This is not quite done yet. There’s a little more I want to add to the track. But it’s mostly done. (Also the song ends abruptly because it has a long, meandering ending that I don’t want to waste your time with. )
I’m having a hard time especially with the vocals. I have a feeling that they need more compression. Or maybe pre-fx volume automation? They are just coming out sort of harsh to me in some places. I’d like them to sit more evenly in the track. They’re too loud sometimes. When I add compression though there’s so much sibilance, even with my de-esser on max. I’m really sorry if I hurt your ears! Maybe I’m having EQ problems. I don’t know. Maybe the mix is too ambient. I don’t know I’m super burnt out on working on this right now, lol.
Hmm maybe I even just don’t like how I sang the song? Does it sound just crappy to you? I recorded the vocals today, and the air is super dry in the house and I’ve been coughing lately and my voice stopped behaving after just a short time. I tried standing in the bathroom with the shower running for a while, (for the steam) but it didn’t help for long. I have some other vocal takes I did last week that might be better. I just wanted more punchiness, but maybe it doesn’t suit the song.
Hi Christina - I’ll listen to your song later but I just wanted to tell you about sibilance. After reading this article I used the “snip” method on our collaboration tunes here on IRD and it works well I think. When you look at the tracks the esses are obvious and usually separate from other vocal sounds so it is easy to cut them out and put them on a separate track and eq them to taste there without affecting the rest of the vocal. I just look at a spectrum analyzer and they pop up at about 5K or so and you just hammer them with a bell shape and they fall into place. You might want to try this. We’ll post our collab tunes here later but sibilance has been a big problem for us.
I just played it for my wife, and she like this version less than this other one I was producing a couple of weeks ago. (The production isn’t totally filled in and it was just a WIP.) She loves the song though.
So this is that WIP v1 in case you’re curious:
I’m about ready to give up and just record myself playing it through in one take and call it done. I have spent a ridiculous amount of time trying to produce this song and it seems like anything I add to it just takes away from it. Good grief.
@Cristina
Lovely song… !!
Interesting, the two mixes are so very different… the first version I found the vocal a little far back in the mix but love its nuance and vibe - there is that emotional connect for me for sure!
The second mix has the vocal sitting nicely in the mix but somehow loses that translucent edge I was getting in the first version… hah… no idea why. The mix feels a little mushier… (??)
I understand how you feel with the numb ears, it can be so hard listening to yourself over and over.
I didn’t notice any particular sibilance, the bash-bits that caught my ears were guitar squeaks. LOVE that line/melodic phrase - “Rachel did you mean to set me on fire too….” passionate and lovely!
So YES and double YES for the song and the singing… I would step back from it for a day or two… there are some production thingies that you could play with some more, like just lowering the guitar volume a bit at the chorus words ‘blinded’ , perhaps volume automating some of the fret squeaks blah blah, those endless jobs that drive us crazy
There are some really lovely vocal tones in there… and that heart-connect vibe within the song, that can be very elusive to re-record. Well it is for me anyway. Sometimes you just have to play StepAwayFromTheMix…
I think I may have made things confusing with the mix order. The first one I posted is like… v2, and the second one I posted (with the flute solo in the middle, lol) is v1. So I’m wondering which one you mean by “first” and “second” mix. Did you mean that as in the order I posted them?
And thanks for your comments. Maybe I do need to step away… but I actually have to get this done very soon because the third episode of this game is coming out next week and I want to release my song before then, because it’s based on episode 2. The pressure!
I have only listened to the v2 of the song. I find that you are pushing the vocals and the guitar around the 2K area. So in order to get the vocals to cut through you push it up but then it is stepping on the guitar so you push that up but then… So in the end you get a spectral imbalance and an overly bright mix. So maybe start by pushing the acoutic guitar out of the center more. There are different approaches to do that (one way would be using L8R by boz digital) so pick the one you like. Then take away some of the 2k region in the guitar, maybe push somewhere around the 1K or 3K to keep the brightness if you like. After you have done that you can messy with the vocals to fit.
That is my thoughts at this point. I am liking the song. Thanks for sharing.
Ah you’re totally right about the 2k thing. The guitar was actually mic’d in stereo, and I have the two tracks panned about 2/3rd of the way to either side. (It just sounded better to me than hard panning.)
I had a little session with my wife sitting in and ended up taking out almost everything, haha. So I have to adjust the mix now. I think she’s right though. I just listen to all these really cool, highly produced songs out there and want my music to sound as cool. But I don’t think it’s my style.
I like the first one posted (so version2) better. The vocals don’t sound harsh at all to me in that mix and the sibilance sounds under control. Maybe even too under control. Overall nothing sounds harsh or bad in that one. The second mix (or first) just didn’t seem as polished and smooth as the other, which makes sense if it was an earlier mix. The singing sounds very good either way, definitely not crappy. Maybe a little automation or compression or both in spots if you think the vocals are jumping out, but it sounds good to me. I know you said you were worried about sibilance, but listening the first mix (v2) I think you may have de essed a little too much already and could afford to back off a little on the de esser.
I think I’m pretty happy with this one. I tried to make it less bright and get the sibilance at a good place. I hope it’s well balanced. What do you think? The production is much more stripped down. I’ll end up making a few more tweaks later and hopefully post the video tomorrow. Then I can relax and never make another song again. (As if I could resist, lol.)
Cool that is sounding better in that area. Now are some other ideas that popped into my head.
The kick could be bigger.
The vocal reverb could be eq’d a little off the top and bottom, but more important scoop out around the 2K. that will allow the same ambience while also giving the vocal a little more breathing room.
Please don’t give up on this, it is great. There are a couple of simple things to fix, like editing out the guitar noises in the chorus, and getting a consistent feel for the size and level on the drums. Other than that, it is very well done. The whole point to me is that the song and the performance compliment each other, and the sentiment comes through very well.
Hi I really love your voice. Guitar playing is very good. I’m sure it is just me, but I don’t think the drums are needed at all and I think the guitars could come down a bit. I am really only wanting to hear your vocal. It is that good:) i would even like it if somewhere the music stopped…you sang quietly for a bit …and the music would accompany again. Really stripped down. You are not a power singer and intimate would be the best??
btw Was it you I was going to send a AKG 414 to. My mind is not so good some times?? ha ha
This is a great song, well played and sung. I like version 3 the best, I think light percussion is OK but the kick drum is booming too much in my headphones. You could add a little string pad, cliched I know, but effective.
Thanks for the feedback! I posted my video late last night, and am going to put this song down for a while before I make any final adjustments. Then I’ll post back with a final version and maybe release it on DistroKid.
This worked really well! I always take some off the top and bottom (because it’s easy to do in Nectar,) but I haven’t tried creating an fx send and doing a manual EQ where I cut out specific frequencies.
)
The mix feels a little mushier… (??)
Did you mean that as in the order I posted them?