Remix of an old (2009) song collab

Some of you older members here will likely remember this song....and the singer.
 
http://soundclick.com/share.cfm?id=12638204
 
In A World Without You
 
Enjoy.... I took this version solidly into the country world.

Nice song, I'll be needing a copy on January 18th, 2017.

Great song Herb! I agree that the vocals sound kinda funky. Is it processed like Cian mentioned, or is it the way she sings?

John: thank you
 
Robby: hummm... what's the reasoning behind that request...? Or do I even want to know?
 
Cian & Scotty:  good ears guys.... however,  I'm not 100% sure about the answer. There are definitely issues with the vocal track that I would loved to have been able to fix or do something else totally. Let me see if I can provide some answers for you. Dena recorded the vox in her studio at a time when she was going to class and working (IIRC) and was extremely busy with young children. I also think she had just moved and was living in Tennessee north of Nashville. I just found out recently that she was also recovering from surgery just a few weeks prior. In addition to that, at that time both she and I were basically just really getting started in home recording with much to learn.
 
I have no idea what processing was done (if any) to the track prior to sending it to me. I do not have the original track, as that has gotten lost and a thorough search of my laptop did not find it. The track I used was pulled from another version of this that I found in a storage drive. (Thank God for storage drives and remembering to back some things up)
 
I do recall that the original track was extremely breathy. She was obviously singing close to the mic and every breath and lip smack was captured. The fast pace of the vocals required her to draw quick, sharp breaths and all that was picked up by the mic. On the very first version, many folks here commented that the breaths were too distracting to the song. (They were correct) I went back into the vocal track and used process mute to silence the worst offenders.  As a result the track has a chopped sound when solo. Chopped meaning the singing and room sound from the mic to dead silence of mute.  In playback with anything else playing the vox is not heard as choppy.  The track in solo has a distorted, slightly over driven sound to it with a slight emphasis on the higher freqs. Almost sibilant in a few places. I think that is really the thing that you are picking up on. The vocal track was sung fairly accurately and I do not recall having to do much to pitch correct it. In all fairness though, I did pitch correct it where it needed, on a few drifted or sharp/flat notes. But even at that early time, the goal was to have a transparent track. So I don't think that's what you're hearing at all.  I included a screen shot of the vox track where the overs are very evident. The entire track is similar.
 
I also think that to some degree or another, Dena's singing style plays a part in this discussion as well. She's a damn fine singer.... great voice. I have nothing but praise for her talents and abilities..... however, I do have to say, I have a very hard time understanding some of her pronunciation. I actually had to look at the lyrics to know what she was saying in a few places. I worked on this song as a cowriter on the musical side so I had no clue on the lyrics until I got a printed copy.
 

 
All that to say, I would have preferred to work with a new vocal track. One that had headroom, and was totally unprocessed in any way. However, Dena has moved to Hawaii and is pursuing different things in life now...... and I don't think she has done any recording that I'm aware of in a very long time. Her studio is probably in a box in storage somewhere. So getting the original or even better, a newer clean recording, is totally out of the question for now.
 
Good ears guys.... hope that answers it to some degree.
 
But one question back at ya.... exactly where in this song are you hearing what you perceive to be artifacts of Melodyne Editor? Just curious. As I listen, I don't hear that... but then again, I'm really familiar with what's happening in the tracks....

timidi
After your wonderful comment on my tune , I don't know how to say this..But, This one doesn't work too good for me Herb. Let alone the voc is all screwed up, I think the lyric/melody is all too smashed in there. Sounds like a lyricist wrote the song:)  The track is real BIAB nice.

Tim,
 
I don't write good comments expecting good comments in return.  I appreciate your view point.  I realize there are aspects to this song that are less than optimal. You, like several others have pointed those things out. You have good ears.  I do appreciate all comments..... good and bad. Good ones are nice and all that stuff,  but, it's the "bad ones" that are actually best for learning. They force the folks involved (me) to assess the song from a different POV. The honest review and opinion is much appreciated.

I don't hear any serious artifacts concerning Melodyne, I think if it's anything it's probably her way of singing. I seem to hear some nasal quality to it, yet she has that distinct female country signature sound.  I guess that part of it jumps out at me more than anything else. 
 
Sad to hear she can't retake the part. Looks like a project that is still well worth an effort to salvage. Maybe even get another vocalist.

0:23,0:33,1:36 are examples of the pitch wobbling about the place herb.
 
I can see now how that gated type processed vocals are coming through on the whole track.
 
You should mix the original vocal with the backing track then as a third set of years we could see that the issue is in the fixing & mixing rather than her voice.
 
I dont think nasally singing is the issue here just the bad recording mixed with over gated and pitched vocals.
 
I think its worth getting another singer Herb.
 
Cian

whack
Very good song Herb, instrumentation, melody & rhythm, very well written but....
 
That vocals on this song to me (I could be wrong) sound extremely processed, I mean, like pitch corrected (v-vocal chipmuck like effect) and stretched or clipped and physically moved. It sounds like overall she has a good voice but like you had to do a lot of correction on it and the flow has been interrupted.
 
Was this the case, or am I being an ass, no one else has picked up on it?
 
 
 
Cian

I was just thinking the same. The vocal's treatment and processing seems a little too transparent. It would prob be better if the vocal sounded more natural.I liked the backing music and the mix though...it works perfectly for this genre.

Hey Herb,
 
I like the tone of her voice a bunch, she sounds like a great vocalist.  As you have mentioned though, I can't make out hardly any of the words that she is singing.  I am not sure why that is; seems like they should be easier to understand, even with her breathy vocal style.  I am guessing it is just a poor recording of the vocal take.  
 
Cian has great ears; I am not picking out the artifacts, but I often have trouble hearing those types of things clearly.  Especially off these cheap computer speakers at work.  
 
I like the song for the most part.  I would probably like it better if I could understand the vocals or had the lyrics.  It does have a little bit of that BIAB sound going to the backing tracks.  I think it would definitely be worth finding another singer to take a stab at the vocals if it meant they were better recorded and easier to understand.  The song sounds like it is a keeper.

Nice song + great instrumentation.
 
Good job - well done.
 
best wishes!

I'm not sure what it is about the vocals... they are on key but maybe they need more dynamics.  Otherwise a fine tune and well played.