BED WREKKA

[Curve Dominant]

Same vocalist as Feelin's Freaky (Oshia Ky), same CD, same market (R&B/pop/dance).

I'm not sure I've got the low end EQ'd quite right. There's a combination of kick samples and a sub tone that's supposed to add up to a sexy room-rattling rumble, so any comments on how that's translating will be mucho appreciato.

Thanks in advance!

[Mike Jasper]

I don't have any advice. Sounds great. More like what I'm used to hearing from you.

Sure like that static-like sound you've got going in there.

Jasper

[Curve Dominant]

Thanks Mike.

So that lo-end was OK then?

[Mike Jasper]

Eric -- yeah, the low-end worked for me. For mp3s with my setup, I can't listen through monitors, so I listened through Sennheiser 580 headphones. But I could hear that rumbling kick very well. Rumbling? You know. Kind of a prolonged tail, which I think is what you were going for.

Jasper

[Killahurts]

Yeah, the low end kinda breathed on my Adams, felt great. And I heard lots of subtle stuff going on back there too - great song!

[Mike Jasper]

I'm down with Killahurts.

Jasper

[Curve Dominant]

posted by Killahurts:
Yeah, the low end kinda breathed on my Adams, felt great. And I heard lots of subtle stuff going on back there too - great song!

It sounded good on Adams? Yow.

Thanks guys!

[Mario-C.]

I hear (feel ?) the sub tone...

i like it ! nice hook ...

[halljams]

I think there are lots of good things about the 2 tunes you have posted.
The one thing they both have in common is a weak vocal chain.
It just sounds like the vocal is not making it. It sounds like you have done all you can with a 57 and a mediocre pre maby, i dunno, but it ain't makin it on either tune, it just doesn't sound expensive enough for the production or here voice.

The snare on this bedrekka tune sounds unintentionally hollow or combfiltered, it might be an effect but it bugged me right away.


Hope these comments are taken constructively. Otherwise, real nice work, punchy mixes, good tunes.

[Mike Jasper]

HallJams --

I don't get that at all. What would you suggest for the vocals. Different mics? Different preamps?

Don't get me wrong, you could be right, but I just really dig her voice.

Jasper

[Curve Dominant]

The vocal chain for Bed Wrekka (the more recent track) was:

> Joe Meek JM47 large diaphragm condensor mic > Stedman ProScreen > Bellari RP220 tube mic pre > dbx160X > PT

The vocal chain for Feelin' Freaky (recorded when we didn't know what we were doing) was:

> Joe Meek JM47 large diaphragm condensor mic > Stedman ProScreen > ART PRO MPA > Alesis NanoCompressor > Roland VS880EX

In both cases, please note the lack of deluxe accomodations. We're aware of the inherent limitations of our gear, and the need to address that issue. The ART mic pre is no longer being used here, nor is the Alesis Nanocompressor; and the Digi001 has since taken the place of the Roland VS unit.

When we get more $$$ coming in, better mics, mic pres, and outboard processors are on our lab requisition. In the meantime, our works strive to stand on their artistic merits.

Thanks for your constructive comments.

[halljams]

Originally posted by Mike Jasper
HallJams --

I don't get that at all. What would you suggest for the vocals. Different mics? Different preamps?

Don't get me wrong, you could be right, but I just really dig her voice.

Jasper

Hi Mike. It's a subtle thing but the vox sound like they are sonically a level or 2 below some of the other tracks, and in this case they need to be a highlight, bigger, more open, more nice highs etc, i like her voice too.

I'm not familiar with the gear you mentioned Curve, perhaps it was that nano comp that sucked the life from it.??

[Curve Dominant]

perhaps it was that nano comp that sucked the life from it.??

We didn't use that unit on Bed Wrekka.

I thought maybe I used it on Feelin' Freaky, but now that I think about it I may have actually use the RNC 1773.

they need to be a highlight, bigger, more open, more nice highs etc, i like her voice too.

That's a mix decision. I could certainly mix it that way, but for a funk/R&B jam like Bed Wrekka it might sound kinda corny. The whole idea of a track like Bed Wrekka is like an old Stax record where it's got lots of grittyness and edge to it.

[Curve Dominant]

halljams & Jasper,

Somewhat puzzled by halljams' observation, I went back and compared the mp3 mixes of Bed Wrekka and Feelin' Freaky with the CD versions, and it's pretty obvious to me now that what halljams is hearing is an mp3 issue.

When I first starting posting mp3s of my mixes on the web, I immediately noticed they were softer in volume and power than other mp3s I was downloading. The advice I was given to fix this, was to make a seperate mix for mp3, and slam the mixbus compressor/limiter harder.

Which I did, and it worked so far as making my mp3s louder.

But since Oshia's voice is usually the loudest thing in my mixes, it's also the first thing to get crushed by that aggressive leveling.

[Teacher]

Originally posted by Curve Dominant
halljams & Jasper,


When I first starting posting mp3s of my mixes on the web, I immediately noticed they were softer in volume and power than other mp3s I was downloading. The advice I was given to fix this, was to make a seperate mix for mp3, and slam the mixbus compressor/limiter harder.

what mp3 encoder do you use? i never suffer the problem of the volume going down when I use samplitude mp3 encoder...that seems real strange

[Curve Dominant]

Teacher,

Apparently you've misunderstood what I posted, but I don't have time to elaborate right now. I'll try to explain it later tonight.

[halljams]

That seems to make sense Curve.
I hope you can sort that out.
BTW your mix had pretty good lodness and the overall eq was pretty good, it may have lacked a bit of punch in the middle, but that one guitar sample, the real cool hifi one sort of stood out as ok, while some of the other tracks were a bit flat(scooped).

[Curve Dominant]

that one guitar sample, the real cool hifi one sort of stood out as ok

If you're talking about the wah guitar, that's not a sample, I actually played that...

> Fender Strat American Standard

> Danelectro Triple Wah

> Bellari mic pre

> dbx 160X

> PT

I think I do want to have another crack at mixing those vocals though.

[halljams]

Originally posted by Curve Dominant
If you're talking about the wah guitar, that's not a sample, I actually played that...

> Fender Strat American Standard

> Danelectro Triple Wah

> Bellari mic pre

> dbx 160X

> PT

I think I do want to have another crack at mixing those vocals though.

Well hell buddy, nice job! My point being IT sounds hi-er fi than the Vocal, see what i mean?

See the thing about it is cohesiveness, there are some very clean tracks which you wouldn't have got from Stax.
It's just how it hit me anyway, as a listener i needed it to go one way or the other and it sounded more on the clean side, so the most important instrument needed to either be there on top of it or in it's own place, but that place has to be VERY strong if it is a departure and i didn't feel it was warranted.

[Curve Dominant]

posted by halljams:
See the thing about it is cohesiveness, there are some very clean tracks which you wouldn't have got from Stax.
It's just how it hit me anyway, as a listener i needed it to go one way or the other and it sounded more on the clean side, so the most important instrument needed to either be there on top of it or in it's own place, but that place has to be VERY strong if it is a departure and i didn't feel it was warranted.

Halljams,

I see where you're going with this now. Excellent point.

I'm going to take another ground-up pass at Bed Wrekka.

Thanks a mil for your astute and insightful observations.

[Jax]

[just now got a high speed connection, so checking out peep's mp3's will be much easier now]

Sounds a little like Dee-Lite. Pretty good groove!

Can't really give an opinion on the sub tone with my multimedia speakers.

[comments while I'm listening]

One thing is the first time she sings "hit me like a drum," it's a bit out of tune. Less so after the 1st time. I'd take some elements a little lower than others in the mix... like bringing down one or the other of the snare samples and clean 'verbing the lower one longer. The wah git competes level-wise with the vocs. And I'd really bring down the wah git during the dist git solo. I'd sharpen the attack on the bongos, lower their level and pan them in a narrow stereo spead on one side, too.

Other than that, the mix is big and thumpy!

[Curve Dominant]

Jax,

Thanks a mil for your feedback. Here's the parts I took your suggestions on:

The wah git competes level-wise with the vocs. And I'd really bring down the wah git during the dist git solo. I'd sharpen the attack on the bongos, lower their level and pan them in a narrow stereo spead on one side, too.

Both of those mods worked great for the mix. Especially lowering the wah guitar while Oshia is singing.

I also adjusted the mix bus compressor so it wasn't ducking the vocals, which I think is what Halljams was getting at.

Other than that, the mix is big and thumpy!

Which is EXACTLY what I envisioned when I first thought of this song. I wanted to invoke the sound of two people trashing their bed with hard, pumping, driving, thrashing wet sex. I think we came pretty close.

Here's a snippet of the updated mix:

[Jax]

Nice job!

The wah git is now more subtle but still nice n' porno, but not as porno as Oshia's voice and content.

Kinda reminds me of Appolonia, back in the Prince "Purple Rain" days.

I want to hear the sub stuff so I'm gonna get this over to my Mac, somehow.

[Rader Ranch]

Originally posted by Jax
Kinda reminds me of Appolonia, back in the Prince "Purple Rain" days.

i'm just gonna linger on that image for a bit if you don't mind...

[Curve Dominant]

Kinda reminds me of Appolonia

Oh, man, I had SUCH a crush on Appolonia.

You know, I've found the amazing thing about Oshia, is how she invokes so many female vocalists depending on how she's produced, and who is listening to her.

To my 70+y/o dad, she sounds like Billie Holliday...

To my 13 y/o nephew, she sounds like Missy Elliot...

To my 30-40 y/o mates, she sounds like Chakka Khan...

I never get tired of recording Oshia, and I never get tired of listening to her. And through all the tracks I've recorded/mixed/edited of her singing over the past 2+ years, I must have spent literally thousands of hours listening to her. To this day it remains a labor of love.

For those of you who can identify, here's an excerpt of Oshia singing a classic R&B ballad, "I Live To Kiss You":