Stop (Letty, Pilfa, & M)

Here's a track I worked on recently with Letty and Pilfa, some collaborators in the UK. Still playing with the mix. See what you think. . .

Credits
Letty - vocals
Pilfa - songwriting, guitars, bass, drum track assemblage
M - guitars, organ, mix

--> Stop

GREAT song. EXCELLENT performance and a great sounding mix. I agree with James the vocals sit buried in the mix. She has such a nice voice I would also use less verb on her vox. Really GREAT job on this collab.

Hi there M (you look nothing like Judi Dench BTW )

I like this a lot - the performance, recording and production are very good indeed.

The guitar is great throughout but the sparse use of the keys in the verses really makes this work.

Nice work folks

Steve

Boy, the performances and sound quality are outstanding. Love the organ, and the drums are spot on and sit perfectly with the bass. I'm diggin that chick singing, I would mix her up just a weence. But it sounds on the harmony parts like her volume is perfect? So maybe not. Not sure if you're controlling the overall VOX with a VOX main bus or not. But hey, very nice job. I liked the ending too.

Excellent tune M!!! You & crew are really talented. The gal can sing! This was put together and played well IMO. I have to say that organ on this was the icing on the cake tho.. Loved it.

Very kind words from everyone! Thank you, we appreciate that.

Thanks, stevestrummer - most of the guitar, bass, and drums was already in place when Pilfa invited me aboard. I think he and Letty did a nice job writing and fleshing out the song. I added organ, a few more guitar bits, and then mixed. Pilfa and Letty have a Myspace page for the band, which is called Isabella, I believe. And, yes, I'm not the "M" from James Bond lore!

Thank you, Tombo - the chorus harmonies were v-vocaled from the lead track. Is that instantly apparent? Or did it slip by you, unnoticed? I told folks from the outset on another forum and all I got thereafter were comments about how obvious it was. Well, yeah, maybe ... after I tell you! Thanks for listening, sir.

Thanks for checking it out, robby! Tim played the bass and arranged the drum tracks with EZ drummer, I believe. His parts are good, aren't they? And, yes, I have 3 vocal tracks running to a single vox bus. I was a little concerned that the ending is kind of there, but not really well executed. You think it passed?

Thanks, Tom (pogue) - I'm not really much of a keyboardist, but I love putting together these types of supporting-role organ tracks. Fun!

Thanks for listening, Larry - Tim (Pilfa) wrote it and really had most of the arrangement working before I arrived at the party, so I'll make sure he knows he's appreciated. I think it's a pretty catchy pop/rock thing. He and Letty write some nice stuff.

Hey, thank you, Janet-bear!

Mix sounds good to me, other than what others mentioned about the vocals. Very tight production. Great playing here, with everything right where it should be. Nice pop ditty M. Good work.

Randy

M

I like it a lot excellent chorus.

Not sure about the vocal track, she certainly has it all going on and it seems loud enough but somehow it doesn't seem prominent or big enough although I can't pinpoint why. It may be a mastering issue rather than a mixing one. Also I don't know what your intent is for this track is but the drum track sounds a bit too clipped and rigid on the fills particularly if you are intending to tout it round as a demo, but I'm only mentioning that here as the overall standard of the track is so high and it came across as a slight distraction.

Superbly performed and well written song and those minor nits aside a top class track all round.

M, The vocals are spot, but too sweet. On the vox I'd try out a little saturation for grit and some gain around 300 to warm.

This is a terrific track! My only crit is to echo the others about the vox level on the verses. But the playing and production are EXCELLENT!

Fantastic Mix! Organ playing is perfectly supportive and not where it shouldn't be. Guitar is cool. i thought the chorus was a little weak but the production is superb.

Hi ya M.

I am new to the forum and digital recording…. it was recommended that I check out the songs forum and this is the first one…

And let me tell you… this song deserves multiple listening… I feel privileged to be afforded the honor of doing so. This is one hot and catchy hook, and the sequencing is spot on (supporting role indeed)… but the bridge totally won me over… it is exceptional… from all aspects… it wove its way into my psyche… in deep cascading breaths and then dropped me into the most pristine verse of the lot… the contrasts are compelling.

The drums were in my face, driving me… bright, and tight with just the right amount of ambience, but NEVER overpowering. In fact nothing in the rhythm is ever lost… there are so many little gems that pop up or lay back until they are called upon to fill just the right moment…

There is clarity in the mix which I can only hope to achieve at some point… I am sure if I threw an analyzer on this gem, there would be no unused holes in the spectrum. I thought the vocals fit the lyrics well and contrarily to others I felt the levels were fine too. However with that said, if you can find a way to excite them a little… (not sure exactly how… EQ and compression maybe)… I think it could help. It is just that they are having a hard time competing for room… they pale slightly to the brightness of the music… especially the brilliance of the keyboards and drums. But what do I know… it is difficult to be critical when I continue to marvel. Let me digest this and I may share more in a day or two. As SoulPuppy mentioned earlier, this sounds like a kickass '80s pop song, but with a solid rock underbelly. A class act crafted with skill… you should be proud and I can tell you from experience… it is sounding just as good on the tenth listening as it did on the first! It should have been called… “Can’t STOP”