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Finished version posted: "Catch Me, I'm Dreaming"


Anderton

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...and here's the final version. Thanks for your help!! More to come...

 

(Also, I posted a new mix of "Replay, Replay" with a better mix in terms of the bass part.)

 

 

 

 

 

Your mission, should you choose to accept it... :)

 

I think this is as close as we'll ever get to a new Mandrake Memorial song...with Randy dead, Kevin MIA, and Michael teaching, I guess I'm entitled to consider at least part of me as carrying on that tradition.

 

Hope you like this, it's even more 60s than "New Day." And for those who are familiar with Mandrake, yes, it has a 12-string and a harpsichord....and the bass does kind of sound like Randy's style.

 

Comment away...!!

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Well there's no question this kind of material comes very naturally for you - it's got an effortless-feeling flow.

 

I'd process up the drums a bit. That's such a modern sounding straight up "Rock-Kit 01" sound that, to my ear, it sounds a bit out of place in the context of the 60s vibe and just sounds too generic, void of style. Scoop them a bit, or rough 'em up, or put a slapback on the snare, a backwards reverb here and there..something...

 

And when you first come to the "Catch Me I'm Dreaming" - I'd try something in the percussion to demarcate "ok now we're in the chorus" a bit more. Maybe just sticking in a tambourine or shaker or a multi-tap delay weird guitar sound pattern (which would nicely refer back to the cool weirdness right at the beginning of the track)...something

 

So about the chorus - the chorus really works in the section where you have the drums drop out after the bridge - you might consider more of that vibe in other instances of the chorus. Wouldn't have to be exactly like the post-bridge section every time, but the dreaming vibe comes across a lot more "dreamily" than when the kit is pumping away unhindered like a freight train behind it.

 

The clean electric strum in the verses has a great rhythm pattern to it - but the sound itself is pretty thin and wimpy for a song with as much drive. Just needs a bit of thickening or pass some sandpaper over it a few times.

 

I'll listen a few more times - this is just a quick impression.

 

But I should say I like it! Yes!!

 

nat whilk ii

 

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As always, these comments are a gold mine...

 

Well there's no question this kind of material comes very naturally for you - it's got an effortless-feeling flow.

 

I'd process up the drums a bit. That's such a modern sounding straight up "Rock-Kit 01" sound that, to my ear, it sounds a bit out of place in the context of the 60s vibe and just sounds too generic, void of style. Scoop them a bit, or rough 'em up, or put a slapback on the snare, a backwards reverb here and there..something...

 

​I'm curious what others think. I worked really hard to get that super-clean sound, in keeping with my wanting the song to have an almost "CGI" feel to emphasize the "this couldn't exist in the real world" dreaminess element...

 

And when you first come to the "Catch Me I'm Dreaming" - I'd try something in the percussion to demarcate "ok now we're in the chorus" a bit more. Maybe just sticking in a tambourine or shaker or a multi-tap delay weird guitar sound pattern (which would nicely refer back to the cool weirdness right at the beginning of the track)...something

 

I love this idea. Definitely will experiment around and see what works, the guitar sound pattern is intriguing.

 

So about the chorus - the chorus really works in the section where you have the drums drop out after the bridge - you might consider more of that vibe in other instances of the chorus. Wouldn't have to be exactly like the post-bridge section every time, but the dreaming vibe comes across a lot more "dreamily" than when the kit is pumping away unhindered like a freight train behind it.

 

Also something I'm going to try. This seems like it would be more difficult for me to pull off well...processing might be answer, like flanging the drums in the beginning or something.

 

The clean electric strum in the verses has a great rhythm pattern to it - but the sound itself is pretty thin and wimpy for a song with as much drive. Just needs a bit of thickening or pass some sandpaper over it a few times.

 

More like that Byrds compressed/distorted sound...gotcha...actually the best option might be to use that sound in some places but not others to provide a higher degree of differentiation. FYI that's a keyboard and is just the sampled guitar sound with a bit of highpass to give more of a "Rickenbacker" vibe (the samples were DI LP Standard).

 

I'm not in any particular hurry so will be interested in more comments. I have another song on-deck, I sent a mix to Mark to see if he had any interest in adding harmonies. Again, it's a very different song. I seem incapable of doing the same thing twice :)

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Well I friggin' love it...And this is probably the best of your video efforts I've seen..Very cool 60's psycedelic vibe both audio and video. Read Nat's comments and obviously some good constructive stuff there. Again, there are so many people here so very astute and knowledgable. But as far as the drums are concerned I have to digress on Nat's point. I think they sound just fine.They rock even..But I think they are too far forward in the mix through most of the song. I wouldn't clutter them up with any slapback at all. That said, with the drums back a bit, wouldn't that in itself beef up the rhytym guitar he was talking about being too thin? Just asking. I'd like to hear a bit more of that twelve string forward too.

The guitar work and your singing...First rate.

I realize this is a salute to your old band and your musical past. But you're in the here and now. I think you've captured the essence of what you are going for. It is after all a dream, and you're processing it in the here and now.

A few years ago, The Fabled British Band Cream reunited for a series of concerts at Albert Hall in London. Yeah this is old news, but as soon as it came out on DVD I bought the deluxe version. I adored that band. Got to see them only once. I loved the performances and have watched them many times since, but the interviews on the DVD were great too.

One in particular with Jack Bruce I think may have a bit of bearing on this fine effort of yours. I'm paraphrasing here, but when they were talking amongst themselves about getting together to do the shows, Jack said (Again, I'm paraphrasing) " We could have gone back and I could have dragged out my Gibson EBO and Marshall amps, but we decided it would be best to play the songs like we play now. Faithful to the songs but to sound like we sound now".

Know what I mean? I think that's what you've done here, and I think it's a great song.

 

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Only listening on an iPhone so far so no mix comments but I love it. I do have an idea though. Personally... I think it would sound awesome if you were to sing the verses down an octave. That range is fine for you but it would really shine with a mysterioso vibe down there. As it stands it lacks a little contrast and puts you in the role of whimsy wizard as opposed to cool mystery. I think that might really be cool. A very close mic'ed, quietly sung, heavily compressed and turned tight up in your face, low, moody vocal. Or not. Looking forward to a hifi listen. Trippy and rad. Nice.

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I'm not in any particular hurry so will be interested in more comments. I have another song on-deck, I sent a mix to Mark to see if he had any interest in adding harmonies. Again, it's a very different song. I seem incapable of doing the same thing twice :)

 

 

 

as long as he's singing harmonies, why not have him sing lead :idk:

 

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We have very different ranges...I can't hit the harmonies, he can. But he has carte blanche to sing whatever he wants, and I'll see what shows up. We did one collaboration where he did sing lead.

 

 

Well I've been singing along to it in the car at work and the only bits I can harmonize with are the two pre-choruses

 

I just can't come up with any decent-sounding harmony vocal for any other part of it

 

Looks like we might just have to go with the 'doubling' idea you suggested for the chorus

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Well I've been singing along to it in the car at work and the only bits I can harmonize with are the two pre-choruses

 

Make sure you include those...

 

I just can't come up with any decent-sounding harmony vocal for any other part of it

 

Looks like we might just have to go with the 'doubling' idea you suggested for the chorus

 

Doubling is fine, maybe even better. I think the most important element is your vocal timbre. The lyrics have a pretty high "word density" so the differentiation will help.

 

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Definitely don't want to take the lead vocal, as Goobers suggests. I think your voice sounds just fine on the mix you sent me. But doubling the chorus might be interesting

 

And the harmony I've come up with on the pre-choruses sounds pretty good alongside your vocal. Well it does in a Nissan Micra on the M53 motorway between New Brighton and Chester ;)

 

I'll try to record it on Monday, as my wife is on late finishes at work and can't hear my warbling....

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Just wanted to give you an update so you wouldn't think I wasn't paying attention....did a little work on it last night. For the 12-string (and the 6-string during the verses), putting them through one of my amp sim designs that gives a Twinnish kind of sound gave them more power. For the drums, a little distortion was absolutely killer. You'd never notice it but take it away, and the drums sound much more "vanilla." Finally, I was able to hit the octave lower notes for the chorus, which adds a nice little air of mystery. The song sounds a lot more powerful now, not quite as much like it might disappear into thin air at some point. So again, all great comments and I should be able to post the final version soon.

 

Y'all are really, really, really helpful and I appreciate the extra set of ears very much.

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Sort of a "Lucy in the Sky" vibe....but "screaming" ....yah... screaming for joy, I suppose, but screaming is usually associated with a more negative idea...or is that just my mind?

 

As a drummer, THOSE SOUNDED LIKE REAL DRUMS TO ME. I don't know what Nat was talking about.

 

Dan

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Sort of a "Lucy in the Sky" vibe....but "screaming" ....yah... screaming for joy, I suppose, but screaming is usually associated with a more negative idea...or is that just my mind?

 

There are bad dreams, too...and moments in good dreams. None of it's real...

 

As a drummer, THOSE SOUNDED LIKE REAL DRUMS TO ME. I don't know what Nat was talking about.

 

Dan

 

They are real drums, and played by a real drummer. They're loops, but I did a lot of rearrangement. I tend to cut loops into pieces to keep the parts from sounding like loops. I could never play a part like that with BFD or Addictive Drums or whatever.

 

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I love the tone you're getting on the lead guitar! Info please? The guitar, the signal chain?

 

The guitar is a Les Paul Standard I borrowed. The signal chain is, believe it or not, something I can't really give details about at this time. Short form is I'm not really satisfied with any amp sims because they emulate existing amps, I want to emulate the "idealized" amp sounds I hear in my head., All the guitar sounds in my videos since "Have Just a Little Faith" use the technology I came up with to accomplish that. The next song (the one I'm working on with Mark L) uses the first high-gain amps based around these "idealized" amp sounds. Stay tuned.

 

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I just notice something really cool... well first of, I love this update a LOT! The octave down vox on the chorus is brilliant! Excellent idea! :) nicely done. But that picked rhythm guitar that's right up the middle, sort of in the chorus, but there it seems to auto pan, but in the tag after the chorus it really comes into focus. It's really middy and crunky and bitchen. THAT's a cool guitar tone.

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I just notice something really cool... well first of, I love this update a LOT! The octave down vox on the chorus is brilliant! Excellent idea! :) nicely done. But that picked rhythm guitar that's right up the middle, sort of in the chorus, but there it seems to auto pan, but in the tag after the chorus it really comes into focus. It's really middy and crunky and bitchen. THAT's a cool guitar tone.

 

I'm not sure which sound you mean...the 12-string clean sound? Or the distorted sequence of notes that turns into the lead? The 12-string is a Les Paul Standard 12-string. Yes, I know that doesn't exist, so I sampled the notes off the Standard and mapped them to a keyboard to act like a 12-string, and played the part on the keyboard. It's going through my "idealized" clean amp sound, sort of what I want a Twin to sound like. The distorted part is just the standard going through one of my rock amps.

 

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