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

[southpaw]

Hey folks. Heres a new one ive been working on. This one is a blend of a few different stylistic influences i try to weave into my music. I draw the groove influences from the more urban/hip hop area, vocally im am very much influenced by the soul genres i.e. stevie wonder, donny hathaway, to john legend etc. A professor of mine once called my music rock and soul, i think that explanation was cool and pretty accurate imo.Anyway the song is called 'In R.E.M'. Its a little left of center in terms of structure, and the chord progression eventually turned into a 'progressive' progression. (Thats a lot of progression!) v-i-v-iii-ii6-i6 is the first eight bars of the verse, and from there it moves quite a bit. I still need to cut the second verse, and adjust a few vocal sections, the mix might need minor taming... Anyhow, most of the grunt work is out of the way, and id be grateful to any hear feedback on the song, and how it the song felt through your speakershttp://www.soundclick.com/bands/page_music.cfm?bandID=797266In particular id like to hear comments/sugg's on a few areas from some 'fresh eared listeners' on: - Thoughts on the melodies?-Thoughts on the arrangement? -Would you consider this pop rock/hot ac/aaa? singersongwriter? something else?*The intro is longer than usual, i try to keep it under 8 bars..But i had the idea to add the extra 'jump start' section you hear. I will likely cut it down before/if i submit it to anything.You think this would fit for any of the pop/rock related listings?Any and all general feedback is appreciated. CheersJamie

[southpaw]

wta, thanks for the listen and commentsQuote:The vocalist did a great performance but is just not a rock singer, more pop without question at least with this tune,yea, im not a rock singer. I dont really have that edgy strength some singers have. I havent done much rock, i just always enjoyed listening to, certain kinds of it. Ive always been really focused on groove and weaving melodies that interact with it, if that makes sense to you..Unfortunately, im not really and R&B singer either... Points taken. Thanks. Quote:I'd say this is more on the easy listening but with a distant distorted guitar.I am not sure, youd really say easy listening..? I mean i always thought of michael bolton/similar, when i heard the term easy listening mentioned?. I've never been very good at placing genres though.Cheers, Jamie

[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.

[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.

[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

[southpaw]

hey Marc, I played your sugg. on the guitar, and it makes sense. I originally wrote that with an A6 chord. I added the EP as a padding and little harmony, im playing some wierd 'modified' chords here, i'll check this out when i revisit this one after a few days. Thanks for the input.Yammer,Thanks for the listen and comments. Im glad you enjoy the song. The Guage is generally $150, i was fortunate to get it at a discounted rate that he was offering at the Road Rally for $87.A steal! Bill, you are too kind. Production is always a work 'in progress' for me. Quote:To me (don't laugh) it sounds like a country song without the country production. Ya know, this darn comment keeps popping up about my songs! Im not sure what it is, but i have heard this more than a few times, and im still not sure where my music fits yet in terms of my 'sound'. Quote:I've had nothing to drink this morning I promise.Maybe i should start! Amp, wow. Thanks bro. Again, i really appreciate all the helpful feedback. Im really pleased to hear people are enjoying the tune. I see my songs like children, its a beatiful thing seeing them develop, and a lot of work for a lot of joy. Cheers,Jamie