Reproduction #2- "Run For Your Life"

  • Thread starter Thread starter SLuiCe
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damn Tom, this is even more serious sounding than your usual serious sounding stuff.. seriously. :)

You definitely can't use any critiques from me.. I downloaded this yesterday, and have been spinning it a few times before I commented..

lots of attention to detail in this, and it really shows.. At this point, any nits would be based on my preferences, so I'm not gonna bother this time.. So this is what a real deal mic sounds like? I really like the vocal sound on the mellower sections.. The performance is great as usual..

you really are a great guitar player as an added bonus.. I guess your really good with computers too judging by the complex stuff that goes on.. Man this is a really great song!

I sound like I'm kissing a bit too much ass on this so let me find some negatives..


hang on as I listen again...


7 minutes later..


There is over a minute of silence at the end of this.. Since you didn't use VBR, that's really adding to the file size of this.. (not that I care about the size, but others may)

Probably my only nits would be some of the tone and sound choices, but that's the meaning of preference..


If the mixing clinic was a contest, we would all lose..
 
It's hard to loop...because of the minute or so of silence at the end. Yup...that was no artistic choice on your part...that was just a fuckup. HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA- SLUICE MESSED UP. YOU SUCK!!!

What can I say...it's pretty excellent; I shouldn't even mention it, but i will...I'm not crazy about the snare sound. But so what...it's a total preference thing.
 
Hey Sam...thanks a lot for that. The main reason I spent so much time on this is that I used to play it in my band, and I always wished I could record it in a pro studio, because it was great live. I'd look out and see people just kinda swaying back in forth, slightly confused looking but not willing to leave just yet :) I miss that stuff...but recording is fun so far too!

Also, I forgot to trim the file so I'll take care of that. Thanks again Sam.
 
Thanks Chris...I'm fixing the file after this. As for the snare, I may get sick of it myself....

We can let this go if you guys want....I've got a little afternoon acoustic-based mostly improv thingy I might post...
 
And oh ya, Sam...preferences are welcome too. I don't post here to showcase finished projects, I'd like to hear everyone's ideas for improvement ...so fire away..
 
SLuiCe said:
I've got a little afternoon acoustic-based mostly improv thingy I might post...
Click to expand...

Oh, by all means please do! :)

But wait... isn't your acoustic guitar broken??

Didya borrow a guitar? Or... whip out the credit card again?

BTW I liked the reverby snare in this song (just one vote for it) so ya... you could call it a preference.
 
SLuiCe - Let me start of by saying this is NOT my type of music ..... and you did an awesome job !!!!! Really well done.

Has a "mastered" feel to it .... esp. the lead vocal. What's your vocal EQ-ing secret? The lead vocal had a nice low-end fullness. Certainly, part of that is just the singer's (you?) natural tone.

I liked the transition around 6:01. Very cool.

Personal tastes:

I'd like to hear crash cymbals a tad more.

About 3:32, I noticed the organ/synth fading in. I was looking forward to it becoming a bigger contributor to that section - but it backed off :(

Cool tune.

It's these quality posts that inspire me, challenge me ..... and make me want to just throw in the towel .... LOL.

BPOCO
 
bpoco- thanks man... no secrets with me- I love to share tech stuff that I actually kinda grasp!

The vocal has a small (2-3 dB) but wide cut centered around 500Hz. It's necessary for me sometimes when I have a lot of guitar work going on. That, in part, I think gives the impression of a strong lower end you hear. Rarely do I boost anything on the vocal...on occasion some 16-20K if it needs to breathe more.

I find that if I position myself with the mic appropriately for the line I'm trying to deliver while tracking, it requires a lot less mixing later, less EQ, less fader, less goddamit-I-gotta-set-up my-mic-chain-again.

Don't throw in the towel...they're handy for wiping sweat of the guitar.

:)
 
Wow!!!

No wait you cheated... :mad:

You must have... :mad::mad:

Seriously dude...this is kick ass. I haven't studied the lyrics, but rest assured I will when I burn this into my next Homerec CD for the car. Even though I like & do Countryish music, I love Queensryche and this reminds me a lot of that. This and Rythmn are incredible. I'm thinking I need to listen to the rest of your stuff you have posted ane NWR when I get some time. Incidentally, when you get the CD done, I would love to buy one just for those two songs alone.
 
not to sound repetitive, but just like the Rhythms remake there are somethings I like better aboot the new version and some I don't.

I think, though, that this remake has more pluses than minuses. I will say that I didn't like the snare, and that the toms were way too reverbed/in-the-background. And there were certain aspects of the guitar performance that didn't come off as "clearly" as the old one.

But,... pretty much everything else is better. The cymbals sound much better than what you used to use. The vocals are clearer. The gits are fuller. The mix is better. You've definitely produced a better sounding version.

I can actually "hear" you getting better at this... (too bad I can't say the same of myself. :p)


WATYF
 
SLuiCE,

Had another question about your vocal (and acoustic guitar - ref: "Not Yet Born") recording technique. Do you include any limiting or compression when you're tracking in order to get as hot of a signal as possible ..... ? ...... OR .... do you simply record at lower levels (to avoid clipping) and compress/amplify as needed after the fact?


Thanks - BPOCO
 
Wow! That's great.

I have a whole lot of respect for people who can imagine all of this instrumentation in their head, not to mention play it all. I just play bass (probably not well) and I am trying to learn some drums. My wife's in charge of the rest. She has the talent.

Anyhow, you are a great talent.

Great job. Epic.
 
Great questions Bpoco...

"Not Yet Born" is a bad example of acoustic recording- very bad. I don't normally like to record any tracks with reverb live because then you can't make adjustments with the mix. I was in a mood when I rambled that one and just ran it through an Alesis Midiverb 4 just to get the stuff down and be done with it.
But normally I track the acoustic dry with two condensor mics with the following compressor settings (roughly): Threshold -12dB; Ratio about 3:1 up to 6:1 (depending on how aggressive the style is); Attack about .5- 1.0; Release .2 up to .5 (whatever keeps it from pumping too much!)
A better example of mine for acoustic recording would be "Chrysalis." It has lots of dynamics in the guitar and is a big mixing challenge with all the different things going on, like Lt. Bob's excellent horns.

As for vocal, on "Run For Your Life" I used very little compression during the verses (roughly 2:1 from -12dB) and during the verses when I'm just ripping my lungs out the ratio is more like 6:1. But I ALWAYS track at -12dB's. In other words, when I'm dry-running the lines and looking at the level indicators, I want to see an average of -12dB's. That's how I do it anyway, not sure what the standard is. I just want some room to work with. I can't stand overly compressed sounds. I love dynamics and this board has taught me to seek out a good compromise.
So the short answer to your very good question is "both."

Happy tracking :)

Edit: Just missed ya, Skids....thank you very much for the kind compliments....I look forward to hearing your work and progress!
 
see....... I told ya i'ld get here:)

As a blanket statement, this is a much better mix. Right from the beginning the panning is a huge improvement over the 9/25 mix. The new width really makes the song sound full. Im usually not a big fan of wide mixes, but this totally works.
You did some major changin on this didnt ya. The new drums rock fer sure. Just the new ride is a massive improvement.
Redoing the bg arrangement at around 4:00 was a good move. The new stuff is much better.
The big dynamic change around 1:30 sounds 100% better. The old mix got a little harsh there..... this is alot better.
That little dj move at 6:00 rocks, I love shit like that. ......great new ending

I kinda miss the squeeze of the fretless tone you had on the old mix, but im guessing that the newer tone adds to the new "size" of the mix.
Job well done man!

gw/5
 
Guernica said:
That little dj move at 6:00 rocks, I love shit like that.
Click to expand...

hehe, I had to listen to figure out what the hell you were talking about. You mean the break-up of the guitar....kinda neat actually. I took the wave files of the Les Paul tracks and applied an EQ cut of all the lows (AM radio-like) and then chopped little pieces out of them. One of those few whacky ideas that turned out pretty good to me.

DJ move...now I'm M.C. SLuiCe.

word.


:)
 
Cant comment on the mix, I dont know enough... but I really liked listening to the song. Great stuff man.
 
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