"Power Trip" (Rock) Mix #4 Up - 8-26-15

Hi Bob It's got great bones for sure!! Lots of energy. looking forward to hearing the bass added.

Bob, it's good to hear from you again.  As always, you capture the high energy performance very well.  Your voice is top notch, as is your guitar work.  As Walt says, the drums are in your face, which is important for this genre.  Personally, I think you could lower the volume on the toms a bit and still not lose any power, and this would bring your vocal more up front, which is the star in this epic.  I don't know how you EQ'd your vocal, but I'd like to hear a little more fat on the bone to thicken it up.  But, this is just my .02 worth, and not a game breaker.  All in all, excellent job, pal.

Good to hear you playing some new stuff Bob and back at home with us. Walt and Lynn have kind of put it all out there, so I will leave you to your work as they have given some great advice and we all know you like good advice and work on those songs until you get them perfected for your albums. Sounds like you have another winner on your hands, so keep up the good work.
 
Peace and Blessings, John

Glad to see you back again Bob! The guitar playing is stellar. Those parts are already really well done, but then when you add thiose panning techniques the song flies...pro level all the way!
 
I keep wanting to hear a speed metal bass drum part in the background...you know...one of those fat moving parts. Maybe it's just me..the part you have fits though! Great recording on this one too as I have come to expect from you!

Outstanding Bob!  Love the tune. 
 
Others have addressed any crits I may have.
 
Love the lead break.  I think you should bring it up a bit in the mix.
 
Rock on my friend!

Awesome to hear you again brother. All sounds great except I'm hearing a little thing with the drums in that section too. Sure is great to hear that crisp production style again.

Hey Bob
great guitars and vocals as ever. drums letting it down - i'm happy to programme you some drums if you want me to! 
Mark

Nothing new to add to the comments above - nice crisp and punchy mix, the guitar performances are solid and wide, and the vocals sound great.   With a little timing cleanup and bass it'll rock out completely.  
 

NOTE: Very sorry for the late replies, guys I've been working 60+ hours a week, I TRULY appreciate any and all input, observations, ideas, suggestions and comments!  Thanks!
 
twisted6s:
 
Hey, Tony, how are you, buddy, it's really great to see you back around the forum!
 
Thanks so much for checking this out for me and taking time to comment, I greatly appreciate your input, and will definitely be giving the bass a good shot in the arm.
 
I haven't been able to get much time to work in the studio lately because I've been super busy at work, and I feel like I've lost my mixing ears.  I've been squeezing in 45 minutes or an hour of recording/mixing, usually at 3 or 4 in the morning, then nothing for a week or two, then another hour or so, and rinse and repeat, LOL!  So, I'm hoping posting a few songs here on the forum and getting some good input, observations and suggestions will get my ears back on track, along with trying to get some more time to work on my stuff.
 
Thanks again, Tony, have a good one!
Bob
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Waltenstein Studios:
 
Hi, Walt, how are you my friend?  Hope you're doing great!
 
Thanks for checking this out for me and for your valuable input and kind words!
 
You've got great ears and I really appreciate your observations!  I'm not sure if you remember about a year or so ago I posted a few mixes and you and a few of our fellow forum friends immediately picked up on some timing anomalies which I was able to fix with a few well placed punch-ins.  Well, lo and behold, not long afterwards I discovered that one of my Sonar Project Templates that I use when starting new projects had three "mysterious" quarter measure and half measure sections where the BPM dropped by 4 beats in the Tempo View!  LOL, Until then I never even knew that the Tempo View existed!
 
I just discovered that this project was started with the same template and tempo map so, boom, same problem!  Because the drums are still midi, I'm wondering if it might be possible to use Audiosnap to slightly adjust the three sections of guitar and bass audio tracks where the timing drift occurs.  I'd normally do punch-ins and re-record the guitar and bass where the 4 BPM slow downs occur, but I'm a little concerned about guitar tone matching and pick attack differences more than a year after I recorded the original tracks.  I haven't really fooled around with audiosnap much, so any ideas or suggestion you or anybody else might have would be greatly appreciated!
 
Thanks again, Walt, and have a great night!
Bob
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Lynn:
 
Hey, Lynn!  How's it going, brother, hope you're doing well!
 
Thank you so much for giving this a listen and for your great input, observations and suggestions!
 
As I mentioned up above to Tony and Walt, I've been away waaaaaay too long from recording, mixing and this great, helpful forum, and I feel like I lost my "studio ears" again.  Combine that with a myriad of changes to my external listening environments where I usually check my mixes outside the studio (New MP3 Players, 2 New Car Stereo Systems, New Earbuds, etc.), and I'm really in a situation where I feel like I can't trust my own listening skills anymore.  LOL, it actually took me two weeks to get up the guts to post this messy mix because I'm concerned about the overall "tonality" and instrument and vocal EQ and volume level settings.  I love ARC 2, and it really seems to help while in the studio running inside Sonar, but then when I go to listen to stuff here in the Songs Forum or reference mixes on Youtube or Spotify, the tonal difference without ARC 2 running is so drastic that it just throws me in the opposite direction and confuses me more!
 
So anyway, I really appreciate your suggestions for the level of the drums and the toms in particular, as well as the vocal EQ.  I'm hoping that with the input and help of our fellow forum members and a little more time to hone my mixing skills that I'll be able to get back into the swing of things!
 
Thanks and have a great night, Lynn!
Bob
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I always like your music.  It's got cajones!  I think Daren right, the lead could come up but you always figure those things out.  I look forward to the final mix!  Good to see the old boys up and working! 

synkrotron:
 
Hi, Andy, thanks so much for taking time to check this mix out for me, and also for your good input and very kind words, I greatly appreciate it, my friend!
 
Yes, Sir, you are correct about the timing anomalies that Walt and James also quickly picked up on, I explained my odd template mistake that caused the drift in my reply to Walt up above.  I'm hoping I've gotten most of the timing drift ironed out with some track nudging and a meager attempt at using Audiosnap on the trouble spots in the new mix.
 
Ah, yes, that PRS Studio of yours is beautiful gem, I really love the color and finish, and I'm sure that it plays like a dream.  And, I see by your SG that much like myself, you're also a Gibson man!  I still have my 1971 Gibson Les Paul Deluxe with a factory custom neck, that was my first "quality" guitar.  But..... the last three times that I went to test out new "modern" Les Pauls to add to what my wife calls my "Guitar Arsenal" I came home with new PRS guitars instead.  A 25th Anniversary edition, a Paul Allender Signature model, and a PRS Torero just last summer, and I absolutely love them all!  Amazing build quality and playability, beautiful, sturdy finishes, and extremely solid, high quality wood, much like early vintage Gibson guitars.
 
By the way, I really enjoyed your song post for Nessus V7, great stuff, nicely done!
 
Anyway, thanks again, Andy, for checking this song out, I'm very grateful for your input and comments!
 
Best Wishes,
Bob
 
 
 

I was dozing in the heat here then I stumbled across this, I am awake now.  

Thanks for sharing Bob.

Love the guitar sound. 
Best wishes,
Malcolm

theguitarplayer:
 
Hi, John, it's really great to hear from you!  Thank you so much for taking time to give this a listen, and also for your very kind words.
 
I'm hoping you're doing well and feeling much better health-wise than you were a few months ago!
 
I truly appreciate your input, and will continue to send good thoughts and prayers your way for a speedy recovery!
 
Best Wishes,
Bob
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thepogue:
 
Hey, my old buddy, Tom!  How are things on the other side of the world, hope you're doing great!
 
Big thanks for stopping by, and for your support!  I'm hoping that by the time you get the chance to check back on this one I'll be starting to get my "mixing ears" back and improving this and regaining some of my confidence.
 
You, Tony and Preston did a bang up job on your newest Distant Towers post, really fantastic work, can't wait to hear more!
 
Sincere appreciation, Tom, have a great week, buddy!
 
Bob
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Starise:
 
Hey, Tim, how's one of my favorite fellow Keystone State musicians doing?  Hope you're doing well and having a great summer!
 
Thanks so much for checking this one out for me and for your very kind words of encouragement!
 
I always look forward to and greatly appreciate your good input, observations, friendship and support!
 
Thanks again, Tim, for listening to this and commenting, greatly appreciated, my friend!
 
Bob
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Rikkie:
 
Hi, Rik, how are you, my friend?  Hope you're doing well and enjoying your summer!
 
Thank you very much for checking this song out for me, and for your kind words and good input!
 
I'm still fighting a battle with my ears after being away from recording/mixing for so long and also many changes to my different listening environments, hopefully, I'm getting some of the issues with this one ironed out and will eventually get myself back up to speed soon.
 
Thanks again, Rik, I greatly appreciate the listen and your good input!
 
Best Wishes,
Bob
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marcos69:
 
Hey, Mark, how are you, brother?  It's fantastic to see you back around the forum again!
 
Thanks so much for taking time to check this out for me and for the kind words of encouragement, truly appreciated, buddy!
 
Your recent instrumental post was a true work of art, pro quality all the way, can't wait to hear your next one!
 
I'm always grateful for your input, observations, friendship and support!
 
Have a great week, Mark!
 
Bob
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james1213:
 
Hi, James, how's my good friend from across the pond doing?  Hope you're having a wonderful summer in beautiful Scotland!
 
Thank you kindly for checking this one out for me, and for your very encouraging words and valuable input, it truly means a great deal to me!  Particularly because I've been having a bit of a "mixing meltdown" crisis, due to being out of practice for so long, and also because of a lot of changes to my alternative listening environments.
 
Good ears picking up the timing drift that you, Walt, Andy and a few other forum friends pointed out.  As I mentioned in my reply above to Walt, at least I know a few accidental errant tempo map changes in one of my Sonar project templates is where the drift originated, and I'm still nudging and tweaking multiple tracks in several spots to try to smooth things out.
 
LOL, with some more time in the studio and a little luck, hopefully I'll be able to get myself back into gear soon and get back on track!
 
By the way, excellent job on your new Coffee House Collab with our old buddy Bapsi, fantastic guitar work!
 
Thanks again for your input, friendship and support, James, I greatly appreciate it! 
 
Bet Wishes,
Bob
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Hi Bob, just listened to mix #2 and #3 and my little speakers can't handle the bass on mix # 3 so I would rather listen to mix # 2.   To my  ears there's something not quite in sync here.Almost sounds like the rhythm guitars were played to a different drumtrack,  bear in mind I'm rhythmically challenged ; )
 
Rik