Runaround sSue

www.motogator.net/bands/125

R.I.F. Cruisers

Here is that song I promised when we were dealing with the >BAT to .WAV extension problem. go ahead be honest…I’m fairly happy with it as a first real project.

looks like that should say:

http://www.motagator.net/bands/125/

is the bass hard-panned right? sounds odd in headphones.

Yeah, bass is panned hard right.

Stick that thing in the middle!!!

Lots of weird panning in this, but it sort of works.

The right channel vocal could use a volume bump during the verses. It’s kind of hard to hear.

Still, I think I’d redo both vocal parts, paying careful attention to timing and hitting the cues. There are a few parts that sound a little “off” to me, and the stereo separation makes it a dead giveaway.

Anyway, to add space to your mix, you might try coming up with another guitar part to add to the song.

Doubled acoustics panned in opposite directions would sound good here, too.

You’ve got a LOT of reverb on the drums, but again, it sounds better than one would expect. If you’ve got the drums on separate tracks, take it off the kick and the cymbals. Otherwise, cut the highs (on the reverb) - a lot (on the intro).

And maybe use a shorter reverb on the intro. Right now the drum reverb sounds kind of corny in the beginning, but it sounds pretty decent in the mix after that.

Maybe a slight 2K - 3K boost could give the guitar some more definition?

I like the abrupt ending. Yeah. Was it intentional? It’s pretty freakin’ cool.

Not too bad. Very interesting take on the song. It reminds me of Pearl Jam’s cover of that one song… "Where oh where can my baby be, the lord took her away from me, etc…"

Great first project.

- Former Memberj

Thanks Jason
This really helps a lot. I panned the bass to get some separation from the guitar. sooo bass and drums in the middle with maybe a little pan? yeah the vocals missed the cue by a tad in spots. I panned them to get separation. maybe I shouldn’t separate things so much…is that what I’m hearing? I tried to boost and cut volumes during playback mixdown but it didn’t seem to take. Can you run the board during mixdown? The ending is intentional cut. Thanks for all the info here, obviously i need all the input I can get and it’s much appreciated…fire away you won’t hurt my ego!!!:blues:

for the type of music you’re doing, i think the panned bass is a nono… you do want that separation from the bass, but do that with EQ. :O i like the harmonies.

Thanks for your input dimmer…I’m remixing with these considerations…funny I now see how much I was just playing with the sound toys and not working with the song.

Cheers
Cruiser:blues:

for sure… it’s important to play with the toys… as a listener, i love when a very simple song adds these little “ear candy” effects at various moments in a song… as an engineer i’m always searching for ideas… maybe keep the panned bass idea around for one of those times.

Quote (cruiser @ Mar. 21 2005,20:56)
sooo bass and drums in the middle with maybe a little pan?

Yeah, for the sake of the groove, keep the bass and drums in or VERY VERY VERY VERY VERY near the center.

I panned them to get separation.
As dimmer said, it's time for EQ - and since you're just starting out, I recommend reading the EQ tutorials on AudioMinds. (Here's a link...) It's hard to wrap your head around at first, but don't just read - experiment.

maybe I shouldn't separate things so much
As far as the vocals go, I like the panning. But I'm weird.

I tried to boost and cut volumes during playback mixdown but it didn't seem to take. Can you run the board during mixdown?
Well, there IS an option to do that, but if you're just doing this with your keyboard and mouse, I recommend making use of the VOLUME EVOLUTION features in n-Track. Check the manual - there's a whole section on it. It's one of the most basic (and most-used) things n-Track can do.

Good stuff so far. Looking forward to your next remix.