Patrick Talbot: 'Blue'

[takka360]

My mix

[ptalbot]

Nice mix takka360!

I like the dynamics of the drums, and the general smoothness you achieved.
I think the vocals need more more ambience and more "air" as well, I know there's a lack of it from the source, because it's been tracked with a SM57, but I think it's achievable with EQ.

Also there's some places where it's been comped and the tone is not exactly the same from one phrase to the next, so it's a bit tricky and might need some multing to EQ these parts so that they match better.

But overall, I like your version!

[takka360]

The tone not being the same from phrase to phrase can also be good.This was a quick mix really .
I did play around with the vox and liked them without to much ambience as the drums etc are pretty much alive.
Thanks for the feedback.I will mix it again at some point.

[pauli]

Hey Alan

I think the low midrange in general is a bit bloated, particularly in the lead vocal. Odd though, that an SM57 would produce so much in that range... it must have been pretty close mic'd?

Guitar tones are nice and the low end is kept out of the way on those, but there's quite a bit rumbling around on the bottom between the kick and bass, and on occasion the vocal is contributing to a midrange buildup on those tracks as well... although the bass is pretty tricky to tame. I love how you've blended the toy piano, vibes and rhodes in with the vocal, but I feel like the drums sound a bit disconnected from the rest of the mix in terms of ambiance... it feels like the drums are in a smaller room full of bright early reflections, whereas the ambiance on the rhodes, vibes and toy piano feels darker and originating in a larger acoustic space.

Having said all that, I've spent about a half hour knocking around with this one this morning and I'm having trouble getting a rough balance together to start the mix, so I appreciate the difficulties. I work largely with MIDI triggered instruments in my own music, so this kind of challenge is nothing new to me and to be expected... it's still a good start.

It's a great song, love it.

[ptalbot]

Yeah, it's been tracked pretty close.
I wanted to use the proximity effect to get a more intimate but rich sound, I've probably overdone it

I know what you mean about MIDI instruments, and I've included the MIDI for drums, bass and keys.
BTW, the drums are Superior Drummer Roots Brushes SDX, the bass is Trillian.

I must say I'm curious to hear others' takes on that song. I'm not enitrely happy with my own mix TBH.
But I'm glad you like the song!

[Voelund]

Great mix Alan. Is this is your new sound ?
Agree with Pauli the drums sound like tracked in a smaller room, not sure if its a problem though.
Great vibe in this song, gotta give it a go soon.

[takka360]

Cheers for feedback mate,its a tricky one and there is so much you can do with it.
Look forward to your mix .

[takka360]

mix 2

[HbGuitar]

as ever, a very tasteful mix.

Imo mix 2 is an improvement over mix 1 in terms of stereo image. The track breathes more now, mix 1 was a bit congested.

from a personal preference, the vocals still seem a bit dry in comparison to the rest of the mix. can't really tell if this has changed since mix-01 so any changes are subtle - but i know its part of your vision for this mix, and it does work... its more of a recalibration for me after listening to my own mix

[ptalbot]

Ooh! Yes, that one is much better.
Overall a great balance, I especially like the bass tone, it's present but not harsh.
I agree with HBGuitar above that the vocals are rather dry and could take more delay.
Same with the bgvs, I think you could add some more reverb to them, while pushing their level, they sound a bit thin right now.