UPDATED Sandpaper Castles 1811

  • Thread starter Thread starter rayc
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rayc

rayc

retroreprobate
Hello Folks,
I've reworked the mix as per suggestions made - both vocals dry - and all onboard & outboard effects removed - the only ones remaining are those recorded while tracking.
http://www.soundclick.com/bands/pagemusic.cfm?bandID=469622
That said, I rediscovered why I had so much reverb on one of the voices - lots of bumps on the mic stand base. I had to use a high pass filter to eliminate them for this mix. There was also a heap of leakage from the h'phones too.
I've panned the vocals away from each other a bit more for claritiy's sake & lifted both the solo & percussion a little.
Oh, I boosted 2 cello notes at the end of the intro as well.
Let me know if this is an improvement.
Cheers
rayC
 
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I think it's an improvement, as the vocals are clearer. I'm not sure of the panning. They almost seem to fight now, at times. You might bring them in closer, and make one quieter than the other, depending on which one you want to take precedance. Or, if one is a harmony, double it, and pan it hard L/R, with a bit of chorus, or verb to soften it. I still think this is pretty haunting. Has a cool vibe to it. Just bring up the vox that you want to be the main ones.
 
Dear Dogman,
My thoughts were along the same lines but I wanted to follow suggestions 1st to get feedback on the comparision.
I left the vocal levels alone in the remix though the removal of the reverb makes the apparent volume of the 2nd voice greater despite the filter on it.
If I get any more response this weekend I'll have another burl at it & follow your directions.
Cheers
rayC
 
Ray - the vocals are much clearer on this mix. But as mentioned by Dogman the vocals seem to be opposing each other. This is tough to mix! I think it begins with the intricacies of the melody lines. They are so different from one another I find myself going back and forth listening to the two at various stages. I found at around 3:02 there was a good mix of vocal phrasing - with the ah's coming from the left side, as opposed to lyrics. The same levels appear to work much better with this simplicity in the second vocal phrasing.
But you want to keep the song tracks as they are, and find a way to mix those two vocal tracks differently. Again, Dogman's recommendations would be a good place to start. I would say move the vocal lines front and back a bit - maybe give each track some time up front and then then other,riding the faders or using a bit of reverb. Or if one is the "lead" allow it to stay out front for the duration. I've not worked with dual lead vocals at all so it will be interesting to hear other comments and suggestions...
 
MIX #3 Ready 4 Review

Dogman & Ido1957,
I THINK I've managed to follow your recommendations & have osted the update at the same link - the newest version has replaced the older oones so the link at the top of this thread ought to get you there.
Three mixes over a weekend - I should be doing work BUT was amused by the possibilities.
Thanks for the ideas & references. If the new mix doesn't meet expectations PLEASE let me know & I'll have another go. I find mixing with a panel of mentors SO much better than leaving to my tired ears alone. & I'm learning lots along the way.
I'll test the original link & if it's no good I'll edit this post to incorporate a new one.
Cheers
rayC
 
There are vocal melodies fighting with each other in this mix. It sounds either deliberate or a matter of the vocalist not having the time or inclination to work out the details. It works in it's own pixies/siouxie/Mary's Danish kind of way. Sorry if those are bad examples, I don't mean to say you sound like them, it's just that I don't have a lot of experience with atonality and dissonance - or how to apply it "correctly". Kind of like Jazz. I really just don't "get it".

I could hear more drums and it wouldn't kill me. I like the interplay with minor and major chord structures during the guitar solo. There is dissonance in parts that sounds like it is deliberate - The net result for me as a listener is anxiety.

Some cool guitar tones in there, RayC.

Thanks for posting.
 
Super,
Were you listening to the Sandpaper castles 1811 remix or the Final mix I named Last Castle?
Not that there's a lot of diff between the two. In the latter there's a dominant melody, a counter melody and for a small period of time a harmony section.
I can't do much with the drums as I recorded the basic tracks on tape & then uploaded to harddrive as stereo. I'd have to reconstruct from tape up to do something other than some EQ carving.
I'm comfy with the pixies reference...
The vocals aren't panned as hard in the Last Castle mix so appear less like a brawl I hope.
Ta for referring to the major/minor game.
As far as the guitar is concerned it's the 1st piece I've recorded solely with my Sheraton. I used a Yamaha FX500 to processing the guitar signals.
If you've not done so already have a squiz at the Last version I tell me if it's an improvement on the above.
Cheers
rayC
 
rayc said:
Super,
Were you listening to the Sandpaper castles 1811 remix or the Final mix I named Last Castle?
Not that there's a lot of diff between the two. In the latter there's a dominant melody, a counter melody and for a small period of time a harmony section.
I can't do much with the drums as I recorded the basic tracks on tape & then uploaded to harddrive as stereo. I'd have to reconstruct from tape up to do something other than some EQ carving.
I'm comfy with the pixies reference...
The vocals aren't panned as hard in the Last Castle mix so appear less like a brawl I hope.
Ta for referring to the major/minor game.
As far as the guitar is concerned it's the 1st piece I've recorded solely with my Sheraton. I used a Yamaha FX500 to processing the guitar signals.
If you've not done so already have a squiz at the Last version I tell me if it's an improvement on the above.
Cheers
rayC
Click to expand...


My comments were on the final mix.
 
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