john mcgraw

[heatmiser]

Hey there,

I finished tracking this a week or so ago (first song in a while!), and have put the mix on soundcloud for your consideration. Let me know if anything sounds out of whack.



Thanks a bunch.

 

[TripleM]

Hi heat man. Good to see you.

Cool song. Overall it sounds pretty good.

The acoustic guitars in the intro are a little woofy and lack a little clarity. But I don't know, it kind of sounds good. Little odd sound on the left side at :16.

When things kick in at about :45, the mix gets a little crowded. Too much going on through that section. Maybe just lower the instrument levels.

Nice harmony vocals. Vocals all around sound very clear. They sound quite good. Too much reverb on them for me - at least on the lead vocal.

Drums sound nice.

Clean guitar sounds nice. Synths are nice as well.

Don't go away for so long.

 

[chuckduffy]

Dude you kill me, awesome song. Reminds me of (in a good way) blur in their prime mixed with some white album era beatles and some kinks thrown on top. The organ is awesome. I don't really have any mix comments cause I am busy listening for the second time.

 

[Chili]

Wow.
Fuck.
That is good.
Game over.
Everyone go home.

This is the best you've done by far. Glad to see you back.

Refilled my glass of wine and listened a couple more times.

 

[Dr.SpringReverb]

Heatmiser is alive.
Nice song. Nice arrangement. Nice sound.

 

[Armistice]

I see, you don't write, you don't call, and then you swan back in here after having been away FOREVER and I'm just supposed to LISTEN TO YOUR DAMN SONG!!!

OK... but it'll have to be on the weekend now. I'll get back to you.

 

[rayc]

It'll have to be when the link is activated again too.

 

[fat_fleet]

Woo hoo!

 

[heatmiser]

Hi heat man. Good to see you.

Cool song. Overall it sounds pretty good.

The acoustic guitars in the intro are a little woofy and lack a little clarity. But I don't know, it kind of sounds good. Little odd sound on the left side at :16.

When things kick in at about :45, the mix gets a little crowded. Too much going on through that section. Maybe just lower the instrument levels.

Nice harmony vocals. Vocals all around sound very clear. They sound quite good. Too much reverb on them for me - at least on the lead vocal.

Drums sound nice.

Clean guitar sounds nice. Synths are nice as well.

Don't go away for so long.

Hey MMM! Good to hear from you, and thanks for the feedback. I see a lot of familiar faces in here still which is great. I hope to get in more listening soon. I've checked out your track several times, but only on my phone. Sounds great, but kind of small! We may be on opposite ends of the reverb spectrum 'cause that shit is dry as a bone! I'll try to give it a decent listen later on.

Yeah, the intro...that's two classical guitar tracks, and in retrospect, maybe the parts were too percussive for the sensitivity of the mic? That, plus the scratchy, static-laden organ track makes for a noisy intro. I think those parts do better blended in with everything else maybe.

Thanks again!

 

[heatmiser]

Dude you kill me, awesome song. Reminds me of (in a good way) blur in their prime mixed with some white album era beatles and some kinks thrown on top. The organ is awesome. I don't really have any mix comments cause I am busy listening for the second time.

Awesome. Thanks chuck. I think you mentioned blur before maybe, or someone else did? I know the name but forget who they are. Anyway, I am glad you enjoyed it and appreciate you checking in.

Wow.
Fuck.
That is good.
Game over.
Everyone go home.

This is the best you've done by far. Glad to see you back.

Refilled my glass of wine and listened a couple more times.

Ha! Thanks for checking it out chili. I really wasn't sure what I had here. Glad I made a good impression!

Heatmiser is alive.
Nice song. Nice arrangement. Nice sound.

Three for three...yes!!!!

I see, you don't write, you don't call, and then you swan back in here after having been away FOREVER and I'm just supposed to LISTEN TO YOUR DAMN SONG!!!

Yes, that's basically it. That's ok, right?

It'll have to be when the link is activated again too.

Hi ray - Bummer. Not sure what might have been wrong? Seems ok now...

 

[ibleedburgundy]

This is a cool tune! It puts a smile on the face.

The vocals are a strength for sure and they are featured quite nicely in the mix. It has a very classic 60s feel.

What is that percussion thing going on - prominently at the end? It sounds cool, I just don't know what it is.

The intro is a bit unnatural IMO. The guitar sounds very close and intimate, but then you have an electronic keyboard that sounds kinda separate. Then once the vocals and percussion come in everything is good. I am wondering if there is a way to glue them together a little more.

Tambourine fits quite nicely. Guitar leads fit nicely in the blend.

 

[Bubba po]

Well, hello there, Heat! Only yesterday I was wondering to myself what happened to you.

I really like the pace of the song, the melody and the singing. The drums seem a little low and dry, but I assume that's your style. When the rest of the instruments come in I think it sounds a bit crunchy and harsh - is that a synth that's coming in at about 11 o'clock? As triple M said, it's a bit crowded, there.

Good song, probably mixed exactly as you want it.

[edit] Realised I was listening on my tracking phones, not my listening ones! I really like the intro guitars, very warm and intimate. The bugbear I have is when the song kicks into the second part there's a disagreeable (to me) crunchy distorted sound mixed in with the organ. I'm probably way off here, but it sounds like a bass through a really lo-fi fuzz pedal or something. It might work better if the two sounds were separated by panning. Nice lead part later on.

 

[Armistice]

Nice work heat - I'm with bubba on the distorted sound just when you start "Cops are standing all around" - a bit grating for mine, but I'm listening in less than ideal circumstances. Only other nit would perhaps be a bit less reverb on the vocal, but that's just personal taste.

Good to hear one of your tunes again after so long.

[EDIT] Now that I've killed the horrible Beats Sound Mangling Device on my laptop and reverted to good old plain Windows sound, that distorted sound is less gratey but I still think just at its very introduction it's a little harsh to my ears.

 

[fat_fleet]

So cool. I love how you've incorporated the Hammond into your sound. It definitely adds some kind of weird creaky circus element, but it's also capable of some versatality. I like how you can have a couple distinct Hammond parts and they don't step on each other at all.

Great lyrics, very timely, everything sounds great. Don't make us wait so long for the next one!

 

[rayc]

Nice use of organ. Is it real, virtual or pedal?
The song is really good and has a cool retro vibe going strong.
I'd have been very tempted to lather it with LP cracks & pops or tape sludge.
I'm glad you didn't though.
Just plain COOL.

 

[robgreen]

Heat!! Great to see you back man, I thought you might have been a gonner.

New song is really good, nothing really sounds out of whack to me. I love the reverb levels on the vocal personally, and excellent lyrics. Social commentary is hard to do without being preachy or overbearing, but I think you got a good balance.

My wife walked in as I was listening and asked who was playing. Before I told her she said it sounded quite like Damon Albarn from Blur too. Very cool

 

[ido1957]

The hiss is a little distracting, but the organ and vocals make up for it lol.
Cool backups on the sides - very retro like the old UK stuff.
That grindy organ ? at the latter is a wee bit loud as it covers the vocals a tad.
Ending is an excellent choice. Do love the vocal performance and the effects whatever it is that you used.
This is resonating in my mind even after ending - John McGraw ....

 

[heatmiser]

This is a cool tune! It puts a smile on the face.

The vocals are a strength for sure and they are featured quite nicely in the mix. It has a very classic 60s feel.

What is that percussion thing going on - prominently at the end? It sounds cool, I just don't know what it is.

The intro is a bit unnatural IMO. The guitar sounds very close and intimate, but then you have an electronic keyboard that sounds kinda separate. Then once the vocals and percussion come in everything is good. I am wondering if there is a way to glue them together a little more.

Tambourine fits quite nicely. Guitar leads fit nicely in the blend.

Thank you IBB. The percussion thing is me hitting some kiddie/mini bongos I have through an over-the-top digital reverb. It had this massive decay and a really phony echo that I kind of liked for that situation.

I'll have to think about the intro. I am ok with unnatural for sure, but if it seems off otherwise...

Thanks again for taking the time.

Well, hello there, Heat! Only yesterday I was wondering to myself what happened to you.

I really like the pace of the song, the melody and the singing. The drums seem a little low and dry, but I assume that's your style. When the rest of the instruments come in I think it sounds a bit crunchy and harsh - is that a synth that's coming in at about 11 o'clock? As triple M said, it's a bit crowded, there.

Good song, probably mixed exactly as you want it.

[edit] Realised I was listening on my tracking phones, not my listening ones! I really like the intro guitars, very warm and intimate. The bugbear I have is when the song kicks into the second part there's a disagreeable (to me) crunchy distorted sound mixed in with the organ. I'm probably way off here, but it sounds like a bass through a really lo-fi fuzz pedal or something. It might work better if the two sounds were separated by panning. Nice lead part later on.

Hey bubba. Yeah, I agree that the second section is a bit crowded and maybe a little harsh...almost pleasantly so, but not quite. I'm kind of a more is more guy and tend to just keep piling shit on until I run out of room. I probably need to edit myself more. The thing that sounds like a synth is the same hammond organ used in the intro. It's pretty versatile, and if you throw effects on there, you have infinite possibilities. And yeah, I mixed it exactly as I wanted it. We all do that I think, it's just that then you start wondering...what if what I wanted totally sucks? One needs to check in with others once in a while to be sure we're not drifting too far off course.

And yes, there is a bass guitar played through either a rat or big muff pedal. I wanted some crunch for emphasis in those sections, but I turned it up at the last minute on a whim, and now I regret it.

Nice work heat - I'm with bubba on the distorted sound just when you start "Cops are standing all around" - a bit grating for mine, but I'm listening in less than ideal circumstances. Only other nit would perhaps be a bit less reverb on the vocal, but that's just personal taste.

Good to hear one of your tunes again after so long.

[EDIT] Now that I've killed the horrible Beats Sound Mangling Device on my laptop and reverted to good old plain Windows sound, that distorted sound is less gratey but I still think just at its very introduction it's a little harsh to my ears.

Thank you Armi. Yeah, you're probably on to something with that distorted sound. If I remix this, that will be something I'll alter for sure. Maybe cut some high mids from it to make it less grating and then just turn it down too? I think I still want it there, because without it, the whole thing sounds kind of clean and sterile.

I'm sorry I never called.

 

[heatmiser]

So cool. I love how you've incorporated the Hammond into your sound. It definitely adds some kind of weird creaky circus element, but it's also capable of some versatality. I like how you can have a couple distinct Hammond parts and they don't step on each other at all.

Great lyrics, very timely, everything sounds great. Don't make us wait so long for the next one!

Thanks fat man. lol @ creaky circus element. The Hammond is such a nice thing. So big and heavy and always humming and crackling, but it's so fun nonetheless.

I have a new, very different one in the works now. It won't be long...

Nice use of organ. Is it real, virtual or pedal?
The song is really good and has a cool retro vibe going strong.
I'd have been very tempted to lather it with LP cracks & pops or tape sludge.
I'm glad you didn't though.
Just plain COOL.

Hey ray - it is a real organ. My organ is real.
I'm glad you enjoyed it. I am digging the retro vibe as always.
No analog noise-making trickery here, but plenty of inexplicable digital hiss!

Heat!! Great to see you back man, I thought you might have been a gonner.

New song is really good, nothing really sounds out of whack to me. I love the reverb levels on the vocal personally, and excellent lyrics. Social commentary is hard to do without being preachy or overbearing, but I think you got a good balance.

My wife walked in as I was listening and asked who was playing. Before I told her she said it sounded quite like Damon Albarn from Blur too. Very cool

Well, I was gone, but now I'm not.

It's really good to hear from you rob. I am very happy with the reverb on those vocals myself, so glad you said so.

Fair and balanced....that's me!

The hiss is a little distracting, but the organ and vocals make up for it lol.
Cool backups on the sides - very retro like the old UK stuff.
That grindy organ ? at the latter is a wee bit loud as it covers the vocals a tad.
Ending is an excellent choice. Do love the vocal performance and the effects whatever it is that you used.
This is resonating in my mind even after ending - John McGraw ....

Yeah, where the hell did that hiss come from? I didn't even really notice it until I read your post, and now it's bugging me. Thanks a lot!

I think maybe the higher organ sound that some are hearing as a synth is competing with the vocals a bit. I think the tone is a bit harsh too, but I still kind of like it? It's the same hammond, but fed through an ibanez analog delay pedal. When you dial in the delay time to a certain parameter, it just goes haywire and starts randomly generating squeals and echoes.

 

[chuckduffy]

Two things

I can't believe you have a real hammond now, how did I not catch that...
I remember talking about bass and distortion once. The pedal will always thin it out. It can work better if you blend a DI and the distortion so you can keep the fuzz without losing the meat.