don't come here no more

New mix

I spent a ton of time messing around with this last night. Here is new mix which I like a lot better. You all gave me some great ideas.

I re-tracked the lead vocal. It's a little less lazy sounding and the pitch is better at least. Any good?
I also removed the fuzz guitars from the 1st two verses just to create some space there and add contrast.
I spent a ton of time on the kick/bass thing and I hope the kick is more audible, but I don't think it's ever going to be super present here for some reason.
I agonized over the cymbals though. It seems like, with these loops anyway, if you want to bring the kit forward to sound bigger, you need to bring up the OHs, and with those come this huge wash of open hats and crashes. Comp is minimal. EQ used to tame the cymbals made the rest of the kit sound too dull and small. In the end, a compromise - the drums are a little more forward, but the cymbals still dominate. I added verb to some vocals and guitars hoping to push those back to be closer to the same space of the drums.

After all that, it probably sounds more or less the same to you, but very different to me. If anyone would care to check back and compare I would greatly appreciate it!

New mix 03/08:

 
heatmiser said:
I spent a ton of time messing around with this last night. Here is new mix which I like a lot better. You all gave me some great ideas.

I re-tracked the lead vocal. It's a little less lazy sounding and the pitch is better at least. Any good?
I also removed the fuzz guitars from the 1st two verses just to create some space there and add contrast.
I spent a ton of time on the kick/bass thing and I hope the kick is more audible, but I don't think it's ever going to be super present here for some reason.
I agonized over the cymbals though. It seems like, with these loops anyway, if you want to bring the kit forward to sound bigger, you need to bring up the OHs, and with those come this huge wash of open hats and crashes. Comp is minimal. EQ used to tame the cymbals made the rest of the kit sound too dull and small. In the end, a compromise - the drums are a little more forward, but the cymbals still dominate. I added verb to some vocals and guitars hoping to push those back to be closer to the same space of the drums.

After all that, it probably sounds more or less the same to you, but very different to me. If anyone would care to check back and compare I would greatly appreciate it!

New mix 03/08:

Click to expand...

Yup, I think that's better. I don't care much for the overheads but I understand your compromise. I think this is way better.
 
Greg_L said:
Yup, I think that's better. I don't care much for the overheads but I understand your compromise. I think this is way better.
Click to expand...

Thanks Greg. I'm glad you and the others mentioned the drums. It's great when I'm able to directly lift ideas from this forum and get results I like.
 
Fuck, mix two is terrific Pete. I listened the other day to the first mix but didn't get chance to leave feedback. I didn't think the first mix quite gelled, but most of what I would have suggested has been corrected.

The retracked vocal still has an element of flatness to it in spots, but I think it kind of adds to the snarley garagey sound this time. The first version did need re-doing for me and this is much better.

The guitar lead's bedded in to the mix much better on mix2. I think it's maybe still a touch too loud in the section starting around the 2.00 minute mark.

I also think the pause at around 2.26 is very slightly too long before the music comes back in. Don't know if you can tweak that or not with your setup?

The outro bit from 3.38 onwards is absolutely excellent. Love how everything comes together there.

It's quite a different tune for you man. I think a lot of it's down to the vocal - more direct, cuts through more and less of your usual layering. I like it - the last song you posted here sounded a bit like you were still getting used to writing again after a break, whereas this one feels like you've properly found your feet again. I'll be listening to this one more for definite, great work :thumbs up:
 
Still really like it. I like how it starts off sounding British and then turns into not British.

At 2.00, until 2.25, how about a disco kick hammering away - nothing else from the drums except the kick.

I'm going to have to rock at some point. This stuff's too much fun to let you have all of it. :)
 
That's a kickass sound, I agree with many suggestions here but I enjoyed this warts and all. I did keep waiting for something to kick me in the teeth in the chorus, sort of like a threat made by the verse but not carried out. Still, you could probably pan everything left and EQ it backwards and I would still like it.
 
Sounds great. the slide seems to fit better & the effects/other sounds that follow it across the panning work well too.
There seems to be a premature noise just before the resumption of play.
I did wonder what it would sound like with the fuzzed bad given a high pass and dropping a full sounding bass in under it but that's jest my musings I think.
This is cool &, as mentioned, I want a Flac or wave for my portable player thingumie.
 
dobro said:
True. But inspired. I think Greg could drum up a storm on this one. And yes, I'm out of line suggesting it. But in vino veritas.
Click to expand...

You're right (not about the out of line part). I actually thought while putting these drums together that it sounded like something Greg would play - especially the toms in the chorus.
I do hope to do a track sometime with Greg on drums, but probably not this one.

dobro said:
Sung to the tune of California Here I Come

Al Jolson - California Here I Come.mpg - YouTube
Click to expand...

Yeah, I recognized the tune ;).
 
robgreen said:
Fuck, mix two is terrific Pete. I listened the other day to the first mix but didn't get chance to leave feedback. I didn't think the first mix quite gelled, but most of what I would have suggested has been corrected.

The retracked vocal still has an element of flatness to it in spots, but I think it kind of adds to the snarley garagey sound this time. The first version did need re-doing for me and this is much better.

The guitar lead's bedded in to the mix much better on mix2. I think it's maybe still a touch too loud in the section starting around the 2.00 minute mark.

I also think the pause at around 2.26 is very slightly too long before the music comes back in. Don't know if you can tweak that or not with your setup?

The outro bit from 3.38 onwards is absolutely excellent. Love how everything comes together there.

It's quite a different tune for you man. I think a lot of it's down to the vocal - more direct, cuts through more and less of your usual layering. I like it - the last song you posted here sounded a bit like you were still getting used to writing again after a break, whereas this one feels like you've properly found your feet again. I'll be listening to this one more for definite, great work :thumbs up:
Click to expand...

Thanks rob - glad you caught the 2nd version! The worst vocal offender this time I think is when I sing the word "they fall upon deaf ears" (flat), which I thought was ironic at the time while tracking, but rather than stop and correct it, I soldiered on like the trooper I am :). You ever create pressure for yourself when doing vocal takes? It's like, you're on your 5th or 6th time through something you're struggling with, and you're finally happy with your take, nearing the end, and you start to realize "this could be the one!", and that's usually when I fuck up ;).

I know the pause you're talking about is on the beat, but maybe it could be shortened some and still fit, or fit better?

I liked the last tune! It's funny though that I spent forever on the drums and those seemed to be the biggest issue, whereas the guitars were just thrown in as an afterthought at the end, and that's what folks liked best. The moral there is; don't try hard :)!

chuckduffy said:
This track is sick crazy good. Holy crap, I love this.
Click to expand...

Awesome. Glad you got to hear it chuck. Hope to hear something from you again sometime!
 
dobro said:
Still really like it. I like how it starts off sounding British and then turns into not British.

At 2.00, until 2.25, how about a disco kick hammering away - nothing else from the drums except the kick.

I'm going to have to rock at some point. This stuff's too much fun to let you have all of it. :)
Click to expand...

British, then not British...that's pretty funny :). Maybe I should have faked an accent or something?

I had just a tambourine before @ the 2:00 section, but I took it out this time as I kind of liked how the percussion all disappears there...

rpm61 said:
That's a kickass sound, I agree with many suggestions here but I enjoyed this warts and all. I did keep waiting for something to kick me in the teeth in the chorus, sort of like a threat made by the verse but not carried out. Still, you could probably pan everything left and EQ it backwards and I would still like it.
Click to expand...

Thank you rpm! I agree that the chorus here, as with most of my tunes, doesn't provide the pay off one might expect based on the verses. I had a more high-gain guitar kick in there to make it, uh "rock" more (?), but it just sounded like ass, so I ditched it.

rayc said:
Sounds great. the slide seems to fit better & the effects/other sounds that follow it across the panning work well too.
There seems to be a premature noise just before the resumption of play.
I did wonder what it would sound like with the fuzzed bad given a high pass and dropping a full sounding bass in under it but that's jest my musings I think.
This is cool &, as mentioned, I want a Flac or wave for my portable player thingumie.
Click to expand...

Thanks for checking back ray :). I added some more verb to the lead/slide bits and also erased some of appearances of the slide entirely. All those slide bits were just me waiting for the next lead section to come up on the track - I grabbed the slide and just mucked around, never intended to use it. Upon playback, I liked them and left them. It was overdone though, so thanks for pointing that out.

Yeah, that noise! That's just me holding a note on one guitar part and lifting my fingers a second too early. I tried getting rid of it, but that held note is the only thing happening there, so edits sounded super unnatural. I guess it stays?

Once I know I've settled on a mix (probably this one) I will PM you a nice WAV version.
 
This latest version seemed vocally spot on. Me I just think the way the vocals sit in the groove in the version just snaps right into place where is feels right, then contrasts and show its intention.

I was not listening for anything deeper into the mix, just the surface anything obvious, from that view point, I think it is a very solid performance.
 
DM60 said:
This latest version seemed vocally spot on. Me I just think the way the vocals sit in the groove in the version just snaps right into place where is feels right, then contrasts and show its intention.

I was not listening for anything deeper into the mix, just the surface anything obvious, from that view point, I think it is a very solid performance.
Click to expand...

Hey, that's great. Thanks for checking back. I was hoping you would, as you planted the seed for a redo with your comment on the vocals. They were my biggest concern initially. I tried to pay closer attention to cadence and pitch this time. Not a lot of attention mind you, but some at least ;) :). Thanks again.
 
Quite different from your usual offering, but I liked it! It took a bit to settle in, but about the half-way mark, I was groovin'. Thanks for writing and sharing, Pete! Keep it up!
 
PoeticIntensity said:
Quite different from your usual offering, but I liked it! It took a bit to settle in, but about the half-way mark, I was groovin'.
Click to expand...

Well, it's a groovin' tune and that's what I do every time I listen to it. I think partly his stuff is about the groove, and partly it's about being as good as pro. Maybe not the mix, but he gets really close here to a very good mix... But I mean, imagine... being as good as pro on a site like this. Tsk. One wonders.
 
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