Members Etienne Rambert Posted June 5, 2011 Members Share Posted June 5, 2011 I'm having trouble mixing this. And I still need a singer unless I sing it myself. This is the instrumental mix for a song called "The Man Upstairs". It's from one of my stageplays. The Man Upstairs (From Coffeehouse Cosmos) Would appreciate any suggestions on the orchestration or mix. I'm also looking for a singer on this one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators Lee Knight Posted June 6, 2011 Moderators Share Posted June 6, 2011 Mix sounds great! I might go for a more pointed sound on the guitar. Right now it spread in stereo which is cool but, I think it'd be better in a specific spot. The keys sound playing the line just before the very middle of the tune is a bit wonky. It's an electric Clav? I'd find something a little hipper and make sure you lock your playing in tight there. But I love the overall feel and your basic balance. Nice synth bass sound and part. Cool panned arpeggio going om there. It's cool... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Etienne Rambert Posted June 7, 2011 Author Members Share Posted June 7, 2011 Mix sounds great! I might go for a more pointed sound on the guitar. Right now it spread in stereo which is cool but, I think it'd be better in a specific spot. The keys sound playing the line just before the very middle of the tune is a bit wonky. It's an electric Clav? I'd find something a little hipper and make sure you lock your playing in tight there.But I love the overall feel and your basic balance. Nice synth bass sound and part. Cool panned arpeggio going om there. It's cool... Thanks. That sound before the middle is supposed to be a swelling brass chord. It's the same instrument as the trumpet solo. Maybe that's not working. I'll have to back & re-do it or get rid of it. I'll probably keep the guitar as-is. I kind of like it. But I was curious about how listeners would hear that brass chord. And apparently it doesn't work. So thanks for that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members blue2blue Posted June 7, 2011 Members Share Posted June 7, 2011 Would appreciate any suggestions on the orchestration or mix. I'm also looking for a singer on this one. [Of course, it's not really a songwriting issue but... ] I think I'd lose the shallow echo/ambience on the guitar if possible, it makes it seem kind of external to the rest of the mix. If it's already built into the guitar sound, I might consider experimenting with a different approach, instead of going dryer, possibly trying a HP filter rolloff, maybe experimenting with some discrete (not discreet -- but, well, probably that, too) echo to move it back in the mix some. Also, either way, it should come down in level, I think. Anyhow, other than that, it all sounds very smooth, very Grace Jones Nightclubbin'. Nice, at least in this case, that that era's influence is back in fashion. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Marshal Posted June 7, 2011 Members Share Posted June 7, 2011 It's hard to comment on instrumentation for a vocal song without knowing the melody line or the lyrics. There's a partnership between voice and lyric and instrumentation that is a beautiful dance when it works. With two elements missing there's no way (for a schlemiel like me) to have a clue what to say. That being said, I like what I hear instrumentally. It could be a nice platform for a song. Beyond that, I don't know what to say. I like the title of the song AND the stage play. They are intriguing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Etienne Rambert Posted June 7, 2011 Author Members Share Posted June 7, 2011 I think I'd lose the shallow echo/ambience on the guitar if possible, it makes it seem kind of external to the rest of the mix. If it's already built into the guitar sound, I might consider experimenting with a different approach, instead of going dryer, possibly trying a HP filter rolloff, maybe experimenting with some discrete (not discreet -- but, well, probably that, too) echo to move it back in the mix some. Also, either way, it should come down in level, I think. Anyhow, other than that, it all sounds very smooth, very Grace Jones Nightclubbin'. Nice, at least in this case, that that era's influence is back in fashion. B2B, thanks. I think it's a personality flaw with me. I get hooked on a certain sound. It happened with a Kawai K1 string pad in 1989 with me. I still use that sound. And I use it in this song. I think I'm hooked on that arch-top sound too. Almost all of my compositions this year have used it. Strange. Marshal, yeah. I think I am going to leave it alone until I put a vocal on it. Then I'll run it by y'all. Lee Knight's comment about the brass sound makes me wonder if the vocal will take the edge off that. It might. Or I might just have to ditch it. I'm not hooked on that sound. Unfortunately, perhaps due to some genetic defect, the K1 & the arch-top will stay. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members blue2blue Posted June 7, 2011 Members Share Posted June 7, 2011 Hey, I can totally understand that... still, just so we're clear, it's not the presence of the guitar itself or what's being played, just the sound, particularly the ambient quality, that seems to make it sound a bit like a foreign element in the mix, like something from a more in-the-room type recording, instead of the surreally dry sound/texture of electronica (also, of course, thinking it was just a tad too prominent in the mix). But if that's what you're looking for, that's what you want, so, you know, my job is done when I've communicated my sense of things to you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Etienne Rambert Posted June 10, 2011 Author Members Share Posted June 10, 2011 Here it is with the vocal. I remixed everything. This is the toughest composition to mix I can remember. I had a very difficult time - not writing it - but mixing it. The Man Upstairs (w/Vocal) I really hate my vocal. But it will have to do for now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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