Broon Smack

[kcearl]

downtempo electronica

super rough mix, got no monitors

nearly all analogue, other than comps and most of the EQ, all FX, preamps etc were outboard too...a first for me I think

recorded some through different cassettes so its a bit lofi and noisy

enjoy

 

[Robus]

Not lacking in bottom, but yeah fizzy. Main problem I hear is levels are all over the place, for example that lead synth that comes in after the intro is just blasting. I like it though.

 

[kcearl]

mmm I hear the closed high hats coming in like a machine gun, and maybe I had a bit of volume creep with the main synth. I think some of the tape hiss may contribute to the fizzyness plus I have old man ears, always needing more treble (the story of every mix)

not sure what other levels are all over the place though. I did a bit of A/Bing with Shamen Dellys "casting shadows over the sun" and BoC's "Roygbiv" and it was in the ballpark. I'll give it fresh ears tomorrow and see if I can hear more.

thanks for the listen and comments, always helps to have someone elses ears

 

[kcearl]

it wasnt volume creep, theres a spike right at the beginning of the main synth...dunno where that came from. Ive put a limiter on to catch it just now, till I have time to automate it. But for some reason the soundcloud links down

 

[dobro]

downtempo electronica

super rough mix, got no monitors

Sounds good. Bottom's good. (Bottom doesn't translate on the little Avantone so well. Earbud nation beware. But through the KRKVXT8s, it's sublime.)

nearly all analogue, other than comps and most of the EQ, all FX, preamps etc were outboard too...a first for me I think

recorded some through different cassettes so its a bit lofi and noisy

Lofi and noisy and good. Space age. Then it's a dance track.

But the tempo changes are what push it. "We chose to go to the moon" is just icing.

Do you have any high shelfs on anything other than vocal? Can you remember? Which EQ did you use?

 

[kcearl]

hey Dobro...thanks for listening. Ive got the avantones too and KRK 8's...both in boxes in the basement love those little cubes

I tried the kick and bass in my car and they kinda worked, but the bass in the breakdown disappeared...ive just added a parallel track with a bit more oomph there

theres quite a bit of noise... I pushed my GAP 73's to distort them, and they are noisy as is...theres a high shelf on the" bleeps" that run through it but I just used the standard EQ from the fat channel in presonus studio one, same of the vocal samples..the EQs on the other synths are outboard, Joe Meek and ACMP 73 or the EQ in the UAD 1073 plug

 

[rayc]

I LOVE the restart quieter bit - reminds me of early Residents as well as the synth sides of LOW & HEROES.
Back into rhythm - the synths hold their won against the rhythm section.
A real Krautrock vibe throughout - unashamedly analogue rhythm machinery and plenty of washing to hang out.
COOL.
Make sure I can download it when you've finished OR save me a CD.

 

[FoulPhil]

Yo KC, I don't know nothing about this kind of music. That said it sounds cool to me LOL. Rock on it dawg

 

[VomitHatSteve]

This is a difficult mix to critique since there's so many passages that all sound pretty different.
It's a cool song.

I'm hearing some of the fizziness, especially on the lead that starts around 1:52

There's some clickiness on the kick, almost like it's clipping. Or it's just a weird sample.

Otherwise, a dense, complex mix, which I'm a big fan of.

 

[kcearl]

I LOVE the restart quieter bit - reminds me of early Residents as well as the synth sides of LOW & HEROES.
Back into rhythm - the synths hold their won against the rhythm section.
A real Krautrock vibe throughout - unashamedly analogue rhythm machinery and plenty of washing to hang out.
COOL.
Make sure I can download it when you've finished OR save me a CD.

cheers Ray...I thought you may like it as you have an understanding of that kinda background...its far from perfect but I liked using cassette tapes, and guitar pedals on the synths...thats even my guitar in there but it doesnt really sound like it.

hopefully Ill get better at it as I continue down this path.

---------- Update ----------

Yo KC, I don't know nothing about this kind of music. That said it sounds cool to me LOL. Rock on it dawg

cheers Phil...I havent forgotten your track either...this was literally the same track I was doing back then...everything takes an age now

 

[kcearl]

This is a difficult mix to critique since there's so many passages that all sound pretty different.
It's a cool song.

I'm hearing some of the fizziness, especially on the lead that starts around 1:52

There's some clickiness on the kick, almost like it's clipping. Or it's just a weird sample.

Otherwise, a dense, complex mix, which I'm a big fan of.

yup that fizzeness is the tape...the main synth, the breakbeat drums, and the guitar were all recorded to tape...I think the main synth went onto some ancient RCA tapes...very low quality..its like it adds a lo fi gate and even compresses the sound. Dont ask me why I did it. I bought a tape deck and a couple of job lot cassettes. seemed like a fun idea


the kick is from a vermona drmIII, not a sample...the click may come from it being driven into a GAP 73 preamp...I really pushed it to distort the drum...likely too much. If it annoys others I can retrack it. at the moment it means I can hear it on small speakers, for good or bad

thanks for listening mate

 

[FoulPhil]

Hey don't worry about it. It's probably one of those weird things hard to find anything to fit to it.

 

[jimistone]

I liked it. I plugged my phone in my car stereo and listened during my hour long drive home from work. Reminds me of some of the moog synth stuff I used to hear in the early 80's. It's really creative and a cool driving down a 2 lane highway at night tune. If I had have been dropping acid It would have made me run off the road for sure.
Nice work kcearl!

 

[kcearl]

cheers Jimbo! it is a moog so well spotted. And we really dont need blues guys on acid....or do we???


funny you can appreciate anyones music in this hobby if you know where they are coming from.

 

[jimistone]

cheers Jimbo! it is a moog so well spotted. And we really dont need blues guys on acid....or do we???


funny you can appreciate anyones music in this hobby if you know where they are coming from.

Jimi Hendrix is what you get when a blues guy drops acid. lol
Yeah man, I like a lot of different kinds of music. I like all of your stuff I've listened to.
There used to be a band in New Orleans in the early 1980s that had 2 keyboardists, both on moog synths, and also guitar, bass, and drums. They used to play in the French Quarter on Bourbon street. My God, Those guys could get down! They used to do that Edgar Winter song "Frankenstien"....They would play that sucker for half an hour...doing mind bending stuff. Everybody in the place wearing sunglasses and tripping. It was like an event when they played. I don't even remember the name of their band but it was a blast to see them!

 

[dobro]

Jimi Hendrix is what you get when a blues guy drops acid. lol

Blues is what you get when an R&B guy forms and loses the most unique three-piece in the history of black stoned awesome rock bands. I listened to his stuff again recently. I got the same impression I got years ago with his stuff - his best songwriting and recording was with the Experience. The straight up blues stuff was more from afterward, when he was playing with loads of different people.

Sorry for the detour, kcearl. Carry on.

 

[rayc]

Dropped in to listen again.
Cool that you've mixed your guitar in.
I think I can hear it's heavily disguised voice. It's well "treated".
I reckon you should do some less rhythmic & more ambient tracks while you're in the zone as the sounds are very evocative and there's merit in them with & without the beat.
You really have a handle on aural dystopia.

 

[kcearl]

Jimi Hendrix is what you get when a blues guy drops acid. lol
Yeah man, I like a lot of different kinds of music. I like all of your stuff I've listened to.
There used to be a band in New Orleans in the early 1980s that had 2 keyboardists, both on moog synths, and also guitar, bass, and drums. They used to play in the French Quarter on Bourbon street. My God, Those guys could get down! They used to do that Edgar Winter song "Frankenstien"....They would play that sucker for half an hour...doing mind bending stuff. Everybody in the place wearing sunglasses and tripping. It was like an event when they played. I don't even remember the name of their band but it was a blast to see them!

Blues is what you get when an R&B guy forms and loses the most unique three-piece in the history of black stoned awesome rock bands. I listened to his stuff again recently. I got the same impression I got years ago with his stuff - his best songwriting and recording was with the Experience. The straight up blues stuff was more from afterward, when he was playing with loads of different people.

Sorry for the detour, kcearl. Carry on.

electric ladyland is one of my all time favourite albums...I think a lot of artists who die early are overrated, Hendrix wasnt one of them

 

[kcearl]

Dropped in to listen again.
Cool that you've mixed your guitar in.
I think I can hear it's heavily disguised voice. It's well "treated".
I reckon you should do some less rhythmic & more ambient tracks while you're in the zone as the sounds are very evocative and there's merit in them with & without the beat.
You really have a handle on aural dystopia.

its funny but until someone else hears it I cant tell if it goes together or if its just completely out of tune...Id like to do more soundscape stuff but I just forked out for a vermona drm mk3, so Im likely to use it in everything in the near future. But this is a style Im going to explore for a while...maybe get another synth to add to it. Theres plenty of software for ambient stuff, less hardware

 

[robgreen]

Shiiiiiit, this is great KC. I love your stuff when it goes down this route. Reminds me of my favourite era of Warp -BoC, Aphex Twin, Chris Clark etc etc.

Synths sound awesome, beat is great and I don't think it needs any more low end. Only thing I'm not mad on is the kick where the bit rate reduction sounds pretty clicky. You're pushing the envelope with the bassy synth, but I think that it fizzes pretty nicely tbh. Really good stuff man