Let the Wells Run Dry with easlern and ibleedburgundy

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Robus

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New song with Nick on vocals and Dave on drums. First mix. I'm thinking about how the lead vocal is sitting, and the relative levels of lead and harmony vocals. The harmony is down pretty low at the moment.

Thanks for any and all comments.

Latest Mix:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0BzqJIqBR8uJeb3Q5YlplMm03Y28/view?usp=sharing

Previous Mix:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0BzqJIqBR8uJeNEZ0bXB4MVg1ZDg/view?usp=sharing

Let the Wells Run Dry
Words and music by Ray Taylor, 2016

Last night on the river
We're walking out alone
What the whiskey made rise
May not abide
Well we can always hold hands
Out of the shadows
I swear I saw old Dixie rise again
Or was she just a friend
Made her own amends
Like she always did?

Two kids on the campus
Under Whitman’s tower gaze
T-shirts and jeans
Eggrolls and tea
Never noticed the heat
Up on those towers
Swear I saw Old Glory waving down
Made me feel the fire
Made me draw the lines
That’s the danger in that power

Let the wells run dry
Let the world be small in the bigger eye
Let me lay down my hurries at your side

Climbed up Mt. Bonnell
To watch the skyline blinking orange
Symbols and signs
Cross the divide
Back to where we were born
Out of this city
I swore I saw the New World pouring on
Out of the sky
Corner of my eye
I see the asteroids coming on

Well we can jive talk or the lover’s walk

Let the secrets run deep
Let us tell the ones that you cannot keep
Let me lay down my hurries at your feet
 
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Sounds like Poco, or New Riders of the Purple Sage. Drums could use replacement triggers to mix with a vst drums (Snare, Kick, Toms) for a more modern sound. Did you double the lead vocals? If so, you might notch it down a bit, as it is noticeable.
 
Hey Robus. The kick drum is pretty loud. The drums sound in front of the singer (maybe lower them overall and/or put reverb on them?).
The piano during the intro has some loud notes and some quiet -- the loud notes sound too loud, so maybe just a touch of automation (or compression) on it.
 
Vocals are crisp, but there's a slap every once in a while, like they were double tracked. Drums are slightly loud, but they're pushy (I like drums that hit you in the chest at volume). Cymbals and hats are well balanced with the rest of the mix though.
Like the guitar tone and the subdued piano playoff. Really plays well against the vocal.
There's a click at :31.
Guitar tone @ 1:25 - 1:40 is...I can't place a finger on it. It's a nice tone, but doesn't quite fit the vibe or that space.
Guitar on the right starting just before 2:00 is a bit loud. Not huge, but distracting from the vocal.
Really like the guitar tone on the L! Smoooooth.
 
Thanks. Yeah, the lead vocal is doubled throughout. The double could come down a dB or two. Right now it's sitting at something like 9 dB below the main lead. Even that low, slight timing variations between the main lead and double can be audible. Some detail editing is needed there. There is work to do on the drum levels, compression and EQ. I agree the lead guitar on the right is too loud. The guitar on the left is the Mesa 5:25. It's either a Tele or Strat--I did a number of takes with different guitars and forget which one I decided to use. Any thoughts on the harmony vox levels relative to the main vocal?
 
I honestly love how subtle they are. It's perfect for the song. They're there, but you really have to try to pick them out. The harmonies are right where they should be for the song.
While I'm listening hard, I'm noticing your Ks are very loud.
 
Thanks. The Ks on the lead vocal? I hand edit stuff like that, just haven't yet done it.
 
Mt Bonnell??? When were you in Austin??

Mix sounds great as does the arrangement and performances. Nice to see you guys working so well together.

Sounds like you have a lot of compression on the vocals, which is okay and the sibilance is under control, but the hard consonants really stand out. I think pulling back on the compression would be the first step before EQ. That's all I got for the mix. great job.

As a side note, I take exception to calling it Whitman's Tower. That's kind of like memorializing a mass murderer. To me, that's not so cool. Unless I'm missing some subtle message in the lyrics...
 
Hi Chili. I went to UT in the 80s. I was actually born in Austin although I didn't live there much growing up. My wife is from there too. I take your point about Whitman. However I think walking around in the shadow of that tower, knowing what happened there, is part of the lore and atmosphere of the place. At least back then, and for me. As you walk past, you get in the habit of glancing at the bullet marks on the limestone. As much a part of the place as seeing the tower lighted in orange. I guess things falling from the sky was theme on my mind as I wrote this song this past July, whether bullets, asteroids, or airliners.
 
I generally thought it was very good. The clean guitar sounds very good. Lead vocal sounds excellent.

I liked the bass sound, but I thought it took too long to get it into the song. Just hitting some long whole notes on the root note early on. I think it should come in immediately.

Little pop at :32.

The drums are very good. Nice subdued part - supports the song well. I really like the snare sound. Agree that the kick is just a bit loud. Just a db or two. Cymbals are nice and clear without being sizzly.

The piano sound was OK.

Weird sound at 1:57. Pop or a bad edit or something.

I think you could get away with a little presence boost in the vocal at around 5K and it would make things harsh.

Fade at the end is a little abrupt.
 
Pretty smooth song Robus. Everything sounds in place from what I can tell. I really like the kick sound. I thought it was a touch too loud at the very beginning but as it continued it blended well. The rest of the kit sounds good too. Good song.
 
Robus said:
Hi Chili. I went to UT in the 80s. I was actually born in Austin although I didn't live there much growing up. My wife is from there too. I take your point about Whitman. However I think walking around in the shadow of that tower, knowing what happened there, is part of the lore and atmosphere of the place. At least back then, and for me. As you walk past, you get in the habit of glancing at the bullet marks on the limestone. As much a part of the place as seeing the tower lighted in orange. I guess things falling from the sky was theme on my mind as I wrote this song this past July, whether bullets, asteroids, or airliners.
Click to expand...

Well, Hook 'em!! :D

I originally moved here in the early 90s, moved away in the late 90s and came back about 9 years ago. (Wow :eek:) Austin is my 2nd home.

The good thing about songwriting is it is an opportunity to get people to think, reflect, and feel. You did that with this song. :)
 
TripleM said:
Little pop at :32.
...
Weird sound at 1:57. Pop or a bad edit or something.
Click to expand...

I heard a number of pops throughout too. 0:08, 1:23. A lip smack at 1:24.
The lip smack is obviously in the original, but some of the rest might be from mp3 conversion.

Is the timing on "I swear I saw old Dix...ie" intentional? :D

I get a modern country vibe from the melody (especially, the "let the wells run dry" hook). Sort of interesting since the production is completely different. It's more like sparse CCM

Yeah, that fade at the end is kind of abrupt. Maybe try a different fade shape?

It's a good mix overall.

I wouldn't mind more of a build at the bridge/outro. The drums there are more energetic than the rest of the song, but they're a little dark to really drive things.
If I were to be tasked with remixing this, I would probably darken the drums throughout and then brighten them up and make them much louder at the end. And then throw in an big OD guitar to really hammer the point home. :D
 
Love the right side guitar tones and squeals at the end. Very nice.

Super strong vocals, especially at 1:25. Powerful stuff guys.

I am hearing a pop at :08. pop at :32. Very quiet pop at :39. 1:24. At the very beginning there is a high pitched radio interference type sound. Maybe do a cross fade there on whatever the guilty track is.

The guitar on the left side has a great tone. Love it, but it seems to outweigh anything on the right side until the 2:00 mark.

Could be more bass guitar in general IMO. Agree with TripleM - I think it could come in sooner. The intro seems to be a little thin. Or maybe this is a case where the contrast works for the development of the song. I could go either way. I definitely think the bass guitar needs to accompany the drum fill at :48. -That fill needs instrumental support. It improves the musicality. Listen to the one at the end. We're punching as a unit there. It's nice.

I am sneaking that Meinl Dark Byzance China in all over the place on this album. Let me know if it's too much. I fucking love the one at the end there. We're doing this folksy light rock stuff - it doesn't exactly scream "china" lol. But this one is super mellow.
 
I caught some other pops too. But I thought they were lip smacks. They didn't seem "digital".
 
New mix in the OP. I did some detail editing on the lead vocals. Should be fewer pops, lip smacks, and hard consonants. I also resolved a few timing discrepancies between the lead and double. I did a slight presence boost at 5k as somebody suggested. I haven't messed with the compression on the lead vocal bus yet.

The harmony vox came up about 3/4 of a dB.

I took Triple M and Dave's suggestion regarding bass in the first verse--to a point! I wanted the intro and first few lines of the first verse to be without bass. The idea was to leave room for the arrangement to build, to establish that guitar hook on the left, and to announce Nick's vocal in a dramatic way. I brought the bass in midway through the first verse. So, a compromise. Tell me what you think.

I did a bit of work on the drum buss. There's really very little processing on the drums--reverb and parallel compression on the drum bus, and some EQ and compression on the kick and toms. I could do more processing on the individual drum tracks but I'm really not hearing the need. To my ears, the drums have a natural sound that fits the track.

I did re-balance the drum levels. The kick is a bit lower than before. I may need to do some automation overall, so that the drums are lower early in the song and come up as the arrangement builds.

Overall track level is a bit on the low side, sorry. It's a mix, not a master. But I should be able to get more level once I've tracked down and fixed a few volume spikes here and there.

I fixed a few pops. There may be more.

I'll leave the previous mix up for awhile in case anyone wants to compare.
 
I had a couple listens. Sounds good but I'd personally like to hear a bit more guitar. The guitar work is nice but buried.

Someone mentioned the fade being abrupt. To me the song just ends too soon. Period. Just when I feel it develops and I'm into listening to it, it's over.
This could easily be a much longer 'album cut'

Drums are better in the second mix, but still a bit dry and in your face.

On a more personal note I didn't dig chili's comments about the lyrical content. Come on now, let's not let the PC police invade song lyrics too. Besides even if this tune hit nationally, very few would have any clue as to what went down at the tower.

Overall, well written and well performed tune.
 
listened to the newest mix. the drums are waaaay up front. overpowering everything, and really in your face. i agree they're dry as a bone too.

excellent melody, great vocal performance, good writing. abrupt ending...no? was anticipating another verse.

those drums are about 3 db's louder than i'd expect. give the song a complete break for 1 week and listen again. i'm sure you'll notice it.

again, nick's voice matches your writing so very well.
 
Yup. It sounds like the drummer and bass player kicked everyone out of the mix room. Rhythm section mutiny.
:D
 
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