Something a little different - QOTSA/TCV-style Rock

Bash This Recording
#1

I decided to go the full razor blade route here to try to create a little bit of light and shade - It was actually a lot of fun…there are quite a few edits and mutes to change up the arrangement a bit. Let me know how it sounds! Thanks in advance for taking a listen and commenting.

Edit - New Mix:

1st Mix:

Oh… and by way of reference, here’s the preview mix given with the multi-track files:

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#2

I like it a lot. It’s rough but that’s good. Not sure about the drums though.

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#3

Thanks.

Oh…ok, so what aren’t you sure about?

#4

I listened quickly because of lack of time so I get first impressions which sometimes aren’t accurate or don’t stand up when listening more which I hope to do later. But my first impression was of a progressive musical vision with some basic conservative drums that didn’t add anything; just did their job. I always long for how Mitch Mitchell made Hendrix better but that’s an approach that can back fire so maybe these drums are exactly what’s needed?

I hope to listen more.

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#5

Oh, ok - I was unsure if you were referring to the drum sound, the performance, or both. Thanks for explaining.

#6

Love this production!!!
And the mix id great.
Maybe, @ingolee might be referring to the drum, to be a bit louder, drums can come down in the mix.
Love the guitar solo all over the song, especially the “solo verse”.
Vocals are excellent.
Well done!!!
Rene

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#7

Thanks to those who have listened and commented! I’ve revised the mix and made a few changes.

Here is the new mix:

Thanks Rene.

… so drums louder or softer?.. I’m really confused now

I thought the vocals were really good. The singer has a really nice husky tone that doesn’t really come across in the original mix. I would have found the mix to be much more of a chore if they were not so good.

Thanks for listening and commenting!

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#8

I agree with Ingo about the drums in the first mix, in this mix they seem tamed down and fit better.
The lyrics are great as usual. While I love your playing and mixing ability, it has always been the lyrical content that pulls me into your music.
Your age has allowed you to examine life and you are not afraid to comment on the acerbic taste that certain people/groups leave in your mouth. We need more music with social commentary.

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#9

Ok, I am the last person on this forum to who has the capacity to give a comment on a mix. I liked the original, but could not hear the vocal at all. So to me, the common sense balance that is critical is to easily hear both. Your second mix definitely accomplished that. I flipped back and forth to see if the background stuff was slightly lost, but couldn’t tell? Truth be told, at one point, I had all three playing at the same time… A senior thing. Looking forward to other comments. carry on

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#10

Dang! This one is so cool. A bit of a Stone Temple Pilots and Alice in Chains, but done in a way that grunge should’ve been back in the day. I always felt like a lot of those albums sounded too “polished” back then. This is a great mix that still has that proper (in my opinion) grunge vibe. :beerbanger:

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#11

Hi JayGee, thanks for taking a listen and commenting - I appreciate it. Just to be clear, this is not my song. The band is called “Neon Hornet”. It is a song from the Cambridge MT Multi-Track Library.

Thanks Paul, yes the vocal really deserved to be heard, I thought.

Thanks Bryan.

I think the thing to remember about original 90’s grunge is that it was coming straight off the back of a very glossy, highly produced late 80’s/early 90’s music scene. The record companies needed to find a way to “ease” listeners into a new sound that was already shocking to most at the time, so they pushed the polish as far as they could to make it more palatable to the public at the time.

When I heard this song, for me it immediately screamed “Queens of the Stone Age’s” “No One Knows”:

… and when I checked out the Cambridge Discussion Zone, the guy who originally recorded and mixed the Neon Hornet track said the band was strongly referencing “Them Crooked Vultures”, which shares the same vocalist and drummer as QOTSA (albeit with John Paul Jones handling bass duties):

…so I tried to mix with those refs in mind.

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#12

Thanks for the correction. My comment still stands in reference to your music and lyrical content.

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#13

Thanks - much appreciated!

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