Better Believe - New Mix, less yada yada

[Mark Kaufman]

This one...it started out as an instrumental. After it was finished I decided to add lyrics and vocals. Now it confuses me...I'm not really sure what to do with it or what it needs. Any comments or suggestions are welcome...very interested to see if this one is appealing or annoying. Thanks! -Markhttp://soundclick.com/share?songid=6864550Better BelieveSailing past the facesAnd the numbers and the namesYou’ve been burned too many times beforeSo you just won’t play the gameBut no one takes you nowhereAnd there’s nothing there to seeSo you better believe in someone like meYou better believeLovers promise you the worldBut they only steal you blindNow you’re done with lies and takersYou’re gonna leave them all behindBut no one takes you nowhereAnd there’s nothing there to seeSo you better believe in someone like meYou better believeI believe in someone who believes in meGive me a reason to believeLove just brings you pain and tearsNow you won’t even take the chanceChoose a life of lonely days and nightsOver passion and romanceBut no one takes you nowhereAnd there’s nothing there to seeSo you better believe in someone like meYou better believeCopyright 2008 by Mark Kaufman

[matthoggard]

Unlike most others, Ill not put my PROducer hat on. IM sure this is probably NOT a finished recording.I (like zoom) LOVE the Beck type hipster sound. You have definatley nailed the vibe.Lyrics are very well written. Just dreamy enough to get spaced out but the story is tight with a good imagery.Melody fits the music perfectly and when you kick those harmonies in it sounds fantastic. The meter and flow of the lyrics is really nice. Instrumentally its all there. It might be a bit busy in spots but this type of sound aint no simple thing either. My wife heard me playing this and started grooving around my office.(was really sexy )Sexy sound and Killer song. I figure you already know what to do with the production.Great job man ill buy it!Matt

[Mark Kaufman]

Sept 4, 2008, 1:00pm, zoom wrote:Hey Mark... I like the very Beck feel of the instrumentation. Good stuff all around, but I think you've gone in too many directions on this song.There are are a few key instruments I would concentrate on.... The electric piano is awesome.... so is the distorted harmonica... and the bassline run on the clav (I think that's what it is).... but you need to find some space in there somewhere. I might suggest a cleaner sound all around, saving some stuff for later and possibly getting rid of other lines completely. Also, I think spacing out some of the riffs is a good idea -- too much of a good thing can still be too much... if you know what I'm talking about.One way to start cleaning it up might be to speed it up slightly... and maybe get a different drum sample... something crisp and tight. Just some thoughts.Good vibe on it though man!Awesome help, Zoom! Yes, it was very Beck-like as an instrumental. The drums became overprocessed on the mixdown...the mixdown is always my bane...compression, EQ, touch of reverb, stereo expander all have made this a tinny, muddy mix. Even made you think there was an electric harmonica somehow. The drums sound great on their own track, so I'll have another go at a mix and see if I can make it all come through. Maybe I'll also post an instrumental version for kicks.I don't really agree about the tempo.I've been hearing different melodies on this for about a week (the instruments were done then) but didn't know what to say. This morning I finally got a lyrical idea, so I worked fast and this is the first finished version. It just might change again...Thanks! Much appreciated. -mk

[Mark Kaufman]

Sept 4, 2008, 3:44pm, matthoggard wrote:Unlike most others, Ill not put my PROducer hat on. IM sure this is probably NOT a finished recording.I (like zoom) LOVE the Beck type hipster sound. You have definatley nailed the vibe.Lyrics are very well written. Just dreamy enough to get spaced out but the story is tight with a good imagery.Melody fits the music perfectly and when you kick those harmonies in it sounds fantastic. The meter and flow of the lyrics is really nice. Instrumentally its all there. It might be a bit busy in spots but this type of sound aint no simple thing either. My wife heard me playing this and started grooving around my office.(was really sexy )Sexy sound and Killer song. I figure you already know what to do with the production.Great job man ill buy it!MattWow, Matt, your wife made my day! It made her dance, and HER DANCE made you think the song is sexy. But I really appreciate hearing what worked for you. Seems like I need to focus on the mixing.Thank you very much! Now get off that computer and go kiss your wife.

[grandmatarkin]

Funny, I immediately thought of Beck too... nice! Couple of comments... 1) I'd make the little intro a little shorter... maybe just half the length.2) I'm hearing a full stop at 1:07-1:08... I don't know why... I just am (and all the equivalent parts later on)3) Bridge is awesome!4) hold back a little on the drum fills, I'd say. Save them for the biggest moments5) as for the tempo issue, i would speed it up slightly... not too much, but right now I feel a bit of dragging. Overall I thought it was very cool.... nice vibe and lots of potential. Good luck!

[Mark Kaufman]

Sept 4, 2008, 11:22pm, grandmatarkin wrote:Funny, I immediately thought of Beck too... nice! Couple of comments... 1) I'd make the little intro a little shorter... maybe just half the length.2) I'm hearing a full stop at 1:07-1:08... I don't know why... I just am (and all the equivalent parts later on)3) Bridge is awesome!4) hold back a little on the drum fills, I'd say. Save them for the biggest moments5) as for the tempo issue, i would speed it up slightly... not too much, but right now I feel a bit of dragging. Overall I thought it was very cool.... nice vibe and lots of potential. Good luck!Thanks grandmatarkin! Very helpful. I never thought about that intro...yes, I believe I will cut the electric guitar section out of it to get to the vocals more quickly. I'll have to wait till tonight to know where you mean about the full stop, though I'm guessing you mean just before I sing "you better believe". Maybe so, maybe so...I've been known to do a lot of full stops, so I'm surprised I missed an opportunity. Glad you like the bridge, that's typical me right there, it seems. And yes, drums are the glaring eyesore on this one...I believe I will go back to the drawing board on that one and re-do them. Tempo...I may be getting swayed now, but it's the perfect tempo for that keyboard riff, and I keep thinking the problem is that the song isn't doing right by that riff, which is the anchor...Thank you so much for your opinions, it's a great help to me. -Mark

[suzdoyle]

Hey Mark.I like this tune, and agree that it has some things in it that don't match each other. The vocals are sweet, but they might be more effective if done a bit brighter and energetically, to match the underlying intensity of the instruments.And the drums at the beginning were startling to me, too.Maybe tone them down a tad in the mix.LOVED the bass runs! And the keyboards. Really nice feel. I think you're on the right track; perhaps making the vocals a tad more staccato and with shorter phrasing would be more effective.E.g.Instead of: Saaaallllliing (<--2 beats) past the faces, Try: Sailing (1 beat) past the (1 beat) faces (1 beat) then 1 beat space. ,Suz

[Mark Kaufman]

No way. No how. Uh-uh. I refuse to lose the wadda wadda wadda thingee.

[petez]

I like this song, very very good singing and I like the sound of rhodes and electronic piano and the lines you played with them! But, as I am a fan of drums, I would like to hear this with a more bigger drums.. other than that, this is great!

[Mark Kaufman]

Just so you guys know, all your comments have been very much in my thoughts. I finally made some changes to this...fuller drum sound, less shishhhhing noise, and got rid of several yada yada yadas so the music could breathe. You are all wise creators. THANK YOU. New mix posted.