let 'em sink

[Manslick]

When I heard the first note I grabbed my guitar to play along and found your tune to be just north of D natural. I thought I was out so I tuned up and same thing. I got D to C then F to Em a G then Em to C going from memory but I was out the whole time. Like playing along to old records that were shifted for some reason.

 

[heatmiser]

When I heard the first note I grabbed my guitar to play along and found your tune to be just north of D natural. I thought I was out so I tuned up and same thing. I got D to C then F to Em a G then Em to C going from memory but I was out the whole time. Like playing along to old records that were shifted for some reason.

Sigh...

Ok, well that is not good. I checked the tuning pretty frequently, but my guitars are pretty old and fickle in that regard. I'm going to have to be more diligent going forward. Thanks again!

 

[Greg_L]

I think it's a nice sounding mix. I usually hate roomy drums, but I really like em on this one. Fucking pickslides are ALWAYS awesome. Great solo. I really don't have any critiques. If I really just had to pick on something, I think I'd like the vocals a little more up front. But that's nothing. They're fine as-is. Great job.

 

[ShofB]

Nice tune, tasteful playing..

 

[heatmiser]

I think it's a nice sounding mix. I usually hate roomy drums, but I really like em on this one. Fucking pickslides are ALWAYS awesome. Great solo. I really don't have any critiques. If I really just had to pick on something, I think I'd like the vocals a little more up front. But that's nothing. They're fine as-is. Great job.

Really? Cool. Thanks Greg. I'm sure I'll go back to drier drums soon, but I've just been on a kick with this sort of sound lately. I'd like to do something less mellow too, but everything I do these days just seems to get coated in this almost catatonic veneer of mellowness. I'm really glad you think it sounds good.

Nice tune, tasteful playing..

Thank you. That's very kind .


So, lots of responses so far (thank you!!). Interesting in that there isn't too much consent on anything. Many seem to think it's fine as is, many more have some different issues here and there, while some hear some pretty serious problems. I am no less confused than when I posted, but at least I have some new ideas to think about.

 

[DavidK]

Cool song, me likey. My suggestions:

1. Narrow the drums a bit, they take over the stereo field. It will make other parts come out easier.

2. Too much reverb or room on the lead voice. It's a bit muddy.

Love the guitar work, and the song.

 

[jiff 41]

Hey Heat,
I'm still here, another great tune LOVE IT!
I'm looking at the comments & suggestions & learning i hope!
pretty hard when i think everything you do is great as is!

this has been a very good month for you song-wise!,,, BUT even better for us!

 

[Chili]

This is a great song. Great mix, too. I don't know, I really couldn't find anything that jumped out at me. Love the deepness of the bass, without being boomy.

gonna listen again later tonight.

 

[heatmiser]

Cool song, me likey. My suggestions:

1. Narrow the drums a bit, they take over the stereo field. It will make other parts come out easier.

2. Too much reverb or room on the lead voice. It's a bit muddy.

Love the guitar work, and the song.

Great. Thanks David!

Yeah, the toms and cymbals do kind of sound like they're popping up all over the place, don't they? I almost always pan OHs and room mics hard L&R, but it usually doesn't sound quite this wide. I'll see if bringing 'em back in a bit helps. Agreed on the vocals. Not crazy about the voice sounds in the verses. Some of that is imprinted (room?) and some reverb was added later. I will see what I can do about that as well.

Hey Heat,
I'm still here, another great tune LOVE IT!
I'm looking at the comments & suggestions & learning i hope!
pretty hard when i think everything you do is great as is!

this has been a very good month for you song-wise!,,, BUT even better for us!

Hey jiff! Thanks again for all the encouragement!

I award you the title of Fan of the Month! With this great honor, you receive,uh....my thanks.
I guess it isn't that great an honor - but thank you anyway !

This is a great song. Great mix, too. I don't know, I really couldn't find anything that jumped out at me. Love the deepness of the bass, without being boomy.

gonna listen again later tonight.

Cool. Thanks Chili!

I played around with this for a couple of hours last night trying some of the things suggested here and some other things too. I definitely got it to sound different, but not really better. It was one of those things where I kept adding and removing shit and going down this one sonic path thinking I was making great improvements, but when I was done, I A/B'd it against this mix and it actually sounded worse. I bet that's happened to a lot of us, right?

 

[SloppyJo]

Sounds really great heat.

The drums have a Zeppy "When the Levee Breaks" kind of thing going on, and it compliments the song well; it grooves nicely too.

I've got no complaints here

 

[heatmiser]

Sounds really great heat.

The drums have a Zeppy "When the Levee Breaks" kind of thing going on, and it compliments the song well; it grooves nicely too.

I've got no complaints here

Excellent. Thank you SloppyJo. That is definitely the benchmark for roomy drums. Now, if only I had an amazing drummer and a castle...

I actually found myself playing some riffs to that song along with these loops as I soon as I heard them.

Good to hear it sounds good to you -thanks!

 

[Elton123]

I really like it. Don't know if its a good thing to you, but the tune reminds me of the Grateful Dead. Even the solo has a hint of Jerry. Enjoyed it very much.

 

[robgreen]

Acid fried country

Had a listen to this a couple of days ago, but didn't get chance to comment until now. It has a bit of a different flavour from your usual stuff and I've been trying to put my finger on what it is. It came to me that it's the vocals - they sound really different with the single lead line, and a little less processing. I'm sure you've got layers going on underneath, but having one predominant line rather than the doubling is a really nice change. I never heard the Blur comparisons you seem to regularly collect until now...it's got the air of world weariness that Damon Albarn does so well at times. There's a particular song that one of the lines brings to mind but I can't think what it is at the moment.

That said, it's not derivative. It's pretty terrific stuff Pete - love the lyrics, the picky acoustic line sounds particularly good and has a good groove to it. The vocals as already mentioned are great. All round good, good, good! If I were to change one thing it would be to dry the drums slightly, but it seems clear from the comments that it's a stylistic choice, so disregard that as personal preference.

It's some rate you're knocking them out at the moment. Keep it up

 

[TripleM]

Missed this one for a few days, sorry. I thought it sounded good.

I do agree that it's a little dark, but not overly so. Maybe brighten up the overheads a little? I wonder if you could brighten up the acoustic guitar. But be careful it doesn't get abrasive.

I thought the vocal was just a little bit back in the mix. Not by much, but I think you could give it a db or two. All the instruments are quite well balanced with respect to each other.

 

[DM60]

I think it's a nice sounding mix. I usually hate roomy drums, but I really like em on this one. Fucking pickslides are ALWAYS awesome. Great solo. I really don't have any critiques. If I really just had to pick on something, I think I'd like the vocals a little more up front. But that's nothing. They're fine as-is. Great job.

My only comment would be the same. Not too much, just a little more ahead of the drums.

 

[heatmiser]

I really like it. Don't know if its a good thing to you, but the tune reminds me of the Grateful Dead. Even the solo has a hint of Jerry. Enjoyed it very much.

That's great Elton - thank you!

While I guess I'd prefer not to sound too much like anyone else (probably true of most people?), if I was going to sound like anyone, they would probably be my preference. I don't listen to 'em much anymore, but was a huge fan back in the day. I think that probably seeps into everything I do. Maybe more on this one than others.

Missed this one for a few days, sorry. I thought it sounded good.

I do agree that it's a little dark, but not overly so. Maybe brighten up the overheads a little? I wonder if you could brighten up the acoustic guitar. But be careful it doesn't get abrasive.

I thought the vocal was just a little bit back in the mix. Not by much, but I think you could give it a db or two. All the instruments are quite well balanced with respect to each other.

You missed this one for a few days???? Unacceptable!

I'm getting tips to brighten and darken and everything in between. Myself, I think it sounds ok on it's own, but I checked it against my last two tracks and they seem quite a bit brighter to me, so I don't know...there's some consensus on the vocal level, but it's close and I don't know about others, but I cringe with my singing really out front. I think my approach is usually to keep them as low as possible while still being pretty clearly audible. Probably not the best tactic....thanks for the comments dude.

My only comment would be the same. Not too much, just a little more ahead of the drums.

Agreeing with Greg is generally a good way to go . I think you and he are referring to the volume, right? When you say ahead, I'm worrying that you're referring to the timing...?

 

[heatmiser]

Acid fried country

Had a listen to this a couple of days ago, but didn't get chance to comment until now. It has a bit of a different flavour from your usual stuff and I've been trying to put my finger on what it is. It came to me that it's the vocals - they sound really different with the single lead line, and a little less processing. I'm sure you've got layers going on underneath, but having one predominant line rather than the doubling is a really nice change. I never heard the Blur comparisons you seem to regularly collect until now...it's got the air of world weariness that Damon Albarn does so well at times. There's a particular song that one of the lines brings to mind but I can't think what it is at the moment.

That said, it's not derivative. It's pretty terrific stuff Pete - love the lyrics, the picky acoustic line sounds particularly good and has a good groove to it. The vocals as already mentioned are great. All round good, good, good! If I were to change one thing it would be to dry the drums slightly, but it seems clear from the comments that it's a stylistic choice, so disregard that as personal preference.

It's some rate you're knocking them out at the moment. Keep it up

Yes! Thanks for the genre idea. I figured out soundcloud will let you enter anything you want under genre, so I went through and relabeled all the tracks on that page. Much more descriptive now.

The verses are just one vocal track this time. A little compression and delay and some reverb too. The chorus is 3 tracks panned apart - one main + two harmonies. I'm glad you think it sounds ok. We discussed this recently and in general I'm trying less and less vocal effects as I go (with some crazy exceptions here and there). I really thought the vocals were probably too rough this time, but people seem to like 'em...go figure!

I'm not too familiar with Mr. Albarn, but I listened to a little of him the last time it came up and I was really flattered by the comparison...not like the time I went checking youtube after my voice was compared to leonard cohen!

Anyway, thanks so much for your continued listens and supportive advice. I really appreciate it.

 

[Anfontan]

Good tune, I really like the acoustic guitar sound and how it doesn't get overshadowed by the electrics, I play in an acoustic band -mandolin, guitar, and dobro and the acoustic drives the song so well.
Your vocal reminds me of the singer in REM-Michael Stipe-especially at the beginning of the song.
Just my opinion but I would love to hear some dobro on this track, it would sound so fitting.
Repeating the solo at the end of the song just doesn't work for me-it needs something different.

 

[heatmiser]

Good tune, I really like the acoustic guitar sound and how it doesn't get overshadowed by the electrics, I play in an acoustic band -mandolin, guitar, and dobro and the acoustic drives the song so well.
Your vocal reminds me of the singer in REM-Michael Stipe-especially at the beginning of the song.
Just my opinion but I would love to hear some dobro on this track, it would sound so fitting.
Repeating the solo at the end of the song just doesn't work for me-it needs something different.

Thanks for checking it out man. Yeah, the classical guitar from the intro just keeps going throughout. There's also two steel string acoustic tracks going on either side panned wide. It wasn't necessarily my intent for the acoustic instruments to dominate, but they kind of do.

I think for the end you're referring to the noise-interlude/string scrape sounds? Some seem to like 'em, as do I, but I understand that going back to that a 2nd time may've been excessive. I've looked for ways to chop off the ending sooner, but nothing sounded good, at least not yet. Thanks for your input.

 

[Anfontan]

Thanks for checking it out man. Yeah, the classical guitar from the intro just keeps going throughout. There's also two steel string acoustic tracks going on either side panned wide. It wasn't necessarily my intent for the acoustic instruments to dominate, but they kind of do.

I think for the end you're referring to the noise-interlude/string scrape sounds? Some seem to like 'em, as do I, but I understand that going back to that a 2nd time may've been excessive. I've looked for ways to chop off the ending sooner, but nothing sounded good, at least not yet. Thanks for your input.

Hey heat, if you are mixing down with a program like Adobe Audition it would be cool to experiment with taking the noise-interlude/string scrape sounds and reversing it-it will sound somewhat totally different and it might fit the song nicely. I've had a few reversed tracks that totally fit the song!