Wow, thank you so much for that detailed feedback. You must have been able to tolerate the song to get through it all.
andygabrys wrote:Great song.
My impressions on arrangement :
A) the filtered intro has a different groove than when the band enters. On a repeated listen I think its because the acoustic guitar is pushing the groove and its too loud IMO. I want to hear the electrics and the drums driving it. right now I get more AC Gtr than drums. Dropping the level of the Ac Gtr will help, but if the performance pushes the groove, and pushes the drums, I would also nudge the Ac Gtr back in time until it sits a little more in the pocket. I am a guitarist and have learned not to be too precious about my own playing. Sometimes I play too much on the front of the beat.
Understand, most of the texture is a strat through an orange amp, and I believe I ran the acoustic through a roland, I 'think', i actually recorded these tracks back in 2009, i've had a few beers since then - but I hear you about creating a better notch.
B) the vocal finally enters at 1:00 into the song. Depending on the intended use, you could consider radically shortening the intro so that the section between 0:34 to 1:00 is gone. I would even consider doing some creative editing to your arrangement so that the 4 bar filtered intro is repeated by the band doing just 4 bars with the faster harmonic rhythm like the intro. then your intro would be 0:20. Food for thought.
If this is for a TV or film use, you are going to be providing a vocal and an instrumental mix. So you don't need super long instrumental sections as they can always use one or the other or edit one into the other - whatever works for the picture. When listening the first time, I figured this would be a vocal song but I was really wondering when the vocals were going to enter.
Yes - this would be the 'album version'. I have another version where this intro is cut into for halvsies (and I'd actually like to kill the entire filtered into as well - it doesn't offer anything).
Mix:
1) Vocal in verses has no high end. Work on that vocal sound. Chorus vocals are a little buried compared to the verse vocal as well and I noticed the drop playing from the verse into the chorus. Working on the sound of verse vocal to regain the high end can help you bring that down a touch in level and it will add continuity.
If its a vocal tone issue - like the range of the vocal in the verse and the singers unique voice adds a really round tone with little edge, you can add some parallel vocal distortion mixed way under, or try some eq tricks, or even thin out the verse arrangement a little so it builds more and doesn't stomp on the vocal.
Thanks, i struggled with the vocal mightily as I was compensating for bad mic placement (again, too lazy to go back and do a proper take). Like most, I'm not a fan of my voice so this is where mixing your own music becomes a problem.
Like the vocal in the doughnut hole idea - maybe the verse instruments can be panned wider. Like the electric feels like its totally down the center - and its hard to get the vocal out front when everything is down the center unless the vocal is wide.
Imagine 0:54, the wide chorus guitars fade down. The acoustic and the drums and bass carry the arrangement under the vocal. The step filter type effect at 0:59 under "reading my mind" make it mono instead of stereo, and pan it off to one side. If you want it cover the stereo spectrum to accentuate the "reading" idea then start it left and pan to the right.
prechorus at 1:14 - use one electric to start panned hard to one side and pan the piano or background melody to the other side. Then when chorus hits - big loud wide electrics to drive it.
Like Bobby Owsinski often says - Loud L and R doing the same thing equals big MONO. You need some differences to make it work.
A lot of mono guitar trying to let the vocals and drums spread. I like your ideas though, i don't do enough side panning.
2) Hi-hat is crispy bright almost distorted. I would go for less eq. Hi passing hats if normal, if they get out of control try a slight low pass as well. I think the snare is going to be fine once you can actually hear it. Right now the level of the drums seems to be governed by the hi-hats - like turning up the drums in general would be crazy hi-hats in front. So the kit needs a little different balance.
I don't hear it this way at all, which is why I'm glad you brought it up - this probably comes from my own biased ears. I will take a look at it.
3) Acoustic guitars through most of the tune are also bright. How many are there in the chorus? Its its doubled I would drop one and pan the one thats left about 10 o'clock Left or right, whatever side the hi-hat is not on. If its just one to begin with, consider filtering a little more low end, drop a little high end so its not quite so bright and I would still consider panning opposite the hi-hat.
just one acoustic with stereo compression and eq.
4) Lacking some definition in the electrics. 400 hz cut slightly. A little 1 kHz or 2 kHz might help to bring out some clarity.
yup!
7) LAST THING - I would balance this production by soloing vocals and drums. Balance the chorus. Then balance the verse. Now turn on the bass and balance it against the kick drum soloed. Then turn the rest of the kit and the vocals. Does it work through the entire tune?
Yes, good idea, original mix was a track against white noise one at a time.
Hope that helps.
Very much... hope I can return the favor some time.
Awesome feedback