Stealing the Words From Someone Else

CMiller

CMiller

New member
This isn't very new, but it'll be new around here anyway. I'm not happy with the mix, but those of you who are familiar with my stuff might remember me mentioning the panic mix session I did when I thought I was selling my 16 track. Anyway, this is one of those tunes.

It's called "Stealing the Words From Someone Else" and it can be found at...

www.mp3.com/alphadog

Note: I'm particularly happy with the guitar solo section in the middle.
 
hi,

I would say that it was a very good effort.

It needs volume. I think you need to compress it more or limit or something.

THe kick sounds ok, but its way too low. SO is the bass. I actually liked the guitar. What was that solo thing?. It was really cool.

I also think the whole mix was a litle woolly, as if you were mixing with monitors that boost the midrange. I think a slight boost in the 1-5 k range should open things up.

I am digging the emotion in your voice and the song itself.

peace
 
Hey man, thanks for the listen.

As for your critique...

I agree, I agree, I agree.

The woollyness you talked about is a great way of putting it. If I could do it all over again, I'd change quite a bit of it. I really like the guitar solo though. It starts off with a talk-box, then a wha section, and then just guitar.

I should also tell you that this mix was done on headphones...the only thing I had at the time. I've since moved into a nice Event monitoring system. If I could change the mix, I would.

Thanks again for your comments, they're greatly appreciated!
 
Hey old friend>>Man what a great song you got here..love it! Sure wished you had all the tracks to this one to remix. Real tasty guitar work man and the back-up's are killer..as always with your stuff. I really liked your lead vox alot on this track, sounded just mabey a tad dry for my liking but you did a very fine job! I know how you feel about the "panic mixes", Ive got 15 adat tapes that are useless with alot of tunes I may never get to record again:( , just be glad you did get a mix on your tunes. Damn man we've missed ya in here, don't be so long next time...
 
Yeah Cmiller, post more often!

Nice to hear some acoustic drums!

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My subjective observations/opinions.

The electric rhythms sound too far back in the mix. But not so much their level volume wise. EQ'ing one different would help a bit, possibly some different reverb on one then the other. Not sure how you had it panned, but they could be further left/right.

The vocals are very upfront, too much so in this mix. The vocals are fairly dry, sounds like you have a touch of chorus on the lead vocal, which is cool, but it may need a bit more reverb to fit in with the guitars.

The lead guitar is wicked, but a bit loud(in parts).

Like the punchy bass sound, nice.

The vocals just need a touch more reverb (maybe delay as well?) and level drop (as well as some compressoin), bring the drums up and pan out the guitars. Reduce the lead guitar level.

Bring up the drums.

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As for the song itself, it's good stuff. Not current pop type music, but I know you know that. Lots of parts which always makes things interesting.

I've heard other stuff of yours Cmiller, this is good, but I like your other songs better! (especially pocket... my fav.)
 
David...thanks. Yeah, I wish I could remix this one too. I was forced, in a panic, to mix about 20 songs onto cassette (yes, cassette) and so I'm unable to remix it. The burn is that I didn't sell my 16 track. Even though the guy told me he would buy it and would be swinging by the next day to pick it up, he never showed or called back. Of course I was going to be selling him all of my old tapes as well...so I erased them to "protect myself".

I learned a valuable lesson...don't protect yourself. Well maybe that isn't the lesson I learned. Anyway, it sucked...although it forced me to complete a lot of these tunes, so maybe he did me a favor.

Emeric, I agree with your assessment. Man, I wish I could try out all the things you suggested. Although, I guess I could pull the vocals down a little and splash some more reverb on there. I can still monkey with the vocals since I recorded those in Cubase. I might try that.

The guitar is the same guitar. It's just the nasty ADA chorus splitting the signal left-right. I was really into a stereo guitar thing back when I recorded this tune. I do have a couple other guitars coming in and out from time to time, but I wouldn't be able to do much with the tracks...since it's a permanent mix.

Thanks again for the input. Interesting thing...MP3.com willing, I'll have "Better Days" active soon (with those drum loops). I've got an idea for a drummer, but that's still a little ways away yet. So I just went with the loops on that one. I feel so dirty not using real drums...
 
Really nice. I love the guitar work and its sound behind the vocals - you don't play fills, you play a line against/behind the singing - nice, nice.

And who taught your guitar to sing that way? :D

I listened through cans - I wanted more bottom in the bass, more gain in the drums. I boosted some bottom on my Winamp player and preferrred it. Plebeian tastes, I know, I know. Just a taste of each though, cuz I like the vocals way up front like that - I think you mixed that bit right.

Bits of that break sounds like you were raised on Zappa.

We have a similar issue, you and I. Stay away from pitch shifters at all costs. :D

Nice sound, nice feel, nice song. What are you up to these days?

Oh - this review was written without looking at previous posts. So there.
 
Okay, I read the other comments. I think Em's right now - bring the vocals down a bit. (By the same amount you bring the drums up?) Yeah, I know you can't actually change the mix, but if you could, then do it that way. :D
 
Hey Dobro, thanks for the kind words.

It's funny about the way I record guitar...I actually like lots of fills and stuff, but since I write lyrics and other instruments after the guitar parts, I never know where I might want a bass lick, drum fill, or even lyrics...so I leave the guitar playing pretty "fill free". When I was playing live I'd embellish my parts a bit more and and fills here and there. Funny that you noticed that.

I've had a talk box for nearly ten years, but I think that's the first time I've really used it in a recording. Again, when I played live we used to do just about every "talk box" song ever written! People just love that thing. Hell, I love that thing!

I have a real problem when I mix. I usually mix as close to the red as possible...which is what you're supposed to do. But for some reason I haven't discovered, my MP3 converter (MusicMatch) seems to lower the overall volume. I'm sure it's just a user problem, but I can't figure out what I'm doing wrong.

Nope, I'm not raised on Zappa. My knowledge of Zappa is limited to what I hear on this website. I was always a Van Halen fan, a Beatles (Paul McCartney) fan, Jimi Hendrix, Stevie Ray Vaughn, I liked Rush, old Alice Cooper, The Who (especially Keith Moon). I went through a phase where I was really into Black Sabbath (old school) and Deep Purple, in fact I've been told that my lead style is more like Ritchie Blackmore than anything. Go figure. I pretty much will listen to anything, hopefully I can incorporate that attitude into what I do.

Thanks again for listening!
 
Hey C, the outro solo wasn't bad either. The mix has been covered beyond anything I can add, the song itself was, despite the title, very original. I liked the solo in the middle too, not just the guitar playing but the breakdown leading up to it. Great work

Ray J
 
Thanks Ray!

I didn't know what I wanted to do for an ending, so I did something fairly unique. I did a guitar solo. But that wasn't the unique part. When the ending starts, there's a weird droning type sound...it's the sound of a Peso, or a Deutchmark or some coin scraping on the string while holding a note. I used it like a violin bow. Then I measure later, and panned differently, I play the same thing but in a different note. Then the next measure the same thing but another note and panned differently. By the time I'm done there is a chord of sorts droning in the back ground. All of it is passed through a compressor (I think) and then a chorus or phaser to weird it out more. My wife hates it, but I thought it sounded pretty damned cool.

Thanks for listening!
 
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