HRC: Gimme my damn compressor back you BASTARDS!!!

  • Thread starter Thread starter SLuiCe
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M.Brane- Ya I don't think the mix part (EQ, etc) of this will be much of a challenge. The biggest challenge was/is deciding what direction to go in production. I would have tracked things a little differently if not for the HRC. The choruses would have been more close miked, if not for the ban on tracking compression. And I'd mayube use maybe only one vocal line in the first verse, rather than tripling it to get a choir effect, etc. Just had to get something down. I'm very glad it's decent as it is and that you liked it, especially after all that discussion in the "Methods" thread. I kinda gotta put my money where my mouth is now I guess. :) Like fprod south said, I've opened a can of worms! LOL. Thanks for checkin it out M.!

Kramer- haha...cool. Well, I started the early stages of the EQ and reverb rant in this thread. Sort of predicting what I'll need to do. When I post a full mix, I'll be sure to include what I did and why. I'll leave the original up for comparison. Glad there's at least a few people putting that stuff to use! Thanks again.

Emeric- Thanks Billy!

Jamal- Thanks. It's a Seagull.

Chris- ;)

Crawdad- I could go a million different directions with this tune. I settled on this approach for the challenge, but I'm not sure what I'll decide on in the end. I'd probably like a Guitar/vocal duet in a cathedral too. I'll have to sit with the Beatles song you suggested and see what you mean as well. I'm sure it's worth trying out if you mentioned it. That last line of your post just made my day. You may have protected me from the bad mood demon for thewhole day! :) Thanks a ton Al.

christiaan- I almost left those (actually) tripled vocals out of the first verse. I still may as when I use just one track the second verse carries more impact. I kinda rushed to get this into the challenge in time and it sounded good enough to me for what it's for. But you're right, a more intimate solo vocal in that verse would set a good dynamic starting point musically. Thanks for the comments!
 
SLuiCe said:
If I don't get a good track, I simply do another take. And if I'm lazy I pack a bowl and go fishing. Hey did you do any remixes of that 'amputations' tune?
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I hear ya, my problem is usually my best take is in the first 1-3 tries, and each additional take gets worse. I say "automation later" and move on many times (my ears can't hear summing errors;) When recording other people I find they only have so much patience for a guy moving the mic another 1/2 inch, and another 1/2 inch...
In my band "fishing" is code for packing a bowl.
I got a remix of amputations at my NWR site, but I'm not feeling like it's any better. Probably some retracking to do.
 
I'm ready to hear the heavy one then.
And 5 more after that.
Tighten me up, dawg.

I agree on the AIC album being genius. Anyone NOT heard that album? Shame shame...
 
Finally got a listen to this..i've been restricted from the net...must..work. Great tune dude. And i was very interested to hearing you raw. I knew you had some sneaky sneaky mix tricks up your sleave. BUt thou has decieved me..you prick. Dude you could hold a piece of string in your hand and make is sound like a harp.

Ok now i've unleashed my raving resentment, got a few questions for ya. Ok. we both play a seagull..i got ripped off!! How do you get it to sound so warm..the octava's? I'm using a B1 and it accentuates the highs a bit i think. Your acoustic always sounds great. What panning are you using too? I'm looking at getting a C1 soon..is the C3 much different? I cant afford it..got too much other stuff to get!

On that note..well done. I wish i had rainy days to come home and record :)
 
Hey Tom,
Cool stuff bro!! This challenge has really re-introduced the intimacy of uncompressed vocs to me. ...kind of a folky feel that is really nice and comforting. I can hear how a "little bit" could help with getting it to sit better, but there is a certain beauty to the way its rawness makes everything feel sooo close. Nice bass playing in this btw. ...and of course, very sweet acoustics. This tune really highlights how important clean tracking is...... nice job.
A very beautiful song in the works man. Im looking forward to hearing this one finished.
gw/5

.......shitica:D ....dude you have no idea:D :D You oughta see me change diapers though bro..... I AM the Yngwie Malmsteen of the diaper change. .....lightning fast w/ little or no slop!!!:D
 
While listening to this I thought of something: I'm starting to change into a real die-hard SLuiCE fan...the kind who likes everything by this wonderful guy, no matter how it's presented. Dry, fx-ed to the max, out-of-tune, I don't seem to care anymore. :eek: I guess he invited me into 'his world', and just like I accept trees in the real world without asking, I now accept every song in his world...

In other words: I'm useless. :( :D

I'm sorry, SLuiCE.

(to explain: I'm one of those XTC-fans who would sacrifice his reproductive organs for an Andy Partridge demo)
 
Some really great vocal work here. Are you recording these in a room? For absolutely dry vocals, they have a great quality to them.

Great tracking! The song moves along nicely.

I think these are some of your best vocals and I think, maybe because they are completely dry, they come off very well in the mix! They are clear, understandable, and mixed very well with the rest of the instrumentation!

Nice job!

:)
 
I like the quiet vibe for most of the song but when it really gets going it calls out for a little more bombast, maybe a little Queen vibe, but definitely upping the intensity.
 
fprod south- Ya dude, me too. If I don't get it in like 4 or 5 tries, fuck it. Just usually means I'm too tired to pull it off today. Try again tomorrow. Go fishing instead. That's what I'm talking about. :)

Brett- The Octava's are nice inexpensive mics and I would say they have a lot to do with my acoustic sound. They're mics after all. I would also say that how you attack your string has a major role in the warmth you record. This particular tune was finger picked not far from the neck with mind numbing attention, especially since there was no compression to cover any nervous twitches, etc. They are panned about 70% L and R on this tune if I recall. There are also some clean electrics playing in unison to enrich the second verse. They are panned around 90%. We'll see what I do when I start EQing them. They may need to be moved around a little.
The C3 is essentially a C1 but multi pattern. If you're just recording yourself, you really only would need a C1 which is a hundred USD cheaper than the C3. I only bought the C3 because there was a huge wait on the C1's. And I didn't have time for that kinda bullshit. There were tracks to record dammit. BUT... I'm detecting major GAS (Gear Aquistition Syndrome) symptoms from you lately, and you need to keep that in check. Gear is just gear. Your stuff sounds very good. :)

Guernica- DADDY I WANT A FENDER AMERICAN JAZZ NOW!! You promised me. If you loved me you would buy it for me. Mommy said you would.

Pedullist- Alright Tjarko I'll go to dinner with you. But that's it. No sex.

boydrj- Hey man, glad you liked the singing. I was pretty nervous about posting it like that. I'm jsut recording in a little bedroom with some blankets on the wall. I sang it close to the condensor mic, and had to be careful not to hype any consonants or it would jump without the compression to tame it. As difficult as it was for me (I'm no Povoratti), I like how the verses came out. The "chorus" ('So long..." etc) I'm not really happy with. I wanted to be closer to the mic for that, but without compression there was no way to belt out those higher notes like that. And unfortunately I sacrificed a lot of warmth through those sections. But the challenge is over for me and I can go back and retrack them. :) Thanks for listening.

ashulman- Ya know, in a lot of my songs I would agree with you. But probably not in this one. I want it to stay simple, if I'm understanding what you mean by "bombast." Thanks for listening!
 
I like that acoustic tone. I might have to check out some Oktavas. Which ones do you have?

Nice job.
 
Dry as a bone.Another great tune,damn boy.How you doin'?Too far outta my league to comment or complain,but I can tell the difference between your mastered stuff and this.The basic sound you get is really exceptional.Keep them coming.Classic SLuiCe ending,too.Does not disappoint.
 
Your right...i do have GAS..that curry was just too much for me! Nah seriously though..i am feeling a little gear insecure. Dont know why though. I'm going to try and find a quiet fan for my computer..its the main thing driving me insane..i need a studio..will you build me one? How can i quench my gear addiction..hmm..ah actually i do know why it is. Lets just say a girl has something to do with it.
 
SLuiCe said:

Pedullist- Alright Tjarko I'll go to dinner with you. But that's it. No sex.
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No SLuiCE, the correct answer was:

"Christ on a bike! What a cheesy analogy! You make me sick!"

:D

Excuse me for having a weak moment yesterday....next song I will be brutal as usual....
 
Texroadkill- MC012's.

WISC- Heya, glad you dug it Dan. I don't remember seeing any dry tracks from you...anything you could share? Bad enough Sam's been avoiding this thing. Someone's gotta represent NY/NJ. Dig? :)

Brett- I hear you about PC the fan. It totally ruined my acoustic tracks on this. Usually I can mic the acoustic closer for greater intimacy, but without a compressor I had to back it off, thus exposing it to my horrible room. If money permits this year, I'd like to start using a laptop. No fan. So you want to impress a girl with your fine recording gear choices? :) Is that what you've left me to deduce?

Pedullist- I think I'd rather just give up the sex. It's brutal comments that drove me insane in the first place. :D
 
Dude, this is sweet! it's rich and full! It only needs a MINIMUM of mastering attention to be really really sweet!! I agree with the others, don't squish and verb the life from this beast! I don't even have a problem with the snare! Just some deft feathering on the edges, be VERY subtle when you fix this up!

I'm very impressed!

Cheers!
Phil "Llarion: The Jazzinator" Traynor
www.llarion.com
 
Nah i'm saying that i just lost a girl so now i gotta make it up by spending heaps of money on gear. They are like throwing money into a pond..atleast this way i get some use out of it!
 
Very nice-Well played and sung. Nice to hear one of your songs from its humble beginnings so to speak...Very spacious-alot of room here for arrangement stuff-but it works well as is too. Snare has kind of loose sound err something-I could imagine a more fitting snare sound. Very pretty, haunting song, enjoyed it.
 
Great writing, arranging, performance - and it tracks really well, even this dry.

I'm picturing CAVERNOUS reverb on the drums in your wet mix (Bridge Over Troubled Water?), and just enough on the vox to make the harmonies blend a little better.

I wouldn't have used the parallel fourths on the refrain harmony, but that's just me.

I liked everything about this. It's in my keeper folder too - though I'll replace it with your final mix...

Daf
 
I'm just catching up on a load of stuff.

This is really nice, and I actually like it better than some of your other stuff. I mean, you're obviously extremely talented and all your tracks are very well put together, but this one actually touched me more than the others I've heard.

Very nice acoustic tone (and playing). And you have a really good (and distinctive) voice. Nice use of doubling, and cool harmonies. I love open fifths.

Percussion sounds good too - all real?

Cool bass sound - warm and full-bodied.

Actually, this kind of reminds me of some of Jane's Addiction - it's very original, but has some of the same "feel". That's a good thing, by the way.

I enjoyed this a lot, and for a "no effects" track it's remarkable. Excellent work.

Cheers

AB
 
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