New Tune: Bass/Drum Sound OK?

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Suntower

Established Member
This is sort of a goofy thing and I'd like some opinions on the low end, specifically if the bass is clear and balanced with the drums. The bass part has bits which are 'popped' but then goes into a faux swing and I want it to sound seamless if possible.

Yeah the vocals are goofy. (I ain't even if singing the same words in some parts of the harmony!) That's cool. I want to get the rhythm section right before re-doing everything else.

Possible points of interest: This is likely the first (and last!) song you've heard here featuring:
1. Bodhran (Irish drum heard especially in the opening---pronounced BOH-RAHN.)
2. Irish language vocal.

So don't adjust your set. :D

http://www.suntowermusic.com/410_hi.mp3

Don't be shy, please. All constructive comments most welcome.

TIA,

---JC
 
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Tarekith

Member
Vocals aren't that bad at all.

The low end seemed kinda restrained to me, kick and bass a seperated, but not easy to hear through the rest of the mix IMO. The upper end of the bass can be picked out on the higher notes, but otherwise not always easy for me to identify.

Cool tune, very different but good.
 
S

Suntower

Established Member
Yeah, I'm looking for suggestions on how to make the bass sound with a bit more definition.

Thanks for listening!

---JC


Tarekith said:
Vocals aren't that bad at all.

The low end seemed kinda restrained to me, kick and bass a seperated, but not easy to hear through the rest of the mix IMO. The upper end of the bass can be picked out on the higher notes, but otherwise not always easy for me to identify.

Cool tune, very different but good.
Click to expand...
 
S

Suntower

Established Member
Well, FWIW here is a -slightly- new mix.

http://www.suntowermusic.com/410_hi.mp3

On both the vocals -and- the bass guitar I tried using an EQ before -and- after the compressor but with exactly the same settings.

For the vocals it seems to reduce the proximity problem and make it sound clearer.

For the bass, this seemed to make the lower notes clearer without making the higher notes stick out -too- much.

If there are any other funny bits that someone wants to point out, I'm all ears!

Thanks,

---JC
 
Jeraz

Jeraz

Active Member
A very interesting tune. I like what you are doing with the arrangement. It is the kind of creative complexity that I have come to expect in your music.

OK...here is the straight scoop to my ears:

I still think that the bass is restrained. Everyone wants to throw yet another plug at something, but I have found the below set to be lifesavers. Download the manuals first, to understand just how flexible the MixPressor and MixSaturator are. For example, on the MixSaturator, you could shut off th treble side, pick a bass frequency, add some harmonics to it, then adjust the overall level...with astonishingly precision results. Remember the crappy dulcimer-like poorly recorded guitar on Let's Fall? Pending the new song (which I was re-recording through a RK2 last night), I used that technique as an interim solution to thicken things up.

PSP MixPack

That said, the second thing is that a large percentage of your vocals are not clear on this track. It is not about voice quality or tone--you sound great, and the EQ is perfect. You seem to be stylizing more than ever, and sometimes the style is so slurred/muffled, it is distracting to my ears.

If this is your intent...this particular style, the please disregard. Personally I think with slightly better articulation, the song would prove even more powerful.

Now, all this is offered with careful consideration and appreciation for your art, so I am not going to beg forgiveness. I have been a fan for a while. I am returning the favor that you did for me. I am completely retooling Let's Fall, based in LARGE PART on your feedback, and the long delay is that every time I go to polish the thing and add strings and such, I get another song idea and end up writing another draft instead of finishing my existing songs. I will be back with for my second round of critique soon enough!

I hope this helps!
 
S

Suntower

Established Member
WELL! I NEVER! :evil:

:mrgreen:

Thanks for the detailed feedback. If everyone was so thorough, yet courteous, I would still posting songs @ Cubase.Not. (...or maybe not considering it goes down more than a $2 whore.)

The problem with the bass, at the end of the day, is that it's not a very good bass. FWIW: A stock Fender Jazz can sound =great= popped or =great= played with fingers, but it's pretty much impossible to get a decent tone using both techniques on the -same- tune. That's why pros all migrated to active basses long ago. I just need to re-record the track.

Vanity alert: The problem is that I totally dig the line I played and it just ticks me off that it's not salvageable---it's not particularly easy and it had a nice feel I thought.

Same deal with the vocal: I know what you mean about itl, but I like the emotion a lot in that take. The truth is it's -really- hard to get a voice like mine to stand out from a mix with lots of junk going on around it. IOW: It's much easier to cut though a 'prog' mix if your singer is Jon Anderson. Maybe I'll wear tighter shorts next time I track vocals. :wink:

I'll be back....

---JC
 
S

Suntower

Established Member
Back with a new version. Same ol' URL...

http://www.suntowermusic.com/410_hi.mp3


I would be interested in any mix comments. Instead of breaking out the giganto sample libs I used this as an exercise in small samples. I =think= it sounds OK, but please be as brutal as ya like (so long as one is constructive of course!) I really want this to sound as good as possible and welcome fresher ears.

TIA,

---JC
 
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