Recent content by cmayo

Hi Dobro, good to hear from you! Sorry for the slow reply... had gigs on the road last weekend and a crazy week at home so far. I completely agree with your comments on the vocal. This piece is bit too high for him, he's having to push with everything he has after the last modulation, and his...

Brian Miller, I just found your PM from 12/10 but I've tried to reply 3 times and the system doesn't seem to be sending you my responses. I'm at chuck at chuckmayo dotcom if you'd like to ping me there.

Thanks for the comment, Bruthish. The bass is actually a pretty decent stand-up acoustic without any real attack to speak of, but I'll solo it and listen to it through and see if I can pick up on what you're hearing. I don't really ike the new snare, either, but I haven't done much looking for...

I will absolutely do that, Brian, thanks again. I LOVE how the track sounds now!

Drums are from one of the presets on my Yamaha S90 synth. I have some other synths and VST's I could go to but since I really don't know what a good recorded kit should sound like, any change I make just using my ears will really be just a shot in the dark. I can probably locate a bigger/deeper...

Thanks again for your help, guys. I made Brian's EQ adjustments and backed way off the vocal and drum reverbs, and I love that I can hear my orchestration again! Great call on the vocal reverb. With everyone's suggested corrections, this track is hugely improved! Latest version posted below. If...

I don't disagree about the reverb and I know that things are being recorded a lot dryer these days. Maybe I'm going about it the wrong way or just overdoing things, but the vocalist is a huge Phil Spector/Barry Manilow "Wall of Sound" fan, and that's what he's looking for here. I'm not going to...

Thanks very much for the help, Brian. This tune really pushes the vocalist's limits. I've worked with him for 30 years, give or take, and this is the first thing I've heard him do that really challenged him. I thought the vocal track would be fine once I got it laid into the mix but this guy's a...

NEVER MIND - The vocalist isn't satisfied with his performance so he's going to try and record the vox in a real studio with a higher-end mic. I recorded these instrument tracks a couple weeks ago and recorded the vocals last night, and it doesn't seem like the vocals are sitting quite right in...

Yeah, I do have an unfortunate tendency to over-stress elements that I like, and those brass lines were a good example. Based on your suggestion, I pulled them way back and that seems to have really clarified the string and piano lines.

Actually, the opposite is true. I've developed my production & mixing skills, such as they are, in a total vacuum, and am hoping that by exposing mixes to the more knowledgeable and experienced community here I can begin to identify and improve weaknesses in my product and/or help me trust my...

Thanks! I went ahead and backed off on the piano & synth 8th notes through the solo and the mix sounds clearer to my ears... good thought. Unless you think the brass patches are also a little hot?

Wow, great ears! I'd never have heard it, but the first two stabs of each set were late by a sixteenth note (or an eighth, depending on how you count it) Thanks for that, and for your other comments! Those stabs still sound a bit random but at least now they're in the right place.

My buddy doing the vocal arrangements on this cut is a huge Phil Spector "wall of sound" fan, so over-saturation is kind of a given on this one. I'd appreciate any suggestions or critiques on the mix & arrangement, especially any helpful comments or advice about intentionally over-producing...

I like this cut a lot; it's nicely b*lls to the wall and I think the vocals are fine and very appropriate for the song. To my ears, the guitar in the front of the left channel is hot enough that it competes for attention with the lead vocal and the rest of the tracks, so it's hard for me to...