Here are the Track Notes
http://www.vmusicstudios.com/Acoustic_Intent_Track_notes.htm
Comp leveling notes
To all comp contributors,
As mentioned earlier, I wanted to post the details of the Acoustic Intent song leveling in
one posting as to attempt to answer questions anyone might have re: their submission and
whether it was boosted or not. Hopefully, you can now listen to at least the bulk of
the Acoustic Intent comp in its entirety without messing with the volume knob on your
stereo, which was my original objective. Secondly, the tone of each song has
hopefully remained true to the original on all songs that were boosted.
First of all, there were 5 cuts I never received in time for leveling back in March, so
they never got considered and I can take no responsibiltiy for these. These were ALL
on CD 2, and were cuts 4, 5, 18, 19, and 20. Of all the rest, the following cuts
received absolutely no Mastering Room leveling treatment: from CD 1--tracks 1, 4, 9, 10,
14, 15, and from CD 2--tracks 2, 7, and 8--congratulations, you all were for the most part
tied among the hottest mixes, and served as a sort of benchmark for the rest of the cuts.
Most of the
rest required level boosts from 2db to 6db to catch up, one needed 12db, and most were in
the 3 - 4db range.
All tracks were taken off the audio CD set compilation received from Bill L., and I don't
believe he had altered the originals in any way prior to sending them to me. The
signal chain then went as follows: NAD pro CD player spdif d/o --> VS1680 spdif
d/i direct --> Mastering room with tweaked MTK turned on for dithering only. Then
levels were changed as outlined above via the digital input control fader for the first
6db boost, and then the master fader if more was needed. Otherwise, everything was
kept at unity gain, and
matches the original level and tone. Lots of listening, relistening, and a/bing
along the way during the process. The MTK patch setting was tweaked with everything
bypassed except for soft limit turned on when leveled, soft clip and 16 bit dithering on
for CD burning on all cuts. After the Mastering room the tracks were compiled once
again in Master (uncompressed) Mode, though in all other work I do I always use MTPRO
mode--just didn't want any more potential variables than necessary on this project, for I
know the mode question
has been raised in the past. Regarding the final master, Bill would have to comment
on that, whether he stripped and reburned prior to sending the master to Rick K. for
duplication. All I know is that there were the 5 cuts mentioned above either added
or changed after the leveled version left my studio.
This was great fun to work on as there is so much creativity and great work on it. I
appreciated having the opportunity to do the leveling thing. Hopefully it will be
pleasing to all. I have found myself listening to it much in the past couple months
('course I made an extra leveled set at the time I returned the one back to Bill!) -- just
for pleasure, it's awesome! Let me know if you have any further questions regarding the
leveling process used, or how much your particular song was boosted.
Blessings!
Ken +, Track 10-- CD 1
Reviews
I know if I start that I won't finish a review of the whole CD so I'm just
going to rave about 4 tracks on this thing for now then maybe later I'll
push a few more thoughts out.
>9) D J Dub Yah (John Waddington) - Ted Banks: "Picker's Choice" 4:24
I'm in awe. This starts awesome, and when it really gets going Ted lets you
know that at the start he was just toying with it.
>17) Galen Mosier - "Banjo Flying" 1:44
I'm in awe. You make that thing sound like I put a 45 on at 78. Your fingers
move so damned quick that when I try and picture what you must look like
playing I can't keep up with them.
>19) Jim Giberti - "Chain Around My heart" 3:32
I like this even better than higher ground. I know you are a highly
succesfull Marketing/advertising/promotions company owner/partner or some
such but you really should quit the day job. Another absolutely outstanding
piece of work, love the way you vary what is going on, vocals are superb
(impovement on higher ground though there was nothing wrong there). Style
reminds me of some Simply Red stuff (I trust you can take hat as a
compliment). Please tell me that you have a completed CD for sale and let us
have your adress again so that I can send you one check for both your own CD
and the All VS Comp.
Jim Writes
Thanks so much Mark,
I haven't been feelin much like a musician the last several weeks. The
farm thing goes sun-up to sun-down and I haven't picked up an instrument
since I finished the Beatles Comp cut. This is a nice reminder.
A quick background on "Chain". It was the fastest song I've
ever written
and recorded and had the original title of "Telephone Song". I wrote music
and lyrics and did all the tracks in 5 hours before driving to the airport on
vacation. I was leaving for Tortola and the original deadline was the next
day. When I got back, I read that the deadline was extended, and I really
wanted to do a better job, so I wrote an entirely new melody line and lyrics
and retracked it all in another night.
That's why it lacks the much needed bridge, and some better finished
lyrics I think.
>28) Stephen Buckalew - "Lake Champlain" 3:26
Just Brilliant, that solo clinches it. Hold's it's own against the solo's
that appear on Al Stewart albums (very similar sounding - think it's Peter
White?...not sure can't remember). I think your expression is even better.
Whole sound is very Al Stewart like (this is a compliment no question).
This is one for my personal dessert Island disk collection.
Ken Totushek disk 1
To my fellow comp submitters, and others: Well, I
finally got part 1, (CD 1) of this review done, and just
want to say what a great job everyone did. It's an
honor to be a part of these compilations, and they just
keep getting better and better. Who needs (or can
afford) Berkley when you have this kind of forum for
learning and contributing--BTW Berkley School of Music
recently purchased a bunch of 1680s! Well, enough said
on that, here goes CD1--
1) The Wizard of OZ - "ASH WEDNESDAY" -- I love this
song--got me ever since I first heard it, of course
being on my way to Australia might have had something to
do with the sentiment I felt at the time. Anyway, the
music, instrumentation and lyrics drew me right in to
the story--all were very well done in my opinion. I
thought the mixdown was balanced nicely, but would
personally take out the bass drum sound during the
chorus and the bridge--gets kind of monotonous sounding
to me by song's end, but maybe the redundancy is
intentional. Also, the drum kinda gets ya right in the
chest--how'd you get that sound Wiz? My leveling notes
said there was slight distortion in the mix, about 1 -
3%--very hot mix, but I didn't hear any of it on my car
stereo on this official comp, interestingly enough.
Great job Wiz!
2) Mark Sladden -"COLOURS" -- Nice song, lyrics, and
mixdown. I really liked the harmonies, both vocal and
instrumental, though at times on the guitar duet it
seemed like some the high notes were not quite reached,
but perhaps that was intentional for effect. The mix
was boosted 3db to catch it up to the benchmark hottest
tunes on CD1. I also like the way you sing the song.
3) Sam Bishop "THE COMPANY" -- Nice rhythm on this one.
Personally I'd bring that guitar up 4 - 6db on the
intro, and the drums up 2 - 3db for a bit more presence
on those. Also, overall mix was brought up 4db.
Otherwise, I thought it was a good mixdown, wise message
(even as a company owner!...family is most important, no
question). Good job Sam!.
4) Nancy and Gordon Groff - "TURN TO ME" -- Beautiful
piece N and G--I love that nice, relaxing, piano pabulum
stuff -- do it myself on guitar all the time! The only
thing I noticed in the sound (which was nice overall),
was some "mushiness" on the midrange louder parts --
perhaps just an Eq adjustment around 200db. This sound
was noticeably non present in your mastered version on
CD 2. I also noticed what sounds like a slight dropout
at :54, and a "click" sound at 2:06--perhaps that was
just the dog dropping the drumstick or
something--neither of those stood out enough to be
distracting to me though. The song has a nice feel and
good sense of timing on Nancy's part. Good job on the
engineering side Gordon!
5) Andy Robinson - "EXOTIC AMERICA" --Very unique, I
love the interesting instrumentation, such as tamborine,
organ, guitar, dulcimer, various percussion, etc.(is
that even a whistle at 2:22?)--all contribute nicely to
the feel of the tune. I might try bringing up the
dulcimer 2 - 3db, as it sounded a bit subdued
comparatively, and yet the lead instrument in the song.
Overall mix needed 6 db boost to sort of catch up with
most the "benchmark" songs, and could even go hotter
w/MTK "mastering" patch setup. Great song though, I
love the lyrics--almost as easy to learn as mine!
6) Neil Goldstein - "ODE TO LAMA" -- Love that intro,
and actually the rhythm of the whole song. The vocals,
the guitars, the harmonies, bass and drum all blended
nicely to compliment the feel. I thought you did a nice
jib on the mixdown as well (certainly hot enough). Like
Wiz's, I heard very small amounts of distortion on the
original I received from Bill for leveling (around 1 %),
that was not apparent now on my car stereo, so I assume
all is fine--haven't tried these on my Mackies since
then. Two things I would check out: a somewhat
distracting clicking sound (maybe guitar pick hitting
something) on the intro, interlude, and ending;
secondly, something weird happenning in the vocal
harmonies at 1:32--they sound off (kinda wavery?)
compared to the other similar chorus parts. Otherwise, I
love the harmonies, and think this is a great song Neil.
7) Doug Robinson - "TELL HIM ANYTHING " -- Awe, easy
listening, well done song. The instrumentation, feel and
good singing got me listening closely to the message of
the lyrics. The tracks sounded mixed well, but overall
received 3db to help catch up with the benchmark songs
on the CD. This one too, could benefit more from a
tweaked master patch in the mastering room. Real nice
job Doug, you've got a nice voice, and it works
particularly well with both songs I've heard you sing
the lead in thus far. Of course, I also liked your
harmonies in Spinner.
8) Rick Mather & Nancy Groff - "EVELYN & JACK" --
another beautiful song, however, the piano levels
sounded low comparatively, and I couldn't do anything
with that because Rick's gorgeous trumpet (coronet?)
playing would distort in places if I so much as touched
it--and I was not about to adjust levels mid-song. The
horn must be recorded very hot, but the mixdown could
easily be fixed/enhanced in the mastering process. I
would have liked to hear the horn come in sooner--More
horn Rick!!! Even so, this was a beautiful song Rick,
Nancy, and Gordon captured, and I find it very enjoyable
to listen to.
9) D J Dub Yah (John Waddington) - Ted Banks: "PICKER'S
CHOICE" -- Awe, a fellow acoustic finger pickin style
guitarist--this one just jumped right out of my monitors
at me! Nice, big acoustic guitar sound--I'm still
amazed JW recorded this with just one mic. I do hear
some undesirable bassy overtones and hiss (particualarly
in the beginning) that I would try to remove w/eq, and a
touch more compression than I like, particularly
noticable in the end, such as the last strum--looses
clarity. I would also fool around with a bit more
reverb to see how that sounds. But hey, now I'm
probably being way over picky, 'cause overall I think
it's a great recording--way to go JW!
10) Ken Totushek - "DANCING IN PROVIDENCE" -- I
suppose I could say much on this one, but I am anxiously
waiting to hear original feedback without my perspective
coloring anything. I will say that overall I am very
pleased with how the song came out, thought the lead
line could have been played more clearly--just not
exactly my forte. Anyway, hope you like it!
11) Brick - "HAPPY NEW YEARS BLUES" -- Nice blues
lyrics and tune -- I like the dobro a lot in this. The
vocals sort of stood out as being over processed
(ambience effect or something?), but maybe that was the
intent. I'm undecided as to whether it works for me or
not, so obviously it's nothing blatant. Also, I'm
curious as to what the percussion sound is--almost
sounds like someone knocking on the door or something.
Overall level was boosted 4db for the comp. You can bet
I'll be playing this one come New Years eve 2001! Nice
job Brick!
12) Chris Miller - "BEYOND" -- This is a very nice,
smooth sounding mix. I really like the harmonies, the
guitar, and the use of effects to create the mood of
this song. This song received 3db boost overall to
attempt leveling it with the "benchers." It was very
unfortunate that the cut skips briefly at around 2:05.
I double... no, triple checked to see if this was on the
original I received from Bill and it was. I don't know
what Bill received from Chris, but it's just a reminder
to me that you can never listen to a mix too much for
checking its integrity--especially before sending it on
to a comp project or somewhere else. Not sure what
happenned here. Anyway, it's a great song and mix.
13) Carl Chimi (and L. Young) - "DOWN BY THE SALLEY
GARDEN" -- This song is so slow and so sad Carl, I guess
that is intentional. The vocal sounded a bit over
processed for me, but maybe that is what you were
looking for. I thought the harmonies sounded good, and
worked well. The flute idea is nice but was much
overpowering at times, so I'd really bring it down and
even fade it out on some of the longer held notes. At
times the drum machine sounded out of sync., I've had
this problem in the past at times too -- quantizing
takes care of this. This mix was boosted 3db for the
comp. BTW, is this a true story??
14) Rick Knepper - "THE BLUES" -- Wow, electric, I'm
still searching for the acoustic intent on this--alright
Rick, that sweet female vocal definitely qualifies for
acoustic, as well as the sax (is that Bill L??).
Anyway, this song has a nice rhythm, as hot a mix as
anyone might get (definitely one of the benchmarkers!),
and I don't mean because of the lyrics either! Great
female vocalist, and even some really decent guitar
playing--you've gone a bit beyond those 2 - 3 chords on
us now Rick, wazzup with that? The drum programming
sounded OK, but some strange snare riffs around 1:48 and
4:05 - 4:15, I just couldn't picture a live drummer
doing some of this stuff, but maybe that was just for
affect. Also, I would shorten this significantly (by
about 2 - 3 minutes), as it got quite repetitive
sounding. Oh, and of course, me being me I would lose
some of the lyrics, as I always have to watch for this
one when my kids are around in earshot. All that being
said, thet mix sounded uniform, crisp, and about as hot
as it gets. Good job Rick!
15) Mike Fishell - "LUCKY BASTARD" -- This is one hot
song Mike! I love the pickin on all those
instriments--the guitar, the manolin, the banjo--are
there any stringed instruments you don't play well??
The vocal, the clever lyrics, the timing, the
instrumentation, the uniform mix all worked to get my
foot tapping, my head bobbing, and my voice singing
along on the chorus. My 20 year old Philipino daughter
was in stitches when she heard this song--we had a great
time singing along -- I guess sometimes I'm just in that
kind of mood! I don't think my wife has heard it yet,
and I'm not sure how she will respond. The only thing I
would change in this song would be to lengthen it,
perhaps with another instrumental or two--show us more
of those riffs, on the different instruments!! Great
job!
Well, whew, that's it for now folks...gotta come up for
air, and then head to bed!
Cheers,
Ken +
Victor Paul Disk 1
Ash Wednessday... Clever arrangement instrumentally. Vocal harmonies
could add a lot to this lengthy piece. Vocals sort of monotone. Would've
liked a bit more fire and dynamics in the vocals.
Colours... Haunting song. Inspired lead vocal. At times the BG vocals
are too low and don't always match the intensity of the lead vocal. Is
there a bass? If there is bring it up. If not add a bass. Drums played
with brushes would add a lot.
The Company... vocals maybe too low keyed in the very beginning but
picks up nicely. Like the build but more could have been done with BG
vocals. The song ended too soon, sorta let me down. Try either a double
chorus for a bigger ending or end it like you started the song by
gradually eliminating instruments and ending it small, coming full
circle.
Turn To Me... It's hard to find anything wrong with this piece. I like
everything about it.
Exotic America... Couldn't understand a word you were singing :-)
Interesting song. Lacks brightness and presence but it still held my
interest.
Ode To Llama... Challenging piece to play and sing but lots of fun to
listen to. Like the whole package. Pitchy vocals in spots but other than
that a solid effort.
Tell Him Anything... Like the vocals a lot. The song is very catchy,
hooky. Cool arrangement but eventually it borders on being too low
keyed. Works well for me for the first verse and chorus and I like the
harmony on the second verse but from there, the second verse, the
instrumentation could be a bit more punchy, alive, bigger and ballsier.
Solo section and ending definitly too low keyed for me.
Evelyn & Jack... Another beautiful piece but could use a better ending.
Picker's Choice... Very enjoyable. Excellent picking and recording
Dancing In Providence... Loved the first two minutes. Nice piece but it
seems like it should be edited down. The last two minutes didn't hold my
interest as much as the first two.
Happy New Years Blues... Like the song, vocals and guitar playing
although a bit pitchy and some off tuning moments. The hand rhythms are
sometimes fitting and other times seems to clutter and distract.
Beyond... Interesting song and arrangement. Vocals really strong and
emotional. Cool harmonies. Well recorded and mixed. Maybe a bit too much
vibratto in your vocals in spots.
Down By The Sally Garden... Sounds totally live. Is it? Minor pitch and
tuning problems in spots. Nice break / solo section. Recording on the
hot side.
The Blues... Part 1 Rhythm guitar a bit loud in the mix. Lacks dynamics.
Needs a key change for the vocalist. Part 2 Much more coherent than Part
1. Part 3 Instruments should be brought down and simplified to a more
supportive level.
Lucky Bastard... This is a lot of fun to listen to. Real nice job.
Victor Paul disk 2
Working The Graveyard... Captivating performance of a well written song.
There's a lot to like. The powerful and expressive vocals, the piano,
the drums. The backup vocals are interesting in the way they sometimes
follow the melody of the lead vocals closely, and sometimes they don't.
There's one or two spots where they get too far off the main melody.
Other than that it's very entertaining and well recorded.
Banjo Flying... Fine job of flying. Rushed the landing at the end but
there were no mishaps. You hit an air pocket at :13 and again at :37,
almost lost contact. Great job.
Disassembled... Cool tune, performance and recording. Tasty arrangement.
Try a version where you add something to the second verse. It could be
almost anything. A cello, an organ or a string quartet. The Beatles did
it on Yesterday and it worked great. For contrast start the last verse
with just bass and drums.
Chain Around My Heart... Outstanding on every level. For an alternative
ending, you could try scatting ala George Benson. I think a more up
ending could make your song even more special.
Aron - (Finbar Furey)... Stunning performance from beginning to end.
This really showcases your writing, arranging, performing and recording
talents.
>From Dust We Came... The tempo could be a bit more up and the playing
more consistant attack wise and timing wise.
Get Off This Train... Love the energy. Cool song. The last verse seems
to be the most polished and the most powerful and stands out from the
first three. Not that there's anything wrong with the first three. For
fun, try a version where after the third verse you stop and start the
solo at half speed. Then gradually pick up speed, like a train going
faster, until you get back to the original tempo.
Forever Friends... Very well put together but I think the chorus could
stand out more by altering, changing the drum rhythm. I feel it's too
much like the verse rhythm and a simple change like that could add a lot
to your song.
Island Db Love... Intriguing piece or pieces. Each of the three special
on their own. A bit fragmented. Would like to hear any of these pieces
as a full length piece. Love the playing, writing and especially the
recording.
The Visiter... Well done. The arrangement seems to be too regimented and
ordinary. A little counterpoint would work wonders.
Dreams... Catchy little tune. I like the harmonies, the performance, the
simplicity of the instrumentation and the blend. The lead vocal has a
lot of character and pulls you in. Nice work.
That's Right My Love... Like the writing, the performance and the
overall sound. It's different. Your choice of effects is interesting. I
feel that the effects work in some spots and not in others. Unless
that's the sound you want, I'd lighten up on the effects.
Lake Champlain... Fine song and performance both vocally and
instrumentally. Great voice. The vocals sound like they were recorded a
little on the hot side.
Y'all At The Mall... Nice job of writing, singing, playing and
recording. Very entertaining and lots of fun. Would've liked one more
verse.
Blasphemy... I like this song and recording a lot except for the
excessive sibilance in the vocals and a bridge that seemed to be a bit
too long. Aside from that it's quite awesome.
Sweet Life... I wasn't able to load the new and improved version. Cool
song and inspired performance. In this version the vocals get kinda
buried in the mix. The acoustic guitar is louder than the vocals. The
vocals seem out of the pocket some. Usually behind the beat. But I liked
the overall original sound.
Put Down The Saxaphone... Fun idea. It might have been even more fun to
introduce the line "put down the saxaphone" once more earlier in the
song. I liked the way this was performed and recorded. Good job.
Wandering Boy... I especially liked the last verse harmonies. The
earlier verses I find inconsistant in pitch and phrasing in spots. Nice
playing and recording. Cool song.
Joyous Exaltation... Love the way it flows. Beautiful music here. Great
excercise in dynamics. Another great performance and recording.
Quartette Saxo Soleil No 1... Cool stuff. The contrast between the free
form leads and the cleverly constructed arranged parts are a lot of fun
to listen to. Great job.
D J Dub Yah
1st Id like to say that this stuff is all great and its great
to be part of such a cool effort.
Thanks to everyone involved in the production and distribution
You rock
I thought I would concentrate on what I didn't like
As I thought this would be more helpful than a bunch
of pats on the back.
Also I did this blind to who's cut was who's
And haven't read the track notes at all.
( I was really Blind as I later found out I had my signals crossed so ignore the Left right coments) dub
I did recognize a few people because of the disctictive style or
sound or some of you have sent me copies already.
If the notes are too cryptic ask and I will try to explain what the hell Im
getting at.
I auditioned the CD's on my listening system an a moderate volume
( i.e. louder than my wife wanted it but lower than I like it)
Pioneer elite PD-65 CD Player
Hafler Series 915 Class A Pre-amp
Legacy Audio High Current Power amp (380 w / ch)
Mylar shotgun speaker cables
Legacy Audio FOCUS Speakers
Lastly this is art and each person has their own idea of what their art
should be like so don't try to justify to me anything that you did
if you like it that's fine with me.
The main thing is that you did it, you created something from nothing.
Congrats You Rock
I just hope you will all still love me in the morning. :-)
D J Dub Yah
Disk 1
1
I would Love to hear this cut with a real acoustic an a nice chorus rather
than the VG 8
(That's all I wrote Hmm.. I may have to revisit this one I was Just getting
settled in)
2
Needs Spread on the Backups or louder
Backups
Needs a lead player
Too Stiff
Listen to the Warren Zevon acoustic CD for a hint on how to do this song
Needs some Bass
3
Comp the drums more
Needs some Punch
4
Nice Piano Sound
5
Vocals too small and thin
Drums not punchy
No Bottom end
Needs mastering and Compression
6
Kicks My Ass
Nice Bass sound
Snare To left
Instruments not laid out like a band (snare)
Nice Mix Otherwise
Clean Vocal Sound
Spread Harmonies More
7
Vocals Need Air
Song Needs Air
Punchy Bass
8
Wow I thought the other Piano track sounded good
This one has better High end Air
Soulful sound (horn)
Made me contemplate my life
9
Needs extreme low end rolled off a bit
I feel like I'm in the guitar
Yeah it's out of tune a little at the end
Hell it's got strings and its wood
Shit happens
It still sounds good
10 Nice clean sound
Real
Plenty of Air
Maybe bring the guitars down
and shaker up
Center the triangle and shaker
Spread the Guitars
11
Vocals - problem Less room /verb
Needs bottom bass ?
Move percussive sound (tapping) to center
12
Ive heard this Before
Nice Mix
Small skip on my CD
Vocals seemed a bit grainy at the end
13
Roomy Voice
Percussion to far left
Vocal Spread could be better
L-R hole in center
Big Bass Too Big ?
Don't Like the vocal Sound
Too much EQ ?
14
This Snare sucks
Band / Vocal balance off
Guitar too bright
Louder than Vocal
Lower and add verb to spread the guitar
What the fuck is with these drums
Break
OK Better Balance
How about some backup vocals
Finally some Bass
Drum sound sucks
Alternating cymbals l-r
What ?
More
Ok better mix here
Need less eq or a better vocal mic for this voice or sumpthin
Vocals too narrow
Lots of sounds piled up in the center
Great Lyric
15
Lucky bastard
Needs Mids trimmed a bit
Good sound on Guit solo
Lead vocals sound chesty
Need more room sound / air
Sounds like an Eqed vocal booth too dead
Disk 2
1
Big Vocal
Everything else is small
Shitty drum machine sound
WTF this could be much better
It's a cool song
Piano is to far right
Disjointed instrument placement
In mix
Damm I cant read what I wrote about the lead vocal
2
Wheee Ha
Crisp Banjo Sound (real)
Guitar a bit Muted
Needs a better balance between the 2 instruments
3
DF I know Its You
Nice
Sweet
Vocals have some esses I could do without
Nice natural sound
4
WOW
Sweet
Nice Ride
High Hat on wrong side
Smooth Vocal with Nice natural sound on all instruments
Need to reverse the highhat and the ride
PRO Sound
5
Nice Space (verb)
Smooth Sound
I don't like the vocals much but they are recorded OK
6
Could use some more spread
Short Eh !
7
Snare on left ? why
Move it right
Needs a real drummer
A real drummer would bring this tune to life
Smooth sound Good Air
Nice Harp Sound
Sound stage good but move that snare
8
Big Wide sound stage
Drums could use some compression
And spread
Nice Vocals and Backups
More Backup vocals would be nice
Drum Kit too small in sound stage
9
Big Sound
WTF
Changes
Ok Nice Dear Prudence guitar sound
10
Great Big Vocals
WOW
Nice Room and Air
Smooth and Clean
Nice Job
11 Good Air and Roomy Sound
Snare left move right
Natural sounding Instruments
Right Sized sounds
Maybe Vocal could be Bigger
Nice
12
Disjointed sound Drums Mostly
Cool song
Shitty drum sounds (small)
Move solo right
Bass Left a bit
Make drums Bigger
Cool vocal melody
Spread out backups more
Get a lead player or get down and rock out
13
Opening guitar Too small(right)
Left guitar is BiG and drops out (why)
Punch up the bass
It's low and Small
Oops there s that HUGH Guitar playing a lead
To bad the rhythm guitar didn't have as much tone
Smooth vocals
14
Vocal To big compared to guitar
Funny
POP in right speaker
How about some instruments on the left
15
Nice Sound Stage
Good Air on the Guitars
WOW Huge Vocal
Make Conga bigger (a Bit) maybe more Air on the Slap
Spread out the Conga and bass
Bass could be bigger to fill out the space more
16
No Room on the Guitar sound
Lower Volume and add verb
Vocals Small - Spread Backups
Guitars Big Good Mic placement
17
Drums too small and Lacks of Punch
Bass needs to be louder
Right space is empty
This is Acoustic ?
Spread out them drums
18
Nice Big vocals But not Too big
Instruments are Too small
Wide sound stage
But instruments don't connect across it
Bass drops to far back and needs to be compressed to smooth it out and
brought up in overall volume
Vocals seem bigger at the end than the beginning
19
Hugh Piano
Pleasant sound
Natural sounding
Could have a bit more Air
20
No Spread Why ?
Isn't the VS a stereo recorder
Good Sax Tone
Spread em out sop I can get the counter point
Pan em and match the volume and size of the horns
Gordon Groff
Okay, Here's my impressions of CD2. Sorry it took so long. I say
"impressions" because that is what they are. Not judgements.
1. Working The Graveyard - Dagley and Dagley-Dagley
I like the lines "I work for the moon and sleep with the sun" and "I
never even
know what you do" . Great lyrics! Some pitch problems with the
vocals. I
also like the nice simple arrangement with the piano and drums. I've been
abusing my partner at work with this comp and this is her favorite. Michaels
voice really sounds good on this one.
2. Banjo Flying - Galen Moser
Flying is right! Great job on that banjo, man! Toe-tapping fun to listen to.
Good recording!
3. Disassembled - Dave Freden
A favorite! Classic Freden from Lesser Humans. Love those low strings (pad?)
under the melody. Nice acoustic guitar. The standout elements for me here are
many: Song (melody and lyrics), Vocals - excellent performance, recording, and
good choice of effects for the mood of the song. Besides that, you've got a
great voice, Dave! To be picky, I think there's too much sibiliance there.
Mix- super. Pro job. Anyone on-List who does not own Daves Lesser Humans CD
should get it.
4. Chain Around My Heart - Jim Giberti
Another favorite! Beautiful song! Love the use of your synth on it.
Great
sound. I know you are going for a soft sound on your vocals and they are really
good, but I would either make them a touch bolder or maybe put your rythym a
touch lower against the vocals. . I would just like to hear those great lyrics
featured a little more prominently. I should not pick, this is pro level work.
Good guitar too.
5. Aran - Frank Gerace
Haunting sound. nice melody. A little repetitious. Very good recording.
6. From Dust We Came - Victor Paul
Nice. LIke the acoustic guitar sound.
7. Get Off This Train - Rick Deering
Good groove. Toe tapper. Like the harmonica and guitar arrangement. Good
vocals and harmony, could be a little bolder. Maybe back off the rhythm a
little to give the vocals more room. Perhaps a couple too many "get off this
train's" at the end.
8. Forever Friends - Steve Thornbrugh
Good, spacious sound! Maybe it's me, but once again, I would like to
hear the
vocals featured a little more above the instruments, maybe a little bolder.
Great lyrics. Good voice and harmonies. Some of the acoustic strumming seems a
little bright to me.
9. Davor Pavuna - Island Db Love
Great acoustic guitar recording. Great sound! Since I'm not familiar with
electric/distorted guitar, not sure what my impressions are of that part of it.
Sounds pretty cool though. I like the simple acoustic guitar and vocals at the
end - even though it was hard to hear the words in spots. (was on
another
comp- right?).
10. The Visitor - Ron Oslund
A favorite! Like I commented before, it is amazing that this entire choir is
just Ron, Ron and his brother, Ron. Great job. Great voice-super range. Great
recording and mix.
11. Dreams - Wormstew
I lose the vocals sometimes. Nice song. Good rhythm. Good sound on bass.
12. That's Right My Love - David Weight
Cool flanging or whatever on the vocals. Sometimes the words get burried in it
a little. The downward slide of the vocals get a little repetitious to me, but
is probably part of the sound. Interesting sound on drums. Sounds a
little
mournful to be a love song, but I guess that's the intended effect.
13. Lake Champlain - Steve Buckalew
Great song! Melody and lyrics are super! Excellent recording and mix.
Great
guitar sound. I like how the vocals are up front and featured, but think they
would benefit from some effects. I like the clear sound of the dry tracks, but
some reverb or compression to give them a little more character might dress the
song up a little. You've got a nice voice, Steve. Like the clear sound of this
one. This stong sticks with you. I can't think of Lake Champlain now without
hearing this song.
14. Y'all At The Mall - Todzilla
Cool, "In the living room" sound. Very natural, casual feel. Vocals
very up
front and easy to hear, although at times it sounds like you're moving away from
the mic or something.
15. Blasphemy - Polito
I like the rhythm sound and the guitar at the intro. Vocals almost too
affected, but they fit the "dreamlike" theme. A lot of sibilbence.
The
"blasphemy" refrain stayed with me. Nice.
16. Sweet Life - Jerry and Angie Galloway
Vocals hard to hear. Some pitch problems. A lot of string noise. I like the
counterpoint keyboard(?) sound.
17. Put Down The Saxaphone - Chris Cummins
Like the groove. Nice rhythm. Cymbol sound a little bright or hot in mix.
Where's the Sax? Was that what the synth sound was supposed to be<G>?
18. Wandering Boy - Dagley Dagley and Dagley
Good lyrics. Some pitch problems in vocals and harmonies.
19. Joyous Exaltations - Nancy Groff
FWIW- this is part of one of Nancy's improvs that she went back and learned so
this is not technically an improv. When Bill called for this comp, I sent him
both this and Turn To Me (disc 1) because I could not decide which one to
present. He graciously included both.
20. Quartette Saxo Soleil No 1 - Bill Lieske
I'm gonna come clean here, Bill. I had a lot of trouble with this. The
juxtaposition of the final notes of #19 with the opening notes of this number
did a number on me! A big part of the problem is my lack of sophisitcation and
exposure to this kind of music. I just don't understand it, I guess. I shared
it with some folks who really dug it and assured me it is well done and
everthing on it was intentional <G>. Thanks for expanding my musical horizons!
The recording was excellent. Great sax tones.
-==-=-=
SAM
Ok, here are my thoughts on disc 2. A word of caution: If you are hopng to get some technical opninons or suggestions, stop right now. There ain't any. Everyone of you turned out a better sounding mix than I did, so I think I'll listen & learn on that subjucet. What follows is just my (short) take of the overall sound & the songs themselves. I am very impressed with the company I now keep...
1) Working the Graveyard, Bohemian Hillbillies
I really like the vocals on this. They work very well with the song. The lyrics grow on you. At first they seemed a little jagged, but the second time through I caught some of the clever word play.
2) Banjo Flying , Galen Mosier
Maybe I need to listen to more banjo music to tune my ears, but I didn't care for this one. The fingers were flying, that's for sure. But, for me, it just didn't go anywhere.
3) Disassembled, Dave Freden
I liked the bass & the overall blend of the song. The ending seemed a bit odd. Maybe the chords? It just seemed to stop.
4) Chain Around My Heart, Jim Giberti
Very well balanced, very clean. The percussion was excellent, guitar very crisp. Good balance between lead & BG vocals. Nice voice.
5) Aran, (Finbar Furey) Ó 1999 Finbar Furey - (I hope I got this right..)
The opening seems to become a too bit loud. I liked the flutes/ whistles& the vocal was very powerful.
6) FROM DUST WE CAME, Victor Paul
Great tone on this. Very smooth. I wish it was longer.
7) GET OFF THIS TRAIN, Rick Deering (with Blind Birds)
Ok, I hope you take this the right way - This one sounded like an old Monkees tune or something from the late 60's (I loved some of that stuff!) Loved the beat & "train" feel. Way to make the music fit the lyrics!
8) Forever Friends, Steve Thornbrugh
The vocals seem too far back, some of the percussion too far forward but overall a very nice tune. Good lyrics, though not something I'd expect from "The Screaming Clowns". Great name!
9) Island Db Love, Davor Pavuna
I really, really like the guitar work on this. Beautiful. I am not so sure about the "Spanish interlude" in the middle, though. It was a little jarring for me. I got some distortion on the low notes in the opening section. Did I mention I really, really like the guitar work on this?
10) The Visitor, Ron Oslund
Oh, wow. I'll quit singing now.. This is beautiful. The blend on the voices is super. Who are these guys?
11) "Dreams", Mike Schnee and Wormstew
This one has a Grateful Dead sound to it, I think. Sometimes I lost the vocals at the end of the lines, but other than that I thought it had good balance. Great feel, btw, and the vocals fit it well.
12) "Thats' Right My Love", David Weight
On the first listen, I thought the vocal treatment distracted from the song, but on another listen I like it. Gives it a bit of mystery. The guitar break fits in nicely.
13) Lake Champlain, Stephen Buckalew
Absolutely everything works on this song. Vocal tone is great, balance between BG & Lead is good. The guitar break is nice. The lyrics are very strong. Congratulations on a really nice song.
14) Y’all at the Mall, Todzilla
Clever lyrics! The simple arrangement works well. I lost a word on the vocal. It just seemed to drop out. Also, if you don't use Jim Beam in the mix instead of Merlot, you are missing a HUGE marketing opportunity!
15) Blasphemy, Polito
The drum/ guitar mix is good. The vocals are a bit hard to understand, but the plaintive nature of the song makes it work. Did you play the Congas? Great tone overall. I really liked the bass at the end.
16) "Sweet Life", Jerry & Angie Galloway
I know this is not the right mix, so I won't comment except to say I need that URL for the right version. Then I'll comment (Ohhh! Ain't *that* something to sit by the e-mail for! ;-) ).
17) Put Down The Saxophone, Chris Cummins
This is a fun song, though I don't care for the title part. I like the song on its own & the last part takes away from it, I think.
18) Wondering Boy, Dagley Dagley & Dagley
I like the female vocal, though I don't think it blend too well with the male vocal, which seemed to slip out of tune in spots.
19) Joyous Exaltation, Nancy & Gordon Groff
Excellent tone. I don't usually care for solo piano pieces, but this was really nice. Good flow to the piece. This was improv'd the first time? Wow.
20) "Quartette Saxo Soleil, Nr 1", Bill Lieske I think the layering of the saxes works really well. I admit that it was a bit too, I dunno, freeform, for my tastes, but I was very impressed with the sax work.
Sam