in the toms and snare.

Originally Posted by Gorty

Nice work Gerry, The only point that I can hear that could benefit from some tweaking is that the drums could do with some beefing up a tad, or to coin a phrase as variaxman stated, "a bit more muscle". Maybe a slight boost in the mids for the toms and a boost in the bottom end for the kick! Great stuff Gerry! I like it!

Gorty - Appreciate your taking the time to relisten I worked on the drum tracks as recommended. I think it has a bit more thump and punch now.

Originally Posted by bigbubba

Dude, this is a really good song.
I like the the words.
The vox are really solid on this. The backup vox are really really cool.
The bass is actually pretty cool. The drums could use some EQ'ing on the tom like was mentioned before.
The guitar tone is really a killer tone.
The backup vox is my favorite part tho.
The tune is really really cool. Like I said, you can't write a bad song.

bigbubba - Thanks for listening and details on the mix. Glad you like the song too. The bass is my good friend mjhamil of course. His playing is great - I like the big slide he puts in there every so often... Toms have been eq'd as you suggested and the new mix is up now...Thanks Again!

Originally Posted by rayc

What Big Bubba said is SPOT ON! The reworking is terrific.

rayc - thanks for the relisten... Drums have been touched up and the latest mix is now posted...

Originally Posted by Greg_L

Yeah, it sounds much better now. Really good. Great job man.

Greg_L - Thanks for taking the time to listen again!

Originally Posted by DavidK

Good song Gerry. I like the background vocals, I dont recall them in your other tunes. It makes a big difference. The balance seems fine,another quality tune.

DavidK - Thanks for the positive feedback David. You're right about the backups - they really add something. I only have backups in some of my songs. Sometimes they just fall in to place; the ones without it require some thought....

Originally Posted by Dogman

I agree with the otheres comments on the vocals....well captured, and mixed. Beautiful chorus man...that haunting vibe adds much to the song...very cool.
Nice guitars...they fit this song well in sound, and what is played. Nicly done.
Great bass tone....it mixes well with the guitar, and really carries it's end of the tune.
Song as a whole is very nice. Good structure, and great choice of progression. Killer vibe man, and well done. I really like this.

Dogman - Thanks for listening and all the kind words. Glad you liked it! I'm really getting into the sound of my mic'ed amp. The advice from you and others is helping me mix these better!



I've just posted a remix with the recommended changes to the drum tracks. Please let me know how it sounds....

[Nick98338]

Get out your dictionary and look up "distorted tube amp guitar". This song will be there. As usualy, very nice musicianship. Well played. For the recording part, the first thing I noticed is that there's not much separation, stereo-wise. Most everything is close to the middle. There seem to be, at least, two guitars there, but they're too close together to separate. Eh... probably my old ears. Any way, same with the bass and the kick. I can hear the kick alright, sometimes can't make out the bass. The vocals do sit nicely on top of everything. Then, there's that tink.. tink.. thing going on. It's moving around. It's off the beat, so it stands out. Don't know what that is. Another great sounding song!

[ido1957]

Originally Posted by Nick98338

Get out your dictionary and look up "distorted tube amp guitar". This song will be there. As usualy, very nice musicianship. Well played. For the recording part, the first thing I noticed is that there's not much separation, stereo-wise. Most everything is close to the middle. There seem to be, at least, two guitars there, but they're too close together to separate. Eh... probably my old ears. Any way, same with the bass and the kick. I can hear the kick alright, sometimes can't make out the bass. The vocals do sit nicely on top of everything. Then, there's that tink.. tink.. thing going on. It's moving around. It's off the beat, so it stands out. Don't know what that is. Another great sounding song!

Nick98338 - Thanks for the feedback Nick, it's greatly appreciated. I've read some less than favorable reviews about the JCM900, but I'm liking the sound I'm getting out of it. That's mic'ed though - the lineout is very fuzzy sounding. I've panned the guitars and backup vocals around 10 and 2 trying to get some separation but also close enough that they gel together. The drums are the same panning but they are midi drums so they don't have a lot of built in panning (except the toms). That tink tink is finger noise which is mainly a performance thing that I need to work on . Thanks Again!

[Greg_L]

JCM900 you say? Turn that baby to 10.

[ido1957]

Ok - I'm on vacation so I have a bit of time on my hands Thought I would try remixing this using Nick's suggestions (thanks man!).

I've increased the panning on the drums, guitars and vocals. They're still tight but listening on headphones I'm getting more separation.

I also added a db to the bass guitar. Mike used a bassier tone on this one so it's a thick and low tone. But I tried to get some more definition around the upper mids.

Greg_L - thanks man, my JCM900 is nice......

[rayc]

Sweet reworking.
Mike's bass rrrrumbles away nicely & then pops up for some runs. It doesn't have his usual ricky sound does it? The change to tone is good though & suits the song.
This does have that Neil Young - will go off into a 10 min astounding solo live - feel to the riff & tone.
No solo you say. I can understand given the structure. There's no room for it. I was going to suggest a few of those excellent licks from the last song on the outro but you've maxed out the 8 track - bummer.
Enjoy your vacation Gerry. I've spent the last 2 days of mine reorg'ing my recording space & will have to record something to find out whether the re org worked - your song has inspired me to go & do something TODAY.

[Nick98338]

Yea... can hear and feel that bass now. With the cans on, it makes my throat vibrate. I think I wish I could hear just a bit more of that harmony guitar on the right side. Great job!

[XLR]

I like it. Rich gtr tone. But I think almost any song you do should have some lead gtr backing licks in it since you do that so well and it "synergizes" so naturally with your vocals.

[ido1957]

Originally Posted by rayc

Sweet reworking.
Mike's bass rrrrumbles away nicely & then pops up for some runs. It doesn't have his usual ricky sound does it? The change to tone is good though & suits the song.
This does have that Neil Young - will go off into a 10 min astounding solo live - feel to the riff & tone.
No solo you say. I can understand given the structure. There's no room for it. I was going to suggest a few of those excellent licks from the last song on the outro but you've maxed out the 8 track - bummer.
Enjoy your vacation Gerry. I've spent the last 2 days of mine reorg'ing my recording space & will have to record something to find out whether the re org worked - your song has inspired me to go & do something TODAY.

Ray - You're right about the difference in tone on the bass. On a tune like Overtime, his bass cuts through the mix, whereas here it's much less defined with more bottom end. Versatile bass that Ricky....
Have fun with your new recording set up....and hope you had a good New Year's Eve (cause it's already over in Oz)...

Originally Posted by Nick98338

Yea... can hear and feel that bass now. With the cans on, it makes my throat vibrate. I think I wish I could hear just a bit more of that harmony guitar on the right side. Great job!

Nick - Thanks for the helpful feedback and I'll try another remix soon - busy with dental issues now....not good on a weekend.....

Originally Posted by Timothy Lawler

I like it. Rich gtr tone. But I think almost any song you do should have some lead gtr backing licks in it since you do that so well and it "synergizes" so naturally with your vocals.

Tim - thanks for checking it out. Glad you like the tune/tone.... I am a bit limited with the ADAT for tracks so sometimes I run out before I get a lead or a harmony vocal. But I will make plans in the future to try and include some backing licks where I can....

[Freudian Slip]

Sounds Great! Awsome guitar and drums. Back ups are great! Bass is solid.

How did you get Steve Windwood to do the singing on this?

Another great song done up great


F.S.