Climb The Wall - alternative - feedback wanted

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andrushkiwt

andrushkiwt

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hey,

the vocals are still a struggle with the AT4040, but the reflection filter (and comforters behind me) are helping a bit. I think the verse vocals are more exposed and the boxiness shows there, though they're masked more in the chorus. Do you agree? I'm never a fan of double kicks, but I couldn't think of another drum pattern for the section that includes it. Hopefully they're mixed well.

I used a variety of new plugs... new toys are fun. My favorite was Code Red, a console plug. It's free. I think I used it on the master bus on classic mode and drove the output gain a bit. I also used a TDR mastering compressor with a fast attack and medium release. Guitars are Amplitube 4, bass too.



I hold you down,
I just can't get it right.
I fear this, I feel this.

My hands are tied,
You shake some for the ride.
I know this, I know this.

I stall and wait for you,
I never thought you'd follow through.

Climb the wall, on the outside
Burn it all, I know.
Climb the wall, on the outside
Burn it all, real slow.

Lately I've got this little doubt,
when I see you I can't see through
my selfish pride.
You mean more in the night,
I know this.

I've never seen this side of all of you.

I pulled you out and I stood on top of all the world
never looking down.
I know it hurt to be so cruel.
I wasted all this time on you,
climbing over walls I never knew.
 
Hi Taras, I think we reviewed a version of this a while back? Sounds pretty good. Really like the toms, the drums sound great.
 
Click at 0:18 (at least in SC). Speaking of soundcloud, the crashes might be a touch swishy.

There was that thread about editing a while back. You said you prefer to go for the unnaturally tight sound, right? To that effect, I'd bump the start of the first big "Climb" back just a little bit. It leads the crash by a smidge.

I hear what you're saying about the double-kicks. I think with heavy drums like that, as with all things in music, it's as much about the notes you don't play. Maybe drop every 3rd or 5th hit? If you dropped the "and" of one and 3, you'd get a gallop feel, which might work.

Overall, I'm just nit-picking tho. It's a really solid mix as usual.
 
It's a solid mix. Sounds polished. Guitars and bass sound great. I'm not a fan of double kicks either, nor of overuse of crash cymbals, etc. It is mixed in pretty well here. It's not obnoxious. I'm still noticing that lisping effect from the de-essing. I'm not hearing "boxy" on the vocals. The vocal sounds highly processed. It is most noticeable on the verse. It's the sum effect of all the things you're doing on that vocal--eq, lots of compression, that delay effect. It's part and parcel with the genre. I can't see a more organic vocal sound fitting in this mix.

I'm hearing the Soundcloud swirl, of course. I'm learning to tune it out because I know it's an artifact of SC and not indicative of what the actual track sounds like. You would think a site whose whole purpose is music streaming would figure out how to deliver better audio.
 
Arh, i always forget to listen to the soundcloud version. I'll check it out in a bit and see if it's the site that's smashing my cymbals or if it's my own processing. Yeah, in this type of music, crash cymbals typically fill heavy sections, choruses and whatnot. I try to change up which cymbals are used in which sections, and to vary the velocities meticulously as well. Verse vocals aren't too processed - EQ, de-ess, one comp, verb. The delay FX are separate tracks and do not affect the clean verse vocal. There is, as always, a stereo chorus vocal underneath everything. Without it, the vocal sounds thinner and dead center - the stereo track helps spread it out a little and thicken it up, which i like.
 
VomitHatSteve said:
I'd bump the start of the first big "Climb" back just a little bit. It leads the crash by a smidge.
Click to expand...

i try to catch that stuff, but I'm not sure sometimes how tight I want it. A little lead here and there makes it more natural, no? is it distracting?
 
For those who said the cymbals were swirly on soundcloud, here is the original mp3. How does this compare?

 
I only have the cans this week.

If the vocals are boxy, I'm not hearing it. They sound quite good and really sit in the mix well IMO.

Screw soundcloud. You're tunes are too good for that shite. Sounds much better on dropbox.

Yet another nice arrangement.

The toms at 1:39 - the high one or two sound a little overly attacky. Not enough tone, too much transient? For some reason it doesn't seem to be a problem at 3:41.

I like the way the guitars sit in the blend. Like the thickness at 5:08. A lot going on there and still it doesn't seem as if the instruments are in each other's way.
 
ibleedburgundy said:
Screw soundcloud. You're tunes are too good for that shite.
Click to expand...

What phones do you have? And thanks. I like having a streaming site to easily share them though. Is there another good one? I went back and forth and the toms' compressor attack time. Its really just bad programming...I should have lowered the velocity on those loudest hits. Good catch :)
 
Robus said:
It took me a while to start noticing the Soundcloud effect. Now when I listen, I can't hear anything else.
Click to expand...

Should I not worry about my cymbal processing? (uh, its just one eq notch at 8kHz where it rings and then a compressor set so low that it only picks out the loudest snare hits)
 
What I'm hearing is those rapid-fire crashes, the decay kind of washing together into a wall--for me--noise. But that's a matter of taste. You like that effect, I don't. But it's different from the Soundcloud swirl.
 
Robus said:
What I'm hearing is those rapid-fire crashes, the decay kind of washing together into a wall--for me--noise. But that's a matter of taste. You like that effect, I don't. But it's different from the Soundcloud swirl.
Click to expand...

Ok but if the part calls for riding the crash, how can that be resolved? Are you saying simply riding the crash as the time keeper (though more for noise in these circumstances) is the problem? To use the hat instead?

I'm just wondering if it's my programming or processing or instead the decision to ride the crashes. That's kind of the modern way to play a chorus, in heavier/noiser things anyway. I'm not saying the only way, but a common way.
 
Its possible that there is a specific type or size of cymbal best used in those situations...and maybe I'm just riding the wrong cymbal type. Not a drummer first, and I write these parts in my head before transcribing them.
 
andrushkiwt said:
What phones do you have? And thanks. I like having a streaming site to easily share them though. Is there another good one? I went back and forth and the toms' compressor attack time. Its really just bad programming...I should have lowered the velocity on those loudest hits. Good catch :)
Click to expand...

I don't know of any other streaming sites that are better. At some point they are going to have to improve or get out of the way of someone else.

I am listening on some TDK ear buds. They are actually pretty good as far as ear buds go. Mixing on them is ill-advised to put it mildly, but they can still be a check.
 
andrushkiwt said:
On the original too. Nice catch. Not sure where it came from. Surprised you heard that. ��
Click to expand...

That's the advantage of having a lot of ears on the song. More chances for someone to get lucky and catch those things!
 
I think the vocals sound great. Very clear while not being strident or abrasive.

The crunch guitars in the chorus sound great.

I think the guitars in the verses are a little too low. They're playing a sparse part, so I think they can come up.

The kick is quite a bit too loud. It's got a low end frequency that's kind of sticking out. Snare and cymbals sound OK.

Bass sounds good.

Nice harmonies.
 
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