My Blue Mix, picasso style

[loweche6]

I tried for intimacy, it was tough with that heavy footed kick in the overheads, but I think i did a decent job.

[ptalbot]

Hey, that's different!

I'm thinking that if the heavy footed kick in the overheads was bothering you, you could have high-passed it, perhaps?
I like the creative take on that, some cool ideas (I like the fade at the end for example, although I would have tried to make the bgvs a bit bigger then, using some doubling, extra harmonies, something?), and the mute of the drums during the 3rd verse is also nicely done. I think the bgvs lack space and warmth, they feel a bit too narrow and restricted around the lead vocals.

Entirely subjective of course but really I'm not fond of the tremolo on the guitar, especially the one on the second guitar on the left, it's a bit heavy handed and distorted as well. I makes the sound darker than it should be IMHO. (I associate tremolo with angst ridden songs, the opposite of how I viewed this song, which to me should be light and dreamy).
On the first guitar, the tremolo is also killing the delay which was a distinctive sound for me in that guitar (which is why it's printed) and was providing a cool pad until the vibes/rhodes come in. I think you could use it starting from this point on, maybe?

Anyway, that's subjective and I like that it's a different take. I enjoyed the listen!

[loweche6]

Thanks for the listen, talbot.

I tried high passing, and I did end up rolling off up to about 300Hz, until it felt like the kit fell apart and it was just cymbals. I was really trying to approach the drums as one instrument in this mix (truthfully, something I've been working on as a general philosophy lately) and, to me, it starts with the overhead sounds.

As you said it's subjective, but let me give you my reasoning. You said it feels angsty, and I was actually going for that idea. The line "I wonder what she's doing now" says to me this is a song of lament, so I wanted the vocals to feel close to each other, almost a "I'm talking to myself, reminiscing on great times, but the happiness I'm feeling is actually just a sad rememberance." Hence, Picasso's blue period reference.

Taking it as a love song I totally agree with you, but I wanted some feeling of claustrophobia. (The grit on the 2nd guitar was also a choice)

Thanks for taking the time to listen and respond, it means a lot.

[ptalbot]

I see, and it all makes sense

Not to change your interpretation or impose my view, but to me the song is really more nostalgic than sad or angsty.
It's about my daughter and how she was such a happy child and now she's a teenager, and well, quite different so I'm remembering these good moments, in a dream like fashion...

The line you cite is actually "I wonder how she's doing that?" - Must be my French accent right here.
You can find the lyrics there: https://soundcloud.com/patrick-talbot/blue

[loweche6]

I obviously can't put 2 and 2 together. Ptalbot Patrick Talbot. . . D'uh. Love the song man. Sorry that I misheard you! I was actually pulling a lot of emotion from that line, so it does change the overall meaning. Based on that some choices would be different. Thank you for sharing the insight about the meaning. I'll make a few changes based on that!

Draper

[ptalbot]

As I said it's your interpretation and based on that, your rendering makes total sense.
So don't change things because I've said it, it's actually a cool and different mix.

[loweche6]

I like my first mix, my second won't be to fix, but to reinterpret!

[Olli H]

Good one,

Vocal sounds very smooth and nice.

Muting drums around (2:15) works fine to me. Great idea.

Maybe the suddenly appearing (2:15) distorted tremolo tries to steal the show.

With vocals there's proximity effects here and there too audible (for example 1:13). Some automation there can easily fix that problem.

I wonder if the kick is too loud for jazz groove. It feels little like a street bumb. By taking it down just a little bit, might solve the small build up problem in the lower mids.

I like the overall sound very much. Great job!

[loweche6]

Touched it up a bit. Changed the second guitar tone, changed the final fade, just because, and fixed the kick sound. You were right, Patrick, I was being too conservative with the High Pass filter!

Thanks for the comments!

Draper

[ptalbot]

Sounds good man!
I like what you did with the ending, cool wash of reverb on the vibraphone, great idea, sounds cool!