Forum - Banjo Ben Clark

The 9 Pound Hammer

#161

Thank you much Mike, I was able to download that in mp3 format with no problem… Then I noticed a flag. Hope that doesn’t become a problem. Anyway, before your latest post, I thought I’d try listening to the track on my work laptop (It’s windows 7 whereas my home computer is windows 98 home vista premium). I was able to play the track on my laptop through kompoz with no problem. Went back to my home computer and tried a couple more times with no success. I am now led to believe it is my computer. (Still holding a grudge with Kompoz though)!

Getting back to your original question:
— Begin quote from "mreisz"

I think I might have the bass sound a bit too prominent. JW, how does the bass balance sound on those high tech monitors you have?

— End quote

Well after first hearing it on the laptop’s cheap speakers, I thought when I hear this on the monitors it’s going to sound like grenades going off in perfect rythym! Not so at all. In fact, it was just the opposite. I was completely fooled. You guys gotta get some of these! The bass is extremely prominent, but the funny thing is, it doesn’t overwhelm any of the other parts. You can hear every detail including all the mando extras down to every note. The mix is quite impressive. It’s very equal. You can hear the way the bass kinda crackles on some notes, almost like a distortion but just the real sound of the bass. You may turn the bass’ level down a touch not because it’s overiding everything but simply because it’s not normal to hear the bass that clearly. Or you could leave it. We’ll know more as we get the other breaks in.

I gotta get busy on my break!

The monitors are JBL LSR-305’s and are 11 3/4" tall x 7" wide x 9 1/4" deep if anyone’s interested. I got em at musician’s friend on sale for 109.00 each before Christmas. They come up on sale now and then.

J.W.

#162

Thanks JW! I’ll tweak it downwards a bit in the next mix. I might roll back some of the real low frequency as well.

Dave sorry for the problems with the mp3. You had mentioned that before and I should have thought to get you a WAV file. If you need a WAV for something, let me know and I’ll get it to you.

My internal clock is still confused by the change to daylight savings time… I better hit the hay.

#163

It’s all good Mike, I just have to remember how to do all of this stuff. Been out cutting trees all Winter and not playing much.

#164

JW uploaded a great sounding solo. I made a mix incorporating it. JW’s playing starts around 2:18
kompoz.com/music/collaborati … ile/417520

In case anyone has trouble accessing the above, here’s a direct link (it may not always be available in the future):
dropbox.com/s/0o4xivvquu2wk … x%20V2.mp3

I think JW did a great job with it, from writing to playing to recording… nicely done!

I tweaked the bass back a bit (and shaved the real low frequencies a bit), I brought the vox up a hair, rhythm GTR and mando went down a hair.

#165

Kompost won’t let me upload.

keeps telling me to add tag.
I add tag
tells me to add tag?

:unamused:

#166

Dave, you are a multi-talented individual. Nice fiddling!

I made a rough mix with Dave’s part. I still have work to do, so if anyone have preferences on the EQ, levels, or where it sits in the mix, let me know. I profess to know nothing about mixing a fiddle.
kompoz.com/music/collaborati … e/417520/3

In case anyone has issues with Kompoz, here’s a direct link (it’s not guaranteed to be there forever):
dropbox.com/s/jnyor8b6a092f … x%20V3.mp3

#167

Well, other than a few flat notes from me it seems some signals are processed more than others? fiddle track is a raw recording w/no processing/EQing, and sounds very thin comparatively. It’s not a volume issue. I’m just guessing some tracks were enhanced/produced a nit to get closer to a finished sound and it doesn’t seem to sound like things were recorded in similar circumstances.

Might just be the way I’m hearing today…

MIke, if your looking to EQ a fiddle, strive for smoothness, lowness, and try finding a spot in EQ that can reduce the “scratch”.

I used to know where it was but can’t remember. Much time has gone by since I mixed anything down. I’ll guess around 1kh or slightly above…

#168

Thanks Mike for all the mixing on the project, it’s coming along nicely and sounding great!

Love the fiddle Dave. I listened to it a few times from the dropbox download Mike posted and I agree, it sounds a little thin. (Don’t take offense). I don’t know how to describe the sound of a fiddle, but I would say if it could be mixed to have some more “boldness” to it, not louder, just bolder or stronger sounding would be my best description and would sound better. I love all the stuff you do throughout the song.

Hey Ozi, I think I’m gonna sit out your offer on singing harmony. I’m just not that good with it. Thanks for asking.

J.W.

#169

There’s not much processing on anything. The vocals I did add a delay as requested by Ozi, but there is no reverb or delay on any instrument. At this point the only thing done to any instrument is EQ and compression. One other difference is that JW’s guitar is dual mic’d. On the fiddle I made a cut on the EQ to get rid of some scratch centered a bit below 1k (just located by ear). I can certainly do more to it. I can play around and see what I come up with.

#170

Dual mics would create the “delay/fullness” I’m hearing and I suspected compression as well. I was guessing that the tracks wee processed before you got them Mike.

I think the fiddle was just too far form the mic or in the wrong room. Just a difference in techniques because of different goals/sounds in mind. Where I was trying for more of a raw/live “in the field” sound I think others may have been shooting for a more sterile, studio sounding, recording.

I’m leaving to work out of town this morning and have no idea when I’ll be back home. I could try to get a more compatible track down when I get back, but don’t know when that would be yet…

#171

Things are really starting to take shape now!

Maybe the tracks would blend better if you crunched the entire mix with some multi-band compression.

#172

Thanks for the suggestion Larry. I do have a 4 band compressor running. I don’t have a ton of compression on it, but it’s there. I’ll lower the thresholds a bit on the next mix.

#173

I made a new mix. I reduced the threshold on the multi-band compressor (= more compression). I doubled the fiddle track and put a slight offset on the tracks and panned them, I added reverb to it, I eq’d it severely. I was trying to address the thin-ness. The track had a considerable amount of high frequency, so I am not sure how much deeper it can be made to sound without making it sound odd. I added some backing vox so Ozi isn’t out there alone. They aren’t particularly good but they can keep him company until someone with a better country voice puts some harmony out there (or if no one else jumps in, they can be pulled back out). I’ll probably need to rebalance some things after listening to it a while (fiddling with the multi-band compressor changes things in ways I don’t expect).
kompoz.com/music/collaborati … e/417520/4

Here’s a direct link as well:
dropbox.com/s/f77tzd0yfru3i … x%20V4.mp3

I heard on Kompoz that Jesse is working on his stuff and I heard from Ben he should get his soon as well. It’s coming together!

Feel free to make any suggestions for changes. I guess I am doing the mixing unless someone else wants it. If somebody does, come on in, the water is warm!

#174

The fiddle is definitely fatter now. I’m sure each mix will get better as we keep layering tracks. Keep up the good work, Mike.

#175

BanjoBen is in the mix! Ben uploaded banjo and mando solos. Here’s the new mix:
kompoz.com/music/collaborati … e/417520/5

Here’s a direct link:
dropbox.com/s/6qnia06pv67qh … x%20V5.mp3

Made some more minor tweaks. Added a bit more reverb to the fiddle, tweaked some levels, played with the vocals a bit and added a third vocal for the last verse.

JW, in case you didn’t catch Ben’s comment on the previous version on Kompoz, he asked if that was Tony doing the guitar solo :slight_smile:

I think all we are missing are Jesse’s tracks. I’ll go back and see if I tweak my mandolin a bit to fit better with what else is going on. I cut my mandolin back during Ben’s mando solo. I also lost my one fill lick in the process, so I might hunt for a spot or two that might need a little fill.

We now have a beginning and an ending. One question is what do with the ending? I have a thought on it (based on what Ben did), but I’ll withhold it until others get a chance to chime in.

#176

Mike I had a guitar sep file on my pc from a few weeks back. I uploaded it, see if you think the quality is good enough…if not I can record it again this eve when I get home.

I hate to be the hold up on my part, so maybe this one is good enough…let me know.

#177

I haven’t heard the track yet, but without hearing it I can tell you we are in no rush. If you want to spend some more time on it, that’s certainly no problem for me. I am planning on re-doing some mando sections to better mix with what’s going on. I might not get to record anything for a few days, so no hurry on my part. Whether you want to stick with what you’ve got or do some more takes, I’m looking forward to hearing it!

#178

Hey Jesse, I like your break, thanks for posting it. I made a mix and uploaded it. It sounds like you are undecided on whether or not you want to do some more takes on it. From my perspective, there’s no worries either way. I suspect there will be more tweaks on things coming in for at least a week or so. Just let us know either way. Also, I think you were wanting to do the GTR rhythm. I had made my scratch guitar track just so that people would have something to play against (I didn’t intend for it to stay in the finished mix). Did you still want to do a GTR rhythm track?
kompoz.com/music/collaborati … e/420407/1

direct link:
dropbox.com/s/63delcb0z6tt3 … x%20V6.mp3

#179

Mike,

I don’t see much of a need to do a guitar rhythm track, yours is fine. We all know that at the end of the day in the recording the rhythm guitar is pretty much implied vs. heard out front, so I can’t see anyway to make any improvements…+ my mic gives off a “metallic” type sound that I despise…which is something I can’t seem to figure out/overcome.

#180

I’ve been out of town all week and returned home to find that you guys have been busy! When you can’t check in every day, you really see the progress in a different light. It’s sounding great Mike and appreciate all the work you’re putting into this. The fiddle sounds much better and I love the added vocals, especially toward the end with the “Sam Bush echoing”. It’s all coming together nicely.

I can’t thank Ben enough for the comment on Kompoz, but I’m a far cry from Tony. Thanks Ben and it’s really good having you on the project.

I have different thoughts on the ending, but none seem workable in a collaboration. I was thinking we could have a break with two or more instrunents playing the same break note for note, but that would be nearly impossible without doing that live. I think timing would be a huge problem as well as each individual playing the same notes. Better throw that one out. I’ll keep thinking.

J.W.