rock album

[madmush]

Hi guys,

I've been offline for a couple of months and have since finished my new album. Despite claiming that the songs I put up here before were finished, obviously when you make an album they have to blend.....so I've remixed and remastered I don't know how many times, as it goes.

I'm really pleased with it, it sounds quite big and professional, at the same time i haven't killed it with too many takes; sometimes i feel that a less perfect take has got more nerve than a perfect one, if you know what i mean.....(what is "perfect" anyway ). Some of the vocals aren't as smack on as you'd normally expect from me, but they just sound more vulnerable.

I've used Cubase SX for recording and all notation, with Reason as slave, taking care of brass, organ, strings, and special fx.... I rely a lot on Waves Diamond package for FX and mastering, the latter of which I do in soundforge.

The guitar is the cheapest fender squire they had in the shop, the bass a yamaha for 300 quid. A small Behringer phantom powered 4 channel mixer, a vamp2 for the guitars, a cheap chinese condenser mic for vox, and a keyboard dummy.....the soundcard a Juli@. A Duron 1.8 ghz processor, 512 ram, running XP...

The album is 11 mp3s zipped up.

Mad Mush: The Extra Mohican

Thanks all who cheered me up on the way, including RAMI, David Katauskas, Timothy Lawler, zed32, Trueeurt, Snakedog, Dogman, VSpaceboy, ecktronic, Supercreep... keep rocking and we'll change the world

 

[ocnor]

When I tried to open the file it gave me an error message. "The archive is either in unknown format or damaged"

 

[Dogman]

Just now listening, MadMush...Very good sounds. Nice and crisp....thanks for sharing this.
Ed

 

[madmush]

When I tried to open the file it gave me an error message. "The archive is either in unknown format or damaged"

EDIT: Sorry about that mate!, one other guy got the same message, but he tried again and it worked then... it was compressed with WINrar 2.6, not that that should matter...

Several people have done it successfully, so it should be fine.


Cheers Ed

 

[true-eurt]

Madmush,

Wow....it is great! Lots of energy and great sound!! Love it!!!

A lot of light headbanging music! I have enjoyed listening and will continue to do so.....Thanks!!

TRUE

 

[madmush]

Thank you true!!! Glad you like it!


Forgot to say, everybody, if you listen to it, do tell me how you like it, please. I might quote you on my homepage though



(True, you should have a custom made spanking smilie! )

 

[LemonTree]

Hey Mad,

I'm only onto the second track and already this is REALLY growing on me! It's got a kind of early 80s new wave overtone so far with vocals reminicent of the clash.

I'm loving the bass tone, your guitars are crisp and sitting exactly where they should be in the mix for this style.


What were the drums done with?

I'm onto track 4 and this whole thing flows beautifuly as an album so far.

 

[madmush]

Hey Mad,

I'm only onto the second track and already this is REALLY growing on me! It's got a kind of early 80s new wave overtone so far with vocals reminicent of the clash.

I'm loving the bass tone, your guitars are crisp and sitting exactly where they should be in the mix for this style.


What were the drums done with?

I'm onto track 4 and this whole thing flows beautifuly as an album so far.

wow, how kewl is that! thanks man!

The drums samples are from Battery's Studio Drums sample library, fantastic stuff. Those guys rule. They're tweaked with the mastering suite in Reason.

 

[true-eurt]

Thank you true!!! Glad you like it!


Forgot to say, everybody, if you listen to it, do tell me how you like it, please. I might quote you on my homepage though



(True, you should have a custom made spanking smilie! )

You are so welkom Mad !!

LOL...I agree, a spanking smilie would be great!!

 

[madmush]

just bumpin....

 

[aspiring]

Whoo hoo. New Mad Mush music.

The album's great. Artwork, mastered, and new songs!

I especially like the new songs. You've got a really nice instrument mix going on in "Ladbroke Grove". And, of course, it's a great song.

Unfortunately (?) I downloaded all your on-line stuff 6 months ago and created my own album -- perfected the track order and levels so it sounded cool, and then played it a few zillion times. So now you've gone and change the various mixes/mastering (and of course track order) my brain keeps going: oooohh I miss that bit

But these songs are so good any change in the mix ends up really just becoming a variant, not something that's gonna kill them. And they're the kinds of songs that shouldn't sound too professionally mixed. That's part of their magic -- else you'd befriend a drummer, right? The vocals on all your songs are now crystal. Excellent work.

Anyway, a couple of days have gone by and I don't miss anything anymore. Except perhaps that piercing synth on the original "Out of reach" (which was a ripper of an emotional hook).

So, great stuff Mr Mush. Thanks for some excellent music.
aspiring

ps. I haven't even got round to tasting "The Difference" with it's previously unavailable material.

 

[madmush]

Aspiring, so glad you like it, and what's more, thanks for taking the time to tell the world, it makes all the difference. See everybody??, it's great music!

The album's great. Artwork, mastered, and new songs!

Now, about the artwork, it's low-res stuff in the zip. Should I whack in some higher res pics so people can print their own cover if they like?

I especially like the new songs. You've got a really nice instrument mix going on in "Ladbroke Grove". And, of course, it's a great song.

You know, I think Ladbroke Grove could be a worldwide hit. I'm wide open on it (and my voice kept breaking) so it's admittedly false in some parts but I kept it like that. It's not annoying, is it?

Unfortunately (?) I downloaded all your on-line stuff 6 months ago and created my own album -- perfected the track order and levels so it sounded cool, and then played it a few zillion times. So now you've gone and change the various mixes/mastering (and of course track order) my brain keeps going: oooohh I miss that bit

UNFORTUNATELY?, ha haaa....well i've taken those versions off, so you hang on to it, what a kewl thing of you to do, gosh. "The Aspiring Mix." And of course I have to ask, what was your track order?! Cuz that's really really important.

But these songs are so good any change in the mix ends up really just becoming a variant, not something that's gonna kill them. And they're the kinds of songs that shouldn't sound too professionally mixed. That's part of their magic -- else you'd befriend a drummer, right? The vocals on all your songs are now crystal. Excellent work.

I actually did re-takes of some vocals.......I CONFESS.....as you mix to the final stage, those last few weeks of nitpicking, sometimes stuff that was fine earlier just didn't cut it in the remix.

Anyway, a couple of days have gone by and I don't miss anything anymore. Except perhaps that piercing synth on the original "Out of reach" (which was a ripper of an emotional hook).

Oooohhh......yeah.....that synth hook on the chorus......i changed the delay on it....it became a 50/50 decision for me....

"You don't miss anything anymore", does that mean there's still magic??? That's always my primary worry....and when you've worked with your own stuff for long enough......

So, great stuff Mr Mush. Thanks for some excellent music.

Why you're a most welcome guest, aspiring

ps. I haven't even got round to tasting "The Difference" with it's previously unavailable material.

You'll hear the original "get something else" and it'll hardly be recognisable...plus two really personal tracks that, when you listen to the album from start to finish, fit in really well.....

A big squeeze to you!

 

[aspiring]

Hi there

Now, about the artwork, it's low-res stuff in the zip. Should I whack in some higher res pics so people can print their own cover if they like?

Definitely. I printed these ones on my crap colour printer. When I could hardly read the text I tried my B/W laser. Then I saw that this wasn't much better.

Other suggestions for your site:
- I think you would get more punters from here -- or anywhere -- having a listen if you have a few songs up as standalone MP3s (as before) so people can try without having to commit to a big download and unpack. It's tough getting anyone in this 1.3 second attention-span disposable world to listen to your music at all, let alone put any effort in to do so. So don't do ANYTHING that makes obtaining it any harder.
- Maybe add some news, instead of the mailing list. I don't like subscribing to lists. But it would be good to hear how your band pans out, and if you get some live dates sorted.

You know, I think Ladbroke Grove could be a worldwide hit. I'm wide open on it (and my voice kept breaking) so it's admittedly false in some parts but I kept it like that. It's not annoying, is it?

Well the standout track from all your work remains "Don't tell me that I don't care". Best musically; best lyrically (great political/social content); perhaps even best in performance. Ladbroke is a good sound. But those vocals, which work well with your earlier mix style, probably don't sit quite as well with that shinier mix. So, no, it's not annoying, but could use some work.

UNFORTUNATELY?, ha haaa....well i've taken those versions off, so you hang on to it...
I have to ask, what was your track order?! Cuz that's really really important.

Ahh yes Ok, you need to run this through volume levelling on WinMedPlayer or something to make it work, but... Taa daa:
1. Don't tell me... (yeah it's too good, gotta go right there)
2. My country... (BTW great song idea, wish I'd thought of that)
3. You don't know what love is (sweet)
4. Do we all...
5. I alone
6. Naughty girl (great instruments in here)
7. Malaga (ramp back up for second part of album)
8. Enjoy (I like this old version better, I'm afraid. New version oversteps that "magic" corny-line you were trying to dance around and nailed right with the first arrangment)
9. One dirty day...
10. Snipers (BTW THIS is where your voice is most vulnerable...a good song)
11. Laserbeams (winds down for finish)

Oooohhh......yeah.....that synth hook on the chorus......i changed the delay on it....it became a 50/50 decision for me....

Well it's still a good song.

"You don't miss anything anymore", does that mean there's still magic??? That's always my primary worry....and when you've worked with your own stuff for long enough......

Tell me about it. Yeah, as I said, you won't kill these with a mix tweak. A few seem to lose some of the original energy. But that's because some of the guitars had to come down to make room for Vox. You're gonna have to ask someone who actuially knows something how to avoid that, coz I sure as hell can't manage it myself. High energy guitar mud, or guitars chopped to thin nothingness for me No. I actually meant I'm now quite used to the new versions.

Anyway it's all just trivial detail. This is good stuff. Nothing sticks out really bad to worry about changing (unless you wanna stick that original "Enjoy" back in ). You know how it is. That's a shitload of work that you can be proud of. Just get stuck right into some new ideas. I look forward to hearing them.

Ciao
aspiring