New song, finally, please help with the mix.

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Teddie

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Friends,

How's everybody?.. Miss you guyz (in a manly way - no weird looks).

I haven’t been around in a while… But, I quit my day job (please, no “don’t quit your day job” jokes - haha). Yeah, I quit my day job partly because of unreasonable development deadlines and mandatory work weekends without pay and missing all but 2 of my son’s basketball games the whole damn season just doesn’t jive with me… Bitter… me. I've still got my Web dev business on the side, so we'll be alright for a little while... plus being my own boss, I can play with my kids whenever I want... nice.

Okay, so anyway, since I had the time, I jumped on the opportunity to lay down some tracks for a song that’s been running through my head for months. Hey, and I finally, just this week, got the opportunity to use the Morley WhaWha pedal that my wife got me for Christmas (YAY!)… Never used one before, but I love this thing! Okay… well, I used it for this song.

The name of the song is “Breath Like Water” and you can find it here: http://mp3.com/smartapple

I haven’t recorded anything in such a long time (except for that cool collaboration with the Mac Bros, but Buck62 did all the mix/mastering)… I’m finding it hard to get my “ears” back if you know what I mean? Sucks.

Thanks for all your help. Let me know what you think needs to be fixed in this song… I’m going to try and fix it all before I push it to my radio buddies.

You guys are GREAT!

Teddie (Smart Apple)
http://mp3.com/smartapple

P.S. I will be going back to work soon enough, so if anyone has any job leads for a Java developer (emphasis on Server side code (servlets)) let me know (Northern VA area).
 
Hey Teddie! :)

I just wondered the other day when the follow-up to Drank a Lot.. would come. Nice to see it's here...

This time you got something for another part of my bag. I really dig the songwriting. Well.. as I'm off to bed I'll just bring up the only thing that didn't sound good in my headphones: The guitar. You gotta bring out some definition in that sound. Right now it's sounds very round.. You oughta be able to squeeze some more attack out of that sound...

The other stuff is just plain excellent, and it's a keeper whatever you end up doing with it.

Keep it up!
- Mesh
 
Mesh, thanks for the kind words and for listening.

About the roundness of the guits. I'm thinking maybe ripping some of the low-end off of the guits as a possible cure... What do you think?
 
Kool tune Teddie...glad you didn't let that ole ocean swallow you up! Man I can't began to imagine how that must of felt like..gives me the creeps just thinking about it!! OH the song:D...hey I like this a lot , dont know how you sing so damn fast though, I was trying to keep up reading you're words and I couldn't!

The guitar's sounded really great man, loved the lead ride..it was just enough and real tasty. Wished I could hear it on my monitors but heck it sounds incredible on these shit speakers. Good job and glad your Okay!
 
Awesome song.....loved every bit of it! great vocals, and guitar! this song is going to be in heavy rotation here!
good job!
 
David, what's up bro! Nice to see you... Yeah, man, almost drowning leaves a funny mark on your mind... (I guess anytime you almost die smears the brain with poop). Thanks for listening. Glad you liked it.

Enigma, thanks for listening and the kind words, definitely.

Did you folks think the vox levels were okay?
 
Hey Teddie! Good to see you back. Really glad to see a new tune. Let's dive in...

Overall, my biggest beef is it's bottom heavy. Your performances are always tight and well done, and this is certainly no exception. Unfortunately everything is clouded with bottom end. The guitar should have a lot of meat to it, no doubt; but I'd also like to hear the details of the effects on it. Even the ocean sounds at the beginning are muddy. This is totally salvageable.

The other problem is that the vocals are a little buried. I'd like to see them bumped up a little more in the mix. I feel like they're swamped and pulled under by the rest of the instrumentation. (You like my imagery here?) I judge from your own comments that you had a feeling they were a little low. Again, no problem there, it can be fixed.

The drums. You have a nack for programming drums. You have a talent of being able to think like a drummer with your programming...I almost forget that they're programmed. However, get a drummer. I mean this with the utmost respect. Buy drums and play them yourself, or buy a higher quality drum machine because these tunes deserve better sounding drum sounds. I kept listening to this and the other songs of yours that I've downloaded (and on your CD that I proudly own) and I can't stop myself from thinking that those sounds are the weakest link in your setup. Obviously you've been successful using them, so what do I know? But I can tell you that these tunes would sound so much better with more realistic sounding drums. So much more powerful as well.

Anyway, I know my review sounds a little harsh this time around. It's meant to be because I have the utmost respect for your music...as I think you know...and I just think you can turn a corner to almost perfection by taking these suggestions into account. As always, keep up the great work and I look forward to more!

Mark
 
Teddie...

Wow dude, this seems like a pretty heavy tune compared to what I remember hearing from you in the past. I really dig some of the riffs.

You know what the guitars need? One more little friend. A guitar with less distortion, more crunch, and a good amount of high end to sit right in the middle. This will round out your overall guitar sound which isn't as bright as it probably could be...sounds like a POD.

(You know a couple good song to listen to for ideas on combining guitar sounds are the Foo Fighters Stacked Actors and Soulfly's Son Song. I've been stealing ideas from both lately.)

Anyhow, I would also have liked to hear you really scream, but that's subjective.

The drum programming is superb BTW.

Really cool tune man! It's my favorite of all your stuff!

Slackmaster 2000
 
Hey Teddie,

Good to have you back around these parts. This song is awesome. I really liked the underwater sound you got on the guitars. Is that your new wah?

You get the best canned drum sound I've heard, you should give lessons. Picture the add in the clasified. How long do you spend programing? Have you thought about getting a real drummer?

Very smooth sound, makes one want to turn it up. The mix sounds very good to me. Voice sounds great as usual.

Glad you didn't drown, next time don't forget your shwim fuegles!

Great work!!

GT
 
Get thee to a good studio with a really good drummer ASAP, even if you can only swing it for a couple of songs. It should come out kicking some serious rumpus and you can pick up a lot of ideas on improving the mixes you do at home. Your playing, singing, and songwriting are up to the task. I really think that's the next level for the stuff you're doing.
 
Hey, folks, thanks for the "welcome backs"... definitely is nice to be able to hear everyone's goods again.

CMiller, hey brother AlphaDog! Great to see ya. I was trying to free up the bottom end for the bass lastnight by rolling the low end off of the guits... I had to give up from frustrastion... Will try again tonight. (something just wasn't sounding right about it, or my ears are numbed to some freqs from overuse).

Ah, yeah, the vox. They were definitely trapped down in there. I was able to fix that last night. I upped the vox in the mix to where I think they're good. The mp3 should be updated now, if you want to give me a check.

Ah, and yes, the drums... There might be a possibility of me playing them real again in the near future... (depending on how things go with buying a house - living in a town house right now...)

Thanks for the good critique... I take it with open ears bro - good friends.

Slack, man, thanks for listening. Regarding the guit sound... What about a brit? Man, I'm so used to using the same preset for distorted guits, my ears hear every other distorted preset as "wrong"... you know what I mean... I've got to break out of that. I'll see if I can get my lazy ass to play the song over again with a different distortion sound, we'll see :) I just get so burnt out on a song... Hey, I'm gonna check out those song recommendations... I dig the Foo Fighters. (Groll's a local boy from round my parts - DC Metro Area.)

Me scream? Hehe... I've tried.. Always comes out like I'm growling like a mad wild bull-dog.

Thanks about the drums... I took a little more time programming for this song... (tap tap tappin' away)... Took me about 4 hours to tap out the patterns just the way I wanted... The drum programming is always the most time consuming part for me... I usually procrastinate making a new song cuz of it... But if I finally sit my ass down and start doing it, I'll forget about the time and just roll with the flow.

GT, hey bro.. good to be back, man. About the wah, nah, the only part I used my Morley was on the little solo thing after the first verse and sub-chorus and then in the bridge on the right channel guit. The sound you hear on the intro guits is on the left channel and it's a software plug-in wah that I ran against the guit track.

Haha, me give lessons for programming drums? Hehe... could you see that? A room full of dudes with little square pads representing drum units in front of them tapping on them with the tips of their fingers as I go, "okay, ah-one, ah-two, ah-three, okay, now FILL, FLAM, ROLL!!!"

Yeah, I didn't drown, but man, that kind of messed with my head.

pg, yeah, I'd like to experience a real studio one of these days... I've never seen one (cept for pics) and never been in one... Although, Buck62's got a pretty nice studio (brand new set up too)... I'm heading out around his parts later this year, so I'm going to jam out a little with the Mac Bros in that studio... I wanna hit that sound booth. Fun stuff.

---

Anyway, guys, I upped the vox a little... That's the only change I've made so far... I'll keep messing with it and keep you posted... if anyone else wants to give me some feedback, please feel free... I love it. Always helps... always. Extensions of my own ears you folks are...

THANKS!
 
Hey Ted,

Good to hear another from you. The tune is great. I'd put it right up there with my favorites from you. Regarding the mix. Maybe a little more detail in the guitar but I had no problem with the abundance of lo end in the tune, it made it easy on the ears. If this is the updated file, the vocals could probably come up another hair, at least in some parts but I think that has more to do with you singing low on some parts and turning it up may make the rest too loud.

ANyway, really good tune, the heavyness didn't surprise me because I've heard your heavy stuff before. Good songwriting, vocals and guitar solo.

Ray J
 
Teddie,

LMAO!! Teddie speaking to class in angry tone: Allright, who's not quantized?
 
Hey Teddie.

Nothin new to add review wise. Just rollin in the hood thought I'd drop in to say what up. I dig the new tune, like usual. Which Way is still the fav tho. Keep up the good work man.
 
Teddie,

I just listened to it and liked it. I can't add much review-wise either; it's been said already.
 
Ray J, what's up bro, long time no type... Dang, I was just thinking the same thing on the vox again. I did bring them up, but when I listened side by side my other junk, it's a little low... This song is giving me pains... I don't know if it's because I haven't recorded anything in a while, but I'm feeling a bit green again. Thanks for listening... I'm going to bring the vox up a notch again...

GT, LOL. For punishment of the students, I will put them in a padded room with a metronome for an hour or so... tapping of the feet gives you an extra 15 minutes in the "beat-chamber".

KingNothing, thanks for listening, bro... Yeah, Which Way is still one of my deeper favs. It was the first song I cam to this bbs with, begging for help.

Ron, thanks for listening. I'm glad you liked it.

Okay, well, back to the mix... I'll change some stuff... (I actually got burned-out on it and started a new song - no focus over here)...
 
Ah... LI Slim suggested I scoop out a certain frequency on my song "Faded" and it seemed to work well.

I tried it on the left and right guits on "Breath Like Water" and I think it helped kill some of the roundness of the guitar tone... I think it sounds a lot better now - more open and edgy. I also upped the vox.

Lemme know.
 
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