Construction Paper Heart - 80s Magazine rack

[musicturtle]

Last mix is good Ray. Really like the ping pong guitar part while the bass follows the rhythm but stays at home in the middle. Bass drum and snare are a little "boomy" for my taste on this tune but overall nice work.

[SweetDan]

(Sorry I'm late to the party...)

First, I listened to most of the mix versions, and I really like how the bass has turned out. Starting with the changes in the 20181905 track, that bass is magic!

Second, upthread it has been mentioned it's a bit noisy and drowning in reverb. I'm unfamiliar with the singer/band you mention, so I went looking around youtube and listened to some of his / Magazine's tunes. I think you could stand to use a bit less reverb on your drums, and it would still fit the style. (Some examples I'm comparing: Luxuria - "Redneck", Magazine - "Cut Out Shapes") If you have it on a separate track, though, keep the current amount of reverb on the snare (or even give the snare a touch more 'verb).

I do like the phase-y/wash-y chords in the background. That's a neat effect, and I'm curious if you'd share what you did to get them to sound like they're so far back in the mix.

The double-tracked the vocal is a bit challenging. There are enough places where the two vocals don't sync up, especially on consonants, and that's distracting. It does strengthen the vocal, though, where it is synced up, so it could be worth pursuing, either with editing (sliding things around in one or the other of the vocal tracks), comping, or re-tracking.

Finally, I'm impressed with the lyrics. As I listened through early versions of the mix, I was listening to the production and mix elements of the song, and glossed over the meaning of the words. But on my last pass through, listening to the double-tracked vocals, I read the words as I listened...I like!

[rayc]

Last mix is good Ray. Really like the ping pong guitar part while the bass follows the rhythm but stays at home in the middle. Bass drum and snare are a little "boomy" for my taste on this tune but overall nice work.

Thanks Tony. I'll work on the drums for the next mix - they are a stereo track but it should be easy enough to work on the bottom end.

[rayc]

Starting with the changes in the 20181905 track, that bass is magic!
I think you could stand to use a bit less reverb on your drums, and it would still fit the style.

I do like the phase-y/wash-y chords in the background.

The double-tracked the vocal is a bit challenging. .

Finally, I'm impressed with the lyrics.

SD,
thanks for listening so thoroughly mate.
The bass is a combo of two tracks - the verse is through a BDI21 the chorus is an ancient mid 80s FX unit sans reverb and the intro is both. I'd forgotten how good the unit for bass - it provided most of the effects on this track. It has rubbish distortion though.
I THINK the sound you're referring to is the one that is constant. That's an effect on the same machine a Yamaha FX500 which I've had since new (gift from the wife - I wanted a flanger & she spent $500+ to get me this...FX500) The preset is called Soft Focus and is VERY popular with fans of Shoegaze music - I tweaked it a bit more then double tracked the stereo effect. If you're interested in getting some of that sound you can send me a .wav file & I'll run it through the machine & send you the results.
I was recently given the upgraded version by a relative FX900 & it has a few extra FX plus a stereo in option but I like the 500 more - probably because I know it better.
I can't sing as is obvious. I was going to do some slippy slidey editing today but had a brain pain so avoided the aggravation. I'll get to it if no one volunteers to sing the thing.
The lyrics: I write as a misanthrope, for similar check out the song musicturtle, JDOD and I did recently (Leave the Bed) Untried -but am, actually, a fairly happy person. Weird eh?
Again, thanks for the detail. I'll deal with boom and reverb for the next mix.
[BBvideo=560,315]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cz_-X42wTJA[/BBvideo]
[BBvideo=560,315]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Atp6ZvzUNsg[/BBvideo]
This might be useful for you...
[BBvideo=560,315]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=06I_DMU24iI[/BBvideo]
The fellow in the last vid used these VSTs:
Audiomulch as the host
Klanghelm's DC8C compressor
Longsound.de's Microverb plugin
SDelay (native Audiomulch plugin)
Valhalla Space Modulator (free to owners of Valhalla plugins)
All the relevant settings for the FX500 Soft Focus sound can be found in the manual (easily found online).
Imagine something like thisL
compressor at the front --> reverb set for 3.4s of reverb, 100% wet --> delay plugin with 250ms left, 380ms right. Set for 72% feedback, 70% wet mix --> Symphonic chorus type sound adjusted to taste

[rayc]

I've followed the recommendations given which was to...
Cut some bottom end from the rhythm section
Cut some reverb from the drums &
Do a little slippy slidey with the vocals.
I'm struggling with a de esser at present but not too hard as I don't like my vocal at all.
It seems on one take, probably on Wednesday - the day i formally retired from the working world, I became an essy old man.

May20182605gd.mp3

[SweetDan]

This might be useful for you...

Yes; very informative. Thanks for linking those examples/explanations.

I've followed the recommendations given which was to...
Cut some bottom end from the rhythm section
Cut some reverb from the drums &
Do a little slippy slidey with the vocals.
...

Your new mix sounds good. Nice to have the distractions of imperfectly performed vocal doubles eliminated. Drums still sound appropriate for the genre (could you sneak in a touch more verb, just on the snare?). And there's more clarity overall now that some of the low/low-mid boominess was appropriately trimmed out. Nice!

[JD01]

This mix sounds pretty good now, Ray.
I've also just written a lead riff for the intro that I quite like

[rayc]

I've just been downstairs and had a look at the settings for the preset variation I used:
it's Compression -> EQ -> Delay -> Reverb -> Modulation
Compression:Threshold -40 rate 1:2 Attack 1.1 Level +15
EQ: Lo +2 Mid -5 MidFreq 1k Hi -6 Level 0
Reverb: Delay -> Reverb L Dly 250.0 R Dly 380 Feedback 72 L=R Delay mix balance 70% wet RVTime 3.4 RMX 100% wet Level 0
Modulation: Symphonic (sweep) Speed 5 Depth 75 Mix 55 Level +5
All of which should be available within a few basic plugins BUT I can't get my head around stereo delay or stereo reverb in Reaper's REA plugs let alone modulation.

[rayc]

This mix sounds pretty good now, Ray.
I've also just written a lead riff for the intro that I quite like

YAY,
Your guitar will really tidy it up. Pity about the vocals BUT someone may chime in before it's done.

[einstein magoo]

Rayc just a question. Is the high ringing feedback that appears here and there throughout a production choice? I don't know magazine and maybe it's part of achieving that sound. Nothing wrong with it, just curious if it is there on purpose. This is sounding better. I like your voice. I like all voices, they are each unique.

[rayc]

Is the high ringing feedback that appears here and there throughout a production choice?

einstein magoo,
At present it is. I quite like it but am not opposed to tempering or removing it if annoyance is caused.
It's a product of robustly striking the chords D & A through the Soft Focus effect of the Yamaha FX500. I did a run through that has it & one that was gentler & hasn't it.
As to my voice - I doubt as much effort has been put into managing two notes for quite some time.
Thanks for you thoughts and observations.

[rayc]

Rayc just a question. Is the high ringing feedback that appears here and there throughout a production choice?

einstein magoo,
Here's a mix with that feedback type freq notched out - it was a narrow Q of 0.08 and at about 1274Hz.
I don't know how I feel about it - I THINK I might miss it but I've become very used to it.
What do other folk think?

May20182805gd.mp3

[vomitHatSteve]

I can barely hear the difference, but I guess without it, the track sounds a little darker and less airy?

[rayc]

I can barely hear the difference, but I guess without it, the track sounds a little darker and less airy?

It's fairly clear in mix May20182605gd @ 1.23 - 1.34 - it seems to build up on the C to Em to D change in the chorus.
In the later version the "orchestra" line from my Mel9 fills the gap by becoming a little clearer.
Thanks for the feedback on the feedback.

[SweetDan]

Rayc just a question. Is the high ringing feedback that appears here and there throughout a production choice?

einstein magoo,
Here's a mix with that feedback type freq notched out - it was a narrow Q of 0.08 and at about 1274Hz.
I don't know how I feel about it - I THINK I might miss it but I've become very used to it.
What do other folk think?
May20182805gd.mp3

I listened to the relevant sections of each mix, and while it doesn't harm the song to leave it out, my vote is to leave it in.

[rayc]

I listened to the relevant sections of each mix, and while it doesn't harm the song to leave it out, my vote is to leave it in.

SD,
I agree - it's a little weird, it happens for a musical/physics/acoustic reason and it's not out of keeping with the rest of the noise employed.
I will, however, read and consider any nay sayers on the matter.

[vomitHatSteve]

Ohhhh! I totally misread that.

Yeah, I think it's a good addition to have it in.

[rayc]

Yeah, I think it's a good addition to have it in.

Thanks Steve,
I've reduced it by 1.5dB for the moment - just to listen and consider.
I definitely felt/heard it's absence but thought a tiny bit of taming might be worth the experiment so here is that attempt...

May20183105gd.mp3

[rayc]

Double post.

[rayc]

Probs editing - keeps throwing a quote.