AmajAgain featuring Bubba on solo.

[rayc]

This one was almost finished when I had to pack up my DAW 20 days ago.
It's been, basically, ready since September last year but there was a local bloke keen to play the solo...fast forward to April and he hadn't found the time so I appealed for help & @Bubba offered.
Here's a mix with Bubba's part fairly settled in.
I didn't do any mixing because I only set up the DAW this morning and the room is new, bright and also still full of boxes.
I will get the room sorted and try/apply any suggestions you folk make.
Thoughts/Suggestions?

AmajMay25.mp3

Distortion gone from organ...organ raised a little & guitars pulled back a touch.
Vocals are a little clearer.

As above BUT with a notch in the low end of the guitars to allow the bass some more space (?).

This one has the guitars thinned, ( I had a couple of tracks playing open chord all through to give the minor chords their full voice).

A little more hihat, organ direct to stereo bus so it's not mushed in with guitars, verse noodle and vocal have a TINY bit of reverb this time - previously there was none.

FINISHED & MASTERED

OR tweaked only by the MP3 converter...

MST Ama Jun 16.mp3

[vomitHatSteve]

There's some kind of ugly, high-end distortion happening. It seems to be largely keying off the organ. Is it on the organ itself, or is the mix clipping?

What are the bgvox doing in the chorus? I can hear consonant transients, but I can't make out what they're doing specifically. Harmony or doubling? I think some harmony could sound good there.

[WhiskeyJack]

Cool song ray! Feels like it has been forever since i have heard your voice! Sounds awesome! I like your vocal melody you got going on there. I forgot how far you have come with those.

I agree with VHS, those organs are mega nasty at the start. They sound really distorted. Do you have some sort of effect on it. I find it doesn't add much to it and it just comes in and out of the mix like a bunch of fizzy sizzle here and there. It really conflicts with bubbs solo too. I'd like to hear a little less guitar and a little more organs if they were smoothed out more even and less distorted. I could get a better idea of whats going on.

I think i have heard this before actually that weird chord construction at 0:54-0:55 sounds really familiar.

[rayc]

Thanks @vomitHatSteve and @WhiskeyJack the organ has a tube screamer on it...I will remove it and lift the organ level a bit while reducing the grouped guitars.
The bvox are mainly unison but harmonize at the end of the verse & chorus.
I did post this previously when asking for a lead player.
Bubba did mention that I had an odd interval in there.
Here's the chord chart...the chords are pretty linear in their progression and simply describe the Amaj scale but don't follow the chord "rules" - think of them as a bass part and it makes sense.

Amajagin chords.png

[TripleM]

Cool vibe. The guitars sound good to me.

I hear the high end ugly stuff, but fortunately it's back in the mix. Wouldn't hurt to retrack tho.

The vocals are a little buried behind the guitars. A pitchy spot or two. A double tracked vocal would be cool on this.

They cymbals are a little swishy in spots. The snare sounds good. But to me it should be up higher in the mix.

I might take some of the low end from the guitars and turn up the bass a little.

[rayc]

@TripleM
Wouldn't hurt to retrack tho.

Retrack which?

The vocals are a little buried behind the guitars.

I THINK I've addressed this.

A pitchy spot or two. A double tracked vocal would be cool on this.

Sorry it's as in tune as I can manage to make it. - I've been roundly advised not to DT as I'm rather poor at it.

They cymbals are a little swishy in spots. The snare sounds good. But to me it should be up higher in the mix.

Sadly it's a stereo file so I can only EQ spots to alter the drums

I might take some of the low end from the guitars and turn up the bass a little.

I'll give that a whirl.

[TripleM]

Sorry - when I was mentioning retracking, I was talking about the synth with the high end stuff everyone was mentioning. Or if it's MIDI, change the sound. Just an idea.

[Greg_L]

3rd mix...I think it's pretty good. I'd like a bit better separation between the organ and guitars. They're kind of mashed into one wash of sound. I also think the vocal melody is a little....I don't want to say "lazy", but yeah kind of lazy. It just follows the chord changes. But I can hear it pretty clearly so it's in the mix pretty well. I don't really like the seashell kind of treatment but it's not too bad as I can still mostly make out the words. I like your delivery. Your vocals are coming along. Good job on @Bubba fitting a nice melodic lead line in there.

[vomitHatSteve]

Yeah, the ugly distortion seems pretty well cleared up.

[TripleM]

the May 26 mix was an improvement and the May 26b was another improvement. I liked the last one.

[rayc]

@Greg_L ,
The guitars and organ should sound more separated now there're fewer guitars playing, (there's an open chord guitar in the verses becasue I'd gone for several minor chords there), if not I'll rout the organ direct to the stereo bus.
Vocals - yeah...but it is me. I've tried to add some passing notes in there plus variation at the end of phrases It's one thing to sketch out a melody - even with a midi instrument - but another entirely for me to actually sing it. The seashell thing...I don't know what that is - there's compression, a bit of saturation bottom end cut and the tiniest bit of reverb on them. I'll try cutting the reverb next.
@vomitHatSteve, thanks for confirming that.
@TripleM , Thank you: progress, however incremental, is progress.

[JD01]

Weird - I thought I'd commented on this before - I remember the distorted organs. In any case, they're gone now.

One thing I noticed listening to this again. Its actually bit of a relief then the main beat moves from the toms to the hi-hat. I think its 'cos the guitars are quite thick and there's that organ in there too so it all get a bit like one bit noise.

[rayc]

I think its 'cos the guitars are quite thick...

Thanks James, is that version 4 above with the fewer guitars? I'll listen for the change and suss out some accentuation of the relief.

[JD01]

Yeah. Version 4

[rayc]

Yeah. Version 4

Thanks James, I've upped the hihat slightly for added relief.

[stratmonkee]

Listened to the May27th more organ mix...Like the organ...this gives me a early Syd Barret Pink Floyd vibe. There is a sound or note coming out of my right speaker...not out of tune or anything, just don't know what the heck it is:>) but it sticks out every 8 beats or so ?
Cool tune !!

[rayc]

Hello Folks,
I've employed, or at least tried, all suggestions, even the one about more melody, (THAT was hard and only slight changes were successful - at least I'm not singing the root for most of it).
Here's the mastered version...

[JD01]

Ray - I think this sounds good. You've even added in a bunch of vocal harmonies.

[vomitHatSteve]

Do you have some tuning or vocoder effects on the lead vox, or is that just them interacting with the organ?

The harmonies sound good here.

[CrowsofFritz]

VERY nice, Ray. This may be one of my favorites you’ve done. I can’t nitpick a single thing.