Is It Too Soon?

[Armistice]

... to post another tune?


DELETED - Current version below

Can't listen to it any more. I'm thinking I can hear a thing or two I should do but I'll let you lot have a listen while I languish on my sick bed. Actually took the day off because I picked up a cold but this was close to completion so I thought I'd just get it done before reaching for the drugs and hiding under the doona...

It's the one I did the video of a while back. Have at it boys...



Is It Too Soon?

Is it too soon to talk about the thing we did?
Don’t say the name, or mention blame, that thing we hid
It is too late to walk it back, to click undo
Is this our fate? You know we really didn’t think it through
I know that you have noticed that the years are rolling by
I hope that you’re not spiralling down and wondering why


Is it too soon to view the stone, put flowers down?
To climb the hill, to breathe in deep, return to town
Do you not mind that we still feel the consequence?
The look behind, the constant ache, the long suspense
I know that you have noticed that the years are rolling by
I hope that you’re not spiralling down and wondering why
Unwelcome apparition, a war of attrition
It’s not a game that you can ever win

Is it too soon to talk about that thing we did?

[SweetDan]

Nice!

I'm looking hard for nits...and not finding any really, except for maybe one. The bass gets a bit lost in the choruses, especially when the guitars are doing their ascending line. Maybe automate an EQ boost in aggressive frequency ranges on the bass during the choruses? Or maybe add a bit of grit to it?

Listening again, more closely, the kick+bass groove that's locked in tight in the verses isn't during the choruses -- they're playing different patterns. It's like separating the bass and kick causes them both to lose energy and focus right when they need it even more. So strike what I said about tweaking EQ/grit...

[rayc]

Another sideways run at relationship songs - I like the whole thing.
There is a little more power in the bass when it takes those three notes walks as opposed to when chugging.
Started out like a new Talking Heads track from the 1st album but your more assured vocal killed that.

[Armistice]

Thanks guys - I have had another listen and did some tidying up with the bass / low mids and found a rogue kick just at the start of the chorus on the back of Dan's comments - sitting on a off beat - would have worked if there was another one next to it but that's when it turns around - so have removed it. It's syncopated there certainly but now gets off to a better start - I'm happy with the rhythm.

DELETED - Current version below

[Armistice]

Another sideways run at relationship songs

Ah, but not, this time. Although I can see you'd think that, and I was being deliberately obscure. At least not relationship in the man/woman sense.

Think young kids who were involved in some undisclosed bad and probably still secret incident way back when and are now grown up - one (the singer) wanting to put some of the ensuing demons to rest.... "view the stone, put flowers down" - literal, or metaphor?

[Lt. Bob]

man, I like this a lot!

The guitar parts backing and supporting the vox are great ..... has anyone told you you sound like Zappa?
To my ears these vocals sound a LOT like Zappa.

And the harmonies are perfect ..... not too much .... just right.

Great song structure .... great guitar parts .... great vocals ..... great groove .... this is a great recording of a bad ass song.

really Really nice man ..... I'm blown away basically

[rayc]

Another sideways run at relationship songs

Ah, but not, this time. Although I can see you'd think that, and I was being deliberately obscure. At least not relationship in the man/woman sense.

Think young kids who were involved in some undisclosed bad and probably still secret incident way back when and are now grown up - one (the singer) wanting to put some of the ensuing demons to rest.... "view the stone, put flowers down" - literal, or metaphor?

Well, that makes it worth more than the cursory glance I could give it at lunch time today. I quite like an onion lyric.

[rayc]

David, the snare is REALLY bright, forward and a little L of centre.
Mayhap the cleaner low mids has made this seem more prominent.
Everything but the snare so9uonds good to me.

[Armistice]

David, the snare is REALLY bright, forward and a little L of centre.
Mayhap the cleaner low mids has made this seem more prominent.
Everything but the snare so9uonds good to me.

Yeah, I noticed it was a bit rattlier than intended and I know why - changed EQ/volume on the overheads. Will address tomorrow.

[JD01]

Armistice - its Friday so I'm working at home and have this on proper monitors.

This is really good. Like the song, like the mix.
I think the snare sounds really good, a bit elvis/springsteenish, but might be a touch loud.

[JD01]

When are you completing and compiling all the songs between Stalking Horse and this one? I want them!

[vomitHatSteve]

David, the snare is REALLY bright, forward and a little L of centre.
Mayhap the cleaner low mids has made this seem more prominent.
Everything but the snare so9uonds good to me.

That's the big nit that stuck out to me. It's not too bad, but when the vox, snare, and guitar are all in sync, the guitars are distinctly buried.

I like it tho.

Your lead vocals are very crisp on this one. Harmonies are pretty.
Bass tone is nice.

[musicturtle]

I have only heard a few of your tunes, but I like this the best for sure. Really good song, really good delivery and a great arrangement. I agree with Bob and Steve that the harmonies are well done, just enough to know they are there but not distracting.

I will echo that the snare is a bit loud or bright but it's really a minor nit for me.

Very nice work.

[SweetDan]

...did some tidying up with the bass / low mids...

Very nice.

I'm curious to know what tasks you executed in the name of "tidying up". (I'm asking purely out of selfish reasons, since I want to steal borrow learn tips/tricks/techniques wherever I can get them to help me with my own work ...but hey, think of the educational value - everybody else might learn a thing or two as well.)

[WhiskeyJack]

(I'm asking purely out of selfish reasons, since I want to steal borrow learn tips/tricks/techniques wherever I can get them to help me with my own work

It is neither stealing, borrowing or otherwise. this is the exact reason why we are all clamored here with each other!

[Armistice]

David, the snare is REALLY bright, forward and a little L of centre.
Mayhap the cleaner low mids has made this seem more prominent.
Everything but the snare so9uonds good to me.

Is It Too Soon.mp3

Thanks ray - I figured out what I'd done - I was listening in the car on the way over to the GF's on Friday night and thought "Jeez!" I was mucking around with a stock ReaEQ EQ on the overheads and decided it had the effect described and I shouldn't apply it and then got distracted and left it on instead of off, and rendered and posted without listening - should just have deleted the damn thing.

Took the opportunity to just poke the snare down a little as well. Probably gone too far the other way now...

[Armistice]

Armistice - its Friday so I'm working at home and have this on proper monitors.

This is really good. Like the song, like the mix.
I think the snare sounds really good, a bit elvis/springsteenish, but might be a touch loud.

Ta JD - now addressed, I hope. 3rd take above.

In terms of the songs, this is #10, I have one more to do and then I intend putting them on an album - I'm still sorting through them and working out order and nudging things here and there as I listen to them in sequence - to try and get a coherent feel across the batch. So they're all finished, and none of them are, so to speak.

I have spent hours and hours on snare drums! Fucking things will be the death of me. Happy to post dropbox links for you but the mixes will still probably change a little bit - but mainly we're talking at a mastering level now.

At some point as well I'll put the entire thing up and see if anyone has any last comments re. order, EQ, volume etc. And then I'll have to remember how to make a proper album. Been a while.

Current thinking on track order is:
Stalking Horse
Sore Winner
Sometime Soon
Goodbye Mr Pills
Choose Your Weapons
Forgetting
Is It Too Soon?
Whirlwind
Are You Listening?
Isn't it A Shame?
New track I haven't written yet....

I've posted most of those here at one stage or another.

[Armistice]

David, the snare is REALLY bright, forward and a little L of centre.
Mayhap the cleaner low mids has made this seem more prominent.
Everything but the snare so9uonds good to me.

That's the big nit that stuck out to me. It's not too bad, but when the vox, snare, and guitar are all in sync, the guitars are distinctly buried.

I like it tho.

Your lead vocals are very crisp on this one. Harmonies are pretty.
Bass tone is nice.

Cheers VHS - have "fixed" the snare.

[Armistice]

...did some tidying up with the bass / low mids...

Very nice.

I'm curious to know what tasks you executed in the name of "tidying up". (I'm asking purely out of selfish reasons, since I want to steal borrow learn tips/tricks/techniques wherever I can get them to help me with my own work ...but hey, think of the educational value - everybody else might learn a thing or two as well.)

Hey, we all grab ideas from each other - you're not stealing anything from me that the guys here didn't teach me...

I was forever getting told to do a bit of gentle scooping around 300Hz - usually because I used a lot of guitars - these tracks I'm doing now are simpler in construction and I tend to get the guitars pretty close at the start, but I've found doing the same thing on the bass and the lead vocal gives the thing more clarity - plus I nudged the HPF on the bass up about 10Hz and mucked around with the same thing on the lead vocal. As I have a deep voice, there's always stuff fighting each other there. So a bit on the tracks and then a bit more on the mastering EQ is what I did .

[Armistice]

I have only heard a few of your tunes, but I like this the best for sure. Really good song, really good delivery and a great arrangement. I agree with Bob and Steve that the harmonies are well done, just enough to know they are there but not distracting.

I will echo that the snare is a bit loud or bright but it's really a minor nit for me.

Very nice work.

Thanks mr turtle - there's a new mix with a better snare, somewhere up there ^^^