THE ICE CREAMS / "It's So Strange"

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wjgypsy

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Another song we recorded for The Ice Creams - "It's So Strange"

Vox, Backing Vox, Acoustic Guitar, Organ, Drums, Electric Bass.

 
I thought this was a decent sounding mix. Well performed. And a nice feel to the song.

If it were me, I'd put the bass down the center and put another guitar on the right. Maybe double the acoustic that's on the left. The bass level is also a bit uncontrolled. I like the tone of it though. Flatwounds? Bass part is a little busy and gets tiring after a while.

Lead vocal wasn't bad. A hint of cloudiness, but not bad. Could probably use a small boost around 4-5K.

Couldn't hear much of the kick. Snare sound is a little "thuddy" to my ear. A lighter snare sound would suit the song better I think. Not hearing much from the cymbals. Was there a highhat at all?

I think I'm being too critical. it was a nice mix. Hope I helped.
 
Sounds a lot like the Beatles. Especially since you did the old-school mix thing of putting the bass at a panned extreme.
The snare and kick are muffled.


Good use of stereo overall. It gave me a really nice "wide" listening experience.
Great tune.
 
I'll tell you one thing... if you name your band "The Ice Creams", I'm going to listen. If I ever find a band named "The Tacos" I'll buy their whole catalog before I ever hear a song.

I don't have proper monitors, but I broke out the $30 Sony headphones that advertised themselves as "studio monitors" on the box so I could properly experience this unique panning. I liked it at first, but by the end I wanted the bass back in the middle. I like the bass tone... it suits the song. The snare sound isn't something I'd normally care for, but again, it suits the song.

Overall, it's not my type of music, but I thought it sounded good.
 
The track has a very retro feel, and the panning has the character of stereo of the mid-sixties. There is a lack of crispness to the recording, and perhaps that's the lofi effect you wanted.

Vocals are a bit pitchy here and there.

The thing is this: songs were mixed that way in the sixties because that's pretty much all they could do. I didn't find it all that satisfying to listen to then, and I don't find it satisfying to listen to now. But I understand how some people like it, so go for it.
 
I like this quite a bit. I like the retro sound of the mix and it sounded well balanced. Nothing stood out to me, especially with the idea in mind that you're trying to emulate mixes that weren't perfect. I hated the part of the video when it was matched to the drums.. it was switching way too fast and made my head hurt. It got much better after it slowed down and you had something to look at for a few seconds.
 
Overall, the track's pretty good. I wouldn't mind the more important voices (high hat, bass, maybe the keyboard) panned closer to the middle though. I always go by the rule that if something is truly important to the mix, the guy listening on one headphone needs to be able to hear it.

The dead air at the beginning is weird too.

Oh hey. I actually have the Gypsy Farms sampler. (Because it's the only CD that Uncle Skunkle had). Are The Humms that you guys work with the same as this guy?
 
Cool tune. I like the vocal performance and the bass part most of all. Not a huge fan of the extreme panning, but you made it work I think. I thought the mix overall was a bit murky and could use more top end or less low, but I got used to it as it went along. It certainly isn't lacking in low end energy.

I thought that was Gerald Ford spinning around in the tea cup at first, but upon closer inspection, I'm pretty sure that's not him! :) Nice track...good job.
 
Wow that's awesome, VomitHatSteve! I remember Uncle Skunkle..they're now called "These Heathens" -- Ethan has acquired one of the old Lathes from Sun Studio and has been doing some 'home cuttin' of his own. check his stuff out over at Funky Frankenstein - A creative outlet and record cutting service based in the heart of Tennessee.

Yes indeed, although they (humms) have been inactive for a couple years now, We recorded their "Lemonland" album back in 2010.

Thanks again for everyone's input and listening.
 
VomitHatSteve said:
Oh hey. I actually have the Gypsy Farms sampler. (Because it's the only CD that Uncle Skunkle had). Are The Humms that you guys work with the same as this guy?
Click to expand...

Wow that's awesome, I remember Uncle Skunkle..their now called "These Heathens" and Ethan has acquired one of the old Lathes from Sun Studio and has been doing some 'home cuttin' of his own. check his stuff out over at Funky Frankenstein - A creative outlet and record cutting service based in the heart of Tennessee.

Yes indeed, although they (humms) have been inactive for a couple years now, We recorded their "Lemonland" album back in 2010.

Thanks again for everyone's input and listening.
 
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