This is for me in essence an extension from what I have learnt with "Upper Hand". Another very enjoyable song to work with. A wonderful arrangement with clever transitions of music styles within that marry nicely. I worked fairly hard with this one to give all the individual elements of the track their own bit of light and to keep the flame burning strong throughout. Didn't find to many technical issues to deal with. The raw track are presented pretty much ready to go. Making the drums to sound cohesive and controlling the overhead transients especially through the softer jazz parts of the song were probably my biggest challenge. Other than that it was mainly down to sliders and automation to obtain my balance. A little eq and comp here the there and some re amping on a couple of guitar parts for variety. Lots of fun...
Hey Dave - this sounds wonderful! Beautifully balanced, full and warm, yet really clear and silky in the top end. Really excellent and tasteful use of FX. I love the way that last guitar solo just EXPLODES out of the speakers! I'm gushing a bit here, probably...but it's a real master-class in how a refined, tasteful mix doesn't have to be boring or staid.
You've done a beautiful job at presenting Pat's vocal as it deserves to be presented too. I know Pat tends to be self-deprecating about his vocal abilities, but he has a such a cool and individual vocal style, IMO - You've really done it justice here. I've heard a LOT of different people mix Pat's music, and even very talented and experienced mixers just don't "get it" - You've nailed it, mate! Kudos!
Agree with fHumble -- love what you've done with the vocal tone here, and that electric guitar entry is magic! Wonder whether there might be a bit much 2-4kHz in the mix as a whole, though. It's where the vocal's really strong, so it might be worth clearing it out of some of the other tracks, at least while he's singing.
(22-03-2016, 04:42 PM)Mike Senior Wrote: Agree with fHumble -- love what you've done with the vocal tone here, and that electric guitar entry is magic! Wonder whether there might be a bit much 2-4kHz in the mix as a whole, though. It's where the vocal's really strong, so it might be worth clearing it out of some of the other tracks, at least while he's singing.
Hey Mike - long time, no chat...
Your comment sparked my curiosity, so I had another listen to the track today... I was interested in your comment about the 2-4k, so I pulled up some Steely Dan as a reference track and made some comparisons (Babylon Sisters, Deacon Blue). I downloaded Dave's mix and experimented with some eq, and sure enough, 2.7k really jumped out as I swept around with a narrow boost. I pulled out about 1dB @ 2.7k with the widest Q on a linear phase eq... I've attached the result below...
I think it definitely took the "bite" out of the vocal and the lead guitar, but it seems to sit more favourably with the reference tracks now.
Whow! Thanks Guys, I am truly humbled and lost for words. I was completely elevated waking up this morning and reading these comments before my day job. So thank you very much. I has been an absolute pleasure working with this track.
(22-03-2016, 01:33 PM)fHumble fHingaz Wrote: Really excellent and tasteful use of FX. I love the way that last guitar solo just EXPLODES out of the speakers!
I'm a real guitar junkie, fHumble. Probably from spending endless hours in my youth listening to "The Angels". Nowadays my tastes have broadened somewhat and now appreciate all great performances and this one by Patrick is no exception. Not to mention the great tones involved.
(22-03-2016, 01:33 PM)fHumble fHingaz Wrote: You've done a beautiful job at presenting Pat's vocal as it deserves to be presented too. I know Pat tends to be self-deprecating about his vocal abilities, but he has a such a cool and individual vocal style, IMO - You've really done it justice here. I've heard a LOT of different people mix Pat's music, and even very talented and experienced mixers just don't "get it" - You've nailed it, mate! Kudos!
I have been listening to a lot of mixes of Patricks music with interest of late with many using different and varied vocal effects (a lot with great effect). Mainly trying to build up some ideas for my own mixes. I must say that really like Pat's natural voice and I found that with some gentle softening with some old fashioned widening (pitch and delay) I got the vocal sound that I was really happy with. I must agree, Pat has a wonderful voice that suits his musical style beautifully.
(22-03-2016, 04:42 PM)Mike Senior Wrote: Agree with fHumble -- love what you've done with the vocal tone here, and that electric guitar entry is magic! Wonder whether there might be a bit much 2-4kHz in the mix as a whole, though. It's where the vocal's really strong, so it might be worth clearing it out of some of the other tracks, at least while he's singing.
Hey Mike - long time, no chat...
Your comment sparked my curiosity, so I had another listen to the track today... I was interested in your comment about the 2-4k, so I pulled up some Steely Dan as a reference track and made some comparisons (Babylon Sisters, Deacon Blue). I downloaded Dave's mix and experimented with some eq, and sure enough, 2.7k really jumped out as I swept around with a narrow boost. I pulled out about 1dB @ 2.7k with the widest Q on a linear phase eq... I've attached the result below...
I think it definitely took the "bite" out of the vocal and the lead guitar, but it seems to sit more favourably with the reference tracks now.
I taken this comment by Mike with interest also. I tried something similar tonight with just the guitar bus cutting a couple of dB's at around 2.3k (low q)through the vocal passages and it definitely cleared some space and smoothed things up a bit. I tried a similar approach to the "keys" bus but seems to take away the presence from the vibraphone that I didn't like. I will continue to explore.
I've listened to your EQed version and agree that it's removed some of the "edge" (headphone ref). Will have a proper listen tomorrow. 2.7k might be the area to work on within the guitar bus. It may help with the slight harshness of the guitar solos.
(22-03-2016, 01:33 PM)fHumble fHingaz Wrote: Really excellent and tasteful use of FX. I love the way that last guitar solo just EXPLODES out of the speakers!
I'm a real guitar junkie, fHumble. Probably from spending endless hours in my youth listening to "The Angels". Nowadays my tastes have broadened somewhat and now appreciate all great performances and this one by Patrick is no exception. Not to mention the great tones involved.
Cool! Well from one Aussie guitar junkie to another, I can definitely hear that quality come through in your mixes....
Incidentally, I saw The Angels live pretty recently (minus Doc unfortunately) - I've always loved Rick Brewster's concise, melodic solos. That's a quality I try to emulate in my own recorded work.
Personally, I'm HUGE Cold Chisel fan, and Ian Moss' playing has been a massive influence on me. He's much more "hippie" and jam oriented live than on record, but he has that instantly recognisable tone and feel. Killer vocalist too...
These days, I find Chris Cheney of The Living End to be the carrier of the flame of the Great Aussie Guitar tradition - love his playing and the bands "take no prisoners" energy....
Rave, rave, rave... I can almost hear a thousand international eyes rolling :rolleyes
Your comment sparked my curiosity, so I had another listen to the track today... I was interested in your comment about the 2-4k, so I pulled up some Steely Dan as a reference track and made some comparisons (Babylon Sisters, Deacon Blue). I downloaded Dave's mix and experimented with some eq, and sure enough, 2.7k really jumped out as I swept around with a narrow boost. I pulled out about 1dB @ 2.7k with the widest Q on a linear phase eq... I've attached the result below...
I think it definitely took the "bite" out of the vocal and the lead guitar, but it seems to sit more favourably with the reference tracks now.
I just checked this out in the studio through my old sealed monitors and really liked the effect. It seemed to add a little polish with a more mastered sound overall. I can hear the Steely Dan reference. It's a nice sounding EQ you have used. I tried a similar thing my end with the stock Reaper EQ to a lesser effect.
Wonder whether there might be a bit much 2-4kHz in the mix as a whole, though. It's where the vocal's really strong, so it might be worth clearing it out of some of the other tracks, at least while he's singing.
