Ukulele/Gameboy mix help (pretty sticky mix challenge)

[tokyorose]

Sorry fixed the links

http://www.napoleonshand.com/Audio/Janes.mp3
http://www.napoleonshand.com/Audio/Ghetto.mp3

[drakewire]

I am high!
I feel like I need some brownies....
The mix is fine excellent...
I just am very freaked out by this...
LOL
Its wayyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy out there... Even growing up and being friends with The Mars Volta... This is WAAYYYYYYYYYY out there... Come home Zendar!!!!!!!!

[Cojo]

...and I fixed the last link! http://www.napoleonshand.com/Audio/Ghetto.mp3

Wow Casey, this is some great stuff! I really like the tunes!

[caseybasichis]

Nanu, Nanu!

Thanks for the comments.

If you guys/gals are so inclined our myspace page is here www.myspace.com/caseyjamesandthestaypuftkid

Here is the latest:

http://www.napoleonshand.com/Audio/Janes.mp3

I think its sounding a lot better.

BTW I LOVE PUMPING! I sent another one through the waves ssl comp... Its like stapling a rubberband to your ass and attaching it to a paddle ball paddle. Boing!

[jeremynothman]

strange (to me), but i kinda like.
vaguely reminds me a little of the books... well, mixed with some more recent indie stuff that i've seen with gameboys etc in.

in the first one, maybe consider some vocal automation , i can't make out the lead vox sometimes...
otherwise pretty good!

[studilaroche]

These songs are very very cool. I'd love to hear them without the mp3 compression, then I'll throw some recommendations around.

Ben

[tokyorose]

Heres the whole shindig in lossless. I think the ones that need the most help are Kids, Janes and Up (these are just abbreviations)

http://napoleonshand.com/Audio/Lossless/Ghetto.m4a
http://napoleonshand.com/Audio/Lossless/Rodeo.m4a
http://napoleonshand.com/Audio/Lossless/Kids.m4a
http://napoleonshand.com/Audio/Lossless/Scraping.m4a
http://napoleonshand.com/Audio/Lossless/Janes.m4a
http://napoleonshand.com/Audio/Lossless/Up.m4a

(Up still needs tims vocals on the choruses)

I really appreciate any advice. I'm going to get them mastered and pressed but I want to get as close as possible. Like I said this is the first time I've had to mix with in a pop sort of context so any objective-ish ears...

[caseybasichis]

No Takers?

I'd really appreciate it. I don't know anyone with enough expertise to tell me more than they like it or they don't.

If you write a lot I send a stuffed bunny.

[studilaroche]

I'm downloading the lossless versions now. Give me a little time and I'll get back to you with some ideas. Thanks for the lossless versions, btw.
Ben

[tokyorose]

No problem. I look forward to your thoughts

[nightsounds]

hey man, i listened to some of your tunes and i think its weird, but in a good way the only criticism i have is that the snare sample seems to be pretty flat, maybe over compressed? i dont know. i guess that is more of a taste thing. im just listening on sony headphones though. other than that everything sounds pretty cool

[studilaroche]

After running around all day (I bought a new bike!), I'm now listening to your songs, in particular, Kids, Janes and Up. My first thought is that the mixes are pretty cool overall. Now that that's out of the way, each song could use some personalization, i.e. some things in each some so set them apart from each other. There's not much jumping out at me to differentiate the tunes. Try some different effects on different parts of the vocals. Some creative (not necessarily super obvious) delay/verb here and there. Stuttery delays, maybe? I dunno, I'm just rambling here.
I guess what I'd like to hear more of would placement of some sounds into a space, via verb or delay or some other creative ambience. Eveything kind of sounds like they're coming from the same 'place' - not a panning issue, but an issue of depth. i hope this makes sense.

examples:

KIDS
At :40 the lead falling bleep sound could use some delay, in my opinion, to stretch it out a little bit and let the sound pass into the background . keep the panning of the delay the same maybe, or opposite pan it...?
at 2:09 some 1/8th note delay could be neatl.
anyway, you might be getting the idea here...
This is something that I almost always find easier to discuss with voices as opposed to fingers on a keyboard.
Also, I really dig these tunes. And the mixes are good, but I think they could suit each some a little more personally. This is the kind of surprise that really makes my day.
Good work.
Ben

[tokyorose]

Hey thanks for the tips! I agree with the depth thing. Truth be told I'm having a lot of trouble getting the sounds pushed back with out making them washy.

Im using FabFilters Timeless for delay and IK CSR and Altiverb for verb. I've been using the thick vocal plate preset on the csr plate for the vocals and an 1/8th and 16th note l/r delay on the timeless.

Is it an issue of just sending more to the verb and delay? Maybe a range of delay times instead of synced (i suppose I would need shorter times than a 16th with more feedback to simulate space)? Maybe brighter reverbs?

[studilaroche]

Try sending a little more level to the effects and see what happens. I'm not familiar with the verbs/delays you mentioned, so I can't offer particulars for them. Don't let that stop you though!
Also, try different types of verbs- I could see a tiled room type sound being pretty effective here and there - kinda bright, not too long, but with some attitude. For depth though delays, yeah, try some real short delays, and play around with the feedback levels - you should find something that'll increase the depth without muddy-ing it up too much. Play around with the effects returns panning as well. Sometimes the delay sounds great right behind the dry sound, and sometimes it's much cooler pulling to the oppposite side, or just a different place in the stereo field.
Ben