Moderators Lee Knight Posted August 3, 2014 Moderators Share Posted August 3, 2014 Don't sleep Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members mbfrancis Posted August 3, 2014 Members Share Posted August 3, 2014 Just finished two hopefully final mixes:WWBU: http://soundclick.com/share.cfm?id=12875100AETB: http://soundclick.com/share.cfm?id=12874994 I think I just learned I hate mixing. 21 hours. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members LCK Posted August 3, 2014 Members Share Posted August 3, 2014 I'm writing a blog post on how some New Caledonian crows fabricate and use tools (they're able to modify sticks and wires to get at food), what makes Frisbee dogs fly through the air, and why most animal psychologists are operating under a philosophical error I call "the-differences-of-degree-not-kind fallacy." You know, the usual stuff... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators Lee Knight Posted August 3, 2014 Moderators Share Posted August 3, 2014 Lee, I just finished up my paper on the same subject last weekend. You've gotta move quick babe! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members mbfrancis Posted August 3, 2014 Members Share Posted August 3, 2014 3 hours. Now madly cleaning. In my last hours of studio time I recorded this. Lyrics need an update (wrote when I was super young, never had a good recording), but I dig the 2nd verse entrance. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators Lee Knight Posted August 3, 2014 Moderators Share Posted August 3, 2014 Just bought this. The way I use synths tends to be very covert and very specific. I don't want to spend a bunch of time in sound design and learning new synth architecture. I want quick, intuitive control. I'm not opposed to in depth when that is the focus. Lately, I use synths for orchestral color, not a focus. So the streamlined interface and multitude of very high quality sounds appeals. As does the 50 buck price tag special. Find here in HC banner adds. Listen... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members bee3 Posted August 4, 2014 Author Members Share Posted August 4, 2014 ^Synths. Something I've never come to grips with... I mean, I like them when used in a super vibey cool way... I just don't know how to get at them. I'm midi-deficient still... I bought midi cables and have no idea what to do with them. This is something I need to overcome. In other news, got a nice email the other day with a review of my album: http://beachsloth.blogspot.com/2014/08/justin-difebbo-turn-out-light-turn-on.html Better late than never. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members stickboymusic Posted August 4, 2014 Members Share Posted August 4, 2014 Not REALLY a song I am working on but a song i have been working on Basically a friend sent me a VERY messy mix of his song and asked for advice. I asked for the raw files as I wanted to strip it right back... he is one of them singers like many of us here... likes to hide his vocals in the mix behind too much reverb and delay. Anyway here is my mix - I think its a really good song. https://dl-web.dropbox.com/get/cold_war_MIX_CRAIG.mp3?_subject_uid=74886917&w=AAAY3bnbfMML87qwXcRrlSGaktxS9OuN2efGFj-kefc_XA If anyone is interested in hearing the original mix I can post Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members oldgitplayer Posted August 4, 2014 Members Share Posted August 4, 2014 Hey Mr Stickmix, the link doesn't take me anywhere. Is it a bad link? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members bee3 Posted August 5, 2014 Author Members Share Posted August 5, 2014 Haven't listened yet, but you can bet I'm going to want to hear the before and after. Post the original please. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members mbfrancis Posted August 5, 2014 Members Share Posted August 5, 2014 Hey Mr Stickmix, the link doesn't take me anywhere. Is it a bad link? Link doesn't work for me either. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members stickboymusic Posted August 5, 2014 Members Share Posted August 5, 2014 Sorry peeps Here is original http://picosong.com/cjeP Here is new mix http://picosong.com/cje5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members oldgitplayer Posted August 5, 2014 Members Share Posted August 5, 2014 Very good song - the cold war / getting colder is a very strong idea.Yep - I like your mix better. Listening to the 1st mix it was all very much in the mid range without much sonic dynamic.Also you've held back on some instruments for a while and let it build which works in a classic sort of way.Good work. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members mbfrancis Posted August 5, 2014 Members Share Posted August 5, 2014 Sorry peeps Here is original http://picosong.com/cjeP Here is new mix http://picosong.com/cje5 Yes, your mix is way better, nice. I'd love to hear this with real instruments. I wonder if there is any way to further warm up the MIDI stuff. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Oswlek Posted August 5, 2014 Members Share Posted August 5, 2014 Yeah, Stick your mix is much better. I enjoyed the first one, but I was captured by the second. I agree with Martin that the piano track is worth revisiting to see if better samples/velocity treatment can be found. Two other quick nuggets: 0:29 - I feel like some very high sustaining instrument would help a great deal here. Something like a pad except high, not low. 1:53 - The solo was a big let down for me. The instrument just doesn't carry the weight and comes off as disturbingly weak. Cut it out and just run with an electric guitar. Cliche? Yes, but it works. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members stickboymusic Posted August 5, 2014 Members Share Posted August 5, 2014 All good points I was really just asked to mix what he had - i wasn't sent MIDI data so had to work with what was there. Of course a real piano or better samples would be ideal seeing as its now the main feature of the song - will see what he says I did add the extra chug chug guitar hammering out the chord pattern and the guitar bit on the outro but aside from that I haven't messed too much With regard the solo , yeh I do kind of agree although I do like it ..... its more an interlude than a solo at present though. I did manage to cut half of it out and he didnt mind that ha - it was twice the length originally! He is really only an amateur like us but maybe it will give him something to think about. Thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members mbfrancis Posted August 5, 2014 Members Share Posted August 5, 2014 I was really just asked to mix what he had - i wasn't sent MIDI data so had to work with what was there. Sorry didn't mean re-do any MIDI but maybe warm up the MIDI-based audio somehow - tape saturation, re-amp, room verb, tape echo, dunno. (Or 1/4" tape!) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators Lee Knight Posted August 5, 2014 Moderators Share Posted August 5, 2014 All good points I was really just asked to mix what he had - i wasn't sent MIDI data so had to work with what was there. Of course a real piano or better samples would be ideal seeing as its now the main feature of the song - will see what he says I did add the extra chug chug guitar hammering out the chord pattern and the guitar bit on the outro but aside from that I haven't messed too much With regard the solo , yeh I do kind of agree although I do like it ..... its more an interlude than a solo at present though. I did manage to cut half of it out and he didnt mind that ha - it was twice the length originally! He is really only an amateur like us but maybe it will give him something to think about. Thanks nice. I don't have a whole hell of a lot of time to listen so I just lit up the first 30 seconds to hear the piano you guys are discussing. I think sometimes if you have an obviously artificial piano, and this is that, though it's not objectionable in the least to me, still... I think of the old late 70's Yamaha CP80. THAT's pretty fake sounding,. It's that stage piano, hammers, strings, no acoustic chamber only pickups. They sound good if you treat it like a CP80 and don't pretend it's a real piano. Keane uses one a lot. And what works... ...is to embrace in one way or another, its artificial nature. Try pass off as real and you're a fake. Play up its artificial nature and all of a sudden you speak the truth. It's a small, but I believe, very real reaction listeners have to the issue. So, what do you do. You could pop up a 6k shelf and hit it with an 1176 on stun and go all modern disco piano a la Scissor Sisters. Or Keanne. Or you could find a nice modulation effect, say a ring mod or... leslie? Or a Fender amp and its tremolo? Or not. Looking forward to listening closer later... sounds very interesting so far. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members mbfrancis Posted August 5, 2014 Members Share Posted August 5, 2014 I think sometimes if you have an obviously artificial piano, and this is that, though it's not objectionable in the least to me, still... I think of the old late 70's Yamaha CP80. THAT's pretty fake sounding,. It's that stage piano, hammers, strings, no acoustic chamber only pickups. They sound good if you treat it like a CP80 and don't pretend it's a real piano. Keane uses one a lot. And what works... ...is to embrace in one way or another, its artificial nature. Try pass off as real and you're a fake. Play up its artificial nature and all of a sudden you speak the truth. It's a small, but I believe, very real reaction listeners have to the issue. So, what do you do. You could pop up a 6k shelf and hit it with an 1176 on stun and go all modern disco piano a la Scissor Sisters. Or Keanne. Or you could find a nice modulation effect, say a ring mod or... leslie? Or a Fender amp and its tremolo? Or not. Looking forward to listening closer later... sounds very interesting so far. I would say the difference is that a CP80 is a real physical instrument, like a Rhodes, it's alive and flawed and all captured in real time with it's internal pickups. The only time I've heard a deliberately fake piano work - outside the syncopated chords in early 90s rave music - is the opening of , which presents the sample raw and bare and clean and (I think) 100% quantized - kind of as synthetic as you could possible make an acoustic piano sound. And it's awesome. Exception to the rule, I'd argue. Lee knows his stuff though - those are all great ideas to eff up the piano into something awesome. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators Lee Knight Posted August 6, 2014 Moderators Share Posted August 6, 2014 Great point Martin. CP80 vs. samples is apples to a Twix bar for sure. I'm just pointing out that the CP80 works great in recordings when it's treated as a CP80 and not a real piano. Frankly I hear sampled pianos all the time today that are treated as such and work nicely. Treat them like a piano and you have a demo. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members rsadasiv Posted August 6, 2014 Members Share Posted August 6, 2014 LeeK those are very interesting points. Longer response when I am not on my phone. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators Lee Knight Posted August 6, 2014 Moderators Share Posted August 6, 2014 Sorry peeps Here is original http://picosong.com/cjeP Here is new mix http://picosong.com/cje5 I really like this tune. How did he get that Beatles guitar sound?!?!?! I love that!!!! I want that. So, you've done your thing and moving on I'm sure. There are a couple of things I would've done in addition to your nice work. If by any chance you are still entertaining working this further, read on. If not... read on anyway you ungrateful little... sorry; pneumonia hangover. The piano sort of borders on a Wurly sound already. Supertramp lives! It's cool. Personally, I would take it further in that direction with a vibrato effect just like on the Wurlys themselves. And maybe an amped sound tuned to bark a little like the Supertramp clawhammer sound. A little. Nothing outrageous, just something to give it a real life. The issue for me overall is the similarity between the vocal and piano tone. They're both darkish and subdued. Both great sounds, but both blending together. I'd amp the piano, tilt it off to one side by 30%, and create a picture of a guy sitting at that Wurly singing, his Fender amp off to the side of the drums in backline. Get his voice to sparkle a little more in the 5-8k area and use a reverb/ambience patch that gives the impression of a small coffee house stage. Lots of early reflections to set it apart from that "Wurly". The rest of the tune is tits. I like this guy a lot. (Beatle guitar sound info?????) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members stickboymusic Posted August 6, 2014 Members Share Posted August 6, 2014 I really like this tune. How did he get that Beatles guitar sound?!?!?! I love that!!!! I want that. So, you've done your thing and moving on I'm sure. There are a couple of things I would've done in addition to your nice work. If by any chance you are still entertaining working this further, read on. If not... read on anyway you ungrateful little... sorry; pneumonia hangover. The piano sort of borders on a Wurly sound already. Supertramp lives! It's cool. Personally, I would take it further in that direction with a vibrato effect just like on the Wurlys themselves. And maybe an amped sound tuned to bark a little like the Supertramp clawhammer sound. A little. Nothing outrageous, just something to give it a real life. The issue for me overall is the similarity between the vocal and piano tone. They're both darkish and subdued. Both great sounds, but both blending together. I'd amp the piano, tilt it off to one side by 30%, and create a picture of a guy sitting at that Wurly singing, his Fender amp off to the side of the drums in backline. Get his voice to sparkle a little more in the 5-8k area and use a reverb/ambience patch that gives the impression of a small coffee house stage. Lots of early reflections to set it apart from that "Wurly". The rest of the tune is tits. I like this guy a lot. (Beatle guitar sound info?????) I did a few extra tweaks - really that piano id like to record again I have much better samples, but he is happy with it and it's his song The vocal should now sit a bit better with it , I hope http://picosong.com/cgN9/ If you're talking about the guitar line at the very end then I actually added that on myself at the end.... just my telecaster going through a line 6 pod with a crunch setting dialled in. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Oswlek Posted August 6, 2014 Members Share Posted August 6, 2014 I'm starting to get concerned about my voice. I knew there'd be some rust, but I thought this musical break during the home addition would at least rest my vocal chords. Instead, it's all scratchy and I can barely even hit an E without cracking, let alone my usual F# peak. Keeping up with Mark Knopfler is a challenge at this point. I'm hoping it might just be all the dust in the house because I can't imagine that just not singing for a few months would have this much of an impact. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators Lee Knight Posted August 6, 2014 Moderators Share Posted August 6, 2014 I did a few extra tweaks - really that piano id like to record again I have much better samples, but he is happy with it and it's his song The vocal should now sit a bit better with it , I hope http://picosong.com/cgN9/ If you're talking about the guitar line at the very end then I actually added that on myself at the end.... just my telecaster going through a line 6 pod with a crunch setting dialled in. BAM! Nice tweaks! The vocal... there it is! It sounds like you panned out that little organ a tad? Maybe the new vocal just opens everything up. But everything you did adds up to rightness. Great work! And you play like John Lennon circa White Album on that part. Truly groovy, Stick. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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