Loving-Stallings Band "Her Golden Key"

Jesse Loving brought a rough draft of this tune to me in 2014. After listening, I asked him a number of questions related to his life and sat down and rewrote the song.  The song is about his grandmother and grandfather.
I have written and recorded somewhere around a hundred songs in the past. I essentially have used a one man approach, writing, singing, playing all the instruments, recording, mixing, and mastering.
A good friend of mine who has been my song writing mentor for 15 years has repeatedly asked me to hire a serious singer so that my songs might find a wider market. While I sing, I won't ever win any singing awards. 
 
  Jesse and I are recording an entire CD of my songs. He will handle the vocals. I will play most of the instruments but am calling in some buds I have worked with on the road to help. I am talking with a respected engineer and producer to help. (I just played pedal steel on a new Christian artist CD he is producing)
This tune is the first song.  However, this is the demo for the actual recording. I did play everything on this except for the fiddle part. All recorded, mixed and mastered here at Cypress Creek Audio. (My own private studio)
For the recording geeks in all of us, here is a list of equipment used.
SPLAT
Lynx Hilo
Roland/Cake V700 system
Neuman U87  clone
AT4050
Neuman TLM49
Roland TD20SX triggering Slate and Superior drummer samples
ADL600 Stereo Tube Pre
Fractal Audio Axe FX II XL+
Peavey bass (old neck thru KOA)
G&L ASATZ3
Tele 
Martin D16GT and D35
Mix: Slate virtual track and buss on every channel,UAD Tape emulation on each channel and master buss, Waves Vocal Rider, Waves Bass Rider, Lexicon PCM 70 reverb plate, Liquidsonic reverberate 2, Waves Q4 delay.  Reverbs and delay are separate bussed.
The vocal channel also has a UAD Pultec,Klanghelm MUJC,  and a Littlelab microshift. The acoustic guitars are recorded via the TLM49 and AT4050. Other than minimal eq rolling off bottom end, they are untouched.  The bass, electric guitars, and pedal steel all were recorded direct via the Fractal Audio Axe FX. The pedal steel also uses the channel width expansion from Cake. The main mix buss used the Klanghelm MUJC and the Slate Virtual buss.
 
Mastering path:
SPLAT 
UAD Massey Massive Passive MST
Izotope Ozone 7
Izotope Insight
Voxengo SPAN
https://www.reverbnation....n-key-loving-stallings

Good Luck mate ... Love it! 'an the geek in me understands how much work is in this song!
 

Not really my thing, but....  This is a much better mix than your other tune on the forum at this moment Lonely Road To Heaven.  Much more open and with some breathing space, though the drums do seem to have got lost in the mix, can not really hear or sense the kick, there are hints but that is all.  Everything else seems to be quite nicely balanced.  Thanks for sharing.

I'm an am-a ture but this sounds idyllic to me.    The voice is very authentic-country.  At first the reverb sounded a little too wet, but by the end it sounded ok.  I pictured him singing to an empty room, which gives it some gravitas, but if the room were full it wouldn't be as wet I think.  Love his voice.

stevee9c6
Jesse just texted me and wants to redo the vocal.  Since I just bought the Slate VMS, I want to try a 251 on his voice. I will look at the kick and drums...

Good god, you really spent $1000 for that?

I'm not a country man myself and rarely listen to songs from that genre. I would say though the mix is very open, nice and wide. The arrangement also works very nicely.
 
The instruments have been very well recorded although I don't really feel the drum track it sounds set too far back in the sound stage for me, although the snare does care through and the roll at 3:27 mark.
 
 

stevee9c6
Actually, I paid $750 open box. It's worth it... and I have mics that cost quite a bit more than that. I bought it after reading the reviews, the sound on sound review and discussion on gearslutz. It works. 
I don't know how much time I am going to have to do this though. I just was hired to play steel, banjo, and mando for a new Nashville artist.  Her new CD was recorded at Soundstage, Emerald Sound, Omnisound, and Blackbird. Waiting on Georgetown Masters for final product. I've heard the premasters... dang.
 

 
I have to admit Steven Slate is hot, let me know how it works out, OK? (I'm carrying  on the tradition of measuring quality by looks)

The issue for me at the moment is that I am also getting ready to play full time for a young girl artist. I have a tone of banjo, steel and mando parts to learn.... Recording is on the back burner at the moment...
 

I figured if I didn't like it I could sell it for essentially what I paid.  As it turns out, I will keep it.  Razz me? Ha... my feelings are irreparably hurt.   ;)   LOL