Pixies "Debaser" feat. Paulman77 on vocals.

[Nola]

I actually love your vocals on every song you've posted in the clinic, Paulman. You're being too neurotic about it. Just let it all hang out. Great mix of delivery, style, and chops. And also good taste in songs. Personally I only have style and meh vocal chops, so if you ever want to collaborate let me know.

 

[Tadpui]

Right, so first up I admit straight off the bat that this is an impossible song to cover successfully, but a random chat between Paulman and myself ended up with us (misguidedly?) deciding to give it a go anyway.

Enough excuses, here it is.

Terrific!

My only nit is that the vocals keep disappearing behind the instruments. If it were me, I'd crush it with a transparent compressor and turn it up so that the vocals stay afloat amongst the dense guitar and drums.

Maybe -1 or 2 dB on the tambourine as well.

Other than that, I think this is just about done. Sweet job guys.

 

[paulman77]

I actually love your vocals on every song you've posted in the clinic, Paulman. You're being too neurotic about it. Just let it all hang out. Great mix of delivery, style, and chops. And also good taste in songs. Personally I only have style and meh vocal chops, so if you ever want to collaborate let me know.

Thanks Nola! It's just new to me, this screaming a whole song thing. I've always loved the Pixies, but up until now my own screaming has been contained to short bursts. I've been wanting to cover a Pixies song, but haven't decided which one. I know I can do Where Is My Mind, but if I'm going to record a Pixies song I'd rather not do the only one most people know. I'm thinking Hey, Gouge Away, or pretty much whatever Pixies song I might be listening to at the moment (this is why I haven't made a decision yet). I never would have chosen Debaser, but when Bubba brought it up I figured why the hell not? It's a great song, and it'll be a challenge. I'm always down with collaboration. I like your style, you have some really cool originals. I've got lyrics without a home, musical bits without a home, fully written songs that just haven't been recorded yet, and an appetite for recording cool covers. I'm sure we can find some things to work on together.

 

[Nola]

Thanks Nola! It's just new to me, this screaming a whole song thing. I've always loved the Pixies, but up until now my own screaming has been contained to short bursts. I've been wanting to cover a Pixies song, but haven't decided which one. I know I can do Where Is My Mind, but if I'm going to record a Pixies song I'd rather not do the only one most people know. I'm thinking Hey, Gouge Away, or pretty much whatever Pixies song I might be listening to at the moment (this is why I haven't made a decision yet). I never would have chosen Debaser, but when Bubba brought it up I figured why the hell not? It's a great song, and it'll be a challenge. I'm always down with collaboration. I like your style, you have some really cool originals. I've got lyrics without a home, musical bits without a home, fully written songs that just haven't been recorded yet, and an appetite for recording cool covers. I'm sure we can find some things to work on together.

How about if you ever need help with anything write me, and visa versa, and we can see if anything happens?

Regarding screaming, just don't think about it so much and be neurotic about it b/c then you truly won't be able to do it (case of the "yips"). Right now you can do it, and for some reason you're just uncomfortable/neurotic about it, but need to get over that.

 

[antichef]

Really - it sounds fantastic

 

[paulman77]

How about if you ever need help with anything write me, and visa versa, and we can see if anything happens?

Regarding screaming, just don't think about it so much and be neurotic about it b/c then you truly won't be able to do it (case of the "yips"). Right now you can do it, and for some reason you're just uncomfortable/neurotic about it, but need to get over that.

Sounds good!

I'm not really neurotic about it, just critical. If I wasn't critical of my vocals, I would never have gotten to the point I am now. As an Army bandsman, I became accustomed to being ripped to shreds as a musician and becoming better because of it. The day I passed my audition to graduate and move on to my first Army band, I was told not to be too happy because I was an average guitarist, I only passed because of the objective scoring system, and I would have to bust my ass to make it out in the field. So I did. I also wasn't a natural singer. It was years of nitpicking, study, and practice that's gotten me what I have, and always singing things that are above my ability until they no longer are. And because of being put in embarrassing situations such as singing the national anthem at a military function, or forced to sing Ricky Martin in front of a crowd of rednecks waiting to see George Jones, I don't get nervous about anything. I just blank my mind and criticize after the fact. I'm actually much more comfortable with screaming after doing this song, even though I think I could do it better in time if I wanted to keep doing that to my voice.

 

[Bubba po]

No, I'm just extra sensitive as to how to cover up the flaws in my screaming. What I sent you was dry. I only mixed it experimentally to see if I thought the performance could work (hard to tell on a dry vocal), but I sent it to you dry. Actually, the first time there was a compressor while tracking, but I took that off the second time so as to make sure you had the most basic track I could possibly give you. I think I made a bad decision in using the Avantone for this, the more I think about it. Oh well. No real loss, since the vocal wasn't that great to begin with. Unfortunately I don't own a "sound like Frank Black" mic.

Apologies, I misread what you wrote. I did struggle with having enough high end, though.

Re. The "Sound like Frank Black" mic, if you turn one up, let me know - I want one too.

 

[Bubba po]

I love it - I wish I could cover a song like this that well. The performances are all great.

The lead vocal seems a little lost/buried in the mix - maybe that's intentional. I might try putting a little (more?) distortion on it, and/or bringing it up slightly. Maybe do some sidechain compression on some of the other instruments in the same space - which I guess would be the guitars, which actually doesn't sound like a great idea, but I might try it.

Thanks, Antichef. I think, on balance, I have buried the vocal on the first mix and I'm addressing that now.

Terrific!

My only nit is that the vocals keep disappearing behind the instruments. If it were me, I'd crush it with a transparent compressor and turn it up so that the vocals stay afloat amongst the dense guitar and drums.

Maybe -1 or 2 dB on the tambourine as well.

Other than that, I think this is just about done. Sweet job guys.

Thanks, Tad. As above, I'm working on getting the lead vocal to, as you say, "float".

 

[paulman77]

Apologies, I misread what you wrote. I did struggle with having enough high end, though.

Re. The "Sound like Frank Black" mic, if you turn one up, let me know - I want one too.

So the high end was missing on the second one as well? That's strange. I'll have to investigate that issue. I usually have the opposite problem with that mic - excessive high end that I have to tame (it's the detail I get that makes it worth it). I thought that maybe the first time had something to do with either the compressor during tracking, or the noise reduction that I applied after the fact (we had just been talking about hiss on Like Spinning Plates, so I wanted to make damn sure there wasn't any on the vocal I was sending you even though it was pretty slight). So I didn't do either of those things the second time, and I also stood back further from the mic so as not to overload it. Maybe it just can't handle screaming. I don't know if that's a possible explanation for missing high end, but it's all I can think of.

 

[robgreen]

It's iconic covers weekend in the clinic! Like Nola's, this one's a brave choice. I think paulman's made a real good attempt at an impossible vocal, guitars are good and so's the playing in general.

Two suggestions for the mix. Firstly, I'd round up the Po clan to add some shouty layers to the 'chien' in 'I am un CHIEN andalucia'. For me, that adds real emphasis to the chorus and would support paulman's vocal there.

Second is that I thought Manda's vocal could come up a bit.

Good work pulling it off as well as you did guys

 

[heatmiser]

Not familiar with this song either, so I can't do any comparisons for you, but I did think it sounded pretty good.

I really enjoyed all of the performances. Bass guitar has a huge, fat sound right out of the gate that I thought would be overpowering, but it fits very nicely.

Great drumming on this one. I could have used more snare maybe, and less bright cymbals, but it sounds pretty cool as is.

Lead vocal is pretty freakin' cool. I love the almost frantic quality to the delivery. Tone-wise, the vocal seemed just a bit thin and harsh maybe, but not too bad.

Another fun listen, great performances and an above average mix to be sure.

 

[Chili]

I've listened to this one several times over the last week. Pretty cool. Love all the guitar tones, especially the bass in the intro.

My only complaint would be vocal level, seems buried, but I don't know the original or the band (fer shame, I know... the Pixies are somewhere in my sub-conscious, faded past....) so maybe it fits the song.

Sorry it took so long to comment. I really don't anything to add over what's already been said.

yeah man!!