A Kinks Cover - Mountain Woman

[Tadpui]

This is one of my very favorite songs, and since Minerman has been on my mind so much lately I figured I'd give this Appalachian tale a try as a straight cover. Of course, no offense meant by the not-so-subtle refrains about the main characters being uneducated. Hopefully it comes off as fun and not derogatory.

I don't think I've ever done a straight-up cover before, so this has been an interesting process. I've tried a bunch of new stuff for this project (most of which was discarded, but good learning). The main point of interest is that I recorded some of the parts "on location" in my cavernous living room to capture its ambiance. I keep changing my mind on whether the mix is a total mess, or appropriately retro.

Please forgive the vocals, they're bound for retracking. I'm still trying out different microphones to see what fits. One of these days I'll get a comfortable take of the lead vocal.

Does anybody out there have a good Hammond B3 sound that they'd be willing to add? That's the one element that I couldn't find in my own toolbox that the mix needs. None of my organ samples have the right sound and I don't know enough about how the drawbars work to shape up any of the freebie B3s that I've found.

Mountain Woman Mixdown.mp3

[rayc]

Your vocal does a great Ray Davies lilt.
The mix is retro cool.
The freebie B3s are VERY confusing: too many options.
Very enjoyable.

[Lt. Bob]

sounds good as is actually .... well done!

[TripleM]

I like the main rhythm guitar sound a lot. Very tight tone.

Vocals sound real nice.

Kick might be a bit loud. But that's about the only thing I'd change.

[paulman]

This sounds really cool. I love the guitars, and the clarity of everything. Fun track!

[Tadpui]

Your vocal does a great Ray Davies lilt.
The mix is retro cool.
The freebie B3s are VERY confusing: too many options.
Very enjoyable.

Thanks Ray! Oh man, I'm not sure why the B3 is such a mystery to me, but I can't seem to coax a good sound out of one. And none of the presets sound even close to the organ in the original. Maybe it's not a B3, but that's the only specific organ I've seen mentioned alongside their album credits from this era. I'm just assuming it's a B3, maybe I'm wrong. Anyways, thanks for the ears!

sounds good as is actually .... well done!

Hey thanks a bunch Lt.! I think I'll edit a couple of annoyances and take a few more stabs at the vocals and I'll be happier with it.

I like the main rhythm guitar sound a lot. Very tight tone.

Vocals sound real nice.

Kick might be a bit loud. But that's about the only thing I'd change.

Thanks for the listen, Trip! I totally agree about the kick. The "thwap" is unfortunately baked into the overheads (Glyn Johns setup with two Fatheads). I tried a few different positions, but apparently I just smack the crap out of the kick when I play. I might go in with a narrow Q and see if I can tame it a bit with an EQ.

This sounds really cool. I love the guitars, and the clarity of everything. Fun track!

Thanks Paul! The guitars were a bit of an experiment for me. The main one is a Telecaster into an OCD then a TS9 with the drive all the way down, then into a Deluxe Reverb. I stuck a ribbon mic up close, then another one way back and way up high and put a baffle in between them. The close mic is on the left, room mic is on the right. Then another guitar on the right playing just the stabs and twangy chorus part. I have to admit, I like how they turned out. And I'm looking forward to improving on this kind of setup in the future. Hopefully I don't piss off my neighbors in the process

[Bubba]

I think this is well-performed and a good mix generally. I like how you've gone for your real room ambience on the drums and done your best with it. I actually really like the snare sound - it's excellent for this. You've really captured the character of the drum.

If I remember correctly, you bought a kit and have been teaching yourself to play, am I right? I think you've done very well, but the drum EQ needs some help I think, as it is pretty boxy. I'm wondering how you EQ your overheads. This is an example of how I tend to EQ mine, I wonder if it would be any help to you? If you find that your Bass drum seems to lose something with this EQ, try flipping the phase of it.
.

OH EQ.png

[WhiskeyJack]

Dude. This is a fantastic track man. You captured a vibe and went with it. A really great tribute as well. That guitar tone is something else too. Fantastic capture. Your vocal performance was also noteworthy tad. you have a great voice dude.

I can kind of hear what bubbs is saying about the drums but i do not think it is too offensive. If anything the boxyness lends itself well to the vibe of the song. that classic rock tight closed jam sound.

Homerun right here.

[Tadpui]

I think this is well-performed and a good mix generally. I like how you've gone for your real room ambience on the drums and done your best with it. I actually really like the snare sound - it's excellent for this. You've really captured the character of the drum.

If I remember correctly, you bought a kit and have been teaching yourself to play, am I right? I think you've done very well, but the drum EQ needs some help I think, as it is pretty boxy. I'm wondering how you EQ your overheads. This is an example of how I tend to EQ mine, I wonder if it would be any help to you? If you find that your Bass drum seems to lose something with this EQ, try flipping the phase of it.

Indeed, I'm a totally untrained person who owns a drum kit. I can hardly call myself a drummer

Thanks for the tips man. I think that the boxiness is probably 50/50 my fault and just the character of those mics. They're Cascade Fatheads, in a 4-mic Glyn Johns setup. I'm so accustomed to spot-miking everything that I couldn't quite figure out what to do with the overheads to help fill in. So I ended up scooping out a few dB of the mud and hi-passing at 50 Hz. They sounded truly dreadful at first, then I got rid of the mud and it was a whole new sound! Maybe I went too far? The end result doesn't look terribly different from yours, I'm just not boosting the lows:

Overhead EQ.JPG

I'll fiddle with the EQ a bit more and see if I can get rid of some of the boxiness, and that might get rid of some of the excessive kick smack in the process.

Thanks again!

Dude. This is a fantastic track man. You captured a vibe and went with it. A really great tribute as well. That guitar tone is something else too. Fantastic capture. Your vocal performance was also noteworthy tad. you have a great voice dude.

I can kind of hear what bubbs is saying about the drums but i do not think it is too offensive. If anything the boxyness lends itself well to the vibe of the song. that classic rock tight closed jam sound.

Homerun right here.

Awww, thanks Shan I really appreciate it. I'll go down swinging in disagreement about my voice, but I truly appreciate it nonetheless. I think that the guitar sound was my biggest surprise and pleasure out of the whole ordeal. It has some of that same boxiness of the drums that I could do better on, but the bite and room really make me happy. I'll be sure to refine the technique in the future, but I like the potential. Thanks again man

[Bubba]

Indeed, I'm a totally untrained person who owns a drum kit. I can hardly call myself a drummer

Thanks for the tips man. I think that the boxiness is probably 50/50 my fault and just the character of those mics. They're Cascade Fatheads, in a 4-mic Glyn Johns setup. I'm so accustomed to spot-miking everything that I couldn't quite figure out what to do with the overheads to help fill in. So I ended up scooping out a few dB of the mud and hi-passing at 50 Hz. They sounded truly dreadful at first, then I got rid of the mud and it was a whole new sound! Maybe I went too far? The end result doesn't look terribly different from yours, I'm just not boosting the lows:

Overhead EQ.JPG

The technique of really boosting the lows in overheads is one I picked up from a friend of mine who runs a fairly successful small studio. He in turn got it from a mixing course/seminar he paid for with a well-known producer whose name I can't recall just now. I'll get back to you on that.
Try it, I think you'll be pleasantly surprised. It looks a little extreme I know, but you don't have to be timid with EQ. You can always put it back if it doesn't work for you.

I would hi pass at 30 Hz, by the way. There is still a hell of a lot of useful low content at 50.

[vomitHatSteve]

If I remember correctly, you bought a kit and have been teaching yourself to play, am I right? I think you've done very well, but the drum EQ needs some help I think, as it is pretty boxy. I'm wondering how you EQ your overheads. This is an example of how I tend to EQ mine, I wonder if it would be any help to you? If you find that your Bass drum seems to lose something with this EQ, try flipping the phase of it.
.
OH EQ.png

That's the major thing I noticed too. It's a cool sound for the drum kit, but it's much darker than the rest of the mix, so doesn't really sit correctly.

[JD01]

Right from the off, the guitar sounds ace!
I think the drumming sounds great, but the overall drum sound is a bit dark and boxy and the kick is a bit dominating - it also seems to be a bit off to the right. Is that correct, weird.

Excellent vocal performance/capture and mix!

Really good mix though, Tad. Love it.

[Tadpui]

That's the major thing I noticed too. It's a cool sound for the drum kit, but it's much darker than the rest of the mix, so doesn't really sit correctly.

Cool, thanks for the input Steve. Is the drums overall that are too dark, or just the kick that you're referring to?

I think that during my "tryouts" for different mics and positions for the overheads I'd initially boosted the highs a bit as well as cut out the mud. I don't think that I did that in this most recent track, so I'll go back and see. Thanks again!

Right from the off, the guitar sounds ace!
I think the drumming sounds great, but the overall drum sound is a bit dark and boxy and the kick is a bit dominating - it also seems to be a bit off to the right. Is that correct, weird.

Excellent vocal performance/capture and mix!

Really good mix though, Tad. Love it.

Thanks JD! Yeah, that kick is out of control. The right overhead picked it up considerably more than the left, so it leans that way. I even brought the stereo spread of the overheads in to 50% to help minimize that effect. But yeah, it still leans over to the right.

I was trying a couple of new things with the guitar, I'm so glad that it turned out well! I think it's a little boxy as well so I'll dial that back when I get back into this mix. Thanks a bunch for the listen, man!

[Greg_L]

I like this. Very good guitars. Drums are a little boxy but it fits the style. I don't think the boxiness is so bad. To me it only stands out because the guitars and vocals are so nice and clean. If they had a little "dirt" on them the drums would fit right in.

[Armistice]

Sorry, Tad, I listened to this originally but just as I was writing something I got called away and never got back to it.

Nice tunage - and I'm surprised I'd never actually heard it before - it all sounds very nicely played and put together. I think the drums work pretty well as they are in a song from that era.

Not sure I've heard you post an actual song before...

[Alison]

I love this! I can actually hear the lyrics! (Yes, I am old. . . I like hearing the lyrics.) Nice cover, really like it!

[Tadpui]

I like this. Very good guitars. Drums are a little boxy but it fits the style. I don't think the boxiness is so bad. To me it only stands out because the guitars and vocals are so nice and clean. If they had a little "dirt" on them the drums would fit right in.

Thanks Greg! Yeah, the drums were kind of iffy from the get-go. I was trying a few new things, and I need to work on them all. It was Glyn Johns with two ribbon mics as the overheads, and it was in the big ambient living room of our house. I might be able to salvage this take with some EQ, so I'll see how it goes once I can stand to listen to this mix again hahaha.

I seriously tried 5 different vocal mics to try to get something to fit. This was with my CV-12, and I agree it's too "clean" for the context. An SM57 was actually an early favorite but I had some troubles getting it to sit right. I think I'm going to go back and try it again with a few tweaks. I think it sounds the most appropriate for the old-school vibe I'm feebly attempting.

Sorry, Tad, I listened to this originally but just as I was writing something I got called away and never got back to it.

Nice tunage - and I'm surprised I'd never actually heard it before - it all sounds very nicely played and put together. I think the drums work pretty well as they are in a song from that era.

Not sure I've heard you post an actual song before...

Hey thanks Armi! Yeah, I've gotten kind of weird about posting songs over the last several years. Plus I never finish anything to the point where I want other people to hear it I think that most of what I've posted here has been in the recording challenge threads.

I tell ya what, if the Kinks' Muswell Hillbillies was a cassette tape, I would have worn it out over the last few years. I'm just addicted to that alum, I listen to it all of the time. This was a bonus track from the particular album that I have, and it's just such a perfect cherry on top of that album that I've been enamored with it for quite a while now.

Thanks for the listen man, it's much appreciated.

I love this! I can actually hear the lyrics! (Yes, I am old. . . I like hearing the lyrics.) Nice cover, really like it!

Thanks so much! Yeah, my wife is a classically trained vocalist and a life-long choir nerd. Needless to say, she wants to hear the vocals above all.
She has convinced me over the years to turn up the vocals in my mixes beyond where I would have put them without her egging me on. Like most other non-vocalist home recorders, I really don't like my singing voice so my tendency is to bury the vocals in the mix. I've been trying to embrace my not-great vocals for years now and I think that I'm finally (almost) comfortable with just letting them hang out there, loud and proud, warts and all.