A Fresh One while the others slowly putrify

[rayc]

i started this on 31/12/21 and replaced most of the tracks today, 01/01/22.
It's not a resolution, dissolution or a solution.

Drums On Demand multitracks...problematic too as the snare is at 1.30 on the clock in the OHs and trying to set the snare track centre is less than nice as it has a terrible ring to it.
The kick has a "papery" tone to it which was also a bit of a hassle.
Guitars are only a draft at present as I wasn't able to make NOISE today

ANYWAY...
DOD recorded at 104 but played back at 130 for this.
Vantage bass through BDI21
Squire mustang through an ACTONE then Spring Reverb pedal.
Greg's cabs added.

newyearish.mp3

I've addressed the transient by retracking the chorus bass...using fingers rather than pick. I tried transient shapers n comp but nothing really worked so retracking was the way to go.
I can't work out whether it's early Cure, Mid Echo & the Bunnymen or sloppy Joy Division.


Some slight refinement of the arrangement. I should call this TWOFAH as every phrase is played twice before moving on to the next one.


"Melody" and lyric - def a song in search of a voice...


THIS has AMP stuff...


THIS ONE has amps and pedals and even a Tele clone...
Vocals are more or less sorted in terms of phrasing and "melody" BUT in desperate need of a voice.


TWEAKING the backing as well as working on my vocal tracking process...these vocals will be replaced by a real singer.

A fairly sorted mix with my temp vocals a little better placed...

A Perfect Stranger 250222.mp3

A light hearted narrative about the perils of becoming too well prepared.

Killing A Perfect Stranger
V1
I'll do the research
I'll find someone
I'll chose the target
I'll buy the gun
pc1
This isn't dogma
Or prejudice
It's simple logic
Not hit or miss
c1
A perfect crime
No personal danger
Just me Killing
A Perfect Stranger
V2
I did the research
I found the one
I chose the target
I bought the gun
pc2
This isn't madness
Or consequence
It's my expression
Not hit or miss
c2
A perfect time
No Texas Ranger
Just me Killing
A Perfect Stranger
V3
I've found a target
I've mapped their day
I've filmed their movements
I've planned my way
c3
A perfect crime
Tracked social media
Passed in the street
A Perfect Stranger
c4
A perfect crime
No personal danger
Just me Killing
A Perfect Stranger
c5
My target's in
No personal danger
They are No longer
A Perfect Stranger

Start again.

[CrowsofFritz]

This sounds fun! I really like it. Something has a transient that’s almost like drums in the beginning. I think it’s the bass being strummed too hard.

[rayc]

Thanks @CrowsofFritz ,
There's a thump on a muted E string in the bass part through the choruses. I haven't worked out how to play the part without the E string involved yet.

[TripleM]

I listened to about half of the first mix for reference, and then went to newyearish0501revox.

I kind of liked the kick sound. I didn't care as much for the snare sound myself. The hats are a little loud. They sounds cool, but just a bit loud.

I like the tone on the main rhythm guitar. In fact, I like the sound of all the guitar parts.

Bass sounds just a little bit sterile - like it's missing low-midrange. Like the 300hz-600hz octave.

Tough to make out the lyrics.

Pretty heavy reverb. Cool sounding verb. I might back it off a db or three.

[Alison]

Damn, that's creepy!! Not sure I want to meet up with you in a dark alley! Where do you get these ideas?

It's actually an awesome song. I love how you put your mind into the thoughts of a killer. . .well done!

My only thought on the recording is the snare. Because of the context of the song, I'm hearing more of a crack than a thud. . .but, that's just me.
You amaze me with your lyrics and content.

[rayc]

I listened to about half of the first mix for reference, and then went to newyearish0501revox.

I kind of liked the kick sound. I didn't care as much for the snare sound myself. The hats are a little loud. They sounds cool, but just a bit loud.

I like the tone on the main rhythm guitar. In fact, I like the sound of all the guitar parts.

Bass sounds just a little bit sterile - like it's missing low-midrange. Like the 300hz-600hz octave.

Tough to make out the lyrics.

Pretty heavy reverb. Cool sounding verb. I might back it off a db or three.

MMM,
thanks, I'm only slowly getting sorted with the drum mix...it's been a while.
Bass, yes, I'll work on that...I had to retrack several times becasue of the chorus drone E and may have over done my attempts to address it.
Vocal is purely a place holder. I've found someone to sing it so it'll be worth raising level when it's done.

[rayc]

Damn, that's creepy!! Not sure I want to meet up with you in a dark alley! Where do you get these ideas?

It's actually an awesome song. I love how you put your mind into the thoughts of a killer. . .well done!

My only thought on the recording is the snare. Because of the context of the song, I'm hearing more of a crack than a thud. . .but, that's just me.
You amaze me with your lyrics and content.

Creepy but also dumb...particularly the ending.
Dark ideas come to me as I lie awake, (at 3am usually).
In my darkened cell,
brick walls n door.
Sounds of dripping water
and roaches on the floor.
The voices tell me
till I can resist no more.
Dark thoughts come to me
as I lie awake.

[Alison]

Damn, that's creepy!! Not sure I want to meet up with you in a dark alley! Where do you get these ideas?

It's actually an awesome song. I love how you put your mind into the thoughts of a killer. . .well done!

My only thought on the recording is the snare. Because of the context of the song, I'm hearing more of a crack than a thud. . .but, that's just me.
You amaze me with your lyrics and content.

Creepy but also dumb...particularly the ending.
Dark ideas come to me as I lie awake, (at 3am usually).
In my darkened cell,
brick walls n door.
Sounds of dripping water
and roaches on the floor.
The voices tell me
till I can resist no more.
Dark thoughts come to me
as I lie awake.

Damn! that's poetic and pretty dark, Alfred Tennyson-ish. The mind is an open vault. . . .

[rayc]

Creepy but also dumb...particularly the ending.
Dark ideas come to me as I lie awake, (at 3am usually).
In my darkened cell,
brick walls n door.
Sounds of dripping water
and roaches on the floor.
The voices tell me
till I can resist no more.
Dark thoughts come to me
as I lie awake.

Damn! that's poetic and pretty dark, Alfred Tennyson-ish. The mind is an open vault. . . .

Nah, that's just the sort of stuff that dribbles out of my finger tips at any given moment. Just an example of the quick n easy I use for writing lyrics. The lyrics for the song above were a 10 minutes session except for the last stanza...I wasn't sure how I wanted to end it - the classic stranger is no longer stranger or something less dorky but I decided on dorky when it came time to "sing".

[rayc]

UPDATED

[JD01]

This is really good too, Ray. Would be nice is Ian McCulloch was singing but, hey ho.

You've made some really interesting choices on the guitar sounds on this, the way they're layered is really good.
It occasionally sounds like there's a fuzzed out guitar in the background, but its barely there - you could bring that up and make more of a feature of it.
I like it when the extra track of vocals with the distortion comes in, would be better if you didn't double track it generally though.

[rayc]

This is really good too, Ray. Would be nice is Ian McCulloch was singing but, hey ho.

You've made some really interesting choices on the guitar sounds on this, the way they're layered is really good.
It occasionally sounds like there's a fuzzed out guitar in the background, but its barely there - you could bring that up and make more of a feature of it.
I like it when the extra track of vocals with the distortion comes in, would be better if you didn't double track it generally though.

Thanks James,
I've upped the fuzzy guitar where I can.
I've comped the vocals to one lead and two accent/bvox.