Kinda funky, kinda jazzy, kinda rock sort of thing

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sammydix

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Been a long time since I've written anything, so this is the first tune after a "sabbatical." Love to know what you think since it was a bit of a toughy to put together (for me):

https://soundcloud.com/lsahlm/pull-up-yo-pants

Kindafishy on wah guitar
Stan Gadziola on lead and verbed guitars
Me: all the rest and AD2 proggin.
 
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The mix turned out so good and this tune deserved it. Loved the song from the first moment I heard it.

Overall, there are so many interesting things going on that it verges on chaotic at times, but you really rein everything in nicely with great positioning and excellent dynamic control. Not too much control though! It all sounds very open and natural.

I still think it's cool that Stan and I did our different parts without hearing each other, yet we still managed to stay within (and contribute to) a cohesive vibe.

I still don't really understand how you built the bass track (even though you already explained it to me), but it's awesome.
 
Very cool. I really like the organ part you got going here. Good tones all around and performance is good.

My only one little suggestion is to try to get the bass and the kick working a little better with each other. I'd like to hear them blended better.

So, how did you do the bass, anyway?
 
kindafishy said:
The mix turned out so good and this tune deserved it. Loved the song from the first moment I heard it.

Overall, there are so many interesting things going on that it verges on chaotic at times, but you really rein everything in nicely with great positioning and excellent dynamic control. Not too much control though! It all sounds very open and natural.

I still think it's cool that Stan and I did our different parts without hearing each other, yet we still managed to stay within (and contribute to) a cohesive vibe.

I still don't really understand how you built the bass track (even though you already explained it to me), but it's awesome.
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Verges on chaotic? That disappoints me. I wanted it full on.
I thought it was brilliant the way you and Stan vibed just by chance. There's a reason I asked the two of you specifically.
Thanks for helping me out!
 
Chili said:
Very cool. I really like the organ part you got going here. Good tones all around and performance is good.

My only one little suggestion is to try to get the bass and the kick working a little better with each other. I'd like to hear them blended better.

So, how did you do the bass, anyway?
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Thanks Chili. How do you specifically mean that they're not working together? I'd like to know what I'm correcting later. The bass was an accidental bit of inspiration. I was "spring cleaning" so to speak and found an old CD of bass samples. They were one and two bar phrases all in the same key. So I pieced together the ones I liked and arranged them to make a complete song. Then added my guitars and sang a melody around it.
 
Actually, it may not be a balance between the bass and kick; might be more of finding the right level for the bass. At around 00:40 when all the tracks kick in, it seems the bass gets lost. It doesn't have the same presence as it did in the intro. The kick still came through nicely, which is why I thought you needed to work them together better. Maybe a little bit of automation to bump up the bass during the busy parts and bring it back down in the softer parts. The mix as a whole sounds great. This is a little nitpick and probably comes down to personal preference.

It is a sweet sounding bass.

hth,
 
Chili said:
Actually, it may not be a balance between the bass and kick; might be more of finding the right level for the bass. At around 00:40 when all the tracks kick in, it seems the bass gets lost. It doesn't have the same presence as it did in the intro. The kick still came through nicely, which is why I thought you needed to work them together better. Maybe a little bit of automation to bump up the bass during the busy parts and bring it back down in the softer parts. The mix as a whole sounds great. This is a little nitpick and probably comes down to personal preference.

It is a sweet sounding bass.

hth,
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Perfect. And I hear just what you mean. I don't do tons of automation, but in this case it makes sense just for a the chorus. Generally, when I do use automation, it's mainly like full verses or choruses, so don't even know why I didn't do it here with the bass. Thanks a lot Chil!
 
Yeah, you sure packed a lot into just over 3 minutes here! Well done. Very creative and original. I like how there are so many little guitar bits panned about that all have completely different tones and styles even, yet it all fits together well. I thought the break starting right around 1:50 was a very nice change up. Cool the way it opens up there.

I thought the mix itself sounded good. Myself, I would push those vocals up maybe just a bit. They're pretty cool, but I'd rather hear them more present, and I like buried vocals too.
 
Thanks BM. I genuinely thought the vocals were fine until I heard this from you and others. I think it must be because I know the song and lyrics so well and fooled myself into thinking the vocs were ok. Another theory could be that I've never really tried "rapping" in my life and I kinda suck. haha!
 
Pretty groovy tune. I thought I heard places where the bass what just not quite tight with the kick too. No so much a matter of levels, more of timing. It wasn't glaring, but I heard it.

The big issue is the vocal clarity. For most of the tune, I'm not hearing any distinct words, just a kind of under-the-breath muttering. It sounds like you are saying something but I can't make out what it is. Once in a while the vocal cuts through--the part that goes "baby I ain't fooling--and I think, yeah, that sounds great! Then it's back to the muttering. It's partly that the level of the vocals could come up. Partly it's a mix issue. You need to clear away the stuff that is stepping on your vocals, and just be more ruthless in pushing supporting parts down our panning them out so that they are supporting, not obscuring, your vocal. Take this for what it's worth--I'm the guy who wants to hear every word of every line of every lyric of every song.

It's a promising start. I think this could be quite good with a clearer mix.
 
Cool little tune. I don't anything that needs much.

Good work.
 
Robus said:
Pretty groovy tune. I thought I heard places where the bass what just not quite tight with the kick too. No so much a matter of levels, more of timing. It wasn't glaring, but I heard it.

The big issue is the vocal clarity. For most of the tune, I'm not hearing any distinct words, just a kind of under-the-breath muttering. It sounds like you are saying something but I can't make out what it is. Once in a while the vocal cuts through--the part that goes "baby I ain't fooling--and I think, yeah, that sounds great! Then it's back to the muttering. It's partly that the level of the vocals could come up. Partly it's a mix issue. You need to clear away the stuff that is stepping on your vocals, and just be more ruthless in pushing supporting parts down our panning them out so that they are supporting, not obscuring, your vocal. Take this for what it's worth--I'm the guy who wants to hear every word of every line of every lyric of every song.

It's a promising start. I think this could be quite good with a clearer mix.
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Great suggestions Robus, thanks for taking the time.
Yeah, pretty unanimous now, so vocals up plus clarity.
Still not rapping again any time too soon.
 
Love da funk. I always love the funk.

This is great. I started listening to this about a week ago and then got side tracked before getting to the first chorus.

I usually don't like so much "room" on a snare, but it's perfect for this tune.

Everything sounds great. The only thing I'd mention is what a couple of other people have mentioned, and that's being able to make out the vocals. Not everywhere, only when the band kicks in, they get a little lost in there. I don't think any major changes are needed. I personally would just bump them up a db or 2 and maybe slightly dry them up.

Other than that, this is right up my alley. I would listen to this in real life if I was me. :cool:
 
Thanks Rami! I was thinking it was the worst thing ever posted here for a second there. I respect your opinion, so your comment gave me a nice feeling. I have since remixed the entire project, which of course, included uping the vocals. That's one thing that's number one on my mind for future mixes thanks to comments like yours and the others. Kinda odd for a vocalist! You'd think making myself too loud would be the problem, if anything.

We've sort of worked together indirectly thru kindafishy; hope it won't be the last. I like your style.
 
sammydix said:
Thanks Rami! I was thinking it was the worst thing ever posted here for a second there
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Why would you ever think that? This is closer to some of the best stuff ever posted here. This place goes in waves. Sometimes, there's a shitload of activity, and then sometimes a song can sit on page one for a week. I really do love this.
 
sammydix said:
We've sort of worked together indirectly thru kindafishy; hope it won't be the last. I like your style.
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Yeah man. I think there was even a mis-understanding that almost led to me playing drums on this tune. You didn't need me. The drums are fine. :)
 
RAMI said:
Yeah man. I think there was even a mis-understanding that almost led to me playing drums on this tune. You didn't need me. The drums are fine. :)
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I didn't necessarily mean as a drummer only, and not for this tune--it's done. But I do respect people having a life outside of the forums and don't have a lot of time on their hands.
 
Love it. Love the guitars, the drums,vocals, the groove, all of it. Great job
 
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