And She's Gone - Final Mix w/ Video

[Mab098157]

Thanks Mark for the detailed feedback. And especially thanks for the compliments on the song and video.

I like the song! Nice writing, nice work! The video also makes a nice artistic compliment, great use of mostly simple images and clips, well arranged and compiled. More nice work, It and the song compliment each other well.

In the end that what's important.

Drums were an issue from creation. Not being a drummer, I started with a beat from the loop library (no idea what it was) and started riffing around with a progression. And lyrically "woke up in the morning, and she's gone" popped up. And it organically developed from there. I added some drum pickups, and removed congas, switched from hi hat to ride, and really moved it around in the last verses. But could never find a change for the kick and snare beat that seemed to fit. But it's growth.

As it grew into something more R&B it decided to try adding horns. This was a big challenge. And lion's share of editing and work was spent on them. Unfortunately they added a complexity to the mix that was at times overwhelming. Leaving me to make some decisions regarding adding additional time, or disrupting the delicate balance I had, on overall drum sounds
. Your assumption is correct. All FX on the drum submix, except track eq's. Congas were pulled from submix to move them back and more noticeable when not present.

Had 1 gtr track with a lot of noise that I tried to remove, but was never happy with results (should have rerecorded, but it was 1 take and "lighting in a bottle".

Most tracks are 1-3 takes. And still took me 2 months to really finish. I got lucky if I got 1 or 2 multi hour sessions in. Mostly 3 hours over the week. And I hated to let it linger out there too much longer. It was keeping me from several others in the pipeline.

I will take note of your suggestions regarding eq. Still a developing skill on an overall project. I tend to focus on it related to complimentary voices (r gtr vs l gtr, or bass and kick) and not in the overall mix.

Warmth - this is sometimes elusive for me. Got a mic tube preamp... not happy with it. Wasn't the magical answer to warmth I had hoped for. Tape saturation...tried several different ones on master bus was never really happy with any (too much noise or more muddy). Tube EQ - nice results, but left it with little pop. I need to educate and experiment with these ideas some more.

Any suggestions?

As always value your opinion and candor. Nothing taken personally. Keep it coming, I can take it. You've helped me improve with each piece.

I'll take a listen on dropbox tonight.

[Mark Bliss]

LOL, honestly, in most respects I like your mix better than what came out of my messing around. Just ideas.

There were some other thoughts I didnt get to, I'll be back with more random stuff a little later.

[Mark Bliss]

Yeah, after listening to the second track on a few systems today, I can say it didnt do a lot of good.
What I am hearing, while there is a touch more warmth and mid-range, the sides, the stuff you had panned out, got pulled up-probably by the compressor and it results in a bit of a phasey mess. The only thing it proves is once again, just a few dB of compression can upset a mix pretty badly. But like I said, I dont think theres much that can be done without going back into the mix.
But perhaps it also reveals an excessive amount of doubled and panned content?

Anyway, I realized this afternoon that some of the comments I had in mind got forgotten.

The video:
I wanted to point out that while there was a hint of "sexy" it stayed tasteful and didn't IMO even approach the line of base and crass. It was art.
Maybe I am showing my age, but I appreciated that. It is unfortunately unusual and I found that refreshing. I am no prude, but felt it showed class. Just sayin'

Next thing, I was discussing this with another Mixcrafter in the last few weeks.
Self producers and vocals:
It is human nature to dislike the sound of our own voice when recorded. And the result is often a mix with the vocal too quiet, and too much processing. It gets better with practice, but I think it helps to be aware of this.
You have the level pretty good. Much better than the first attempts we discussed a long time ago. But dont be afraid to back off the processing a bit. Dont mask the vocals, they are fine, just need some minor mix tweaks IMO.

Ok, so what next. I think we can agree an area to work on going forward is producing better drum tracks, right?

Oh, and when I suggested "warmth" I was referring to the mixing efforts.
A mic pre isnt going to be the magic fix. And based on my tests, the affordable "tube mic pre's" for the most part are marketing hype. I'd suggest a decent 24 bit capable interface with good pre's would be fine for your needs. A few "flavors" of mic's of reasonable quality would be a good goal to set, but I don't think you need to go overboard.

My observation agrees that most of the saturation plugins are oriented toward distortion. And most of the presets are of no use for anything. But some offer a subtle setting that is useful. For my desired use, you should barely be able to tell its there.

My biggest suggestion to anyone would be to study a few quality mixing tutorials. Not the bits and pieces scattered about, but some step by step tutorials, preferably some that include the project stems to work with. Some good tutorials, from decent knowledgeable teachers can really be helpful IMO.

[Mab098157]

It is unfortunately unusual and I found that refreshing.

???

going forward is producing better drum tracks, right?

yep!

Thanks again Mark

[Mark Bliss]

Sorry, poorly worded.

I meant it was refreshing that the video stuck to art and was classy.

[Mark Bliss]

You know what, I was so annoyed at the way the project presentation turned out I went back and took another look.
I finished the project too hastily and left an EQ boost sweep where it was supposed to be a cut I think. Should have spent a few more minutes checking it.