The Reluctant EP - first full mix uploaded!

alexclaber · #1 09-20-2007, 05:46 AM

Our first decent recording, done over the last few months in many different locations!

Band came round tonight to lend some ears - really helped out with the EQ and reverb games. And thus, here is the preliminary mix of the centrepiece track - Funeral Song!

http://www.thehumanzoo.com/alex/Demo...ong%20Pt.1.m4a

http://www.thehumanzoo.com/alex/Demo...ong%20Pt.2.m4a

Things to note: I wasn't watching the meters so it's clipping a bit, and the two parts of the song which are currently separate tracks will be merged into one track with just a bar's decay after the first part lands on the last downbeat before the second part starts with that bassline.

Will be remixing with some tweaks to levels now I've listened to this and then doing a basic mastering job on it to get more average level, dither it well and make the songs fit together right. There are three others songs that I've yet to do preliminary mixes of.

Alex

middlebit · #2 09-20-2007, 01:32 PM

Dead links

alexclaber · #3 09-20-2007, 03:50 PM

Links fixed!

Alex

middlebit · #4 09-20-2007, 05:48 PM

Yeah that's not bad at all - those are some good, melodic lines you're playing! If that were me playing, I would probably have pushed them further back on the beat, but I think your way suits the band. Also, I don't know if it's just the recording (you mentioned something about tweaking the levels), maybe try for a fatter, bassier tone? I just found it a bit thin and unsupportive, kinda sitting on top with the other instruments.
I honestly didn't dig the singer in the first bit, mostly his tone and mic technique were bugging me, but it sounded alright in the more 'rappy' portions of it. But the band played well throughout, I thought - good job
Oh, I still couldn't get clip #2 working.

alexclaber · #5 09-21-2007, 12:00 AM

Thanks for the feedback - second link fixed so you can hear the rest of the song!

Alex

middlebit · #6 09-21-2007, 02:12 AM

That's interesting how these tracks will be merged - they are very different!
Again the band plays well and solidly.
But the vocals had me shifting very uncomfortably in my seat. Overall, the mode of singing reminded me of Spinal Tap (which I love!), especially Stonehenge.
Then there's the singer's tone, as I mentioned earlier, which comes from singing through the nose. A solid diaphragmic technique could help this.
Then there's the intonation, always noticable but especially so at 1:34.
I really wouldn't stand listening to that for very long...but you have any instrumentals in your set?

alexclaber · #7 09-21-2007, 11:09 AM

I wrote them as once piece, it was just easier to get a good take by dividing them! The first part ends on a downbeat and then on the next downbeat the second part starts (the thudding 8th note bassline). The first part is in 4/4, the second part in 6/8, and because the first part is fully swung the second part effectively takes that and plays the triplets straight over the 4/4 beat. Does that make sense? (There was no cunning plan, it just happened like this, quite hard to work out what I'd actually done!)

It's the singer's first proper outing - funnily enough he started out a bassist and then got into songwriting and then singing because decent vocalists that wanted to do interesting original music were so hard to come by. I like to think he's rather like Marmite...

Alex