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Author Topic: Bored? Lonely?  (Read 11840 times)

dconstruction

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Bored? Lonely?
« on: April 28, 2010, 11:45:14 AM »

...then maybe you'd like to listen to the latest project out of my 220sf box and tell me how you'd improve it.  

This is a debut album for a local artist that I think has legs (well, at six foot, she does; but I mean the project).  These are the mixes as they evolved in tracking.  We're going into final mix this weekend.

http://www.juniusrecordingco.com/MP3/Lalagray/Mixes20100424/ 02DevilsNest.mp3
http://www.juniusrecordingco.com/MP3/Lalagray/Mixes20100424/ 03MovedByStrings.mp3
http://www.juniusrecordingco.com/MP3/Lalagray/Mixes20100424/ 04BagofBones.mp3
http://www.juniusrecordingco.com/MP3/Lalagray/Mixes20100424/ 05BigBrownBox.mp3
http://www.juniusrecordingco.com/MP3/Lalagray/Mixes20100424/ 06BarnOwl.mp3
http://www.juniusrecordingco.com/MP3/Lalagray/Mixes20100424/ 07Cerebellum.mp3
http://www.juniusrecordingco.com/MP3/Lalagray/Mixes20100424/ 08Heartachin.mp3
http://www.juniusrecordingco.com/MP3/Lalagray/Mixes20100424/ 09HardPart.mp3
http://www.juniusrecordingco.com/MP3/Lalagray/Mixes20100424/ 10InTheStars.mp3
http://www.juniusrecordingco.com/MP3/Lalagray/Mixes20100424/ 11WillAnybodyLoveMe.mp3

Also, there are one or two times when the click bleeds into the main vocal.  Normally, I'm not too concerned, but here and there, on an especially tender song, it's not good.  Anyone used iZotope's RX to remove noises/clicks?  I figure the spectral repair might be a help.  Anything other suggestions?

As always, thanks.

L
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fiasco ( P.M.DuMont )

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Re: Bored? Lonely?
« Reply #1 on: April 28, 2010, 05:57:44 PM »

Lindsay,

Wow, I only listened to the first track and very cool.
If I come up with any advice for you, I hope you don't mind it from a relative novice.
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Philip

dconstruction

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Re: Bored? Lonely?
« Reply #2 on: April 28, 2010, 09:36:03 PM »

Novice?  Me, too. And why I ask for opinion and comment.  

Here's what I know: these are dark mixes - which has somehow become a perhaps unwelcome hallmark of my productions. I've begun wondering if my room's treatment is robbing some of the air.

Also, I wonder if I ought to be more mindful of the stereo field. Many of the background elements are doubled hard left and right, and sometimes too much stereo creates no stereo.

Anyway, thanks for listening.  
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j.hall

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Re: Bored? Lonely?
« Reply #3 on: April 28, 2010, 11:15:41 PM »

copy the track, edit just that split second of click bleed you can't live with.  invert the phase and have ALL the same plug-ins on that copied track.  turn up the inverted track until it cancels out the original to your desire.  it won't be perfect, but it should work to your satisfaction.
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NelsonL

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Re: Bored? Lonely?
« Reply #4 on: April 29, 2010, 02:43:41 AM »

dconstruction wrote on Wed, 28 April 2010 18:36

Novice?  Me, too. And why I ask for opinion and comment.  

Here's what I know: these are dark mixes - which has somehow become a perhaps unwelcome hallmark of my productions. I've begun wondering if my room's treatment is robbing some of the air.

Also, I wonder if I ought to be more mindful of the stereo field. Many of the background elements are doubled hard left and right, and sometimes too much stereo creates no stereo.

Anyway, thanks for listening.  


Just listening to the first track-- I think the mixes are balanced enough that they'll brighten up evenly in mastering. The possible exception to my ears is that the piano lacks presence given what I perceive as it's importance to the arrangement. In other words, once the ME made everything brighter I suspect the piano would still be a little murky. Were you trying to hide some of the dissonance?

Now as the second song comes on the piano definitely has more bite.

Nice work Lindsay.

Also, I don't know if smallish rooms trend darker, but since I've been here in Dubai my old studio shut down and reopened in a new partnership with Hyde Street Studio C in SF.

Just rehearsing there when I was last home, and hearing my partner's more recent tracks was pretty ear opening.

Studio C is indeed small, but built by Wally Heider and with very high ceilings and plenty of treatment. I know it's not considered Heider's master work by any stretch, but playing in that room everything was SO much better defined than our old place... it was interesting to say the least. I realize that's purely anecdotal, and I have yet to track anything there.

But if you can splurge on a drum session in a very well regarded room at some point it could be very revealing. Just a thought.
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dconstruction

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Re: Bored? Lonely?
« Reply #5 on: April 29, 2010, 12:46:30 PM »

J.: thanks.  I've tried this before and it will be my go-to solution if nothing else comes up.  I liked the idea of spectral editing, because there are also some bonks and clanks in the piano tracks I might like to lose.

Liam: thanks for listening.  The sluggish tone of the piano on the first song is on purpose, but that doesn't mean I've made it TOO murky.  

I'm more and more convinced that my best investments lie in improving the physical space I record in.  I have an opportunity, if I can ever find the scratch, to add another eight feet past the back wall of the building.  Eight feet doesn't sound like much, but it'd add 62% more floor space!  And allow me to reorient the control room lengthwise, instead of firing the monitors straight into a back wall only eight feet away.  Realistically, after permitting and planning and saving and blahblahblah, it'll be 2011....

L
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dandigby

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Re: Bored? Lonely?
« Reply #6 on: April 29, 2010, 09:56:21 PM »

I had a listen to the tracks, and there's not much amateurish sounding about them.. I'm not qualified to comment on anything sounds wise, but I couldn't hear anything that stands out in a bad way, and am sure with mastering this will come up fanastic.. great job, really enjoyed it.  

I checked Lala's myspace, and her voice and lyrics are ...great, even in her "homebaked" recordings.  I can see why you were excited to track that stuff Lindsay, hope it does well Smile
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dconstruction

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Re: Bored? Lonely?
« Reply #7 on: May 17, 2010, 04:45:01 PM »

Dan PMd me the following, but since there were some questions that others might like to hear the answers to, I am replying in public:

"Hi Lindsay

How did you go with the final mixes for this album? If its ok to ask, was this tracked mostly as keyboard/sequence first, vocals then instruments later, or was there a band playing the rhythm section first? I gave a few of these tracks a good listen, and still really enjoying it... reminiscent of Sarah Blasko a little, although with a bit more country flavour.

Cheers
Dan"

The final mixes are mixed, finally.  Not too much drastic action taken, except for a tucking in of things here and there, boosting the vocals a bit, and brightening key instruments.  We're waiting now for mastering.

As for how this was tracked, it was done live after several rehearsals, with drums (kick: EV RE20, snare: Rode NT5 & Shure SM57, toms: Senn. MD421 MkII, OHs: Lawson LM47FET, Shure KSM32, room: AEA R84, off axis) and bass (DI) in the tracking room and Ashley in the control room with me on a keyboard for scratches.  After we were happy with our takes, we bid adieu to the rhythm section and focused on replacing the fake piano with the real thing (our one-legged fin de siecle Steinway upright: http://ow.ly/1MeAt), also in the tracking room.  The piano was tracked with a close stereo pair (Rode NT5), a close dynamic(EV RE20), a mid-distant room (Shure KSM32), a single on the back of the soundboard (Lawson LM47FET), and a distant room (AEA R84, off axis).   Then vocals (LM47FET).  Preamps were either GT Bricks or OSA MP1s, 'cause that's all I own.  No compression or EQ in the chain while tracking, 'cause I own none.

And then it was just more of the same as we tracked guitar, banjo, harmonies, strings, percussion and other noises.

Sarah Blasko, huh?  Don't know her stuff - but I soon will.
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fiasco ( P.M.DuMont )

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Re: Bored? Lonely?
« Reply #8 on: May 18, 2010, 07:39:38 AM »

Lindsay,

Please let me(us)know when the album is available for purchase.
I very much enjoyed it, and I look forward to the finished product.
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Philip

Eric H.

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Re: Bored? Lonely?
« Reply #9 on: May 24, 2010, 05:57:14 PM »

I'm not talking details here, but listened to 2 songs (n
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eric harizanos

tekis

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Re: Bored? Lonely?
« Reply #10 on: June 18, 2010, 09:56:38 PM »

I love these mixes!  Don't over think it too much.  They feel great!
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Rob Darling

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Re: Bored? Lonely?
« Reply #11 on: June 25, 2010, 08:39:07 PM »

The core of these mixes is good- they start at good fundamental tonal balance.  You should be happy with that.

To improve the mixes, you could move the faders more to give more life to the arrangements- it feel like the mix elements maintain fairly static.  

For example, in v2 of the 2nd track (track 03), the drums continue to lead the mix in the same position they have up to that point.  The opportunity is there to tug them back a little, push the piano forward (since it carries the same rhythm) and then push the drums back forward to launch you into the next chorus.

In track 1 (track 02), the relationship of the ambient sounds to the clear sounds does not move a lot.  

Etc.  
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dconstruction

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Re: Bored? Lonely?
« Reply #12 on: August 17, 2010, 03:31:34 PM »

Getting close:  http://www.lalagray.com/
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Reno

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Re: Bored? Lonely?
« Reply #13 on: August 18, 2010, 01:14:09 AM »

dconstruction wrote on Wed, 28 April 2010 10:45



Also, there are one or two times when the click bleeds into the main vocal.  Normally, I'm not too concerned, but here and there, on an especially tender song, it's not good.  Anyone used iZotope's RX to remove noises/clicks?  I figure the spectral repair might be a help.  Anything other suggestions?



try spectro -> http://www.stillwellaudio.com/?page_id=32 : very intuitive and easy to use
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dconstruction

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Re: Bored? Lonely?
« Reply #14 on: October 08, 2010, 12:04:54 PM »

Album is available: lalagray.bandcamp.com

I'm taking down the original links.  Thanks, as always!

L
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