Well, I'm no Jesse M. Garcia, but I try hard...

  • Thread starter Thread starter chrisharris
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chrisharris

chrisharris

King of Bling
I wrote this song this week and posted it on another site as an acoustic song begging for contributions. The end result makes for perhaps the most musically chaotic outro ever to escape my DAW. Most of the people playing on this are guys that I originally "met" over here at HR.com...this project reminded me of what this place SHOULD be about, which is helping each other make our homemade crap sound better.

Anyway, I'd appreciate some opinions on the low end/low mids, or anything else that sounds out of whack, because I am in the middle of mixing it.

"WHIMPER" (4th Song From The Bottom)
www.nowhereradio.com/honestmango/singles


Drums - WATYF
Clean Electric/Slide - FrederickFM
Bass - Trojka
Electric Wah Outro - Sluice
Melodica - Skids
 
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Hey Chris. I can't listen to any nowhere songs at work because it's blocked, but I managed to grab it over at RP.

I've been following this tune since you first posted it. I have to say that I really like the dryness on your voice. It's a nice change from how you usually mix your voice (not a complaint).

Sorry I can't comment on the mix right now as I'm on headphones. One thing I do notice though and again it might just be the headphones is that the slide parts seem to be to far back. Not during the outro, but it might sound nicer with some of the other slide parts in the tune brought forward a bit.

If you want I can give it a listen for the low end when I'm home tonight since I have a sub on my DAW.

Nice work all around. I should have contributed also. I actually did download the original tune and started to work on it, but got involved in some other things and by the time I got back to it you already had a slew of contributions. My loss :(

Oh and you're right - You are no Jesse Garcia. :D

Later !

Dave
 
This song is quite solid all the way through. It's not really the type of music I listen to, but I appreciated it nonetheless.

I thought the mix was done well overall. I thought the slide (panned right) could be brought up in the mix a little throughout the majority of the song. The vocals were right on - I love the sound you got.

If it was up to me (which it's not ;) ) I would retrack the wah outro. There are a few parts that seem a little shakey from a timing/groove standpoint. The end of the song creates such a mellow mood a lot of people would probably jsut add a simpler lead to it. I love the idea of calm and crazy juxtapositioned in the outro. It's fantastic.

Good work.
 
Very good. I'm on computer speakers, can't help with mix with than basic problems of which I don't hear any.

How about a viola? There is a guitar back in the mix that keeps implying a midrange string tone, and it makes me want to actually hear it. Like right underneath that first guitar break to before the slide/wah solos start.

Sorry I don't play viola :(

Also how about harmony vocals on the chorus?

On the outro I'd lower the level of the wah and raise the slide and make them fight it out, like Duane & Eric on the outro to Layla.
 
Hey, thanks a ton...these are very helpful. I brought the slide up throughout, and

mshilarious - you're right..there's a clean guitar tucked over on the left that kinda' has a "Love Hurts" sound to it. I'm gonna' try to bring that out a bit better on the next mix. I might drop one of the acoustics completely to make room for it. Very weird that you should mention the viola...when I was listening last night, I thought that the first 2 choruses could actually use a little viola counterpoint thing...luckily, my daughter DOES play viola, so I'll ask her - Again, thanks.

invisibleenemies - When I posted the song originally, I specifically asked if somebody could throw in a solo that just cut across the grain of the song...I think Sluice understood, and it's very cool of you to notice that. I know what you're saying, but I wouldn't ask him to retrack it because I just really really like the touch of quirkiness. I did alter exactly one note in his solo, though...it's a long bend that is now a lot shorter, lol. Thanks again.

Vestast - YES...the low end check would be much appreciated, b/c this thing feels overly boomy to me, but I kept putting more ass back into the drums as instructed by everyone, lol. It does SOUND better to me now, it's just a matter of how well it'll translate. Thanks again.

[edit] - Mix suggestions have been noted, appreciated, and now implemented.
 
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Not my style either, but that was seriously good. Which I expected it to be from Chris. I thought the outro had just the right level of manic-ness - there was a very low (pitch I mean) vocal line which popped out of the speaker at around 2:40 (I think), otherwise I thought the vox could have been brought a touch up in the mix, or given a little more space seems hard to make them clear in the range where they are pitched.
 
chrisharris said:
Hey, thanks a ton...these are very helpful. I brought the slide up throughout, and

mshilarious - you're right..there's a clean guitar tucked over on the left that kinda' has a "Love Hurts" sound to it. I'm gonna' try to bring that out a bit better on the next mix. I might drop one of the acoustics completely to make room for it. Very weird that you should mention the viola...when I was listening last night, I thought that the first 2 choruses could actually use a little viola counterpoint thing...luckily, my daughter DOES play viola, so I'll ask her - Again, thanks.
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Just to clarify, when I said:

There is a guitar back in the mix that keeps implying a midrange string tone, and it makes me want to actually hear it.
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I meant hear a viola, not hear the guitar (which I could already). Sorry for the confusion.
 
Mr. Sharp. Thanks, man. The vox have been giving me fits on this...it's a pretty constricted mix, and everytime I bring something up JUST a hair, it seems to wash out something else, lol...I will continue to work on it, b/c I'm obsessively compulsive about it.

MS-thanks for the followup...I needed to bring that git up anyway, LOL.
 
Chris,

Solid work here.

Easy to listen to...I can't imagine this tune driving anyone away.

I also listened on computer speakers, and the only thing that stuck out to me was that backing guitar lead that is panned hard left during the chorus and such. it sounded real thin and distant in the mix, and sounded like that guitar player was standing 1 mile away from the rest of the band.

Cheers!
 
bsanfordnyc said:
the only thing that stuck out to me was that backing guitar lead that is panned hard left during the chorus and such. it sounded real thin and distant in the mix, and sounded like that guitar player was standing 1 mile away from the rest of the band.

Cheers!
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Hey man, thanks. Now, are you talking about the slide part? The reason I ask is because it's panned right instead of left, and it's not hard panned, (it's 40% to the right) but it seems like it to me too, lol. If you're talking about the clean guitar part on the left, then yeah...I'm not sure what to do with it...when I bring it up, it really walks all over the vocal a ton. At any rate, I appreciate the feedback a ton...just lemme' know which part is out in the boonies, lol. :D
 
Yeah, it's definately the one panned left...it didn't sound like a slide at all. i think the slide sounded great.

just kind of a walking, background guitar lead panned left. I will try to listen to it again later, but perhaps if you can't make it fit, is it really necessary?

I'm not saying you do, but I definately have a tendency to get overly elaborate in my compositions, just because I can...just because there is space to fill. but the truth is, sometimes simple is more effective...and I have to remind myself that.

Cheers,
 
Hey,

the low end sounds good to me on my Computer speakers (with a sub), although it almost sounds like there is some real low end rumble, not real sure.

Overall, it sounds fantastic.
 
NL5 said:
Hey,

the low end sounds good to me on my Computer speakers (with a sub), although it almost sounds like there is some real low end rumble, not real sure.

Overall, it sounds fantastic.
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Hey, THANKS for the sub check. I had forgotten to highpass it, and nothing I have will play stuff that low, so I couldn't tell. Thanks again.
 
Very tight performance - nice vocal delivery, liked the harmonies. Slide guitar could have been mixed meatier/warmer, but it could just be my monitoring speakers.

Nice colab!
 
Phyl said:
Slide guitar could have been mixed meatier/warmer, but it could just be my monitoring speakers.
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No, you're right, and I'm glad you mentioned it. That's a relatively easy fix too, lol. Thanks a lot for listening, Phyl.
 
Hey Chris - Just downloaded the latest version from RP and I'm not hearing any bass issues. Listened to it on my new Event ASP8's and my old Samson system with the Sub and it sounds good.

Nice Job !!

:)
 
vestast said:
Hey Chris - Just downloaded the latest version from RP and I'm not hearing any bass issues. Listened to it on my new Event ASP8's and my old Samson system with the Sub and it sounds good.

Nice Job !!

:)
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You're my hero...thanks man.
 
Hey Chris,

Could you explain how you recorded this peice? (with as much detail as possible)

It really sounds fantatstic.

Thanks,

NL5
 
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