SSS Production Squad!! Final Version of "New Day" Posted

[Anderton]

Thanks again for your help!

 

[video=youtube;RuE55rwiQ9s]

 

And now for something completely different...this kind of sounds like it should have been on the fourth Mandrake album, had there been one. And it's a hopeful song for a change.

 

Let me know what you think BUT this song has a hard deadline, so please don't be offended if I don't have time to incorporate your comments. Sneak 'em in soon enough, though, and I can probably make them happen.

 

Now turn on your lava lamp, and enjoy some backwards guitar...and yes, even a tambura.

[Folder]

Great groove on this one Craig !

Love the arrangement and all the little sound effects stuff. Very tasteful.

 

Is that a real Sitar? Samples maybe?

The backwards guitar stuff is cool. How did you do that? I used to flip the tape over and just record away but I've never done it with a DAW.

 

Some of the drums may be a little too big sounding for my tastes but for this particular tune I think they work.

[Anderton]

 

Is that a real Sitar? Samples maybe?

 

It's tambura samples from the Ethno World 5 sample library for NI Kontakt.

 

The backwards guitar stuff is cool. How did you do that? I used to flip the tape over and just record away but I've never done it with a DAW.

 

I just used the "reverse" DSP function. However, I employed the same strategy I used with tape back in the day: 1. Record a lead guitar part that sounds really good.

2. Create a premix of the existing tracks, then use DSP to reverse the premix.

3. Solo the premix, and play along as closely as possible with the guitar solo (which is now reversed). This is definitely the hardest part, because the structure also needs to be reversed—for example if the solo ends by going up a scale, you need to start by going down the scale.

4. Reverse the guitar solo using DSP, then shift its position on the timeline to line up with the scratch guitar track. It likely won’t line up exactly, but tweak the track position so it lines up as rhythmically as possible with the song.

 

Note there are two backwards guitar part - the lead, and there's also a flanged rhythm guitar part churning along in the background.

 

Some of the drums may be a little too big sounding for my tastes but for this particular tune I think they work.

 

They are kind of caricatures, aren't they? But I ended up thinking that yes, they work in the context of the entire song being more or less "not real."

 

Thanks for the comments! I do think I maximized the output a bit too much, and will probably back off a bit to give it more dynamics.

 

[AlamoJoe]

Wonderful quilt of a song! So many cool elements....So many influences woven together...It's got Jimi, the Thirteenth Floor Elevators,....Wow...I freakin' LOVE it!

[Jeff Leites]

I still have my black lights, but wish I knew where I put my strobe light

[blue2blue]

I think I'd move the vocals down in the mix by a substantial amount and thin them as well as their reverb aura. The vocal aria ('shine through') would be a good opportunity for some tricky effect/mutation/transition to a reverse guitar.

 

The bass seems a bit ill-defined and muddy. I listened on 20/20bas and NS10's. The NS10's showed an upper bass growl but it didn't seem to carry much melodic foundation in either sonic venue.

 

On the NS10s the prominence of the vocals and their 'excessive body' was even more pronounced.

 

I thought the sitar drone worked pretty OK. That seems hard to get right (judging from the results one hears out there in musicland). Heaven knows I don't even think I've hit the red button on a sitar drone bed or melody part. But then I haven't spent any money on samples since I bought a 7 or 8 disk German library for $40 at CompUSA about 15 years ago.

[Anderton]

Thanks for the comments. Not quite sure what the do about the vocals, as the point of the file is to illustrate an article about using Melodyne to generate ADT and harmonies - there was only one vocal track, all the other vocals are derived from it. But perhaps art should triumph over commerce

 

What you're hearing as excessive reverb is probably the reverb being augmented by echo. I soloed the voice and there's a LOT of echo. I think if I bring that down, it will do what you want.

 

The bass is a real electric bass, not samples. I can almost certainly give it some more definition with EQ. Also as mentioned before I added too much limiting, pulling that back helps define everything better although it loses a bit of its 60s sound...

 

I'll definitely add more lasers in the chorus as well, that's advice that never goes out of style. Thanks again!

[UstadKhanAli]

I listened to the song before reading the other comments, but noticed that people already mentioned what I was going to mention.

 

I like the tambura sample. Some of the tambura functions as a sitar, which is cool.

 

I think the big-ass drums are too big, largely in terms of the reverb. I'd love to hear more space. I'd love them to sound more in the style of Ringo Starr or Mitch Mitchell as well.

I'd love to hear a lot more definition and mids on the bass.

I agree with blue's comment about removing the echo ("reverb aura").

 

I love the backwards guitar, backwards effects, and other treatments.

 

I think this is my favorite thing you've done in quite a while. I always thought you did psychedelic music super well. I think it's one of your strengths as an artist and guitarist, and am glad to see you dipping into the well. But not only because of that, but as an overall job, an overall vibe, I think it's my favorite thing you've done in quite some time.

 

 

[Anderton]

I think this is my favorite thing you've done in quite a while. I always thought you did psychedelic music super well. I think it's one of your strengths as an artist and guitarist, and am glad to see you dipping into the well. But not only because of that, but as an overall job, an overall vibe, I think it's my favorite thing you've done in quite some time.

 

 

Thanks, Ken. First off, I've done the suggested changes and...this SSS Prod Squad thing is FREAKIN' AWESOME. It already sounds much better. I really, really appreciate the effort y'all put into giving your comments. It's beyond helpful. We may be inventing the production style of the future here...FYI I ended up subbing samples for some of the bass line.

 

As to "I think it's my favorite thing you've done in quite some time," I've definitely been going through a dark phase with the material and a lot of it isn't easy to listen to. I know that. But I'd rather get that stuff outside of me than keep it inside. I've covered alienation (On Mars), corruption and the end of the American dream (Say Goodbye), self-doubt (Only Ever After You), suicide (So Tell Me Why I Shouldn't), breaking up (My Lucky Day), the dark side of empathy (Little Pieces), and global disaster (When the Grid Goes Down). I think that just about covers what I want to comment about...

 

What has surprised me are the personal notes I get from people who feel better after hearing this material because they don't feel so alone. Veterans are still writing me about "So Tell Me Why I Shouldn't" and thanking me for making what's in their heads tangible...and therefore, something that can be examined and hopefully, fought.

 

The next tune I'm working on is very soca in nature. That kind of music can't help but put you in a happy space.

 

[Lee Knight]

Yes! Very nice!!! I love it all.

 

I'm sure I'm way late to the party and you're done... but if not... and these suggestions I don't feel are make or break because it sounds like you've nailed this. But if you do go back in...

 

I would do a drastically different treatment on the bridge vocal. The very nature of what you've written has a welcome shift in its tone. But the vocal seems to carry on as if it didn't realize something changed. I believe that section occurs twice? The 1st time I'd go totally dry but for a little tiny amp emulation (Trash) on that vocal. Slam it with a limiter post.

 

Then the second time I'd play up some dropping out of instrumental elements further... and sing it softer and an octave down. Bringing it back up an octave as you build out to climax from the bridge.

 

Or not, cause it's done and awesome. Nice.

[Lee Knight]

Oh... and that rumbly bass? I'd duplicate it and mix the dupe back in as a fuzzed out HP'ed at 400 in your face entity, giving that bass part more of a focus. Love the rumble though. Just needs a dash of "point".

[UstadKhanAli]

Craig, I like darker stuff too, having been a long-time Cure, Cocteau Twins, etc. fan and played in Goth bands, which probably doesn't get much darker than that. But a lot of this is just where we as listeners are now as much as where you are, and what are preferences are. And the personal notes must feel really uplifting. You've connected with someone in a very personal way, and that's always amazing.

 

But I just love the way you do psychedelia. I like your guitar playing sensibility in that genre.That's probably why I am responding to this song more than some of the others as of late. I'm so glad that you get a lot out of this whole thing. It's a nice way to get feedback...and get feedback from people who have good monitors, ears, and knowledge at that.

[Iamthesky]

But I just love the way you do psychedelia.

Absolutely. It triggers my memories of growing up with 60's psychedelia, updated in a very good way. I love the bass in particular and its juxtaposition with the other sounds. The fabric doesn't have any holes.

 

[Mark L]

I was lucky enough to get an advance copy of this song, and I've been listening to it on my mp3 player for a few days

 

I think I can honestly say that this is my favourite song of Craig's so far. Even better than any of the covers he's done of my songs

 

Like Ken says, Craig does psychedelia rather well

[Phil O'Keefe]

I'm really impressed with how well the Melodyne BGVs turned out. And you know me Craig... I love psychedelic stuff, and backwards guitars - nice positive lyrics too! philthumb

 

 

Now, how about a few gear questions... what mic did you use on your vocal? Preamp? Audio interface? Are you still using Adam A7's?

 

[Anderton]

Nothin' fancy, Phil...the mic was a Shure SM58, going into the Roland V-Studio 700. Interestingly, the song was mixed and mastered on the KRK KNS8400 headphones because I wanted to see if they were as good as I thought...I've played the mix over several systems, and it seems they are. And you'll appreciate this: the backwards guitar was a Melody Maker. The guitar chords, both clean and distorted, were actually samples I brought in from my "chord library." They're all from a 57 Gold Top re-issue that the Gibson Custom Shop let me borrow.

[Phil O'Keefe]

Haha - you'll get a kick out of this - when I checked out New Day, I was listening on a pair of KRK KNS-8400's! I really like those cans a lot - they're pretty accurate, have good isolation, and they are extremely comfortable. I've pretty much worn the earpads out on mine - I need to order some replacements. They ARE really good cans IMHO.