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Little song, big learning experience....

Posted: Tue May 24, 2016 2:18 pm
by midimoose
Hello to all,

I'm still a newbie at mixing, and with this tune, I got in way over my head early, being impatient. Added effects, and panned tracks before I should have. The cumulative volume started creeping up, and the whole thing sounded like mud... Then I saw a Mixcraft post on April 19, (originally from marc32123), which drew 41 responses! Seems he was having a similar problem. Thanks to Mark Bliss, and countless others who supplied advice and links. Thanks Mark, for providing the link from Graham Cochrane on mixing in MONO, and your advice on working with nothing but track levels and eq until things start sounding decent. I basically started over following that advice, and found the process much more manageable. I still have a tremendous amount to learn, but little by little it makes more and more sense. This tune is IMO still a little "lost" in places, but I could pick it to death forever, so-- Post it and move on. :) Advice and comments more than welcome. Thanks, Rick.https://soundcloud.com/midimoose-user34 ... pring-snow

Re: Little song, big learning experience....

Posted: Tue May 24, 2016 3:30 pm
by outteh
Rick, super job! Very well mixed, instruments stand out without stepping on each other. I like the tune also. :D

Re: Little song, big learning experience....

Posted: Tue May 24, 2016 7:17 pm
by midimoose
Howdy Tom,

Many thanks for the kind reply and encouragement. I had fun putting it together and learned much. I think next time around, the process will be a little easier! I keep learning. 8) Rick.

Re: Little song, big learning experience....

Posted: Wed May 25, 2016 1:07 am
by dodge27
Rick , for someone on a learning curve I think you are on the right track for sure , I can hear that played by an orchestra.
have you heard of Snarky Puppy ? , they recorded an album ( Sylva) with the metropole orkest winning some grammys along the way.they are a fusion band in the widest sense , mixing jazz , funk and rock etc with orchestral elements .your song would work well with some of that influence.check them out here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jLRw-Ahq22k.
cheers
Steve

Re: Little song, big learning experience....

Posted: Wed May 25, 2016 7:10 am
by midimoose
Hi Steve,
Thanks for the encouragement! And a super thank you for the snarky puppy link-- I wasn't familiar with them, but I certainly am now. Have been delving further into their music-- WOW! Simply the best stuff I've heard in ages. All individually talented, put them together with some tasteful strings and BOOM.. unbelievable. The song "Lingus" has the most incredible synth solo I've ever heard, (I think the player's name is Cory Hendry?) Proves that there's room for synths after the 80's. That solo blends seamlessly into a more traditional section with beautiful piano work. I'm knocked out. I'd love to see them live..Thanks, Rick.

Re: Little song, big learning experience....

Posted: Wed May 25, 2016 7:19 am
by Mab098157
Nice work Rick. Agree with Tom the arraignment and mix allows each voice to stand out. Just a small suggestion... the reverb on the piano gives it an electric feel (maybe you used a e piano vst), and seems boxed in with eq. Maybe open up the range by less eq to give it a more natural piano sound that would fit the other natural instruments in the track. This would help the piano be more of a percussive piece to the arraignment.

Re: Little song, big learning experience....

Posted: Thu May 26, 2016 1:56 pm
by midimoose
Thanks Mark,
I'm glad my mixes are sounding better. Re the piano-- yup, it's an MC rhodes, and the first track I recorded for the song. I was never quite pleased with how it fit with the other "instruments" after it was finished, but the part was way repetitive due to my limited keyboard skills, so I turned it down for much of the song. I did some fooling around with it, subbing some other acoustic piano sounds, and it does open it up considerably. I won't re-post it, since I'm into another project, but I appreciate your ears. Thanks, Rick.

Re: Little song, big learning experience....

Posted: Fri May 27, 2016 4:03 am
by M@rkus
Hi, midimoose!

I thought it sounded great! Very cineatic and emotional. Great arrengements!

Re: Little song, big learning experience....

Posted: Fri May 27, 2016 11:00 am
by midimoose
Thanks M@rcus!

I'll take that as high praise from someone with your talent! 8) Rick

Re: Little song, big learning experience....

Posted: Sat Jul 09, 2016 4:37 am
by Mark Bliss
Hey Rick!

Just ran across your post while browsing, haven't had time to keep up with the User Showcase content in some time.

I wanted to let you know how pleased I am that you found my post helpful and put it to such good use! This is a very pretty little tune and you are off to a great start on your journey IMO.

Starting on a simpler piece is also a good idea. As is recognising that while something like Pianissimo in place of that Rhodes might have been a better fit, taking the "this experiment is done, time to move on" stance is probably good too. Its all too easy to get consumed by the process and never declare something finished.

Very nice.

Re: Little song, big learning experience....

Posted: Sat Jul 09, 2016 1:35 pm
by midimoose
Thanks Mark,

Definitely found your advice and suggestions very helpful. Yeah, "when is it finished?" is always a problem for me. Simpler tunes are about all I can manage at this point-- 3 years of accordion lessons as a kid only gave me half of a keyboard education, the rest-- I just have to wing it. Damn, I wish those had been piano lessons :lol: Rick.

Re: Little song, big learning experience....

Posted: Tue Jul 19, 2016 7:27 am
by Audio Eclectic
Nice stuff!!