Pretending

  • Thread starter Thread starter K-dub
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Greg_L said:
That was fantastic and in my opinion the best thing I've heard from you yet. The mix was balanced and organic and it all just sounded great to me. The song is fun and light and skips along wonderfully. Great job.
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Thanks G! If I posted the original version (which was an instrumental), you'd be surprised at how something that started so very different ended up like this arrangement ... largely due to the input of my son and wife.

It's funny how things can take on a life of their own when others get involved.

Kev-
 
Wow this goes way back. Yes, the flute is a little up front. Man have I progressed since then. a little sloppy on my part. Busy working on some new stuff with the band I am in right now. A piece is posted here. I love the light hearted feel this has overall.

K-dub said:


This one was a family effort. It's origin lies one morning in half sleep at about half speed as my brain composed theme music for the TV show "Mad Men". It originally was a bit like the theme from "The Summer of '42"

Well ... my son liked the general concept, but thought it was a little slow and sappy. He then contributed banjo and guitar on the piece. My wife didn't like my lyrics, so she rewrote them for me.

I wound up doing only the bass, organ and singing. T-Mix (drums) and Sloop (Native American flute) from RP finished up the roster, and hope you all like it.

Any/all comments warmly appreciated.

Best,

Kev-
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That's a flute? Sounds like a recorder.

The organ on the left should come center about 20°. I hear some questionable notes around 22 secs too. Something sounds weird at the onset with that organ.

The opening vocal jarred me and is just on the edge of the land of strident. I got used to it though. But I did almost laugh. The singing overall is very nice, especially the quieter passages.

Banjo sounds good. Like the lyrics too.
 
sloop said:
Wow this goes way back. Yes, the flute is a little up front. Man have I progressed since then. a little sloppy on my part. Busy working on some new stuff with the band I am in right now. A piece is posted here. I love the light hearted feel this has overall.
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I've heard your new stuff ... and you have come a long way since you laid the part for this. :)
 
Manslick said:
That's a flute? Sounds like a recorder.

The organ on the left should come center about 20°. I hear some questionable notes around 22 secs too. Something sounds weird at the onset with that organ.

The opening vocal jarred me and is just on the edge of the land of strident. I got used to it though. But I did almost laugh. The singing overall is very nice, especially the quieter passages.

Banjo sounds good. Like the lyrics too.
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That high G is right at the top of my range, MS ... and I had to modify my singing style in order to adapt it so that it wouldn't come off as strident. Good ear.

I'll check into the organ part. It was a one pass take and I may have erred on a couple notes. I did experiment with bringing the organ more center, but but bunched up freq-wise with the acoustic and far better separation occurs with it greater left and the banjo offset right --- leaving clearer space for the drums, bass, acoustic and vocal up center.

Thanks for the thoughts!
 
I just listened to Elton123 acoustic masterpiece...and then this and it sounds like a blanket is over the mix. I know that's not fair, but an observation.
 
mixmkr said:
I just listened to Elton123 acoustic masterpiece...and then this and it sounds like a blanket is over the mix. I know that's not fair, but an observation.
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I went to listen to compare -- and what a great song!

Perhaps if you'd listened in reverse sequence, you'd have caught that the mix there is a bit on the bright to midrangey side -- so I can see where your comment came from comparing the two. Going from that mix to my mix, there is a difference ... and my mix would appear less bright and more "blanketed".

That's not being defensive -- but when I listened to the other mix (first music of the day w/ fresh ears), that's what I noticed.
 
Great tune! I hope to have a family band some day! I especially liked the banjo part. Super catchy.
 
Sorry I didn't get back to this until now. I just clicked on the tune in the first post of the thread. Is that mix #2?

Timing issue and pops are still there. Flute still seems a little loud to me. A bit too midrangy too. LIke there's some spike around 2700 or so.
 
TripleM said:
Sorry I didn't get back to this until now. I just clicked on the tune in the first post of the thread. Is that mix #2?

Timing issue and pops are still there. Flute still seems a little loud to me. A bit too midrangy too. LIke there's some spike around 2700 or so.
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Where are you hearing the pops, Trip? Are they consistent? (I know where you're hearing the timing issue.) I'll work on the flute eq a little more too.
 
Pops are at 1:24 and 2:42. They're consistent.

Everyone else seems to think the flute sounds good. So you might not want to put much stock in my opinion. Seems I'm the only one that has it.
 
TripleM said:
Everyone else seems to think the flute sounds good. So you might not want to put much stock in my opinion. Seems I'm the only one that has it.
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Nah, you have on of the best critical ears here. I tend to listen to something, and if I like the song and nothing really annoys me, then it sounds fine to me. Your opinion should be always be taken seriously.
 
TripleM said:
Pops are at 1:24 and 2:42. They're consistent.

Everyone else seems to think the flute sounds good. So you might not want to put much stock in my opinion. Seems I'm the only one that has it.
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Thanks bud. I'll listen and note where you indicated.
 
RAMI said:
Nah, you have on of the best critical ears here. I tend to listen to something, and if I like the song and nothing really annoys me, then it sounds fine to me. Your opinion should be always be taken seriously.
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What Trip says? I take seriously.
 
Friggin' Trip ... I heard the one at 1:24 clear as day once I was listening for it. The one at 2:42 is on the cusp of the hit at 2:41 ... buried so freakin' deep in the hit that it took me several passes to even hear it -- but lo --- there it was. I NEVER would have caught them w/o you. Thanks dude.
 
You're welcome of course. Thanks for the nice words. Yeah that one at 2:42 is pretty quiet.
 
I'm gonna be careful when I post mixes, because trip will hear my 60 yr old fingers cracklin' on the fretboard!
 
Well, you asked for it. It's a great song but it is annoyingly thin. Pull up additional tracks with synth strings and a bowed bass to fill it out. The music sounds a little too home-schooled. Then maybe add a sax, like a baritone doing low drone tones with one note per measure with sustain. Place those in the background. Before doing that you might consider dropping the pitch one step down. It sounds a little high on the vocal; either that or add a second pass with a lower harmony line. You don't have to sing the words, just the vowels will do. Either that or duplicate the vocal track and drop it down an octave and then soften the highs and mix it in low. Listen to how much strings did for the Beatles when George Martin worked with them. It's a catchy little tune; not my style, but good nonetheless.
 
Rod Norman said:
Well, you asked for it. It's a great song but it is annoyingly thin. Pull up additional tracks with synth strings and a bowed bass to fill it out. The music sounds a little too home-schooled. Then maybe add a sax, like a baritone doing low drone tones with one note per measure with sustain. Place those in the background. Before doing that you might consider dropping the pitch one step down. It sounds a little high on the vocal; either that or add a second pass with a lower harmony line. You don't have to sing the words, just the vowels will do. Either that or duplicate the vocal track and drop it down an octave and then soften the highs and mix it in low. Listen to how much strings did for the Beatles when George Martin worked with them. It's a catchy little tune; not my style, but good nonetheless.
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Thin in complexity or tone, Rod? Are you thinking "Long and Winding Road" kind of strings? I wouldn't be able to knock down the pitch, but I could add lower vocals and tuck them under as you suggested. I haven't a clue where the sax would go. That I'm not hearing where or how. Interesting thoughts, though.
 
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