This is track 3 from the FreeEarCandy 2015 Collection. The original was a 3 Min tune, using acoustic guitar rhythms and leads, backed with drums, bass, strings, and vocal with harmonies-genre?. This new version is extended to include some additional vocal lines and is now a little over 4 mins. A cool tune about infidelity.  
 
 
Link to FreeEarCandy 2015 Cool-lection ...See track # 3.
https://soundcloud.com/us...rcandy-2015-collection

This is incredibly beautiful. I love each and every instrument on this track. Everything is where it should be. Drums, fabulous. Acoustic, perfect. Bass, chewy and delicious. Mix is awesome. The vocals are well done but are a big contrast to the delicate instrumentation. They are kind of a hammer in my face so if that's what you were going for, you succeeded. :) The panned harmonies stick out some to my ear too but they are cool as heck.  I'm not sure I'm giving you any useful feedback here, but that's what I have for you. 
 
Wish I could put something this tight and solid together, really great stuff.

kevinwal
... They are kind of a hammer in my face so if that's what you were going for, you succeeded. :) ........ Wish I could...

Ha! I was also thinking the same thing concerning to vox being, as you phrased it well, "hammer-ish".  I was trying to impart a little frustration or irritation in my voice to go with the story line. I had 2 different takes, one softer and this one. I sort of flipped a coin in my head and it landed on this version.....
 
...I wish the same thing, when I listen to some of the projects here. I know the feeling well, but it is a processes, and a fun one at that. We all have gems locked up somewhere inside of each of us. Sometimes it takes a little mining and other times its right there on the surface. See now, this tune here I started back in 2015, and because of writers block I could only come up with one verse. So I wrapped it up and moved on to something different. After all the time gone by I picked it up again this year and I had the additional lines in about 1 1/2 hours without any struggle-very close to the surface.
 
Well anyway Kevin, I'm trilled you liked this tune and I truly appreciate your thoughts-especially about the vocals. In a way I sort of regret not choosing the softer version this time around.
 
Sincerely, Dean

I think there's probably a way to get the vocals to sit somewhat more politely in the mix. Maybe a little reverb/delay to soften things up a bit but not too washy, and play with the levels (and even panning) to see if you can't find a sweet spot. Batsbrew is a master at vocals and harmonies, listen to his stuff and read some of the threads on tunes he's posted. It was an education for me!
 
Harmonies are hard to get to settle down. I love harmonies and really want to hear them, but every time I push a song people say the harmonies are too loud. Ha. One thing old school producers did (and still do for all I know) with background vocals is to use some phasing, or flanging or chorus (or a mix of all three) with some saturation to soften the edges. Someone on this forum suggested that to me and I've been doing it ever since.
 
Dean, you've got something happening in this song, just keep polishing and experimenting and you'll find it. In the end, the only one who has to really dig it is you!

The music is very good, but the vocal is just to much and does not sound like it is in the same space as the music.

Perhaps some gentle EQ to soften the edges, perhaps some slap back to thicken it a little, and some soft reverb, but as a none singer who's vocal kills at a par sec what would I know.

Just had a listen from your account page (the OP link seems to be dead).
 
Not sure if you've changed things, but in the first version the vocals don't seem to stick out that much, but definitely more so in the second.  Is the processing or automation any different between the two?

The music was very cool though - nice vibe, I really liked the acoustic guitar and supporting instrumentation.

stevec
Just had a listen from your account page (the OP link seems to be dead).
 
Not sure if you've changed things, but in the first version the vocals don't seem to stick out that much, but definitely more so in the second.  Is the processing or automation any different between the two?

The music was very cool though - nice vibe, I really liked the acoustic guitar and supporting instrumentation.

 
Hello Stevec. The second one is actually the first upload, and it is the one that had some rough vocals. The one I think you listened to is the adjusted vocals. I took the first upload down and forgot to change the link.  I just redid the vocals all over again, as the first session wasn't the right mood for this song. I tend to shout more than sing sometimes.  Thanks for letting me know your reactions.  Sorry about the dead link and thanks for the heads up-now fixed 
 
Dean.
 
 

Wookiee
The music is very good, but the vocal is just to much and does not sound like it is in the same space as the music.

Perhaps some gentle EQ to soften the edges, perhaps some slap back to thicken it a little, and some soft reverb, but as a none singer who's vocal kills at a par sec what would I know.

Some of my stuff, before 2015, is over compressed and drowning in reverb/echo.  The 2015 collection marked the gradual  move towards a cleaner and less murky sounds of the earliest stuff, and now I've become a minimalist in these areas. I still use them, but very sparingly. As far as the vocals , I use a very tight stereo field for the center vocals and wider for the left and right. There is reverb added to all individually (more for the left and right and less for the center), but it is right at the edge of perception. I'll take your comment into consideration on the next project and see if I can thicken them up some. Thanks Wookiee!   

kevinwal
I think there's probably a way to get the vocals to sit somewhat more politely in the mix. Maybe a little reverb/delay to soften things up a bit but not too washy, and play with the levels (and even panning) to see if you can't find a sweet spot. Batsbrew is a master at vocals and harmonies, listen to his stuff and read some of the threads on tunes he's posted. It was an education for me!
 
Harmonies are hard to get to settle down. I love harmonies and really want to hear them, but every time I push a song people say the harmonies are too loud. Ha. One thing old school producers did (and still do for all I know) with background vocals is to use some phasing, or flanging or chorus (or a mix of all three) with some saturation to soften the edges. Someone on this forum suggested that to me and I've been doing it ever since.
 
Dean, you've got something happening in this song, just keep polishing and experimenting and you'll find it. In the end, the only one who has to really dig it is you!

 
Hello Kevin! So sorry for the late response. I'm not getting all the notifications for some reason-some not all. Anyway, this is proving to be a tough one on 2 counts. I have 2 lines that I'm struggling between delivering on beats or saying to hell with the beats and adding a little swing. This one is too rigid, but I did calm it down (i.e. less scream more sing). Don't really know what to do with matching the space of the vocals to the instruments. I have the big strings in there, and trying to match the vocals to that string space is going to take some wet settings. Vocal doubler on the center track could thicken it for sure, but I think if I go too much further with the reverb it will start to get "washy", as you say.   The Phasing/flanging /chorus idea sounds interesting. Yes, I like those harmonies as well, and I think people like us tend to push them a little to the loud side. I was struggling with that same issue on the new one I posted. They really do sound better to the back more, but then they seem too dull or far away when I do that. 
 
 Batsbrew is a member here? I could use all the tip I can get. In the mean time I have a lot of tunes to fool around and experiment with. Have some new stuff too that I have to start paying attention to, as these old tunes have eaten up a lot of time thus far, and I haven been doing much song creation for a few months. I have a least 2 more I'd like to revisit before I do any of the newer stuff.  Your right Kevin, in the end I have to like it, but its a lot of fun trying to make these projects better and learning new stuff too!
 
Thanks Kevin for your helpful suggestions and interest. I'll be looking into some of it as I move along,
 
Dean.