!!!Update - mITc's Feeling Nostalgic - Updated!!!

[Mixinthecloud]

Hello Cambridge Community.
I have been away for a while mostly working on non-Cambridge data and the recent Lewitt Challenge. I needed a break after that. Did anyone else participate?

Anyway, when I listened to the demo track of this my first reaction was that there is a beautiful vocal performance of a great melody and lyric buried under the special effects. So with a concentration on the vocal my focus, I went to work and produced this. It is lush elevator music. Not to dennegrate the musicians, they are excellent and the vocalist a treasure.

I have been enamored of late with the Puigchild 670 Stereo Compressor which I have been using on my master buss for the last few songs. Typically I do not use a discreet compressor on the master buss, only limiting. I am going through a 'compression phase' on my master buss, so please bear with me and please let me know what you think of the final results.
My mastering chain has remained the same.

As always, opinions, questions, comments are all encouraged.

Happy listening,
mITc


Strobe - Nostalgic

Strobe - Nostalgic - Mix 1
This mix actually predates the first mix in the list. With a different pan on the acoustic it brings better tonality with it.

Strobe - Nostalgic - Mix 2b
I tamed this mix to an even more elevator music vibe. Still kinda cool. Great vocalist. I also tried, as suggested by RoyM to add some tone to the guitar. I'm hoping I struck a balance in this mix between tone and percussive impact.  It is what it is. Probably a scosche too much verb on the lead vocal on some verses.

[Roy]

I haven't mixed this one yet so I don't really know the tracks.
My gut reaction is the vocal is a little loud. Through the first half, or maybe just the first verse it's a bit too much the focus. Later on when there are more elements in the song besides just vocal and guitar the vocal sits better. It's tough because on one hand this is a song that wants the vocal to be up from and the focus but on the other it's a bit emotional and needs to pull the listener in but without bombast. It's a fine line.
I think the hard 'k' sounds in the vocal could be tamed a bit. At least, in the 2nd halves of the verses. Just a db or two.
The guitar might be a bit too percussive. I wish it had more 'tone'. I don't know if that's the mix or the recording.
The reverse reverb going into the first verse could come back.

These are all nit picks. It sounds pretty good. I can't say I hear anything negative from any bus compression.

[Mixinthecloud]

I haven't mixed this one yet so I don't really know the tracks.
My gut reaction is the vocal is a little loud. Through the first half, or maybe just the first verse it's a bit too much the focus. Later on when there are more elements in the song besides just vocal and guitar the vocal sits better. It's tough because on one hand this is a song that wants the vocal to be up from and the focus but on the other it's a bit emotional and needs to pull the listener in but without bombast. It's a fine line.

Roy, yes it is a fine line between a touch too present and a touch too loud. I did say I was focusing on what I consider to be an excellent vocal performance. It is that which I wanted to bring people in with and then have the instruments close around them. Fine line.

I think the hard 'k' sounds in the vocal could be tamed a bit. At least, in the 2nd halves of the verses. Just a db or two.
The guitar might be a bit too percussive. I wish it had more 'tone'. I don't know if that's the mix or the recording.
The reverse reverb going into the first verse could come back.

Fine line again on the guitar tone. It began to step on the vocal's low mids so those are reserved in the guitar track and hence the loss of 'tone'. I wanted the guitar to be more rhythm than tone so as not to distract from the vocals.

I went between limiting and compression on an LA-2A as the last thing on the acoustic guitar chain to try and knock down the transients. I may have chosen wrong. But great ear, Roy. I think volume automation in places might place those transient passages in better perspective.

These are all nit picks. It sounds pretty good. I can't say I hear anything negative from any bus compression.

Thanks for the comments.