Original by a friend, recorded by JM

The mix seems a bit bassy. I would try high passing the guitar and vocals around 80 Hz. Season to taste. :D Some of the orchestra parts before the drums are not tight. As for the drums, they sound scooped somewhere in the the high-mids. Was this recorded to tape? If not, I would edit the vocals a bit. Take out some of the mouth-opening sounds (like in the very beginning right before the first word.) Other than that stuff, it sounds alright.
 
Agree with squibble about the bassy guitar. Otherwise it sounds pretty good. The orchestra is a bit cheesy, like an old school plastic keyboard synth. The drums aren’t too bad.
The double tracks vox are very well done. Wish I could do em that well.
Cool tune.
 
The cheesey orchestra is real fiddles. Four violins, two viols, two cellos. I played every track, yesterday; no EQ-ing or other voodoo. Going back to edit the slop today. If the string ensemble sounds cheesy, it's my struggle with execution: trying to bow the parts I hear, and loosing attention on the pulse. Synth orchestra would sound a lot cheesier...but it would be quantize-likkedy!

Agreed that it's too bassy....scooping the later acoustic parts; back to the untweaked bass part...better transient, faster decay...and level-down.

You're talking about the vox doubling? I tracked the vocal three times...she's new at the game...wanted to have material to correct pitch and vibrato issues. Had that to work with.... All I did was double with one of the other vox parts...about half volume of the lead...and applied a bit of chorus to the double. I thought it punctuated the hook nicely.

Most important, though, is that no one has detected the 5,475 edits on the vox and guitar parts: she had trouble playing to the clock...so I got the best takes of the guit parts, and hacked and slid and faded against the clock's grid. I'd tried to orchestrate a first version done all at once by her without a 'nome. Near impossible to add stuff...fluctuating pulse. I thought the song was really good, so I made her play the parts separately to the ticker a couple days later, gave her her demo...then had my way with it, for fun.


I think she has a lot of potential as a writer...based on the hook in that tune. She's never performed, recorded once before, and this is her first song...and I really think she has a gift to hone. Playing to the clock, attention to vocal smoothity and pitch, some melodic variation in the vox, and she'll do pretty well.
TX!
 
Last edited:
No prollum! Not only are they dragging...but I couldn't get a righteous 'tock' happening. More shedding!
 
jeffmaher said:
The cheesey orchestra is real fiddles. Four violins, two viols, two cellos. I played every track, yesterday; no EQ-ing or other voodoo. Going back to edit the slop today. If the string ensemble sounds cheesy, it's my struggle with execution: trying to bow the parts I hear, and loosing attention on the pulse. Synth orchestra would sound a lot cheesier...but it would be quantize-likkedy!

Agreed that it's too bassy....scooping the later acoustic parts; back to the untweaked bass part...better transient, faster decay...and level-down.

You're talking about the vox doubling? I tracked the vocal three times...she's new at the game...wanted to have material to correct pitch and vibrato issues. Had that to work with.... All I did was double with one of the other vox parts...about half volume of the lead...and applied a bit of chorus to the double. I thought it punctuated the hook nicely.

Most important, though, is that no one has detected the 5,475 edits on the vox and guitar parts: she had trouble playing to the clock...so I got the best takes of the guit parts, and hacked and slid and faded against the clock's grid. I'd tried to orchestrate a first version done all at once by her without a 'nome. Near impossible to add stuff...fluctuating pulse. I thought the song was really good, so I made her play the parts separately to the ticker a couple days later, gave her her demo...then had my way with it, for fun.


I think she has a lot of potential as a writer...based on the hook in that tune. She's never performed, recorded once before, and this is her first song...and I really think she has a gift to hone. Playing to the clock, attention to vocal smoothity and pitch, some melodic variation in the vox, and she'll do pretty well.
TX!
Click to expand...

Wow – I knew you played the real thing but it sure doesn’t sound like it to me. They sound so thin. Well if I had the opportunity to record such instruments I’d make love to them in the mix. I know the vocals are the primary focus but think Eleanor Rigby – what a great marriage of vox and strings.

No I didn’t notice 5,475 edits, so you da man.
 
:^)

If I could play like LSO cellists, I'd make the parts blast! But all I wanted to do is create a little interest and open the field for effect and ...uh emo.



jimmys69
I noticed some of the side-stick snare hits are a bit late. Sorry if I'm pickin at ya

Jimmy...that was a valuable tip off. I'm learning how to edit the 8 drum tracks, now. Intimidating at first, but your notice put me on notice. I figured it out. TX!!!!

Take out some of the mouth-opening sounds (like in the very beginning right before the first word.)

I like the opening breaths and smacks! Kinda like fret noise. Brings the listener in-close, I think. I'm keepin' 'em. :^)


Some of the orchestra parts before the drums are not tight.

Tightened. Another good snag, TX

TX for all the listens and crits. These were even more helpful ...inspiring me to listen more carefully, slow down, and learn new tricks...than usual. XO
 
Yeah, I like to edit drums previous to recording anything else to make sure the beat is right to track to. Makes everything easier.
 
The strings definitely add interest Jeff - the descending cello (?) just before the drums kick in captures that Eleanor Rigby sound Manslick mentions. With the issues etc you mention in the recording, I think you've done a good job - can't hear the joins and some nice sounds in there.

Noticed a bit of hiss on the mix after the drums start too, so I guess it's on that track.
 
Nice tune, good composition. I like how different instruments and parts come in and out to keep it interesting. Tightened up a bit I think it'll be real nice.
 
Thanks, Rob...

Yup...the drum overheads. I snipped some noise and faded the tracks in. Nice pickup...bat-ears. I can't hear that HF stuff unless I blast it. TX!!!
 
New version at the same link.

Tightened stuff. Less Bass. Concert hall verb.

Adding a little mando tomorrow. Room for HF tinkle...and it kinda gets Union Station b'grassy in parts. Not quite done.

I appreciate the help on this one, gents. Sincerely.
 
Getting much better man. The vocal seems a bit boxy. Maybe HPF that. What DAW are you using? It might be interesting to do a mix of this myself for fun if you would be interested. I do mostly heavy rock and would love to poke at something different.
 
Sonar 3.3 and Ozone mastering.

I trying to be careful not to scoop any guts in her voice that are there...I rolled off the bass, and dripped the low mids only -1+ w/ a wide Q. Maybe needs more. The whole thing, with the exception of cymbals, is dark. The mando will help...and some bright in the vox would be a good thing, too. I'll mess with it, TX

The work is 30 tracks and counting....all sewn together. If I bounce clips, it'll add about a gig to the file! So I don't think it's practical to send track files. I don't think the project file would open in anything but sonar, right?
 
I think it sounds way good. I like dark personally.

Her voice is great but I'd back it maybe 1 or 2 db and add some verb.

The strings sound great, bass line is way cool, drums in the pocket. Good work.
 
You're right...checked the mix mono....voice need a small level cut. A scoche more verb wouldn't hurt...she hates the cave. so I erred on the side of pleasing the artist.

Funny...a couple comments on the midi/synth sound of the real instruments: I think if I had some $6000 Neumanns, I could get a much better result. The strings were done with a 58. My mid-level condensers suck for everything but drum overheads.

And I need to try a different mic on the snare. Have a condenser there...gonna try a 57. Tough getting snap on that one...mushy...
 
The only strings I record are guitar strings and I always use LDC. (2 - TLM 103s)

Are you mic’g the bottom and top snare? The 58 on the bottom should give you plenty of snap.

(LOL me giving drum advice)

Maybe it’s the power of suggestion but the strings sound a lot better now. I may have simply stopped listening on the first go if I thought they were fake.
 
jeffmaher said:
Sonar 3.3 and Ozone mastering.

I trying to be careful not to scoop any guts in her voice that are there...I rolled off the bass, and dripped the low mids only -1+ w/ a wide Q. Maybe needs more. The whole thing, with the exception of cymbals, is dark. The mando will help...and some bright in the vox would be a good thing, too. I'll mess with it, TX

The work is 30 tracks and counting....all sewn together. If I bounce clips, it'll add about a gig to the file! So I don't think it's practical to send track files. I don't think the project file would open in anything but sonar, right?
Click to expand...

No I cant open the project file in Cubase, but you could export all of the .wav files, all starting at 00, zip and send them via yousendit. No biggie if you don't want to. I just thought it might be fun for a different perspective. Carry on. :D
 
I'm hearing a few vocal and guitar artifacts here and there. Clicks, pops and such.

The vocal effect at :33 sounds real chorusy/phasey. Might just be the doubling. It only lasts for a few seconds. After that the doubling sounds good.

I might bump up the piano a couple of db's. Ditto for the drums - I'd like a little more power from them.

Some background vocals - either harmony with the lead or a three part going "ah" over the chords. It'd probably fill things out nicely.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top