Falling From The Tree

heinsite · Post by **heinsite** » Fri Dec 05, 2008 12:30 pm

hey stephen--listen man, i'm listening to raydeeoh all damn day in and outta the car picking up my teens from school, this would fit into r&b, and also into some of the pop listings too, just depends on the alas'nice job, like it allotall the best,warren

carlosgomez · Post by **carlosgomez** » Fri Dec 05, 2008 1:28 pm

Wow those are very good programmed drums. Great sound and programming. Very natural. What are you using?

cjdenecia · Post by **cjdenecia** » Fri Dec 05, 2008 2:10 pm

Dec 5, 2008, 3:28pm, carlosgomez wrote:Wow those are very good programmed drums. Great sound and programming. Very natural. What are you using?the bassist, drummer, keyboardist & engineer on this is gregg gavitt from NYC ... the most overall talented musician I have ever met. bar none. plays guitar, great singer ... his melodyned strings and horns are beyond reproach and he's a fabulous songwriter.damn longhairs ... he's also my computer geru. he creates the most live drums I've ever heard with addictive drummer. or drums ... which is it ..? beatmaps every tune and fills in the blanks with attention to realistic velocity and human beat timing. (tho if I recall, this one was pretty exacting ...)

mazz · Post by **mazz** » Fri Dec 05, 2008 3:32 pm

Hi Stephen,This sounds to me like something from the 70s, like what they used to call "Funk Rock", like the band Cold Blood or Sons of Champlin.I think the song is good but it appears to be suffering from the, IMO, overly busy production. With the drums programmed and mixed the way they are and the bass playing lots of 16th notes, to my ears it pulls focus from the vocals, which, again, IMO, should be the most important thing in the mix. They're not, right now, to my ears anyway.The programming and playing are very good, don't get me wrong, but they don't serve the song well, IMO. I think you need to choose whether you are mixing to feature the rhythm section or the vocals. The song deserves an arrangement that gives it some breathing room. With so many 16th notes all over the place, it feels crowded.I don't know if there's any music out right now that sounds like this, I'm not very up on what's current in R&B but production-wise, to my ears, it's not quite ready for prime time.Overall nice work!Mazz

cjdenecia · Post by **cjdenecia** » Fri Dec 05, 2008 3:42 pm

Dec 5, 2008, 5:32pm, mazz wrote:Hi Stephen,This sounds to me like something from the 70s, like what they used to call "Funk Rock", like the band Cold Blood or Sons of Champlin.I think the song is good but it appears to be suffering from the, IMO, overly busy production. With the drums programmed and mixed the way they are and the bass playing lots of 16th notes, to my ears it pulls focus from the vocals, which, again, IMO, should be the most important thing in the mix. They're not, right now, to my ears anyway.The programming and playing are very good, don't get me wrong, but they don't serve the song well, IMO. I think you need to choose whether you are mixing to feature the rhythm section or the vocals. The song deserves an arrangement that gives it some breathing room. With so many 16th notes all over the place, it feels crowded.I don't know if there's any music out right now that sounds like this, I'm not very up on what's current in R&B but production-wise, to my ears, it's not quite ready for prime time.Overall nice work!Mazzwow ... mazz in the P2P doing some critique ... on behalf of the band, a sincere and no BS thank you.and don't think for a second that every little thing you mentioned wasn't mentioned in the production stages. it was. all except for the part about R vs V ... we did try to do both. we may or may not have succeeded ... thanx again mazz, and may I say, I have read your words throughout this forum and I like your fair no nonsense style. it's not mine, but I appreciate the 180.cj

christophersclaybo · Post by **christophersclaybo** » Fri Dec 05, 2008 8:14 pm

Nice piece of music, man!Wild Man Chris

zingstone · Post by **zingstone** » Sat Dec 06, 2008 2:14 am

Dec 31, 1969, 7:53pm, mazz wrote:With the drums programmed and mixed the way they are and the bass playing lots of 16th notes, to my ears it pulls focus from the vocals, which, again, IMO, should be the most important thing in the mix. Glad to hear someone sayin' that out loud, mazz.The original version of this song was written from the drum loop up, with the bassline as its backbone, by a man who'd never play one note where fourteen would do.It's a problem I've always had with "engine room" people; that they can't seem to accept that *it's a singers' world*.[sardonic ephemeral diva]

mazz · Post by **mazz** » Sat Dec 06, 2008 5:56 am

I'm an instrumental guy but I'll be the first one to concede that in a song with words, the vocal has to win every time. The arrangement needs to be like a great film score, always supporting the story and only making itself known when necessary and always with the utmost taste and subtlety.Not the easiest thing to do, particularly for a "player". It's a great discipline to learn and will make anyone who goes for it a much better musician and arranger. For inspiration and sublime taste that applies to any style of music, I'd start with Quincy Jones.Keep up the good work!Mazz

partyofone · Post by **partyofone** » Sat Dec 06, 2008 7:55 am

First off I agree with BillG on the bass. Killer pocket and tone for sure! And great drum programming.To me the most right on a la I heard so far was Madonna. I think there is more of an jazzy vibe here as opposed to the heavily syncopated rhtyhms and hip-hop style kits of today's R&B. Billboard has an "Adult R&B" chart which perhaps would be the vein. Sorry but I'm drawing a blank on an exact artist match up though. I see what Mazz is saying about the vocal and busy drums competing which is a very astute observation. Perhaps some careful EQ'ing of top end or some more compression would dull them a bit take them out of the spotlight.

liamkelly · Post by **liamkelly** » Sat Dec 06, 2008 9:56 am

StephenCool track, man. Thanks for posting. Enjoyed it a lot.The drum programming is excellent but busy IM2cO. It leaves little space, especially for the vocal. I also thought the lead vocal could be a bit hotter. But then I’m a singer The guitar runs, wahs and noodles are great textures. Really liked them.I didn’t really get a Madonna type vibe from this at all (sorry, Patrick ). I definitely got Ray of Light/Substitute for Love from Through the Void (I’m presuming it’s the same singer) but not from this. Am I crazy in thinking that this may be in or around acid jazz? It reminds me of some artist but for the life of me I just can’t figure out who. Sounds like something Gilles Peterson would spin if he wasn’t playing in a club.Have you thought of some horns?I bet I've helped a lot

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