Need a fresh set of ears on Gospel song - comments please?

T

TomD

New member
I've been working on mixing this for days, and just am not happy with how it's comming out.

I really could use some input as to what I need to do.
We recorded this song for my girls benefit ( they did most of the singing ) It's a cover of an old Gospel classic, done country style.

One disclaimer, I noticed on the mp3, the high end of the drums seems a lot harsher that the original track.

I tried to get that spacial, catherdral sound, and I wanted it smooth, but solid.

I'm sorry the download is so large. It is a very long song.



Thanks in advance for anything constructive you may have for me.

Tom
 
Hey Tom D.

Alot of people around here get spooked about downloading & actually listening to a gospel tune, so they leave it to guys like me to give them a whirl..

First impression...Your Daughters have very nice tone to their voice, sounds like they have been harmonizing together for quite some time.

The harmonies seem to come in a little too loud, could be panned a little more from each other.

Nice slide/steel guitar work...The drums sounded a little too "canned", but the tempo was good...The crash cymbal was used too much, and had a rather brash sound to it.

But I really enjoyed this rendition.
Tell your Daughters great job on the vocals!

VI
 
Not my cup of tea, but the sound is really nice, Tom. Smooth harmonies! I think the level of the riding cymbal is too high and the crash seems thin, but the rest of the drums sound good to me.

good job!
 
Thanks guys. I really appreciate you taking the time to give it a listen.

I agree with the comments about the cymbals. The crash being overplayed isn't something I have a lot of control over - but will try on future cuts. Also, the drums are electronic, so all I get from them is a stereo signal. Both cymbals are panned to the same stereo side, so about all I can do to balance them is use EQ. I agree with the crash being brash sounding. I will have him try a different 'set' in the electronics, or fine tune the crash sound, maybe that will help.

I will try panning the vocals more to the sides, see if it helps define them a little, and lower the volume. I think I have them panned about 1/3 to each side now, but will go further. I'll listen close for that balance and volume.

Actually Village, they just started doing this Village. About 6 weeks since the first time they tried it together, with live music.

I might add, on the verses, that is one daughter doing all the parts, thats why the blend is so good - same voice. On the chorus's, that's my wife and other daughter providing the harmonies.

Thanks for the comments on the steel playing. I just started playing about a year ago, and it isn't an easy instrument to pick up, for sure.

Again, I really appreciate the help. I've listened so much to it I'm getting a little ear-dead, and more than a little frustrated. I am proud of the job the girls did. They are wanting to record a CD just to pass out to their friends and family, and I want it to be good for them. My bandmates are helping, and that also is nice.

Tom
 
Great sound, love the steel pedal, and the whole song sounds good. I am playing it in winamp now and i found that when i brought up the midrange, it really brought the vocals cause at my listening post, i thought the vocals sounded a little too bassy (is that a word?). I plan on listening to more of your stuff. Very soothing/clean sound to it good job man!, Charva (gonna have another listen)
 
Hell Tom,
I think you've done a fine job, and this is beautiful song. We enjoyed it very much. It was a nice suprise.

Thank you, and look forward to hearing more in the future.
 
nice rendition..
there IS a lot of reverb, and I know you want that spacious, cathedral sound, but maybe it's a tad too much. One thing is there seems to be a void between the bass gtr and the voices. The rhy gtr is playing such a low (in pitch) part that it almost seems to dbl the bass,...or it relies on the low E and A string it sounds a lot. Therefore, you have this low pitched instrumentation, then up higher pitched, the voices and the pedal steel. There is nothing in between, and a seems to leave a "space" in your mix for a lack of better words. If the gtr part was taken up an octave, or a keyboard filled in that area, it might help. The snare is low in volume, and the toms are low pitched also, so no real help from the kit in this area. Am I making sense??
I also think that panning the voices apart might help to widen up the mix. The drums have such a unatural wide spread to its mix, and might sound better tightened in a bit, and pan the pedal steel, and gtr apart, and the voices too. That would probably help to *separate* parts too. In other words, the panning choices seem kinda backwards. The rhythm section is more or less in mono...same with the voices, and then the drums are panned waaaay apart.
Nice singing...watch the gtr tuning, good song...[choice;) ]
 
Hey TomD,

I missed this before, but direct linking your song is in direct violation of your usage agreement on NWR. Normally this would result in deletion of your account.

Link to your songs via. the links available in the 'get links' section only. You will have to refresh your artists pages for it to work again, and all links you have already posted (direct download) are now un-workable.

W.
 
I'm sorry about my error Waldo.

I thought 'direct link' meant linking to the streaming audio, didn't know it meant the mp3 downloads also.

Didn't mean to break the rules of NWR. Very sorry.

Tom
 
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