Please critique "Dream About You"

Posted: Tue Jul 09, 2002 2:54 pm

Hi Bill! A little Kentucky pop. I think my mixing still sux (maybe not as bad?).
How about the writing/performance, any improvements there?
Gonna keep at this until I get it right...
with a lot of help, of course.

Thanks,
Mark

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Track: <a href='http://www.nowhereradio.com/artists/album?aid=1623&alid=-1#6218'>Dream About You</a>
Artist: <a href='http://www.nowhereradio.com/artists/?aid=1623'>mkg</a>
<em>3.2MB - 3:31</em>
Available in hi-fi or lo-fi streaming and download.
<a href='http://www.nowhereradio.com/artists/album?aid=1623&alid=-1#6218'>The track is available here</a>

<em>Critique submission system compliments of <a href='http://www.nowhereradio.com'>NoWhereRadio.com</a></em>

Posted: Thu Jul 11, 2002 6:01 pm

Got a project for you..sent email, and awaiting your reply.

Critique will follow.

Posted: Thu Jul 11, 2002 7:22 pm

Bill,
Got your email, just replied.
Also, new mix of song will be up shortly.
Thanks,
Mark

Posted: Sat Jul 13, 2002 8:21 am

WOW!! That sounds really nice!!

I would back off just a shade on the acoustic..the kick and bass is in the pocket. Vocals are excellent..

During the chorus..listen to the snare..

IT is VERY close. A shade more punchyness on snare and kick can be done in mastering.

This is on the right track!

Congradulations. I have heard many Pros. that was not this close.

I like that alot.
Being real critical:

Back off the acoustic ever so slightly..(only a dB at most)You want the acoustic in line with the background harmony vocals. It is a shade larger. The kick and snare can hit even harder..so it is still there during the chorus.

Do not change anything if you feel it loses vibe.

I like it alot!

Posted: Sat Jul 13, 2002 8:41 am

Bill, thanks very much!
Got a gig tonight so am going to get back to work on this tomorrow.
I'm thinking of replacing the direct acoustic with a mic'ed one (the real thing). Do you think it would help? I'll be sure to bring level to be even with background vocals.
On this last mix I lowered drum level a bit, but sounds like I over-compensated. I'll get level back up a bit so that snare and kick get punchy again. Between that and re-doing acoustic, I think it'll be in the ballpark.
Thanks again very much for all the time and help.

Mark

Posted: Sat Jul 13, 2002 11:59 am

Notes... your monitors must have a ton of highs.

My comments are really based on final masterability and not to be confused at all with a final product.

Notice how the kick and snare attacks are lost when you start singing? They need to lay in there like the top of the song.

I am getting very little high hat, cyms, or any highs at all except the acoustic part.

Pan the acoustic to one side and pan the rythum electric guitar to oppisite side. Run the hat pretty hot (louder than the guitars) at 3 o'clock. Do the crashes at 9 o'clock. I love that the vox mix is up there. It must be.

I hear a good bass line put the kick is not pokeing through.

Imagine watching a speaker cone...woofer. The kick inpact should move the cone 2 times as far as the bass line. The snare is so quick..it will never bury anything so keep it live.

IF we had the same quality drum sound as the top (with more hat) throught the track...that would be the direction.

Compressors do the op. at times.

Mix it up dude.

I would not mind you sending me the indivigual tracks via MP3 so I can mix it. On modem..that would take a full day..... Sad

This song traslates but the somics need to be dealt with more outside of mastering. IT is a good effort with muse and feel galore. Now lets take it to another level.

It is masterable as is. I have it trasfeered and wave corrected (for mp3) to 32bit 384K now. Lets see what happens...but if I boost the top end for the drums..the guitar acoustic will be out of the box. I could use some elecric guitar as well (more)

There is a cheaters trick.

Solo each track and watch the meters on the 2 mix machine. Watch input channel output (line amps too and match)

Kick should run -4 and snare -3 Guitars -7 hat-5 Vox -1 backing vox -2.

This is a calibration test...once you pull the mix up at those settings, then watch main buss for a -10 good for mastering. Look for channel balance. Sometimes the kick my register leaning to a side even though the pot is centered..look at those meters and translate them. All values are VU ballistics.

This is a good exersize. I still look at the meters for a second op. in mixing...especially if the vibe is loosing steam or a producer is interfereing with the vibe.

Let us look at it that way. The acoustic sound is fine.

If you use mics, use a stereo pair and give me full 7-5 panning on the acoustic. Mix them in to fit the back vocal. Put the electric left of center 2 oclock and mix...give it some balls. I want to hear a twin reverb back there crystal clear..about 10 feet back.

Ok lot of words...see if they help..the song is killer..time to fine tune..

Oh..performance wise:

You must be grinning while singing. Picking and grinning. I like the sound of the vox protruding through the shape of a smile on this type music. Watch the struming....don't let the pick hang on one string too long..good clean hard strums..play that thing..put some butt into it!!!

Balls out playing and grinning is the difference from a recording and a pleasure.

Remember the look of Roy Orbs, mouth while he sang?? He was on dude!!

It is all very good..now we take it to another level..without the lysol!!!! Keep the rough and live vibe!

And..sorry for typos..the power went out twice and I was hauling ass without saving during this brain typing...accuracy in typing takes me too much time..as long as the point gets accross...time is a luxury I do not afford to have perfectly typed posts.

Posted: Sat Jul 13, 2002 11:52 pm

Just got home from out of town gig, close to
3:00 a.m. now and I'm trying to take all this in. One prob with drums is that all drums are on one track (nature of the 1180 and the drum loops) but I think I've got them back up where they should be. Will find some time Sunday to lay down a real acoustic track (I'll record it to two tracks at once to fatten). Can do a Twin-type guitar sound for the electric track.
I don't have access to meters, will have to do much of this by feel. At least I'm not mixing on phones anymore, have moved up to cheap speakers Very Happy

Onward and upward!

Mark

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