Eyes Wired Open

[rayc]

http://www.soundclick.com/util/getplayer.m3u?id=6700079&q=hi
This is the link to jangle with a draft vocal track.
The vox will be retracked but I'm interested in how it sits at present, levels, blend, on top of, buried in, are the vox levels comfy with the solo etc.
Comments on melody & lyrocs as well as the backing are most welcome.
Oh, lyrics:
You’re wearing yesterday’s raincoat
Safe from tomorrow’s rain
Impatient at today’s departure
Uncertainty goes against the grain
Dreams filled with euphemistic ghosts
Keep company with your fears
Revisit the separation
As the memories draw tears
Build a wall of mixed illusions
Thatch a roof with your decay
Make a mask of grand delusion
When there’s nothing left to say
You’ve nothing more to say.

Whisper softly to the darkness
feel it lightly holding on
Taking comfort from the echo
Well, at least until it’s gone.
Build a wall of mixed illusions
Filling dreams with your decay
Make a mask of grand delusion
All the things we could not say
I reject them every day
Every morning there’s the promise
Every evening there’s the lack
Every moment there’s the prospect
That you won’t be coming back
Build a life of mixed illusions
Sent the world with your decay
Make a mask of grand delusion
When there’s nothing left to say
Just hope it will go away
Eyes wired open you still can’t see,
What was, what is & what will be.
Close your eyes & look around,
You won’t know what’s lost ‘til it’s found
Close your eyes & look around,
Build a wall of mixed illusions
Thatch a roof with your decay
Make a mask of grand delusion
When there’s nothing left to say
The world just won’t go away.
Why won’t it go away?
Cheers
ray

 

[ido1957]

The only mix advice would be to nudge a little more highs on Terry's vocal. The esses don't seem to be a problem on this track so a couple db's might work. The level of vocals is pretty much right on for my taste.

I read the lyrics before listening and was impressed as always. Great style, meter, vocab and story...

The vocal melody is cool too because it doesn't always follow the backing track, which is a very strong part of the song. It goes down in spots where the music goes up etc...

Love that voice Terry!

So far so good!

 

[Monkey Allen]

Can't seem to connect ray...will try again later

 

[rayc]

Hi Gerry,
I can't up the highs as there's an awful lot of noise on the original of this vocal draft. I've used noise reduction and filters so I can't boost the highs as it'll bring some of that back. There's also a very, very odd extreme narrow peak & trough at about 11khz that I had to cut the vox in front of.
I do know there's a need for top end definition and hope to have or apply that when Terry sends the final vocal. There are a few things Terry'll smooth out in delivery as well.
I think the melody or the vocal works really well with your fabulous solo.
Thanks for the positive comments mate.
Monkey Allen,
The link seems OK as of now: I hope it works for you when you try. If not let me know & I'll send you the mp3.

 

[Rokket]

Soundclick has been having problems with direct linking of the songplayer on their site. I just had an issue with it trying to open widows media instead. That has been happening to my posts too, so I just link with the music page and it seems to have helped.

 

[rayc]

Here's the link to the music page. It ought to bypass streamer problems.
Ta Rokket!
http://www.soundclick.com/bands/default.cfm?bandid=469622&content=music

 

[VomitHatSteve]

I heart a high-pitched feedback or squealing sound throughout most of this song. I think it's in the vocal track (since I didn't hear it during the solo).

I agree that the vox could stand to have more high end (except for the tinnitis noise).

 

[Greg_L]

Ray, I couldn't take that squealing high-pitched noise in the vocal track, so I had to shut it off.

Sorry man.

 

[rayc]

Greg & Vomit hat,
Sorry about the noise. It's barely there in wave form and marginally more so in MP3 but the cuts for streaming must remove the stuff that obscures it.
The vocal track has big noise problems and I hope the real track Terry cuts won't be anywhere near as bad. We're currently diagnosing the problem in his signal chain to find the culprit.
The noise in Kennedy Avalon is similar but different - it has other "artifacts" from noise reduction as well.

 

[rayc]

H E L P

http://www.soundclick.com/util/getplayer.m3u?id=6848840&q=hi
or
http://www.soundclick.com/bands/defa...&content=music
This is a link to a brief sample of the vocal track complete with problems.
I've tried noise reduction based on a sample of the track with no vox - ie" just noise".
I've tried filtering and I've tried EQing. In fact I've done all three in series to get improvement.
Have a listen, any suggestions?
Here's the freq analysis of the sample unprocessed. You'll note a weird very narrow peak at around 11khz. The rad cut at about 17 would be the MP3 processsing that the file underwent before being sent to me.

 

[rayc]

Now this is JUST THE NOISE as selected by the noise reduction process:

 

[rayc]

Whoops, sorry - just noise!

 

[rayc]

and finally the vocal sample after some basic noise reduction.
Now Terry has a very, very nice sennheiser mic (can't recall the model) into a little Behri mixer for preamping, into a stock generic computer sound card into audacity.
Any ideas?
Oh, & there's a DC offset problem too...I've managed to deal with that but it shouldn't be there.

 

[rayc]

Here's the backing track WITHOUT the vocal:

 

[rayc]

& the backing & vocal (post some vocal processing) combined:

 

[NL5]

Have you tried a huge cut with a high q where that spike is just above 10khz?

 

[Rokket]

Have you tried a huge cut with a high q where that spike is just above 10khz?

That would probably do it...

 

[ido1957]

I wonder if the noise is computer/USB related. I found my old laptop with USB plugged in had a lot of underlying noise, although it was less discernable with music playing and running on batteries. It's reduced on my new laptop but if you wire it up a certain way you get some noise...and it's a high pitched noise too...

Does Terry have any noise coming through when he's not singing?

 

[Rokket]

That's a good point. My laptop has a built in mic that if I don't mute it, gives off a very similar pitch... not the same thing as this, but maybe it's picking up fan noise or some other weird stuff is coming through the interface?

 

[rayc]

Thanks for the responses folks.
Two images 1st NO cut & then -24 and as on the spot as I can get with Q about 8 (I tried higher but the peak "seemed to "move" to the edge of the cut.