This is the final track of the multi-talented Ben Watson’s 18 month CD project.
I developed a new technique for processing piano which I am calling ‘high passing the crap out of it’. I couldn’t get the piano to sit into the mix but I found that decimating it via a 750Hz high pass filter got rid of the undesirable stuff while still managing to sound like a piano (in the mix). You heard it here first folks.
Hmm… I experimented a bit with this. I downloaded it from Dropbox, then tried uploading it too - same result. So I took the file down to 256kb/s & it worked. It seems the 11.6mb file size at 320kb/s is the problem. @holster , it seems the 30mb limit isn’t working as advertised.
Awesome production and mix AJ! That panning bass at the first break sets up some high expectations and you sure do deliver the rest of the way thru. The trumpet imaging is brilliant, too.
Very tiny nitpics:
The drums, maybe mainly the snare, seems to be hitting a bit harder at the very beginning of the tune than the very end. The middle is perfect. Maybe a db or 2 off the beginning and add it to the end. Or it might just need a db or 2 of 100hz(or 200) out in the beginning and a 1db ride on the whole kit on the way out.
But again it stand up on its own as-is. Excellent work!
have fun
rich
Can’t listen to it properly now, but I had a quick listen this morning when fiddling with the upload. Sounds very good as usual…
My immediate impression was that the cymbals and the high end of the guitar were quite subdued. Pushing those a little harder would give the who thing a lttle more excitement IMO.
[quote=“rjwillow, post:8, topic:845”]
Maybe a db or 2 off the beginning and add it to the end.
[/quote]Heh, that’s done already - maybe it needs a little more. Interestingly, it’s actually not hitting harder at the front, I guess it sounds louder because there’s less instrumentation.
The trumpets are six layers of one girl playing the same line, panned out across the stereo image, and combined with a VI brass section.
For anyone who’s interested the guitars are from a Blackstar 5 watt head - emulated out.
Thank you for your input. That’s the first time I have been commended for my production - I’ll take it!
It strikes me as sounding a bit like a toy piano, or maybe that’s also the attack/sustain/timbre of the piano sound you used. No matter, it DOES fit in the mix nicely that way, and is an interesting way to present that melody. It reminds me a bit of using LoFi instruments for effect. Very cool song!
I also like that panned bass effect leading to the rocking part. That seems so low-passed as to create an odd and interesting effect too. A little bit of phase-shifter on there too? Did you play any bass and guitars on this?
I tried a phaser but it didn’t do what I wanted it to do. The main ‘shifting’ effect is down to an auto pan filter preset. I didn’t play anything on this track, Ben played all guitars, including bass, and keyboards, and he sang all vocals. Paul Mendham of Salem supplied the drums.
