In R.E.M. -> Mix comments please (20Jan.)

[billg]

Jamie, that gauge mic does sound good with your voice! this is a very cool song. I think you need to address the acoustic fret noise (as Vince mentioned) and also the bass seems a bit uneven to me but I can't tell if it's because it needs to be compressed more or if it's compressed to much & getting "sucked down" because of an eq issue. At any rate both of these things are minor imo.

[southpaw]

Cam, i do use a few soft processors, but yea man its sounds very transparent, yet its not nearly as harsh in the sensitive freqencies as my At4040 which was about my only complaint with the AT4040. Bill, thanks for takin the time out. I will adress the acoustic guitar. Are you talking about the sliding between fret noises? I thought the bass seemed a little unstable, i'll have to even out the lows a little more. Thanks againJamie

[twilsbach]

Hi Jamie,The production is fantastic as always.*LOVE* the intro, it certainly says hot ac or pop/rock right off the bat. (What are you using to get that sound?). I think that vibe quickly gets lost though by the time you get to the verse. If you re-work the drums so that they're a closer match to the forward energy the intro broadcasts, rather than the relaxed back beat thing you've got in there now and adjust the acoustic part accordinly, it would continue that HOT AC/ Pop/Rock vibe. (assuming thats the direction you're trying to take it).My initial thought on the melody was there was too much movement in the verse melody, but on second listen I'm not sure. The chorus definitely needs to go to a different place than the verse though. In phrasing, & melody (up an octave?). Not enough separation at the moment.I'm not really getting the lyric.All that said though, its easy on the ears and does give off a 'mood'.Great start!Wish I had your production chops.

[southpaw]

hey Tim, thanks for the listen. Quote:*LOVE* the intro, it certainly says hot ac or pop/rock right off the bat. (What are you using to get that sound?)Thanks. Which sounds particularly are you referring to? I suppose the guitars, as opposed to bass and drums. The guitars i spent quite a bit of time shaping to get that pulsing (DAH-daaa-DAH-daaa-DAH) effect rather than a "breathing" sound you get by overcompression.I used guitar rig 3, and for the driving tone which i think is what your talking about.I laid down one - 'dry' crunch guitar track with a 16th note strum.I laid down another guitar track with a sharper, crisp tone, and played an 8th note strumon the down beats. I dont have the time to get into individual settings for all the effects i used because i used quite a bit, but the main idea was to blend the tracks so they compliment each other tonally. Then as far as dynamics processing, I used compression before the EQ in this case. EQ is the most important part of this process, and where i had to define each fundamental and harmonic freq by carving them out and blending the relationship of them so they sound full and pleasing, and hopefully not 'blurry' or 'muddy' .I laid down a few little vamps and licks and gave them a distant little spot in the mix to add a little high end contrast, and give the sound more dimension and got a pretty cool texture out of it. Quote:I think that vibe quickly gets lost though by the time you get to the verse. If you re-work the drums so that they're a closer match to the forward energy the intro broadcasts, rather than the relaxed back beat thing you've got in there now and adjust the acoustic part accordinly, it would continue that HOT AC/ Pop/Rock vibe. (assuming thats the direction you're trying to take it).Good thoughts, i might play around with that and see what happens. Thanks. I guess that's the vibe i was going for, idunno i am pretty good at just riding a vibe and getting it down. I am not very good at explaining what it is afterwards though. And i think thats a good thing in a sense, as i am an artist... But for a market, i get the sense that songs need to have a clear definition. I have a hard time defining my songs as songs that could work for listings, verses songs i would perform as an artist.Quote:The chorus definitely needs to go to a different place than the verse though. In phrasing, & melody (up an octave?). Not enough separation at the moment.I'm not really getting the lyric.Ill look into the chorus, i dont know if i could go up a whole octave though. I felt that the melody was pretty solid. Ill try a few things and see what i come up with.About the lyric.. crap! i was hoping it wasnt confusing.! Ill have to rewrite a little more. WELL i hope you're happy! Giving me more to work on and improve! Thanks again,Jamie

[twilsbach]

Hey Jamie,Just my opinion. Its not really worth much. Take the bits that resonate with you (if there are any), chuck the rest. I like the overall intro, but I specifically meant the echo-y thing thats going on in the first :06 seconds. Thanks for the explanation of the rest of it though, as you are light years beyond me in production skills/techniques & their execution.

[southpaw]

I was being slightly facetious. (Although sarcasm doesn't translate very well online) If i close my mind to suggestions adnd opinions, i think i would be taking these opportunities for granted.You can learn from anyone. My prior line of work was a little different in that respect... So i try to work on this. The 4 bar intro was an Electric Guitar with a strong high pass filter, and a modulating filter.

[cameron]

Jan 7, 2009, 10:21am, southpaw wrote:Cam, i do use a few soft processors, but yea man its sounds very transparent, yet its not nearly as harsh in the sensitive freqencies as my At4040 which was about my only complaint with the AT4040. Bill, thanks for takin the time out. I will adress the acoustic guitar. Are you talking about the sliding between fret noises? I thought the bass seemed a little unstable, i'll have to even out the lows a little more. Thanks againJamieHey Jamie,Do you mind if I ask which processors you use on the mic? I run my mic thru a Rolls GLC (gate/limiter/compressor) preamp which sounds OK if I manage to set it just right. I've marked the settings 'cause it's so touchy, and if I bump it I might never get it back to the sweet spot.Cam

[southpaw]

Hey Cam, i send my mic through apogee converters and the onboard pre's. I know what you mean, finding that sweet spot is always one small tweak away from being O, NO, WHAT DID I DO! I have a pretty long chain of soft processors that i have refined over some time to find the desired sounds for a songs vocals. I use logic, i could further explain the software processing chain i use for you if you'd find it helpful.

[southpaw]

hey folks i just posted the final form of the song "In R.E.M" at the above link. I've been working hard on this one, and have gotten very frustrated several times with getting all the elements to 'work together'.. I finally decided on the progession, instrumentation, and arrangement... [deep exhale] (may sitll be a a couple frequencies to tame still)I have completed the lyrics and melody, other than a few words i may or may not change.. Id appreciate if you gave this another listen and shared your comments. I am curious to hear how it sits with people, and if it draws you in and keeps your attention.Lastly, I plan on submitting to the following few listings,"AAA/modern rock/pop songs with vocals in the range of maroon 5, matchbox 20, goo goo dolls, train, for film/tv" "Unique and cutting edge singer-songwriter artists""Singer-songwriter artists, in the range of john mayer, jack white"Do you think i have a chance with any of these? Thanks for your help folks.Jamie

[marcblack30]

Jamie, man i love this song! i can't recall exactly how different it is from the original but i think it's great!the fret noise seems tamed a bit and i think it fit's right in and doesn't jump out at me too much.just a couple of little things i will comment on:-the break after first chorus, the bass drops out and then there's two short bass notes at 1:23, first couple of listens it almost sounds like an accident, maybe consider following through with a bass run along with the drum fill (just a thought), as i listen to it over it's sounds fine but my ears must have gotten used to it.-the guitar solo to me could be played with more "feeling" i like the notes you play, it sounds like you weren't very excited to play it, and i'd slide into the first note of it.I really dig the ending.Quote:"AAA/modern rock/pop songs with vocals in the range of maroon 5, matchbox 20, goo goo dolls, train, for film/tv" "Unique and cutting edge singer-songwriter artists""Singer-songwriter artists, in the range of john mayer, jack white"i think this is a bit mellower than a Matchbox 20 or Goo Goo Dolls but i think it would work great for tv/film.i think it will work well in the singer-songwriter area.overall, solid tune, love it! just my .02, hope it's helpful.cheers!marc