About this song

[Mandubien]

Hey guys !

So finally here's the last song we will share here... Thank you Mike for your time and knowledge. What you give is pure gold for us !

Into My Dreams is the final song of the album and it has given its name to the album. Even the artworks are related to this song. It's about the dreams of a child.

The song is divided into 5 parts : a place to rest, the child and the cage, the twilight of all things, the jaws of evil, resurgence.
Each of these parts tells a story and they all have connections. Parts 4 & 5 are purely instrumental.

When I wrote the lyrics, the main idea was to fill in the music Greg has created with words that will emphasize what a child can feel when he's dreaming. But in the same time, it also should reflect the way our society works: we feel safe most of the time, but the world reminds us that plenty of dangers are out there.
However nothing had to be realistic since we're in a dream. So I imagined a parallel world that will express the feelings of the child, how he would understand the real world he's living in. I put the lyrics at the end of this post.

Each part had a different approach:
- part 1 is pretty cool and brings the child into a peaceful dream where he feels safe.
- part 2 is a world where the child is stuck in a cage of glass and he sees the violence outside. He can do nothing but seeing and feeling the violence.
- part 3 is the most emotional part of the song: the child gives in to the Death. He has given up all hope.
- part 4 is the hardest part, with progressive riffs: the child is in pain and is tormented by his sadness and his feelings.
- part 5 reflects the way the child will escape his nightmare.

So as you can imagine, the mix phase should emphasize each part individually. To do so, you will have to play with the tools you have: volume, reverbs and FX, distortion... You have to create movement that suits each parts. Mix with your guts ! Use your feelings for this song, be that child in the dream !

Thank you for reading me, and I'm looking forward to hearing some fantastic mixes here

Cheers
Florian



INTO MY DREAMS

Part I. A place to rest

It’s a beauty, a true revelation for my existence
To give up my subsistance
Holy lights blend in dark shadows
A perfect mind’s creation for lost souls
There I’ve found my peace a place to rest
A place where I feel blessed

Feeling the echoes
Of my ancient foes

There’s magic in the air
Surrounding my fears
To set them on fire
Into my dreams
That enchanting wind
That’s blowing me away
From my loony schemes
My dreams…


Part II. The child and the cage

The flow is disrupted
The fire will die with disparity
With fear comes the dark
Shrouded by a scary fog
They go back and forth,
They scream, they suffer.
This glass prison won’t protect me anymore.
My reflection is fading, the haven is dismantled.
Soon, I’ll be like them
I need to run, fast, far.
A lost wanderer in the night

Feeling the echoes
Of my ancient foes

There’s magic in the air
Surrounded by spears
They set them on fire
Into my dreams
That enchanting wind
That’s blowing me away
From my lovely schemes
My dreams…

And now I’m flying over my ashes
Scattered on the field of redemption
My dreams buried alongside my fears
Now She can take me…

Part III. The twilight of all things

I have been waiting long
A piece of a soul like yours
lost in the way of your fantasy
draped in the dark

Things have boundaries here
restrained to their simplest purpose
held by a will you can’t fight
your angst and fears

Part IV. The jaws of evil (instrumental)

Part V. Resurgence (instrumental)

[Roy]

I have to say this can be a intimidating mix considering all the tracks and sections and all that but for the most part it comes together pretty quickly. I haven't worked on the vocals yet but as far as the band goes it's pretty straight forward. If anyone is thinking of working on this one but are on the fence because of it's size I'd say give it a shot. And don't over think it. For whatever reason I find this song the easiest of the PE songs to work on.

[Mandubien]

The main reason there are so many tracks is that we separate all guitar parts. So sometimes you only have a very short riff or even some notes and that's all. I combined a lot of tracks before mixing, those which had the same sound or were sonically very close.

The main difficulty in this song is to be as close as possible to the atmosphere led by the 5 parts and the lyrics. I think it is not technically difficult to mix, but it definitively asks creativity and emotion.

[Nos]

Hi Mandubien. Awesome song. I'd love to get any thoughts you have in regards to reference tracks that might be useful when mixing

[Mandubien]

Hey Nos !

Well, many songs could be suitable for Into My Dreams. If I remember well, I used some Creed for the overall balance and tone, from album Overcome.
But now I probably would use The Neal Morse Band, from albums The Call and the wonderful Similitude Of A Dream.

Of course, some Pink Floyd (Dark Side, The Division Bell) could help too as we definitively get inspired by such epic songs

[Dangerous]

I'm definitely hearing some Floyd in there, even though the genre's quite different.
I like the story line Mandubien. Thanks for sharing.

[Nos]

Hey Nos !

Well, many songs could be suitable for Into My Dreams. If I remember well, I used some Creed for the overall balance and tone, from album Overcome.
But now I probably would use The Neal Morse Band, from albums The Call and the wonderful Similitude Of A Dream.

Of course, some Pink Floyd (Dark Side, The Division Bell) could help too as we definitively get inspired by such epic songs

Thanks The Neal Morse Band I'd not heard of. Great sound

[Dangerous]

If anyone is thinking of working on this one but are on the fence because of it's size I'd say give it a shot. And don't over think it. For whatever reason I find this song the easiest of the PE songs to work on.

You may have just talked me into it, Roy. We'll see... time permitting of course.

[azwayne]

I notice you have a plethora of guitar lines, each of which has four mics on it. Can you let us in on what mics were used and their positions? Was it the same for all parts or did they change on some?

Just for the curious.

(Based on what I hear, I'm going to say #1 is a dynamic in close, #2 is a condenser in close, #3 is a condenser out a ways, and #4 sounds like a ribbon. Am I close or do I need to go see the audiologist about a hearing aide? )

(Actually, I'm now wondering if #2 isn't actually a SM57...)

[Mandubien]

I notice you have a plethora of guitar lines, each of which has four mics on it. Can you let us in on what mics were used and their positions? Was it the same for all parts or did they change on some?

Just for the curious.

(Based on what I hear, I'm going to say #1 is a dynamic in close, #2 is a condenser in close, #3 is a condenser out a ways, and #4 sounds like a ribbon. Am I close or do I need to go see the audiologist about a hearing aide? )

(Actually, I'm now wondering if #2 isn't actually a SM57...)

Hey ! You're pretty close to the truth ah ah

#1 is a condenser: AKG C212
#2 is a dynamic: Senheiser e906
#3 is a tube mic: Rode K2
#4 is a dynamic: SM57

As we reamped every guitar track (except the acoustic one), the order is always the same. You don't have to use all of the four tracks. We had in mind to have choice for the mixing step. If I remember well, I only used the two dynamic mics, sometimes the SM57 mainly, sometimes the e906.

Hop that helped