comments?
OK…FINALLY this behemoth is DONE!
I have never labored over a song so much in my life.
I nearly burned up my USB Hard Drive, and nTrack gave me the finger more times than I can count.
OK - so I’ve had people use the words “epic” and “kitchen sink” to describe my recordings, so I decided to go all the way, and here’s what I ended up with:
* 3 drum tracks (standard kit, plus extra snares & techno bass for the chorus)
* bass
* 2 electric guitars, L and R
* acoustic guitar
* 2 synths (sine wave & orch hit)
* lead vox (two tracks w/ two separate takes that criss-cross)
* numerous echo-y background vocals
* 7 separate tracks with bits of dialogue and sound efx
And…YES, IT’S 7:30 MINUTES LONG!
Told you I was going for big and epic…
The song is (as usual) inspired by my own recent life, with themes of destruction and renewal rampant throughout.
I was thinking Paul Oakenfold, U2, Coldplay, and Doves at various times. I actually got my intial inspiration for this song from Doves’ “Here Comes The Fear,” with that pseudo-samba over a techno-style thump beat.
The 128-bit version is on Soundclick, the 192-bit version is on my JamesMGregg.com page. Click below to access either/or.
I’m honestly not 100% happy with every part of the mix, but I would love some feedback. I’ve already started my next (and simpler) project, so I want to get this off my desk.
JamesMGregg.com
Soundclick
This is a very amibitious project. I like the opening soundbytes. Cool technique. The song has a good flow to it. I listened to it on headphones and am not sure I’m getting the best representation of the mix. For me, the reverb on the lead vocals seemed a little dry and didn’t quite blend in with the backing track. Your lead guitar work is very nice. You utilized a lot of different tones and they all sounded appropriate to the mix. The keyboards blend in nicely too. The distant vocal effect at the 5:00 minute mark is very cool. Overall, this is a solid piece of production work.
Eyup!
Ditto ksdb’s post. Excellent stuff!
I too find the lead vocals don’t sit well in the mix. Sometimes they are buried, sometimes waay too loud.
For a seven and a half minute song it went pretty quickly for me, just shows how much it kept my interest.
Looking forward to your next epic 
Steve
Good work on your epic! The instrumentations are very nicely done. The song most reminds me of Tears For Fears, and they are one of my favorite song crafters.
You are in Portland? So am I.
DC
Hey DC - thanks for the TFF comparison, they’re one of my absolute favorites, even the post-Carl days of “Elemental” and beyond 
Yep, I’m actually a trumpet player in town, I played in Rubberneck and Jesus Presley before their ultimate demise, and have played one-offs with The Decemberists, Chris Robley & The Sort Ofs, Rachel Taylor Brown, Sweetjuice, Sandin Wilson, etc.
This is a great town, eh??
OK - I fixed the lead vocals - took down the level a notch and changed the reverb style, so hopefully they fit the mix better - let me know. Thanks!
WHOA!
This stuff is gold! Nice work.
I’d still take the lead vox down a little bit more.
All in all brilliant … besides the others mentioned, I hear a touch of the Stuffies in there too
| Quote (sticknick @ Feb. 25 2006,13:02) |
| I'd still take the lead vox down a little bit more. |
Ditto. A big little bit
