Pick Up The Pieces - original song

[msnickybee]

hi folks

Appreciate any feedback you can give on this one, I quite enjoyed using MC 9 pro to record & mix, benefits being (not limited to):
- better orchestra strings (they now seem to use "TB Reverb")
- nicer mixer, the "Gain" knob being useful!
- track and clip automation curves

I must get myself an electric guitar...as the solo at the end was played on my taylor gs-mini acoustic, sigh!
Not much of a piano player, but pianissimo is in there (I love it), and the drums are based on loops, with the bass guitar being very very cut up/spliced loops (I always think they're more realistic than midi bass, but ymmv).
The double tracked acoustic was mic'd, and also an iRig acoustic stage contact mic.
All VSTs and loops are mixcraft, or freeware (TDR,Melda,Voxengo etc), as I'm from Yorkshire UK, which is renowned for being thrifty

Mark has been helpful as ever with suggestions and advice, and with his help can hopefully improve this mix for an EP later this year...but I work slowly, as I wrote this song a year ago!
I think the current lockdown focuses our minds though, and forced me to learn Shotcut (video editor, difficult) a bit more, the recording/mixing took 3-4 weeks.

But that's all in the future, let me know what you thought! All suggestions or feedback you have most welcome!

Here's the link: Pick Up The Pieces

[outteh]

Super! Extra special when the chorus kicks in!

[jlouvar]

Nice song, good job. However, it sounds like you might still be reading the lyrics some?

[comedians]

Lovely listen Nicki, the character of the sound fits perfectly to the words, and I think the acoustic solo is dead right for the song.

Enjoy looking at your recording environment with the sloping ceilings, looks just like mine only much more tidy, and cleaner; and, us Yorkshire folk are not only tight but not often generous with praise.

[msnickybee]

Super! Extra special when the chorus kicks in!

thanks! appreciate you taking the time to listen! so many folks give up before the 1m34s part when the song kicks-in a bit more, 2nd verse - drums and bass.... I suppose that's one rule of production, songwriting really, get something much earlier! but, I didn't feel that this song warranted it, so many songs these days with the chorus, or an instrumental hook right at the start!

Nice song, good job. However, it sounds like you might still be reading the lyrics some?

you're not wrong in some respects, whilst I wasn't reading the lyrics as I wrote the song over a year ago, there are several issues with my track that contribute to the problem I think you're seeing and meaning? :-
(1) multitracking parts separately certainly takes its toll on a "good" performance and I'm still learning that
(2) I'm rubbish at lip syncing a video afterwards, it's harder than it always seems imho
(3) comping a vocal from multiple parts is a skill I'm still learning, and this can also make the vocal performance seem disjointed
(4) I'm far from the best singer/performer, but I just like writing and recording music
interested to know if you felt any of these things were obvious, or hit the mark?

Lovely listen Nicki, the character of the sound fits perfectly to the words, and I think the acoustic solo is dead right for the song.
Enjoy looking at your recording environment with the sloping ceilings, looks just like mine only much more tidy, and cleaner; and, us Yorkshire folk are not only tight but not often generous with praise.

thanks!
glad you thought the sound worked!!!
ha ha, my recording room/office isn't always that tidy lol, and the camera doesn't show the opposite end with a big wardrobe and bookshelves stuffed into it! camera trickery! welcome to another northerner!!! thanks so much for having a listen and commenting! means a lot

[Frankel]

Hi NIcky, Just listened to your song, very nice. Great vocals and your voice reminds of a singer who was going a few years ago...can't for the life of me think who it is though lol. Yes, nice arrangement and well produced. Top job.
Steve. (Frankel)

[Northfield.Lenox]

Great

[msnickybee]

Hi NIcky, Just listened to your song, very nice. Great vocals and your voice reminds of a singer who was going a few years ago...can't for the life of me think who it is though lol. Yes, nice arrangement and well produced. Top job.
Steve. (Frankel)

Thanks Steve! means a lot that you took the time to listen!!! and appreciate your comments

[cactus-head]

I really liked this song. I liked your mix too. How did you mix the vocals? Most amateur recordings really mess up the mix on the vocals - usually too loud and out front or masked with tons of reverb. Your vocals sit really nicely and are distinct yet blend in with the music. Great job!

[Mark Bliss]

I really liked this song. I liked your mix too. How did you mix the vocals? Most amateur recordings really mess up the mix on the vocals - usually too loud and out front or masked with tons of reverb. Your vocals sit really nicely and are distinct yet blend in with the music. Great job!

I have to agree!
I also think the video is a work of art, that compliments the song very well.

Getting the vocal balance right is a challenge. I think especially for singer-songwriter types, (maybe many times any home recordist) it is more common to set the vocal too low. sometimes too loud. Or as you say- use excessive verb or effects.

Sometimes it takes some outside encouragement. And time.

This particular effort is very special IMO.
I think the tracks are on a permanent loop in my head right now though.

More directly to your question-
I think you would find theres not a lot of "stuff" on the vocal of this mix.
IMO the style requires especially careful subtle automation on the vocal level. And no heavy compression.
As I recall, this version has a bit of doubling, and a bit of chorus, both also carefully automated. Light reverb.
Beyond that, I'd leave further comment to Nicky, as it really is her work. I only assisted.
And it is very good.

[msnickybee]

How did you mix the vocals? Most amateur recordings really mess up the mix on the vocals - usually too loud and out front or masked with tons of reverb. Your vocals sit really nicely and are distinct yet blend in with the music.

Ooooh... great question!
Thanks for taking the time to listen and to write a comment.
Apologies in advance if my reply gets a little lengthy!!!!

Hmmmm.
Well, I guess I just carefully follow (but rarely get it right) the best mixing practice of creating a "pocket" for the vocals.
So, you'll hear the acoustic guitar left, double-tracked to right, about 80%, the synth/strings similarly but with cellos/violins spread, even the snare isn't quite central. In the stereo image, the vocals only really exist with the bass guitar/kick-drum.
I've studied M/S mixing a fair bit too (again, rarely get it right), and try to minimise low freqs that are hard panned... feels too tiring for the ears, and this all helps the mix too, whilst ensuring that the centre channel doesn't get overloaded, and then you just end up turning up the vocal to fight it, which in turn pushes the bus compressor too hard... a careful balance for sure!
But also, the acoustic guitar makes good use of delay, whereas for the vocal I loved the new TB-Reverb in PS-Studio Vintage-Plate. Wonderful!
And there's some vocal double tracking going on.

think you would find theres not a lot of "stuff" on the vocal of this mix. IMO the style requires especially careful subtle automation on the vocal level. And no heavy compression.

Mark is spot on! If I recall, there's a couple of compressors on the vocal, but they're only doing a tiny bit to tame transients, and add some colour. The heavy work came in from 3 or 4 takes comped together, and a fair bit of careful automation. As Mark says, there's no substitute for that, and he'll agree that I'm often lazy and try to avoid it! ha ha!
Because I don't like my own voice, I'm always looking to add some effect, in this case the doubling helps I think to make it sit well, and it's a style choice really. With the vintage feel to the track, the synth strings, I wanted a more vintage sound. Hence the plate reverb.

I relistened to this a couple of times since releasing it, and often felt that the vocal was 1-2dB too loud, or louder than I would normally do, but I'm quite used to it now I think!! so wouldn't change it.

Sometimes it takes some outside encouragement

HUGE encouragement from you Mark, over the years.... HUGE.
Not only are you very knowledgeable at Mixcraft and mixing in general, you're a great sponsor and motivator

It's really great that folks are still taking the time to listen to this track, thanks!

[engravertom]

I really enjoyed this! I have not ever put together anything close to that level of quality.

Thanks for explaining your strategy with using panning and effects. I thought as the song progressed your vocal sat a little better in the mix as the other instruments came in.

I was wondering if you did any doubling of the vocals. I would have guessed not, so you pulled it off very well. Sounded very natural to me.

Any tips on how to get the irig acoustic stage to work with mixcraft? Mixcraft says I need drivers or the device isn't working properly.

I know this is a wile past April.

Thanks or sharing your music!

Tom

[msnickybee]

I really enjoyed this! I have not ever put together anything close to that level of quality.
Thanks for explaining your strategy with using panning and effects. I thought as the song progressed your vocal sat a little better in the mix as the other instruments came in.
I was wondering if you did any doubling of the vocals. I would have guessed not, so you pulled it off very well. Sounded very natural to me.

Thanks Tom!!!
I know what you mean... the vocal stands on its own a little (too much maybe) in the early stages, and by modern standards it would be too long before the other instruments come in. On Spotify this would've been skipped much earlier!!! I guess that I wanted a much more 70s traditional build up of the song, and if that meant waiting, then so be it lol
As for vocal doubling... there's no manual doubling going on here (ie. I didn't sing the same part twice), and normal I wouldn't use ADT or any other double tracking, but I've really got into the Izotope Vocal Doubler (wonderful freeware). It gives a kind of Gerry Rafferty, Supertramp, Jeff Lynne sound to the vocals that I like. Yes, it's a definite "sound", and it wouldn't be for everyone, but I like it.

Any tips on how to get the irig acoustic stage to work with mixcraft? Mixcraft says I need drivers or the device isn't working properly.

To be honest, I gave up trying to get it to work as a driver or as a device, and just took the audio output from it straight into another channel on my interface...

thanks again!