Sooner or Later

[K-dub]

Sooner or later
When the pyramids fall
And the great leaders crawl
Under fire in the sky

Is it better to wait
Or to cure a disease
Would you pull a small child
From an oncoming car?

Or would you pardon me please
If I lied to your face
Just so long as I dance
And you’re kept entertained

Sooner or later you’ll begin to believe

Woman sweet woman with your head in your hands
Can you bear it to send off your child
Blindness surrounds those with a lid on their lens
Leaving fears, that grow in the dark

Hatching crime after crime
Rich men close weaker mouths
That information is fake
Is that a smile on their face?

Sooner or later you’ll begin to believe
All the things you never ever though would come to be …
Will be

Some honesty … please
Attention deficit … always fails
A little common sense … may save us all

Sooner or later
When the dynasties die
And people of earth crawl under fire in the sky
If you live all your life fearing only the worst
Tell me who can you blame?
Who do I blame?

Will you pardon their pleas
When they fall out of grace?
Or just sit by and watch
As it slips out of place

For sooner or later
We will all have to face
Our reflections in glass
And plainly assess

Sooner or later …

Tjarko Busink on Bass
Stu Gort on Guitar
Frank Basile on Drums

Dense mix that I WAY over thought when I first approached it a decade ago. The trick in today's mix was getting it to open up.

 

[dobro]

I remember this one! It's great.

Earbud listen - I used to apologize for earbud listens, but not anymore - earbuds are central.

Yes, it's open. What did you do differently?

(Gee, that outro's good.)

 

[K-dub]

I remember this one! It's great.

Earbud listen - I used to apologize for earbud listens, but not anymore - earbuds are central.

Yes, it's open. What did you do differently?

(Gee, that outro's good.)

I let the drums be more natural, and less compressed. I used a parallel bus on the kick/snare combo to accent them a little more - which defined them. I also took off a shit ton of effects that really was causing echo fog. I had echoes and long reverbs in the original mix. This one has NONE (but for a slap and tight room verb on the lead vocal).

Tjarko's bass playing drives the piece and it is busy. Accordingly I had to peak the clarity through eq and cut low mud slightly. The I simply panned the other elements out of the way so it "cleared the middle" for the kick/snare and bass to work off each other.

I went from probably 30 plug ins down to 6.

Less IS more.

It doesn't hurt when the players are so talented either.

Earbuds are likely the most common listening device currently in play. If it doesn't sound good on them, it doesn't sound good.

 

[dobro]

Thanks.

I've done a massive reduction on plugin use generally. I doubt that that I draw on more than a dozen, tops. Arrange it right, perform it right, record it right, and mixing is minimal rather than a struggle.

 

[K-dub]

Video w/ the updated audio ...

 

[Monkey Allen]

First thing I notice is the volume...that's up there. Any idea what the average level is? I'd just be interested to know. It's a big, full sound. Feel like the OH's or the cymbals or the hihat or something switches from the left to the right kind of just before or around the solo. It starts off on the left at the start of the song. Then swaps. Am I right? Then back again to the left just after 4 minutes. Overall, it's a good sound man. Lots of treatment on the vocal? Or is that just some compression and reverb?

 

[K-dub]

The drums are "live" as they were recorded by the drummer and sent to me. I did nothing w/ the panning, but it's likely something that sounds similar triggering the thought. As noted above, they are lightly compressed only.

The vocal chain starts w/ an auto fader to smooth the signal, moves to an effects chain (minor compression plus has a tight delay and room reverb) then through an EQ I like and ends w/ more compression.

I mix w/ a mastering plug in place that I like that spreads the soundstage. That's followed by a limiter that "trims the tops". The effect is a louder mix, but I do try to avoid the glassy veneer of over compression.