Thirteen (A Big Star Cover)

p_wats

p_wats

New member
Hey guys,

Here's a cover of Big Star's "Thirteen" we did last month. There are already a few somber takes on the song (Elliott Smith, etc.), so we figured we'd have some fun with it.

This was done entirely in our basement jam-space/studio using a Zoom R24 and Reaper.



All in all we're very happy with it!

Thanks for listening.
 
Absolutely love the original of this. The m/f vocal arrangement here is cool and I like the relationship between the deadpan male and the soulful female vocals. I think they're too far in front though, which makes the rest of the arrangement feel more like a backing track than a part of a cohesive whole.

Other nits that I picked up were that the wah guitar comes in a bit loud and I wasn't crazy about the drums either which sound too distant and lifeless. Other than that it was an enjoyable listen and based on what you've said on the link, it's a song that means a lot to you and you've put a lot of love in.

I guess the Moldy Peaches comparison is inevitable :p
 
Thanks for listening! You wouldn't be the first person to say that I put vocals a bit too up-front in the mix, so I should really keep that in mind next time.

As for the drums...I'm a sucker for strange old gear and couldn't resist trying a Yamaha RX-17 drum machine I got for $10. Ha.
 
I have to love the fact that you and your accomplice love the song. I must say that you both could benefit from syncing up your lines in the vocal track. It does not flow the way a rehearsed duet vocal track should IMO.
 
jimmys69 said:
I have to love the fact that you and your accomplice love the song. I must say that you both could benefit from syncing up your lines in the vocal track. It does not flow the way a rehearsed duet vocal track should IMO.
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Yeah, we thought about polishing up the "togetherness" of our vocals (I actually did move a few lines closer together), but if there's one thing people say about our band it's probably that we're far more fun than we are actually tight. Ha.

Thanks for listening! This is a funny song in a way, as it seems a lot of people don't know the original, but those who do absolutely love it.
 
Likewise, I'd have brought the two vocals closer together - hers needs freedom to wander, but still has to have a certain punctuation to be in step. Were it mine to mix, I'd drop the male voice down just slightly under the female. Let hers be the focus and yours be the smiling soft support.

You have 2 things I want badly - a refuge (the basement) to play in, and, more importantly, someone to sing and play with. That's a song in and of itself.
 
Can't add anything someone hasn't already said. The vocals are waaay too loud. The vocals are pretty loose, but I think it kinda works. I'd keep the female vocals higher than the male's.
 
Thanks guys. I have to get better at dropping the vocals into the mix more. I guess I just listened to so many friends mixes where the vocals were almost non-existent and overcompensated.

I should mention what gear was used too. If I recall correctly this song was pretty much just recorded using an AT-3035 into a Zoom R24 into Reaper. Most of the instruments were all direct (drum machine, Korg Polysix, even acoustic guitar through a homemade phaser...).

Oh, and then I ran the whole thing through an old Yamaha MT-8X cassette 8-track with my DIY delay and auto wah pedal in the FX send/return...lots of strange fun.

Thanks again for listening. The feedback is very helpful. We're very happy with how it turned out, but it can always be better.
 
p_wats said:
Thanks guys. I have to get better at dropping the vocals into the mix more. I guess I just listened to so many friends mixes where the vocals were almost non-existent and overcompensated.
Click to expand...

This I agree with.... most people end up mushing their vocals into the music rather than occupying the lead slot. You end up losing the lyrics when the vocals are too far back. LEAD singer, LEAD guitar, LEAD whatever - need to lead.
 
I think the male vocal is a little loud, just drop it down and I think it will be more balanced. I think the out-of-syncness works. Not heard the original. Like the odd sound thing going on.
 
toad_uk said:
I think the male vocal is a little loud, just drop it down and I think it will be more balanced. I think the out-of-syncness works. Not heard the original. Like the odd sound thing going on.
Click to expand...

Thanks! It's funny, because my vocal is already down slightly, but it must be the way the frequencies are sitting in the mix (my deeper voice carries more...). We'll probably do a few more songs like this in the future, so I'll definitely keep that in mind.
 
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