live rock ballad - final mix

lukgier

lukgier

New member
hi guys,
Here you have a tune with vocal.
I worked hard so that it fitted well what wasn't simple.
I hope it sits well in the mix now.

the lirycs were writen by famous polish poet - K.K. Baczynski and the music wrote my friend A.Goven.
I just did the arrangement of the song, recorded the musician and mixed it alltogether.
it was all recorded live - the drums, guitars, violins, bass,



waitin' for your opinions on this
regards
lG
 
lukgier
Nice intro, nice voice.
You lost me at 1.08 with the "metal" guitar. The solo is alright but that guitar sound , (crunch - can't you see I'm heavy & in total contrast to the lovely stuff happening? sort of heavy handedness), is a let down. The drop back into the lighter side is good. Listen to Nirvana or Buffalo Tom for an idea of distortion generated dynamics without being unimaginative.
Really nicely recorded strings mate.
The arrangement is great, the song is lovely - wish you'd provided a translation. The solo behind the vocals at 3.48 is pretty sad - not much being offered except speed runs & distortion. The stuff a 4.40 is MUCH better.
PLEASE buy the guitarist a new pedal or just get him/her to play just overdriven, or use a Pignose or something else that is DIFFERENT.
The hammond sound at 5.40 doesn't match the rest of the song. You've used that device before & this, similarly, doesn't cut it. Drop the fat funky hammond sound & go for something like the overdriven marshall stacked organ on early Deep Purple - it'd sound more appropriate.
It's a long piece but an interesting journey - except (you guessed for it) the poor distortion sound.
Almost excellent work.
Cheers
rayC
 
thanks rayc for your feedback,

hmm, at first I am not a guitarst (but you are right, the guitar player is a metallist, that's why the guitar sound)
I just wanted it sounds worm and punchy but didn't ponder on the distortion. I am not good at mixing guitars but I did my best to make it sound good.
There is very strong cotrast between the main parts and the refrain. Maybe I should cut the guitars in the refrain altogether and leave just the piano and maybe the guitar solos. Do you think that I can improve/change the sound of the guitars anyhow? if so, how to do this?
Should I leave this hammond sound just from 5:30 to 5:50 and then change the sound to overdriven marshal or change the hammond sound on its whole part?

do you think this guitar sounds better?


lG
 
What an EXCELLENT recording! I really like all the clarity this has. I'm into harder metal myself but I like this song and especially the quality. Only thing I really hear through my monitor headphones is the drums are slightly distant sounding. Are these real drums or sampled/machine?
I would call this professional sounding.
 
lukgier
That guitar sound is better - more guitar - less effect. Your recordings are GREAT> I just think that a lack of imagination on the part of the guitarist holds the piece back. Key the 5th is really good by the way.
As you recorded live, & I imagine want to keep it that way, there's not much you can do with the guitar except experiment by sending it through an aux to a bluesier FX set up. Probably won't work though.
Tha Hammond sound - maybe just pull it back a little & hit it with some extra reverb or flang or even cut some EQ to stop it being so 60's funky -(a sound I love but it doesn't quite sit in this piece) OR again aux it to a tube o'drive & see what comes out. experiment!
In case I didn't make it clear before your recording is ACE. Perhaps you should wield a little more producer influence on the tones selected by the players - all of whom play excellently by the way.
Keep up the good work.
Cheers
rayC
 
Really good, epic piece - absoloutely love the piano voicings and the various solos really add to it IMO. The whole thing had a Dream Theater feel to my ears - which is a big compliment BTW. The guitar solo at around 3/4 of the song is outstanding but the sound does let it down a little. Sounds very 'direct in'. I also found myself wanting the drums to be more upfront throughout. Make no mistake though, this is an excellent song - great work. :)
 
Thank you guys for your good words. I really appreciate it!
The problem is, sometimes I can't figure out which song you critque refer to. :/ That was my mistake to paste links to 2 my songs in the same topic ...wrrr.
I'd like to ask you to write a short info which song you meant writing about -- the trubute or the key ... .

rayc
Hammond - I did what you said and pull back the track and EQed it to make it sound less funky as you said ;) please redownload the song and check if it helped or not.
I hope it did.

Humbucker - you are exagerating I guess, you can't compare my feel to DT, they are musicians - I am just a musac, you know what the difference is! ... But it's extremaly nice to be compared to so damn best artists/musicians in da world. Indeed!
You are right about the Direct but this is indeed the way it was recorded :] just pluged it in and pressed REC! no outboard gear was used. just the guitar and NI GR1 in the input chanell, with some worming during the mix process. As for the drums, they were recorded live 4 years ago, just on 4 chanels. so many nights to make it sound like drums btw...

superprohero
in the tribute - the drums are reall, recorded live on 4 tracks. the key... drums are sampled. you're right they sound a bit distant - this is the reverb case - the fat drum chamber. do you think it doesn't suit the songs?

Anarchist - when at home, I will take a look what the vocal chain is. I am at work at the moment and don't remember what the inserts and and sends are.

thanks you once again, when my LP is done, you'll get one for free, my promise (the completly new rock album is being recorded at the moment, it lacks the guitar tracks and the vokals (still looking for a proper vokalist, all instruments are recorded live, I hope you will like it :)

regards
lG
 
Very interesting combination of sonorities. There's an odd compatibility between the heavy solo guitar and violin. Great recording quality.

EDIT: I listened to the original posted tune.

Tim
 
Last edited:
lukgier,
You are a really serious dude when it comes to recording.
Congrats on having the flexibility to attempt some of the suggestions made. I know a few who post only want to hear what they want to hear and get miffed by even positive criticism.
Are you going to get a translation posted - or even a vague idea of what the song's about?
The hammond sound - I've been typing whilst waiting for it to appear -
YES - understated and much more subtle, the hammo compliments what's going on instead of stamping on it. Go job mate, & the sustained prgan chord at the finish is JUST RIGHT.
By the way if you ever get a chance to listen to a song by the '70's Welsh band Budgie called Parents (on the album Never Turn Your back On A Friend)have a listen to the guitars & their sounds. The song has the sonic scope you are chasing & rapidly approaching.
Well done & thanks for the nice way you've responded to everyone's comments - a true gentleman.
Cheers
rayC
 
Nice work!
There is one thing I dislike.
Combination of metal guitar with her voice in chorus.
It does not fit. Her voice is not tuff enough for it.
Maybe if guitar was a little bit softer. I don't know if I explained it well.

Everything else is excellent.

Keep posting. PLEASE! (Check out my song. Can you understand my lyrics?)
 
Anarchist - I checked what I pluged into vocal chanell. Really nothing much, there's BBE Sonic Maximizer2.0 and 2x Yamaha VocalRack, but I forgot the reverb I used. I'll check this out and let you know. For recording the AKG C3000 was used btw.

Thanks Timothy for listening and some good words. The el. guitars were recorded first. When it was done I sit down and tried to add some acoustic instruments to smooth the very metal sounding guitars and add some balance to it. When it was done I took my friend Margaret, who studies playing on violin and recorded the violin tracks. :]

rayc - is it a shortcut from ray charles or I am totaly wrong? taking your hammond related sugestions into consideration I start to think that I am right ;)
I've been into recording for a while but I don't consider myself so serious. I do it for fun and sharing my music with others gives me pleasure especially when they like what I've done. In my approach I try to drow conclusions from what others have to say. Not doing this would be a sheer stupidity unless what they say is just reproaching the mistakes. I always try to learn from others and this way record and mix better my music. the '70's Welsh band Budgie called Parents doesn't ring me a bell but I'll look around, maybe it's available somewhere. Maybe you could make mp3 of this song and send it to my e-mail. I know it's illigal but it's '70s song, maybe they wouldn mind if you did so ;).

sikter - I know that her voice is very subtle, but this is what it is all about, a subtle female vocal against hard metal guitars. Look at it from this perspective and maybe listen to it at least 3 times. you may easly get used to it.
I couldn't find your music. share a link with me.

regards
lG
 
lukgier said:
sikter - I know that her voice is very subtle, but this is what it is all about, a subtle female vocal against hard metal guitars. Look at it from this perspective and maybe listen to it at least 3 times. you may easly get used to it.
I couldn't find your music. share a link with me.

regards
lG
Click to expand...

It is posted as "Something different"

http://home.online.no/~eldg/roomno52.cfm

Link will lead you to the lyrics too!
thank you for listening and help!
 
lukgier
Please send me you standard - not BBS based email or private message address. I tried your h/page but there's only the song link.
Cheers
rayC
 
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