Kelby's Drive

  • Thread starter Thread starter WhiteStrat
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WhiteStrat

WhiteStrat

Don't stare at the eye.
When I was a little kid, my ultimate fantasy was to drive a car. I dreamed about driving night after night. Fast forward 40 years, and guess what--I can drive! But now I have a young fan (his name is Kelby, and he's True's grandson) and he can't drive yet. So when I sat down to create a soundtrack to my childhood driving fantasies, I imagined that I was Kelby, and it all came back to me again:

 
Slick moves. Great licks and performance. I like how you take the song through the different moods and scapes.

So, to me this sounds like it was mixed by a guitar player. And I know you and know you're the guitar player (I'm brilliant like that. :laughings:) I'd like to hear the drums more prevalent in the mix. Bass, too, though it doesn't need to come up as much. The crash cymbals are thin, not sure what to do about that other than eq. Snare sounds great. BTW, is this the kit in your studio?

Cool song, Bob. I enjoyed the ride.
 
So what you're saying is drums up a few notches, and bass up a couple?

If so, that's cool--exactly what I thought, but I'm very insecure about the balance of this room. As such, I tend to screw up the bass & drums--one way or the other.

Yeah, the kit is the one in my studio. But it this wasn't recorded for this song, per se. I have a bunch of raw drum tracks that I piece together and edit for tunes as the need arises. My "house drummer" is no more (and he was my son-in-law, so you can guess how much that sucks) and I haven't found a replacement yet, so I'm still playing with old tracks.
 
Chili said:
Slick moves. Great licks and performance. I like how you take the song through the different moods and scapes.

So, to me this sounds like it was mixed by a guitar player. And I know you and know you're the guitar player (I'm brilliant like that. :laughings:) I'd like to hear the drums more prevalent in the mix. Bass, too, though it doesn't need to come up as much. The crash cymbals are thin, not sure what to do about that other than eq. Snare sounds great. BTW, is this the kit in your studio?

Cool song, Bob. I enjoyed the ride.
Click to expand...

So how's this?



Better? Worse? (Now I feel like I'm at the eye doctor, getting new glasses.)

The bass is up, (as well as the drums) and to me, it borders on being muddy. But that could just be my insecurity in this room (it could also mean that the bass needs to keep its current volume level, but needs a trim on the bottom end). In either case, I'm counting on some outside input...

I didn't do anything to address the thin crashes. You're right, I hear 'em too, but I wanna get the overall drum levels right before I go back and tweak the brass. So let me know...
 
V1 - the 1st lead was just a little too forward in the mix
V2 - it sits better with the backing brought forward but I also hear what you mean about a bit of mud. The bass is probably a little too forward now - it has an aggressive sound that cuts through really well so doesn't need to be quite so in my face.
The brass could use something but you'll sort that.
Terrrifficcccc guitar tone throughout & some lovely subtl touches ( I was watching a little recent Jeff Beck on Utub & he can really pull off the subtle vs big. So can you.
The bass part sometimes reminds me of the progression in a song called Overkill by Men At Work.
You've written and recorded a very cool piece of program music - I could look at a map and imagine travelling certain roads in some sections.
NOIS!
Have you done an "album" yet? I'd quite like to hear your songs ina sequence.
 
Nice playing Bob, i loved the intro...clever


I read the comments but only listened to the second mix...I think youre pushing the bass...but I dont find any of it muddy, it sounds really clear to me, but theres something about the drums that isnt sitting in the mix for me......they sound a little detached from the rest of the mix, Im not sure if its just the snare... the playings great though...and the rest of the mix is solid


nice one :thumbs up:
 
rayc said:
V1 - the 1st lead was just a little too forward in the mix
V2 - it sits better with the backing brought forward but I also hear what you mean about a bit of mud. The bass is probably a little too forward now - it has an aggressive sound that cuts through really well so doesn't need to be quite so in my face.
The brass could use something but you'll sort that.
Terrrifficcccc guitar tone throughout & some lovely subtl touches ( I was watching a little recent Jeff Beck on Utub & he can really pull off the subtle vs big. So can you.
The bass part sometimes reminds me of the progression in a song called Overkill by Men At Work.
You've written and recorded a very cool piece of program music - I could look at a map and imagine travelling certain roads in some sections.
NOIS!
Have you done an "album" yet? I'd quite like to hear your songs ina sequence.
Click to expand...

Thanks Ray. I always appreciate your input. My normal mix/master process is a little convoluted.

I have to admit that I favor the modern end of the loudness wars scale, but I've found that the "squashing" effect is somewhat minimized by applying the comps and limiters in steps. So after I'm done recording and mixing a tune, I "process" it three more times. Problem is, each step affects the mix. So now I mix with that in mind--making choices based on what I think my mastering process will do. Many times, that hurts more than it helps. This is one of those times.

So even as we speak, I'm trying a new workflow. It will probably leave the final mix a bit "quieter," but it should also leave the final mix much closer to my original intentions. I'll post up again tonight, and we'll see...

Oh, and on the album: nope. I've never put one together. The idea of doing so makes my New Year's resolution list every year--but I still haven't. I'll let you know as soon I do! :)
 
kcearl said:
Nice playing Bob, i loved the intro...clever


I read the comments but only listened to the second mix...I think youre pushing the bass...but I dont find any of it muddy, it sounds really clear to me, but theres something about the drums that isnt sitting in the mix for me......they sound a little detached from the rest of the mix, Im not sure if its just the snare... the playings great though...and the rest of the mix is solid


nice one :thumbs up:
Click to expand...

Thanks Keith. See my comments in my reply to Ray just above this. I'd love to hear your thoughts on the new mix I post later tonight (esp. in comparison to the mix you commented on).
 
Geez...three mixes in two days. I'm an insecure little ninny, methinks. Anyway, time to call this done--gotta ship it off.

Here are the main things I think/hope I did in this final version:

1) Dropped the bass back (hopefully not too far). I think it still does its job, it just doesn't stomp on the mix when it's cranked.
2) Pulled the leads back a little bit--more of a sweet spot, and less sitting on top.
3) Kept the drums bigger and more "alive"

Thanks for the input guys!

 
The only nit would be that cymbal - it jumps out a little in the 1st dozen bars or so.
 
WhiteStrat said:
Geez...three mixes in two days. I'm an insecure little ninny, methinks. Anyway, time to call this done--gotta ship it off.

Here are the main things I think/hope I did in this final version:

1) Dropped the bass back (hopefully not too far). I think it still does its job, it just doesn't stomp on the mix when it's cranked.
2) Pulled the leads back a little bit--more of a sweet spot, and less sitting on top.
3) Kept the drums bigger and more "alive"

Thanks for the input guys!

Click to expand...

lol...we're all insecure ninnies thats why we post our mixes in here :D


I think the bass is perfect...but, dont hate me, I think the drums could be pulled back a ball hair and the lead to go up a bit too

but if you dont leave it youll be mixing it for years ;)
 
kcearl said:
lol...we're all insecure ninnies thats why we post our mixes in here :D


I think the bass is perfect...but, dont hate me, I think the drums could be pulled back a ball hair and the lead to go up a bit too

but if you dont leave it youll be mixing it for years ;)
Click to expand...

Shit...you're right. That's what I get for mixing at 2:00 am. See ya in about an hour...
 
I really, really, REALLY like the transition at 2:05 thru to about 4:00. I couldn't add anything that someone hasn't said already. I agree with your opinion of the drums on the second mix. Some sort of phase issue perhaps? Maybe the room mic is providing the boxy tone?
It's hard to get to the point where you think to yourself, That's it! The mix is complete!
Sometimes we just gotta let go and float downstream.
Great song btw, and awesome inspiration leading to its inception.
 
WhiteStrat said:
Shit...you're right. That's what I get for mixing at 2:00 am. See ya in about an hour...
Click to expand...

One hour, three hours...who's counting? Here's my last and final mix. The CD is already burned. The drums are back a ball hair, and the whole mix should be a tad thicker and more present (did I really just say "more present?" Gawd, how pretentious of me):



Off to the game now. Nachos, beer, and hopefully a winner.
 
:thumbs up:


the cardinals again?


I gave up on baseball...Ive yet to see the Padres win and couldnt take another 2:0 match, Id rather poke my eyes out with a sharp stick lol
 
kcearl said:
:thumbs up:


the cardinals again?


I gave up on baseball...Ive yet to see the Padres win and couldnt take another 2:0 match, Id rather poke my eyes out with a sharp stick lol
Click to expand...

Yep. Cards again. Let's hope this goes better than last night's mixing session.
 
I was on mix 3 and found the drums overpowering and kind of boxy, but now I found mix 4 (I think?) just a few posts above and I think it's a big improvement.

The guitar playing and tone sounds really polished with a nice blend of warmth and bite.
 
Really diggin the mix of the final-for-real-this-time!!!
 
WhiteStrat said:
One hour, three hours...who's counting? Here's my last and final mix. The CD is already burned. The drums are back a ball hair, and the whole mix should be a tad thicker and more present (did I really just say "more present?" Gawd, how pretentious of me):



Off to the game now. Nachos, beer, and hopefully a winner.
Click to expand...

Lol. Well if this is the "final" I guess it's too late to tweak? I think there's some good stuff going on, but the problems I hear in my opinion are killing the mix. For one i think the rhythm guitars and bass are touch muddy. Not terrible, but they're a little cloudy in the low mids. The drums, to me, are using too much overhead and need more close mics. The cymbals and hats are little hot. Great playing though. Very guitar rock. :D
 
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