Long Way Down

toad_uk

Member
Hi all. Long time since I've been here, so a bit cheeky asking for feedback. Will give some soon though, promise.

Main thing I'm interested in is sibilance, or over compensating for it at the start of the first verse. I think I sound like Sylvester the Cat. My girlfriend can't tell now as she knows the lyrics so if not sure if she's just filling in the gaps. At one point she said the vocals sound like I was underwater or had a mouth full of spit. Charming. Any feedback in general would be appreciated. :)

LongWayDownMixVersion8 by Jez Davis | Free Listening on SoundCloud
 
To start:

-Change the kick to one that punches along with the bass. (listen to Eric Clapton's most recent LP 'I Still Do' to see a recent example of how the master Glyn Johns does it)
-Change the snare to something that cuts through the mix better
-Tighten up the rhythm acoustic guitar playing and widen the stereo feel of the acoustic guitars by either eq'ing each side differently or putting a slightly gritty electric on one side, and bring the volume up.
-Firm up the bass so it doesn't sound so flubby
-Vocals: put thru a neve 1073 pre and compress with LA2A and 1176 then add both a short delay of ~ 30 milliseconds and another longer delay of about 350 to 650 milliseconds and mix that in under the other, without being audible in tthe mix.
-Solo guitar: more tasty licks and less modes
 
To start:

-Change the kick to one that punches along with the bass. (listen to Eric Clapton's most recent LP 'I Still Do' to see a recent example of how the master Glyn Johns does it)
-Change the snare to something that cuts through the mix better
-Tighten up the rhythm acoustic guitar playing and widen the stereo feel of the acoustic guitars by either eq'ing each side differently or putting a slightly gritty electric on one side, and bring the volume up.
-Firm up the bass so it doesn't sound so flubby
-Vocals: put thru a neve 1073 pre and compress with LA2A and 1176 then add both a short delay of ~ 30 milliseconds and another longer delay of about 350 to 650 milliseconds and mix that in under the other, without being audible in tthe mix.
-Solo guitar: more tasty licks and less modes

Thanks FairWarning - I wasn't too happy with the snare and kick, so will look at changing those.
I think the flubbyness in the bass is in the nature of the riff, with the sustained notes and the hammer on while keeping the open bass strings ringing. A tighter kick might help that though.
As for vocals, I guess I need to get saving up for your solution :-) but i'll try playing about with the compressors I have and the delay ideas.
Guitar solo - point taken, but I like that in this song.
Thanks for taking the time to reply
 
Good song. In regards to sibilance - I didn't notice anything off, even when I went back a second time to specifically listen for it.
 
Thanks for that OatmealB. You know how it is when you've been tweaking a mix over and over and over...
 
... I think the flubbyness in the bass is in the nature of the riff, with the sustained notes and the hammer on while keeping the open bass strings ringing.

The nature of the riff has nothing to do with flubby bass. Check out Stevie Ray Vaughan's 'Life Without You' to see what I mean.

As for vocals, I guess I need to get saving up for your solution :-)

Plugin Alliance has their $25/mo. subscription service and they have an amazing 1073 and 1176 and Waves has their LA2A on sale right now for $36.
 
Well I think the tune itself is great and well written. At first I liked the way it sounded as a whole, but going on what Fairwarning was hitting on, the song is missing some energy and could just be kicked up a few notches in just about all areas. At times the bass is sounds buried along with the snare. Kick should be brought up a little too. The vocals sound good but I little muffled at times, but I like your voice and the way your singing it. Also, your solo area reminds me of Nugent....

Stellar job, just needs some a little more ummph!
 
The nature of the riff has nothing to do with flubby bass. Check out Stevie Ray Vaughan's 'Life Without You' to see what I mean.



Plugin Alliance has their $25/mo. subscription service and they have an amazing 1073 and 1176 and Waves has their LA2A on sale right now for $36.

Thanks, I'll check them out and have a look at the bass again. I've changed the kick and snare and that alone seems to have mad a world of difference.

---------- Update ----------

Thanks Bruthish.
 
I'm not hearing any sibilance issues but the vocal could be more present and in the face, especially on the initial part of the first verse. Maybe smash it with some parallel compression and blend
 
the vox is too low for me...But, I don't think your lead VOX will sit well in this track based on the dynamics I heard. I think you are too far from the mic on this song

I think you should re-sing the whole song....Not cause of the reasons you think...Not note or performance related, or your issue you are concerned with. I just did the same thing on my latest song "Cry of the Young" & it made my mixing so much easier & the track was better all around, because I wasn't overpowering my track vocally.

I am a powerful singer but I forced myself to get close to the mic & chill on this tune, i Iound I could get to the same spot with less effort & also not need Compression on my VOCALS at all....Get as close to the mike to the POP filter as you can and sing softly with controlled power. Get right up on the screen, but you gotta sing soft, the mic will be your friend here...Use your very best correct Mic technique on loud phrases instead of relyng on a Compressor. Back off properly. MIX IN YOUR HEAD AS YOU SING....Your VOX will naturally sit in the mix better, especially on this arrangement.

I would at least try it...But don't erase your original track in case my technique doesn't work for you & you are not feeling it...

Like the track, but that is what I would suggest
 
Thanks Steve. I'll give that a try. Like you, I don't do much soft singing, but definitely worth a go. After the vocal used I did do another vocal which was more gritty, but didn't work and so went back to the original used, so maybe I should try going the other way as you suggest.
 
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