"Soldier" Crunch time!!

JohnnyAmato

New member
Another track from the Addison Lane record I'm producing. She's doing another video, and needs the final mix in just a few days. Eek!

Sparse mix at times, but it builds somewhat, then kind of works it's way back down. I think I'm pretty close here, wonder what everyone's first impressions are mix-wise. Hopefully it's close; with this 15 song record, plus my own record I'm slowly working on, and other projects, my head is spinning...

Personally, I would've probably had more riff-like guitars during the pre-chorus and chorus, but this is what she wanted, and she's quite happy with it. Hence I don't want to screw the mix up...

Me again on all the instruments and drum programming, although writer/client Laurie Green did the piano (pretty low in the mix)
Lead vocals this time was Renee Dienethal-Hughes from the band 'Scream Blue', a friend of the clients. My wife Christina Grace on all the background vocals and ooo's.

Dropbox - SoldierFinal1.wav
 
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Sounds fine to me. I like the the end of the lead break - how you resolved it into the vocal. Tastefully done, IMO. I dislike awkward segues. I like the song, too, and have to go along with the lack of guitar riffs - I think that would be overdoing it just a hair.
 
This sounds pretty good to me. I'm not hearing a lot of separation in the backing tracks--the bass is what I hear the most. But it's a vocal mix, so I think it works.
 
When everything comes in, it works for me.

The intro was pretty heavy on tails: the snare had a lot of verb. She had a breathy tail on some of the passages.

To be nitpicky, I think the bgvox are leaning left.
 
When everything comes in, it works for me.

The intro was pretty heavy on tails: the snare had a lot of verb. She had a breathy tail on some of the passages.

To be nitpicky, I think the bgvox are leaning left.

Thanks Steve, I'll look into maybe lowering the snare verb a touch, and I'll listen closely to the backgrounds to see if I can even out the stereo image a tad better.

I left the vocal tails in the intro the way they were for character, but the more I worked on it and listened, they were slightly starting to bother me as well. I still left 'em alone, but I might just have to trim them down a touch. I still have a few short days for last minute revisions...

Thanks!
 
Nice work Johnny.
I have read the comments and I don't really have anything that isn't already addressed. I love Christian songs. This song has a great theme and some goid lyric. It's seems like some of the lyrics don't flow well though. Kind of like it's hard forbthe singer to get the lyric into the cadence and flow of the song in a few spots. I notice it in the chorus. But that has nothing to do with the mix I know.
Great mix man!!
 
Quick new mix here and in the OP, just minor, subtle adjustments. Was able to buy a little more time before delivery, but have to send it off on Sunday night. This version is just for the video that's in production, I can always make more subtle changes, if needed, for her CD release.

All I really did was turn down the reverb a tiny bit on the intro snares, and cleaned up some excess vocal breaths that I originally just left in for character, even though they bothered me a tad. When Steve mentioned them, I figured I should just tame them. So thanks for that Steve.

I might've brightened it up as a whole a tad more, I honestly don't even remember...

The client's happy and loves it, and that's really all that matters, but I always worry. If anyone hears anything drastic, I have just Saturday night (after a Phish show, mind you) to do any last second adjustments before giving it to her on Sunday.

Dropbox - SoldierFinal1.wav
 
Very clean mix with lots of space for the lead vocal. The backing tracks do their job without a lot of fuss or without calling attention to themselves. The kick and snare sound quite compressed, a little much for my taste. There's something a bit odd about the lead vocal treatment that I notice in the opening and the ending when the accompaniment falls away. Slightly processed sound, I'm not sure what it is. Maybe needs a different reverb?

These are small things. I'm sure the client will be happy.
 
I thought it sounded pretty good. Only a couple of things I'd point out.

The lead vocal is pretty dominant. It has a little bite. I might try to notch out something in the 2500hz-2700hz range.

The snare has a big reverb. I'd pick a dryer sample. Nothing else in the mix has that big of reverb. OK the lead guitar does.

Guitars sound great.

Cymbals are really wide. I might bring them in a bit.
 
Johnny,

A couple of IMOs (if you're good, then so am I!)

The rhythm guitar could use with a touch more 4-5K
Great job on the singer's voice, and also the backing track is not overdone at all
I'm not happy with the actual sound of the snare in the main part of the song but the volume is perfect
Props on all your playing - jeez, I wish.

This is sweet work,
Timbo
 
Johnny,

A couple of IMOs (if you're good, then so am I!)

The rhythm guitar could use with a touch more 4-5K
Great job on the singer's voice, and also the backing track is not overdone at all
I'm not happy with the actual sound of the snare in the main part of the song but the volume is perfect
Props on all your playing - jeez, I wish.

This is sweet work,
Timbo

Hey thanks Timbo. Yea, I wanted to add more bite to those rhythm electrics myself, but it always seemed to take away from her vocal, which is totally what this song was about, so I left 'em pretty tame.

Not my favorite snare sound either, but it works, so I just went with it. The more I tweaked and searched the more I ended up off into the weeds. So again, I just went with it. Client's happy, so it is what it is.

Thanks so much for your input!
 
I get it, the client is good with it! And thanks for the explanation of your choices, that's what I like to hear in a mix conversation.

Timbo
 
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