New idea, opinions wanted.

[warmer]

This is the track in full but just recorded in to a camera with the audio ripped from there. Is the recording above the right direction for this track?

Any opinions welcome!

[john caldwell]

Beautiful. I can't think that I'd change anything. Your cello naiveté may in fact be of benefit here, as you've created a simple but very opulent pad that's geougeous with the singing voices and piano.

Having said this, if you contemplate a whole album in this style you'll need to work to introduce enough variation between pieces to hold interest with this limited, but beautiful, palette.

The Sufjan Stevens approach might give you some ideas in that regard.

John Caldwell

[warmer]

Cheers!

I'm going to try and get some variation in there, although at the moment I can't even think about an album! It's taken me 3 years and I still haven't done my 4 track EP to send out to the labels I contacted about 3 1/2 years ago (I think those contact might have gone a little dead by now:-)

I was thinking prehaps bringing in some brushed drums after the first chorus?

Any other opinions much appreciated.

[john caldwell]

Sure brushed drum might be fine. My own advice would be to prioritize the beautiful and sparse space, so rich with texture, that you now have. As far as your four song EP is concerned, I say let's get'r done and released. There is simply no reason for a talent like yours to go unreleased.

[Storyville]

you have a great mix except two things:

1. something weird about the bell sound. is it a synthesizer, or just captured really closely? sounds like a synth. it's too upfront, no space. everything else has wonderful space in it.

2. cello. nope nope. capture sounds weak. it's not exactly a super complex cello line, so I don't know how much of that is do to your playing... my instinct is a different mic for the cello might work it better. cello is really tough to capture though. too much highs, and they sound thin, too much lows they sound bulky, not enough high-mid they sound dull, too much they sound lifeless. cellos are a pain to get right.

[warmer]

Cheers for the listen, the xylophone is actually captured quite well and sounds nice but for some reason I smashed the hell out of it with a comp, I didn't mean to and not sure why I printed it on mixdown!!

With regards to the cello, I think it is probably my playing and partly because it is a cheap instrument. I don't think I can blame the mic, I've heard them capture a good player very nicely, it could also be down to the room I'm recording in isn't great for the loud and complex instrument like my grand piano and cello.

I've miced it up in stereo set in omni, do you think to use cardiod instead or prehaps as well? when you say weak do you mean it isn't getting that biting sound that a good cello recording will have (I think my playing is a big part of this!)

Cheers for the listen, but great to get anymore feedback before I try and record again this weakend.