03-11-2015, 07:36 PM
Whoa, did i have some fun with this, or what?
Waffle:
this has been on my machine as work-in-progress for 10 months in all, taking about 13 separate mix sessions of varying duration depending on the time and mood i had available. this material was heavy going metaphorically speaking (well, it is Copper, eh?) and of some emotional intensity. for me to engage it fully needed a particular frame of mind and total tranquillity around the studio. some of this stuff was worked late at night into the early hours of the morning when i find i can work unimpaired with no distractions. this thing took energy and i have to admit that it was for me, one, if not THE most engaging compositions i've ever had the pleasure of working on. i consider this a privilege. i loved it.
Tempo problem:
i had an attack of acute brain fade loading it up originally....the thing didn't time properly and i got disheartened but nevertheless kept it on the machine. when someone from the forum sent me another mix to preview a few weeks later, i had problems with it's timing and immediately realised it was the tempo stamp in Cubase's Pool which needed changing. then the penny dropped and swift realisation dawned on me about this Multi. i opened it up, went to the Pool, and low and behold...there was the problem and solution staring me in the face. i've never felt more stupid in my whole life. so peeps, if someone with Cubase wants to work it, drop into the Pool and update the tempo for each track and it will behave itself obligingly.
This is a remix:
as much as i liked the original arrangement and concept, i found it difficult to engage with. that's not a criticism of it, but perhaps more of a criticism of my taste and creative aspirations. with things timed up nicely and no distractions, the challenge was to decide where to take it for the purposes of my own personal joy ride. that was the easy bit, initiating it however took far longer than i anticipated - lol. i've muted a lot of material to make space in the arrangement and give the ear clear reference points to focus on and to help draw the listener in, hopefully without flooding their senses with all my twerking. i think part of my initial problem during the overview, was that it was too much happening sonically, and all of it coming from just a single instrument; the lack of any accompanying overtones from other instruments to provide contrast, simply flooded my ears with Viola. in other words, i couldn't see the wood for the trees to begin with.
placement of each element in the sound stage, and deciding which to keep, which parts to mute, and which to get weird with was a matter of letting my own creativity spin off from Simon's....then getting the toys to try and behave nicely once i'd planned the FX department and how the elements were going to interact. that was a big job indeed and took up a core part of the schedule - the automation was less mixing and more rocket science! having breaks between the sessions took a significant toll though; it took time to actually review where i'd left it on the last work session ---> major learning point!
i wanted to make as much use of the depth field as possible, but without overdoing it, to give some ambiance and enhance the spacial elements for textural reasons, as well as building and adding some synergy to the mood and fundamentally, for placement/location. i was looking for a way to manage some sort of progressive construction, so the listener was taken on a journey that led to a conclusion; establishing the flow using the FX to help in that regard while blending it in with the natural progression of the original arrangement. so, while i say it's a remix, i've hopefully managed to keep the theme running from the original without detracting from it too much? at least that was supposed to be one of the main goals i'd set myself.
Quality check at Goods Inwards:
some tracks had resonances that i found tricky to deal with, at least in a way that didn't impart my processing in some sort of obvious derogatory fashion upon the instrument. the room was perhaps interfering with the recordings somewhat, but i took that on the chin - worse things have happened at sea. the dynamics were super. one or two tracks contained rather more noise floor than i found i could get away with. i think i dumped those. with any instrument with a propensity to deliver treble, it doesn't take much with one instrument strutting it's stuff, for things to stack up quickly in the spectrum. despite the potential for trouble in the treble though, it didn't raise the sceptre of fatigue....my worst fear was unfounded.
Tip?
if anyone has a go at this, i recommend perhaps trying to define your illusion of instrumental placement in a rough sketch first before launching into it? i think i could have made life easier on myself had i done so on reflection. it's not so difficult to mentally sketch a band or orchestra with the different overtones at play, but here with one instrument basically duplicated/stacked, it's all too easy to lose sight of the big picture and forget where stuff is in depth, width and height! i got my knickers in a real twist!!
The Sound Bite:
tuff! deal with it
24bit:
it is available for those who want to experience the full glory. simply PM me and i'll return a link for the pull when next in town.
if nothing else....kick your seat back, close your eyes and immerse yourself in the 6 minute journey into the rich, metallurgical wonders of Copper. thanks for the listen.
xx
Waffle:
this has been on my machine as work-in-progress for 10 months in all, taking about 13 separate mix sessions of varying duration depending on the time and mood i had available. this material was heavy going metaphorically speaking (well, it is Copper, eh?) and of some emotional intensity. for me to engage it fully needed a particular frame of mind and total tranquillity around the studio. some of this stuff was worked late at night into the early hours of the morning when i find i can work unimpaired with no distractions. this thing took energy and i have to admit that it was for me, one, if not THE most engaging compositions i've ever had the pleasure of working on. i consider this a privilege. i loved it.
Tempo problem:
i had an attack of acute brain fade loading it up originally....the thing didn't time properly and i got disheartened but nevertheless kept it on the machine. when someone from the forum sent me another mix to preview a few weeks later, i had problems with it's timing and immediately realised it was the tempo stamp in Cubase's Pool which needed changing. then the penny dropped and swift realisation dawned on me about this Multi. i opened it up, went to the Pool, and low and behold...there was the problem and solution staring me in the face. i've never felt more stupid in my whole life. so peeps, if someone with Cubase wants to work it, drop into the Pool and update the tempo for each track and it will behave itself obligingly.
This is a remix:
as much as i liked the original arrangement and concept, i found it difficult to engage with. that's not a criticism of it, but perhaps more of a criticism of my taste and creative aspirations. with things timed up nicely and no distractions, the challenge was to decide where to take it for the purposes of my own personal joy ride. that was the easy bit, initiating it however took far longer than i anticipated - lol. i've muted a lot of material to make space in the arrangement and give the ear clear reference points to focus on and to help draw the listener in, hopefully without flooding their senses with all my twerking. i think part of my initial problem during the overview, was that it was too much happening sonically, and all of it coming from just a single instrument; the lack of any accompanying overtones from other instruments to provide contrast, simply flooded my ears with Viola. in other words, i couldn't see the wood for the trees to begin with.
placement of each element in the sound stage, and deciding which to keep, which parts to mute, and which to get weird with was a matter of letting my own creativity spin off from Simon's....then getting the toys to try and behave nicely once i'd planned the FX department and how the elements were going to interact. that was a big job indeed and took up a core part of the schedule - the automation was less mixing and more rocket science! having breaks between the sessions took a significant toll though; it took time to actually review where i'd left it on the last work session ---> major learning point!
i wanted to make as much use of the depth field as possible, but without overdoing it, to give some ambiance and enhance the spacial elements for textural reasons, as well as building and adding some synergy to the mood and fundamentally, for placement/location. i was looking for a way to manage some sort of progressive construction, so the listener was taken on a journey that led to a conclusion; establishing the flow using the FX to help in that regard while blending it in with the natural progression of the original arrangement. so, while i say it's a remix, i've hopefully managed to keep the theme running from the original without detracting from it too much? at least that was supposed to be one of the main goals i'd set myself.
Quality check at Goods Inwards:
some tracks had resonances that i found tricky to deal with, at least in a way that didn't impart my processing in some sort of obvious derogatory fashion upon the instrument. the room was perhaps interfering with the recordings somewhat, but i took that on the chin - worse things have happened at sea. the dynamics were super. one or two tracks contained rather more noise floor than i found i could get away with. i think i dumped those. with any instrument with a propensity to deliver treble, it doesn't take much with one instrument strutting it's stuff, for things to stack up quickly in the spectrum. despite the potential for trouble in the treble though, it didn't raise the sceptre of fatigue....my worst fear was unfounded.
Tip?
if anyone has a go at this, i recommend perhaps trying to define your illusion of instrumental placement in a rough sketch first before launching into it? i think i could have made life easier on myself had i done so on reflection. it's not so difficult to mentally sketch a band or orchestra with the different overtones at play, but here with one instrument basically duplicated/stacked, it's all too easy to lose sight of the big picture and forget where stuff is in depth, width and height! i got my knickers in a real twist!!
The Sound Bite:
tuff! deal with it
24bit:
it is available for those who want to experience the full glory. simply PM me and i'll return a link for the pull when next in town.
if nothing else....kick your seat back, close your eyes and immerse yourself in the 6 minute journey into the rich, metallurgical wonders of Copper. thanks for the listen.
xx
Beware...........Cognitive Dissonance!
