Thought on this mix

I

In Tune Audio

New member
Alright, I need some thoughts on this mix. It's a hip hop track I recorded for a guy. No samples used. Real drummer , (but we did loop it) and all other parts played, (however quite a few on keyboard).

Not much I can do about music or arrangement, but your free to make comments about it. I'm more interested in it sonically. It's called I Eternal

So any thoughts would be great.

Here is the link

http://www.nowhereradio.com/artists/album.php?aid=4350&alid=-1


Thanks
Chuck
 
OK, sonically... opening instruments and vocal collage sound good (is that a kalimba?). Main vocal sounds a little over compressed to me - it's missing a lot of articulation transients.

Tim
 
Timothy Lawler said:
OK, sonically... opening instruments and vocal collage sound good (is that a kalimba?). Main vocal sounds a little over compressed to me - it's missing a lot of articulation transients.

Tim
Click to expand...


Thanks for the reply!

Part of the overcompressed sound is the dudes voice. I went back and double checked and there's never more than 3 or 4db of compression at a time. He's kind of nasal, but has also worked hard on his technique so that he's able to control what he's doing. (IT's actually really nice to work with a rapper with little attitude, and works his butt off, I don't mean this as a shot at all rappers, but I've worked with some idiots.) But I totally hear what your talking about.

The beginning part has chords (Clean guitar sound from the Korg Triton) and the two little notes back and forth are an acoustic guitar way up on the fret board.

Thanks again

Chuck
 
Cool Like Dat

Nice poetic angle -

It's always cool to hear rappers who don't blindly follow the "rollin down the strip with the nine and a 40" persona :)

A rap retrospective about what must have been churning through the heads of people like Malcolm X or MLK, and it's set to a beat that brings me back to the day of the Diggable Planets.

Sometimes deeper thoughts provide more torment - - but I'd like to see more of this kind of intelligent and spiritual conflict portrayed in rap music. Unfortunately it doesn't seem to sell as well.

I relate to this investigation of a truth that is not so hedonistic but all about self investigation as a part of one's culture and surroundings. To me, this is probably more real than lots of dimestore rappers who put the pen to paper and all they can think about is their next high, their next ho, their next threat.

I'm guessing that there has been a point in your career that you've been looked at like an alien for spittin' poetic introspections rather than violent hedonism.

Not that I don't appreciate or participate in my own hedonism, but cliche' gangsta rappers have become a dime a dozen.

---Added to my permanent playlist
 
Well, I like the way it flows. Very smooth. I hear what Tim spoke of, and if that's his style, I'd probably just let it go. Better than a lot of stuff. It's very smooth, and non offensive. Some rap gets old, because it is such a re-hash of something I just heard. This reminds me of some stuff that BigWillz has posted. Very clean sounding, and really smooth. Easy to get into a groove with. Sounds like the dude enjoys the music that is behind him. He doesn't seem to fight it. I don't delve too hard into someone else's lyrics, as that is for the lyricist. These seem to fit well, and flow along with the whole tune.
Nice work.
Ed
 
Where's the big-ass thumpin' bass?

There is some bass nut no sub-sonic earth rattling bass I usually associate with a recording of this type.


I'm not a fan of this type of "music" but.....too repititious and bland.


Dave
 
I'd treat this like I'd treat any other song. It's a little soft for my taste, especially in things like that keyboard guitar sound. I'd make it sparkle a bit more. Also, the bass could use a little more mid grunge to give it some texture. I know hip-hop usually calls for the vocals to be very tight and up front, but I'd go another route on this one since the song is so musical and sparse. I'd give the vocals more of a reverb space, make it a little more spacey and a bit more lush to accentuate the musicality of the piece. I alos think the drums could stand a bit more edge to them.

Just a bit soft overall.
 
yeah.. hip hop is known for 2 things.. bass.. and drums.. turn up that bass and drum beat... the vox sound too good.. i like this song.. but i feel like it could be really good.. with a bit of a change.
 
I agree on the drums. you should turn them up. It will add more energy to the song.
I do the like the calm feel of the track, but louder drums wont hurt that.

Good song overall.
 
Snare sounds too far away. The drums could be more in-your-face, I agree. Other than that, sounds pretty good :)
 
I appreciate the feedback. While I agree the drums could be a little louder, thumping bass is not what was wanted on this track.

People have said that they like that this wasn't the typical rap track about bitches and gangstas, well it's also wasn't suppose to be a typical beat either.
I thought the comment about the vocals sounding too good was quite commical. Why shouldn't vocals sound good? And especially when the guy has a message he's trying to get across, we didn't want anything else to interfere with that.
He wanted a good balanced track.

Thanks for the feedback
 
Cool ass tune, man. I especially like the way you overlap vocals, either by delay and looping or by double-tracking, to repeat a slight second or so from the main delivery. Main and alternate vox sound great. The girls and guy voices in the intro need a little more processing. The back track of drums/bass/etc. needs work. Too distant...needs a little more 'in your face' in the mix or origin.
Dig the tune and the feel. :)
 
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