Remember Jones: 'Don't Put Me On Hold

[Mixinthecloud]

Not bad Dave. However, I feel as though there is a veil over the mix with presence lost across the board. I think Don was alluding to this too.

With the lead vocal so incredibly strong on this piece and virtually indestructible, the challenge here is to bring the ensemble into sharp focus against such a dominant lead. Sounds easy, but NOT. I've got 5 passes at this seemingly simple blue-eyed soul classic and can't yet say I've got the balance of clarity, punch and presence I am seeking. This challenge I think is a testament to the awesome power and character of the vocalist. Add to that a quick tempo in need of pointilistic vision in a swampy low mid field. ARRRRGH!

Thanks for comments Mitc. You put a lot more thought into this one than I did, that's for sure. In saying that, I'm not completely sure what you think the issues are. Is the mix a little dark overall? I'm not sure. Anyway, I do agree with your thoughts on the vocal performance. I watched the video of this recording and the vocalist was so into it. It was great to see.
Although this was a pretty quick "put together" mix, I'm still pretty happy with it a couple of days on. If I do another pass though, I would perhaps try and get a little more loudness and energy out of it, just to match the intensity of the performance overall.

Thanks again bloke.

Dave,
Sorry if I was being cryptic. By presence I meant clarity. Dark would be one way of assessing it but not the most accurate in this instance. Blurry, maybe. It just sounded a little foggy to me like the environment needed to be clearer, which would go a long way to lifting that veil. Maybe a lifting of the low pass on reverbs and raising of hi-pass on the same? Your instrumental balances are spot on. Lift that veil, tote that barge... LOL!