My Band in a TOP Studio, would love your opinion!

andredb · 17th December 2005, 10:37 PM

Hi, we are an italian rock band and finally decided to make to big jump (soundwise)
We booked a recording and mixing session in BIG NYC studio... (can't say the name, will explain later)
During the session we used all my dreams equipment (yes, i'm a gearslutz too!)
Tracked in analog 2inch, U47 on voice, Pultecs, API pres on drums and the most incredible machine i've ever seen, a Fairchild 670 compressor... it was like a dream come true!!!! I'd like to point that we have been analog 'till de Mastering stage ( voice delay it's a tape unit and Room ambience!, mixed to half inch tape)
But the most incredible thing is that in a room of the same studio was workin one of the most requested mixing engineer os the planet (he asked us to not tell his name for legal reason... A.W. is all i cann say...)
Anyway he appened to came in the room during the last stage of the mix and liked the music (he said he remembered him the Jeff Bukley days!) and since he was hangin around wait for FedEx to deliver the material for that day's job, he offered to give us his help and spent 2 hour refining the mix of one song!!!!!!
Dear lord, what an amazing experience!!!!
To days later we mastered the stuff at sterling sound in NY, another incredible experience...
So, i'd love to share with you my happiness by offering you that particular song... i'd also really love to hear your opinion!
What do you think about the voice? we used a U47 in a DW Fearn Pre + Pultec + Fairchild 670 straight to MCI 2inc, too slutty maybe ???.
Let me say one thing, we'll never go digital again!!

Sounds Great · 17th December 2005, 10:54 PM

Wow! I like it. And no doubt, the sound quality is really good. Even on an MP3, it really shines.

Kudos to the band and the mixing.

Renie · 17th December 2005, 11:35 PM

Fantastic

What did he actually do to improve things? anything surprising?

in 2 hrs, that must've been a nice little masterclass!!

brucegel · 17th December 2005, 11:44 PM

GEAR WINS MUSIC DIES.

djui5 · 18th December 2005, 12:13 AM

Cool mix for sure. I'm not partial to the fx on the vox in the verses though. It sounds hollow.

Jose Mrochek · 18th December 2005, 01:34 AM

Love it! Great song, sounds great.. money well spent !!!

Scinx · 18th December 2005, 01:56 AM

Feels like Alice in Chains without Layne. Definately a good sounding song - although I do agree with the comment on the vox. I think they should be a little stronger/edgy.

Is there a bad guitar note at 49 seconds?

absrec · 18th December 2005, 03:03 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Scinx

Is there a bad guitar note at 49 seconds?

They were probably trying to keep it real. LOL

Sounds great, BTW.

superburtm · 18th December 2005, 06:46 AM

Sounds nice

dharma one · 18th December 2005, 03:40 PM

i think it sounds ****ing ace. i think the verse vox could have been drier as well but thats a matter of taste

good song too, i like it

tubesandteles · 18th December 2005, 07:34 PM

I thought I heard this song in the MP3 area as being recorded on a Presonus Firebox with mxl mics? WAIT A MINUTE!

Because I remember thinking the singer was good but sounded like an INCUBUS impersonator.

tubesandteles · 18th December 2005, 07:37 PM

http://gearslutz.com/board/showthread.php3?t=52524

tubesandteles · 18th December 2005, 07:44 PM

It reminds me of how one of Radiohead's albums from the 90's sounded exactly. The guitar riffs are quite similar too.

Sounds Great · 18th December 2005, 08:10 PM

Reminds me more of Pearl Jam.

tubesandteles · 18th December 2005, 11:45 PM

Must be Pearl Jam with a different line up! :)

xaos · 19th December 2005, 01:48 AM

Great story! The recording sounds super tight (in addition to the playing). Care to elaborate on the recording/mixing process. I am diggin' the tune!

lucey · 19th December 2005, 06:15 AM

I dont mean to rain on your excitment too much, but youre asking for opinions and I'm in the mood to be totally honest, so ...

It is well recorded and has potential but where do you want it to go? I dont know what this song/band 'is'. Alice in Chains, Incubus, Grace ... what is it? You need a clearly unique quality to bat at the big field.

For the vocal, I couldnt make out any of the vocal lines, as in, nothing clear or making a statement that defines the song ... that's a weird vocal effect in the verse ...and not the most original vocal sound ... guitar solo is uninspired and the sound is dated (60's) especially compared to the modern (90's) production in general. The effect is maybe trying to mask the solo, but as a guitarist you cant help but hear it for the notes played. And the acoustic Maj7 at the end ... Why?

Lots of kick drum, way up in the low mids. If the kick could be your lead singer you'd have a star!

Overall the sonic signature seems to me 1/2 commercial intentions and 1/2 ambient art mix ... it needs to be one or the other IMO. Lacks commitment and intention. I'd spend more time thinking about who you are and what your audience is, then tweak the parts of the mix that are out of that integrity.

Be sure and keep at it ... when you aim high, it's really hard work.

slaves666 · 19th December 2005, 07:21 AM

I must say that it sounds pretty cool. Good vibe, and tones......However, without a great song, its just well recorded instruments, which anyone can have with enough $$$. Next time, try getting a producer that can help with arrangements, vocal hooks and bringing out the best in you as a band. I'm a believer that the song sells the artist not the fact that you have a Fairchild in the signal chain....although it looks nice on the recall sheet.

Sounds Great · 19th December 2005, 07:45 AM

I didn't want to go negative, but yeah, I kind of agree with the last posts. But the potential is way more than usual, and the music is good to listen to. With most songs that aren't quite there, I can't wait for them to finish so I can get on with something else, I don't feel that here.

I also think the words are hard to make out. The song is not quite ready for sale, but I do like it. I think you are on the verge of something.

cap217 · 21st December 2005, 01:14 AM

what were you paying for this "demo"? If you went through all that trouble to record this then get a producer for sure,,,,, No matter what equiptment you had used it cant make the difference a good professional can

lukejs · 21st December 2005, 03:11 AM

That big reverb wash on the vocals in the beginning kinda made me think of 80ish Allen Parson´s Project .... On this vocal, that much reverb, plus not much of a low cut filter, and low levels makes it disappear, and make it hard to understand, especially since the highs on the vocal aren´t as bright as the hi hat and cymbals... I think the vocals should have been eq´d differently, and less reverb would make it more present. And it seems like the reverb was panned too hard left and right which also takes away from the centralized , present sound a vocal should have.... that´s my take on it.....

andredb · 21st December 2005, 10:53 PM

Hi!!! thanks to everyone for the comments!!!
Some random Answers...
The FX on Vox... A.W. suggested to go for an effected voice, to bring more "magic" to the mix... we like it and the singer is very happy with it...
We are not doing music for the record Labels, everyone in the band has a VERY good dayjob and we wanted to record our OWN music, be it bad or good.
We where tired of thin sounding crap coming out of studios here in Italy, we have recorded the stuff two times here with a little luck (both time in digital).
We wanted to do things "the right way" (at least for us) and what has come out is nowhere near the other two times.
So, do you also think we have done the right thing? do you also feel "that" analog vibe as much as we do??
Yes we really like Pearl Jam!!!!
A.W. worked on an almost finished mix, he worked on drum ambience and rifined the bass sound basicaly and a few other things... the difference was huge even with a few tweak!!! we then translated them on the other songs (wich were already printed to tape "forcing" us to book another day in the studio!)

Please, keep the comments coming!!!

lucey · 21st December 2005, 11:02 PM

Of course it sounds great ... for sound quality. It's all analog in a great room with great gear and AW mixed it.

As far as the rest ... if you're happy that's the main thing

Keep at it!

Sounds Great · 22nd December 2005, 12:26 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by lucey

Of course it sounds great ... for sound quality. It's all analog in a great room with great gear and AW mixed it.

Well the end part sure helps. But analog in a great room with great gear most certainly does not guarantee a great sounding song.

I think there are a few million examples..

xaos · 22nd December 2005, 02:01 AM

Well, I like it and am glad to hear a song without the 3 minute gem approach so common in todays pop/rock garbage. I also like the laid back vocal style and the minimalist approach to the vocal melody range. It supports the lyric. As far as self produced songs I have heard in this forum, this is tops. Well thought out. I assume the point here was artistic expression with less emphasis on the commercial viability. The arrangement, in my listen, supports that.

If I heard this tune on the radio I wouldn't be very quick to nitpick about the production. I too have criticisms, but until I can outperform this "demo", I am keeping my mouth shut. What were you looking for input on? Oh yeah the vocal.

I am feeling like the poor man's Alpha.

**Jules** · 22nd December 2005, 02:16 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by andredb

A.W. worked on an almost finished mix, he worked on drum ambience and rifined the bass sound basicaly and a few other things... the difference was huge even with a few tweak!!! we then translated them on the other songs (wich were already printed to tape "forcing" us to book another day in the studio!)

Please, keep the comments coming!!!

Thats funny! Did the same adjustments fit every other song?

You guys must be in heaven!

I bet you could die happy!

KILL YOURSELVES!

(only kidding)

Seriously.. what a lucky break..

Nice story to finish 2005 with....

(unless you are joking with us and did this all on a 002 in your parents garage in Milan)

dharma one · 22nd December 2005, 02:26 PM

andreb- would you like to share with us how the bass was refined?

AlexLakis · 22nd December 2005, 03:36 PM

It sounds great, but I'm having trouble identifying with the song. It could be because the lyrics are hard to understand, but what's this song about? What is it's purpose? The song is okay, but I don't think it can get away without meaning. Pearl Jam could pull off stuff like Heyfoxymophandlemommathat'sme or whatever because...we'll, they're Pearl Jam. Lotsa stuff didn't have a lot of apparent meaning lyrically in the early-mid nineties. A lot of it was hidden. Maybe I'm just missing it?

andredb · 23rd December 2005, 08:35 PM

he used a WSW compressor (never heard of..) he said it was from his personal rack and that he never did a bass guitar without it since 1989!! he said we could use it couse he was going to work on drums for the rest of the week! do not know about setting since it was written in german...
We were very happy with the sound even before, but in 2 minutes with that machine and the magic was done!!!

Keep comments coming thanks!!!!

xaos · 23rd December 2005, 08:43 PM

Three little letters that launched a thousand google searches.

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17th December 2005, 10:37 PM	#1
andredb Gear maniac Join Date: Oct 2003 Posts: 283	My Band in a TOP Studio, would love your opinion! Hi, we are an italian rock band and finally decided to make to big jump (soundwise) We booked a recording and mixing session in BIG NYC studio... (can't say the name, will explain later) During the session we used all my dreams equipment (yes, i'm a gearslutz too!) Tracked in analog 2inch, U47 on voice, Pultecs, API pres on drums and the most incredible machine i've ever seen, a Fairchild 670 compressor... it was like a dream come true!!!! I'd like to point that we have been analog 'till de Mastering stage ( voice delay it's a tape unit and Room ambience!, mixed to half inch tape) But the most incredible thing is that in a room of the same studio was workin one of the most requested mixing engineer os the planet (he asked us to not tell his name for legal reason... A.W. is all i cann say...) Anyway he appened to came in the room during the last stage of the mix and liked the music (he said he remembered him the Jeff Bukley days!) and since he was hangin around wait for FedEx to deliver the material for that day's job, he offered to give us his help and spent 2 hour refining the mix of one song!!!!!! Dear lord, what an amazing experience!!!! To days later we mastered the stuff at sterling sound in NY, another incredible experience... So, i'd love to share with you my happiness by offering you that particular song... i'd also really love to hear your opinion! What do you think about the voice? we used a U47 in a DW Fearn Pre + Pultec + Fairchild 670 straight to MCI 2inc, too slutty maybe ???. Let me say one thing, we'll never go digital again!! Last edited by andredb; 18th December 2005 at 01:00 PM.. Reason: typo II

17th December 2005, 10:54 PM	#2
Sounds Great Gear Guru Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Twin Cities, USA Posts: 10,913	Wow! I like it. And no doubt, the sound quality is really good. Even on an MP3, it really shines. Kudos to the band and the mixing. __________________ You awake with a start To just the beating of your heart. Just one man beneath the sky, Just two ears, just two eyes.

17th December 2005, 11:35 PM	#3
Renie Lives for gear Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: London UK Posts: 1,785	Fantastic What did he actually do to improve things? anything surprising? in 2 hrs, that must've been a nice little masterclass!! __________________ www.christisloving.com

17th December 2005, 11:44 PM	#4
brucegel Gear addict Join Date: May 2005 Posts: 362	TECHNOLOGY 12 SONGWRITING 2 GEAR WINS MUSIC DIES.

18th December 2005, 12:13 AM	#5
djui5 Lives for gear Join Date: Mar 2004 Location: Phoenix Posts: 6,680	Cool mix for sure. I'm not partial to the fx on the vox in the verses though. It sounds hollow. __________________ _________________ "What is a crossfire hurricane & why wasn't I born in one?" Randy Wright http://www.myspace.com/djui5

18th December 2005, 01:34 AM	#6
Jose Mrochek Lives for gear Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: Miami, FL Posts: 3,850	Love it! Great song, sounds great.. money well spent !!! __________________ www.thejoti.com www.myspace.com/thejoti http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xYtPFPrHut0 ¨But, then again, I'm British and think you Yanks with your fancy pre for each track are a bunch of weirdos¨ Mark

18th December 2005, 01:56 AM	#7
Scinx Lives for gear Join Date: Dec 2003 Location: Northeast USA Posts: 515	Feels like Alice in Chains without Layne. Definately a good sounding song - although I do agree with the comment on the vox. I think they should be a little stronger/edgy. Is there a bad guitar note at 49 seconds? __________________ . W H A T • I S • S C I N X ? http://www.scinx.com

18th December 2005, 06:46 AM	#9
superburtm Lives for gear Join Date: Jun 2005 Posts: 2,382	Sounds nice

18th December 2005, 03:40 PM	#10
dharma one Gear maniac Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: manchester UK / helsinki Posts: 160	i think it sounds ****ing ace. i think the verse vox could have been drier as well but thats a matter of taste good song too, i like it

18th December 2005, 07:34 PM	#11
tubesandteles Gear maniac Join Date: Jun 2005 Posts: 239	Hmmm I thought I heard this song in the MP3 area as being recorded on a Presonus Firebox with mxl mics? WAIT A MINUTE! Because I remember thinking the singer was good but sounded like an INCUBUS impersonator.

18th December 2005, 07:37 PM	#12
tubesandteles Gear maniac Join Date: Jun 2005 Posts: 239	Here's the link... http://gearslutz.com/board/showthread.php3?t=52524

18th December 2005, 07:44 PM	#13
tubesandteles Gear maniac Join Date: Jun 2005 Posts: 239	Regardless of where you did it... It reminds me of how one of Radiohead's albums from the 90's sounded exactly. The guitar riffs are quite similar too.

18th December 2005, 08:10 PM	#14
Sounds Great Gear Guru Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Twin Cities, USA Posts: 10,913	Reminds me more of Pearl Jam. __________________ You awake with a start To just the beating of your heart. Just one man beneath the sky, Just two ears, just two eyes.

18th December 2005, 11:45 PM	#15
tubesandteles Gear maniac Join Date: Jun 2005 Posts: 239	Hmm Must be Pearl Jam with a different line up! :)

19th December 2005, 01:48 AM	#16
xaos Gear maniac Join Date: Mar 2004 Posts: 265	Great story! The recording sounds super tight (in addition to the playing). Care to elaborate on the recording/mixing process. I am diggin' the tune!

19th December 2005, 06:15 AM	#17
lucey Lives for gear Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: 7 acres near Columbus, Ohio Posts: 9,967	I dont mean to rain on your excitment too much, but youre asking for opinions and I'm in the mood to be totally honest, so ... It is well recorded and has potential but where do you want it to go? I dont know what this song/band 'is'. Alice in Chains, Incubus, Grace ... what is it? You need a clearly unique quality to bat at the big field. For the vocal, I couldnt make out any of the vocal lines, as in, nothing clear or making a statement that defines the song ... that's a weird vocal effect in the verse ...and not the most original vocal sound ... guitar solo is uninspired and the sound is dated (60's) especially compared to the modern (90's) production in general. The effect is maybe trying to mask the solo, but as a guitarist you cant help but hear it for the notes played. And the acoustic Maj7 at the end ... Why? Lots of kick drum, way up in the low mids. If the kick could be your lead singer you'd have a star! Overall the sonic signature seems to me 1/2 commercial intentions and 1/2 ambient art mix ... it needs to be one or the other IMO. Lacks commitment and intention. I'd spend more time thinking about who you are and what your audience is, then tweak the parts of the mix that are out of that integrity. Be sure and keep at it ... when you aim high, it's really hard work. __________________ Brian Lucey Magic Garden Mastering "beauty resists capture" "the economy is a wholly owned subsidiary of the ecology" - unknown

19th December 2005, 07:21 AM	#18
slaves666 Lives for gear Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: Montreal Posts: 1,441	I must say that it sounds pretty cool. Good vibe, and tones......However, without a great song, its just well recorded instruments, which anyone can have with enough $$$. Next time, try getting a producer that can help with arrangements, vocal hooks and bringing out the best in you as a band. I'm a believer that the song sells the artist not the fact that you have a Fairchild in the signal chain....although it looks nice on the recall sheet.

19th December 2005, 07:45 AM	#19
Sounds Great Gear Guru Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Twin Cities, USA Posts: 10,913	I didn't want to go negative, but yeah, I kind of agree with the last posts. But the potential is way more than usual, and the music is good to listen to. With most songs that aren't quite there, I can't wait for them to finish so I can get on with something else, I don't feel that here. I also think the words are hard to make out. The song is not quite ready for sale, but I do like it. I think you are on the verge of something. __________________ You awake with a start To just the beating of your heart. Just one man beneath the sky, Just two ears, just two eyes.

21st December 2005, 01:14 AM	#20
cap217 Lives for gear Join Date: Dec 2005 Posts: 991	what were you paying for this "demo"? If you went through all that trouble to record this then get a producer for sure,,,,, No matter what equiptment you had used it cant make the difference a good professional can

21st December 2005, 03:11 AM	#21
lukejs Lives for gear Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: Tuxtla Gutierrez, Chiapas Posts: 636	That big reverb wash on the vocals in the beginning kinda made me think of 80ish Allen Parson´s Project .... On this vocal, that much reverb, plus not much of a low cut filter, and low levels makes it disappear, and make it hard to understand, especially since the highs on the vocal aren´t as bright as the hi hat and cymbals... I think the vocals should have been eq´d differently, and less reverb would make it more present. And it seems like the reverb was panned too hard left and right which also takes away from the centralized , present sound a vocal should have.... that´s my take on it.....

21st December 2005, 10:53 PM	#22
andredb Gear maniac Join Date: Oct 2003 Posts: 283	Hi!!! thanks to everyone for the comments!!! Some random Answers... The FX on Vox... A.W. suggested to go for an effected voice, to bring more "magic" to the mix... we like it and the singer is very happy with it... We are not doing music for the record Labels, everyone in the band has a VERY good dayjob and we wanted to record our OWN music, be it bad or good. We where tired of thin sounding crap coming out of studios here in Italy, we have recorded the stuff two times here with a little luck (both time in digital). We wanted to do things "the right way" (at least for us) and what has come out is nowhere near the other two times. So, do you also think we have done the right thing? do you also feel "that" analog vibe as much as we do?? Yes we really like Pearl Jam!!!! A.W. worked on an almost finished mix, he worked on drum ambience and rifined the bass sound basicaly and a few other things... the difference was huge even with a few tweak!!! we then translated them on the other songs (wich were already printed to tape "forcing" us to book another day in the studio!) Please, keep the comments coming!!!

21st December 2005, 11:02 PM	#23
lucey Lives for gear Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: 7 acres near Columbus, Ohio Posts: 9,967	Of course it sounds great ... for sound quality. It's all analog in a great room with great gear and AW mixed it. As far as the rest ... if you're happy that's the main thing Keep at it! __________________ Brian Lucey Magic Garden Mastering "beauty resists capture" "the economy is a wholly owned subsidiary of the ecology" - unknown

22nd December 2005, 02:01 AM	#25
xaos Gear maniac Join Date: Mar 2004 Posts: 265	Well, I like it and am glad to hear a song without the 3 minute gem approach so common in todays pop/rock garbage. I also like the laid back vocal style and the minimalist approach to the vocal melody range. It supports the lyric. As far as self produced songs I have heard in this forum, this is tops. Well thought out. I assume the point here was artistic expression with less emphasis on the commercial viability. The arrangement, in my listen, supports that. If I heard this tune on the radio I wouldn't be very quick to nitpick about the production. I too have criticisms, but until I can outperform this "demo", I am keeping my mouth shut. What were you looking for input on? Oh yeah the vocal. I am feeling like the poor man's Alpha.

22nd December 2005, 02:26 PM	#27
dharma one Gear maniac Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: manchester UK / helsinki Posts: 160	andreb- would you like to share with us how the bass was refined?

22nd December 2005, 03:36 PM	#28
AlexLakis Lives for gear Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Annapolis, MD/L.A. Posts: 3,612	It sounds great, but I'm having trouble identifying with the song. It could be because the lyrics are hard to understand, but what's this song about? What is it's purpose? The song is okay, but I don't think it can get away without meaning. Pearl Jam could pull off stuff like Heyfoxymophandlemommathat'sme or whatever because...we'll, they're Pearl Jam. Lotsa stuff didn't have a lot of apparent meaning lyrically in the early-mid nineties. A lot of it was hidden. Maybe I'm just missing it?

23rd December 2005, 08:35 PM	#29
andredb Gear maniac Join Date: Oct 2003 Posts: 283	About the Bass... he used a WSW compressor (never heard of..) he said it was from his personal rack and that he never did a bass guitar without it since 1989!! he said we could use it couse he was going to work on drums for the rest of the week! do not know about setting since it was written in german... We were very happy with the sound even before, but in 2 minutes with that machine and the magic was done!!! Keep comments coming thanks!!!!

23rd December 2005, 08:43 PM	#30
xaos Gear maniac Join Date: Mar 2004 Posts: 265	Three little letters that launched a thousand google searches.