Sun’s Gonna Shine in My Backdoor Someday (acoustic/folk/bluegrass)

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wretchasketch

wretchasketch

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Recording this for a client.
Has to have similar instrumentation and arrangement as 1960s Flatt and Scruggs recording, except each chorus needs to build a little more interest. Other limitation is there is no budget to hire other musicians to record tracks. I have to make the best out of what I can do personally.
Any constructive suggestions appreciated. Thanks
 

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I like this kind of music, and I like this tune. Only one thing jumped out at me on a first listen - the banjo during the verses. The banjo on the first verse worked, I thought, but later on it sounded too busy to my ear - I liked the simpler part. (However, I thought the busier fingerpicking part worked just fine during instrumental verses.)
 
Simple is better! Thank you, Dobro, for the listen and the advice.
 
Great job and nice playing on the instruments and vocals. One thing I think I would try is some different panning on the separate break instruments. For example the fiddle , dobro . etc.. are all coming from the same spot in the stereo field , unlike a stage setup. I'm not sure about the handclaps , may just be an EQ issue but I felt them a little distracting. I'm surprised at how close some of the lyrics are to a section in "I know you rider" a Grateful Dead song we used to do. This was my first time hearing this old song. Really enjoyed it .. mark
 
mark skinner said:
Great job and nice playing on the instruments and vocals. One thing I think I would try is some different panning on the separate break instruments. For example the fiddle , dobro . etc.. are all coming from the same spot in the stereo field , unlike a stage setup. I'm not sure about the handclaps , may just be an EQ issue but I felt them a little distracting. I'm surprised at how close some of the lyrics are to a section in "I know you rider" a Grateful Dead song we used to do. This was my first time hearing this old song. Really enjoyed it .. mark
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excellent points. I agree wholeheartedly. I think the hand claps were just a little rushed. I went in and muted all of them, and I did not miss them. They won’t be in the final mix. I left the tambourine in, and it seem to grew pretty well and create the build up I want it. As far as the panning, I agree with that as well. However, the original recording was panned that way for whatever reason. Probably the instrumentalists were using the same microphone live in the studio. I will send the mix the way it is on the old record and let the client know I can change that.
 
wretchasketch said:
Recording this for a client.
Has to have similar instrumentation and arrangement as 1960s Flatt and Scruggs recording, except each chorus needs to build a little more interest. Other limitation is there is no budget to hire other musicians to record tracks. I have to make the best out of what I can do personally.
Any constructive suggestions appreciated. Thanks
Click to expand...
It's mix right heavy - hard to really tell what;s on the left - until the singing.
 
Thank you for all your input. Very helpful. Here is the track with the following changes.
1. Lowered the level of Banjo back up during vocals. (thought I would try that before re cutting the track, and I thought it worked out OK)
2.EQ’d banjo and fiddle to sweeten them up a bit.(Bumped the mid range and shaved off some highs)
3.Got rid of handclaps at the end (didn't miss them)
4.Touched up levels here and there for balance
5. Panned Instruments and background vocals in order to give everything it’s own space on the sound stage
6. I thought the upright bass track was a little too staccato, so I added acoustic bass guitar for sustain. Duplicated the track and dropped the pitch on the duplicate 1 octave.
 

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A Much nicer and wider mix especially with the panning. You do have some "clicking" going on that seems to be copied and pasted in several spots. I first noticed it at 0:26 and 0:28 then it repeats. You'll probably have to solo and zoom in tight to find the culprit. I didn't miss the handclaps at all but think the tambourine needs further work (timing and a little dry). Good progress .. mark
 
I think you've got it nailed with this last one. The mix is blending nicely. The autotune wasn't really needed. The vocals sound fine to me. :thumbs up:
 
One thing I did not mention is that I just bought one of those Avantone mix cubes and a monitor switch. When I first heard the mix cube, I thought “I just paid hundreds of dollars for an a.m. radio speaker”. But it did reveal some levels that were out of balance. I made a few adjustments, and when I listened to the mic on my Dynaudio monitors, it made a huge difference. Money well spent I suppose??‍♂️
 
I really like switching in the Avantone - one button press, and a whole new sonic display of the mix reveals itself.

I like the most recent version better than the first one. Nice polishing.
 
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