Time To Fly

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Peter Rabbit
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2008/12/31 16:04:52 (permalink)

Time To Fly


This is a song I wrote and recorded a couple of years ago but I was unhappy with the mix so I've re-mixed the entire song. But I need some feedback on the level of the bass if ya'll could be so kind.

I've used 4 different audio references and I've set the the level of the bass so that it is neither overpowering on some systems or inaudible on others. But I'm wondering if anyone thinks the bass sounds a bit too far back on your systems? My monitors tell me it should come up a hair but the other systems I checked it on say leave it alone.

Anyway, the song is called Time To Fly. I don't really know what genre I should put it under. It's kinda rockish but certainly not heavy metal.

Here's the link:
http://www.soundclick.com/bands/page_songInfo.cfm?bandID=326226&songID=5118815

Thanks,

Pete

"Creating a bad song takes just as much time and energy as creating a good one. The problem is that you don't know it's a bad song until someone tells you, and by then it's too late."
P. Rabbit
#1

11 Replies Related Threads
    Philip
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    RE: Time To Fly 2008/12/31 17:40:26 (permalink)
    "Sweet Mellisa"-ish (Allmun bros.) ... then it goes easy-listening and 60's oldies.

    I'd fade instruments for the lead vox(s) a bit more during verses ... otherwise I'd make more in-your-face vocals.

    I'd increase vox masking or reverb with some of the LT "oop--ops" which contradict the lead vocal in loudness (to my ears). The "o" "o" volumes are perfect and verbed back well.

    In sum: This seems to me easy-listening soft rock (pop). Bass-line could be stronger on my Adams.
    This song is extremely sweet and lovely ... only increase the lead vox and 3-4kHz harmonics presence a dcb (which is very easy to fix).

    Philip  
    (Isa 5:12 And the harp, and the viol, the tabret, and pipe, and wine, are in their feasts: but they regard not the work of the LORD)

    Raised-Again 3: http://soundclick.com/share.cfm?id=12307501
    #2
    Peter Rabbit
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    RE: Time To Fly 2008/12/31 19:07:18 (permalink)

    Thanks for the feedback Philip.

    I took all of your suggestions from your above post and made the changes that you recommended.

    1. I faded all instruments (but not percussion) in the verses by -0.5 db instead of increasing vox.
    2. I increased reverb for the Hoo-haa's and lowered volume a tad so they match lead vox better.
    3. I increased bass volume by about 1 db.
    4. I increased frequencies at 3500 khz by 1 db in the harmonics guitars with about a 6.5 Q with Sonitus EQ.

    I then reposted the song on my Soundclick site replacing the old mix with the new.

    I think you were spot on and it does sound better to me now. And you were right, the changes were very simple changes to make but I think everything sounds more in balance now.

    This was one of my most difficult projects to mix because there's a lot going on in this song.

    BTW: Funny you should mention Allman Brothers. LOL Actually I stole the chord progression from thier Mellisa song (as you stated) but I changed it up so much that I didn't think anyone would ever notice. But you pegged it. I've always liked the chord progression in that song.

    Anyway, thanks again for your input. It was extremely helpful and much appreciated.

    Thanks again,
    Pete

    "Creating a bad song takes just as much time and energy as creating a good one. The problem is that you don't know it's a bad song until someone tells you, and by then it's too late."
    P. Rabbit
    #3
    gdugan
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    RE: Time To Fly 2008/12/31 20:50:57 (permalink)
    Hi Peter,
    This is a very enjoyable song, performed well. Love the harmonies and the weird noises! The thing that sticks out to me is that the rhythm doesn't quite seem to gel in a few spots - there are some unexpected drag moments in the tempo, almost like you were playing to a click and were compensating for a little rush with a ritard to keep with the click. If that's the case, I would suggest turning off the click and letting the song find it's own tempo map. The feel of the song is quite nice, and I think it'd be even better if you just let the rhythm breathe naturally. JMHO. Good job!

    -Gary

    My Soundclick Page
    #4
    Mamabear
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    RE: Time To Fly 2008/12/31 23:09:04 (permalink)
    Good to hear a new song from you, Pete! This must have been a fun one to mix! LOL. So much going on! It's cool! I wouldn't be afraid to bring the vox up a little bit more. I felt like they were a little too far back.

    Nice job!

    Janet
    My Soundclick Page


    #5
    Philip
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    RE: Time To Fly 2008/12/31 23:26:17 (permalink)
    I'll hopefully listen again later (a day or so), since I really loved this ... only your first 8 measures reminded me of Sweet Melissa; everything else was sweet soft-rock from, yet, another genre!

    IOWs, we all borrow genre phrases ... a lot before our unique-peculiar style develops. I know I do!
    Its oft the non-parrotting musical weirdness, I'm afraid, that hooks me ... while the song-writer attempts to remain coherent and in pop genre(s).

    Many songs I hear and 'write' sound like genre parrots, especially my own. Methinks, there's nothing new under the sun.

    Time To Fly is really original, powerful, and excellent for most anyone to listen to, young or old.

    (Off-topic: Allman Bros were a bit too dopish for me ... supporting only my recreational drug habits. But so was ELO, Led Zep, and many others; yet somehow ELO enticed me the longest.)

    Philip  
    (Isa 5:12 And the harp, and the viol, the tabret, and pipe, and wine, are in their feasts: but they regard not the work of the LORD)

    Raised-Again 3: http://soundclick.com/share.cfm?id=12307501
    #6
    Peter Rabbit
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    RE: Time To Fly 2009/01/01 09:16:36 (permalink)

    Gary:
    You are absolutely correct about the "dragging" acoustic guitar. This song was recorded a couple of years ago. At that time I did not have a decent set of headphones to use while recording with a mic. Therefore I had to keep the volume of the metronome down very low on the headphones because the sound would leak through to the mic. I could hardly hear the metronome while I was recording and I was struggling to keep proper time with it. I have since acquired a proper set of cans for monitoring while recording. You have a very good ear and sense of rhythm to have caught that. The only way for me to fix that now is to re-record the acoustic guitar track. (Not going to happen though, LOL. I'm ready to put this one to bed!) Thanks for the listen and the response though. I had completely forgotten about that until you mentioned it.

    Janet:
    Hi, good to see you again. I seldom get to the forums anymore and have gotten somewhat out of touch with folks. Over the holidays I managed to find just enough time to re-mix this song. Glad you liked the song. I did bring the vox a tad forward in the mix through the verses but instead of raising the volume of the vox I lowered the volume of the instruments as suggested by Gary. So your comment supports/confirms what he was saying. Thanks again for the listen and response.

    Philip:
    Thanks again Philip. Actually I think your music blazes its own path and doesn't sound generic at all. You think outside the box which gives your music a uniqueness that sets it apart from the others. Who knows, perhaps we'll all one day be stealing/borrowing genre phrases from you.

    Thanks again folks,
    Pete

    "Creating a bad song takes just as much time and energy as creating a good one. The problem is that you don't know it's a bad song until someone tells you, and by then it's too late."
    P. Rabbit
    #7
    gdugan
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    RE: Time To Fly 2009/01/01 11:08:32 (permalink)
    Pete,

    If the guitar is on a separate track and you have a version of Sonar with Audiosnap, you might be able to fix those spots that are a little dragging without rerecording the guitar. I know you said you want to put this one to bed, but it's an option, nonetheless...
    post edited by gdugan - 2009/01/01 11:14:33

    -Gary

    My Soundclick Page
    #8
    Guitarhacker
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    RE: Time To Fly 2009/01/01 11:20:19 (permalink)
    Pete,

    I'm listening on ear buds. This sounds good. I like the ELP type synth.... the bass also sounds like a synth... not really deep like a bass should...... All in all.... a good job.

    I like the harmonies...

    edit: WOW! a jews harp at the end....cool. Last time I tried to play one of those I nearly broke my teeth off......
    post edited by Guitarhacker - 2009/01/01 11:22:27

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    #9
    Peter Rabbit
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    RE: Time To Fly 2009/01/01 19:14:20 (permalink)

    Gary:

    I'm using Sonar PE and it does indeed include the Audio Snap feature. However audio snap doesn't work well on everything. I remember trying to use it on that very guitar track but to no avail. I kept trying to correct the track and it wasn't working. I then did a search in the Sonar forum and discovered that others were encountering the same problem with some of their tracks. For some reason Audio Snap doesn't work well with tracks that contain a lot of harmonics like guitar strumming. (Unless they've improved it since Sonar 6 which is what I was using.)

    Guitarhacker:

    Actually the Emmerson, Lake, and Palmer song "Lucky Man" was my inspiration for that synth. I guess we're both showing our age.

    I can't remember what I used for the bass but it is either a synth or a sound font. I wish I could remember because I'd like to never use that one again. It was a nightmare trying to EQ it to make room for the acoustic strum and the electric distortion guitar. Not to mention it was extremely "boomy". I think I probably EQ'd too much out and I agree with you that it could have been better.

    The Jews harp I picked up at a small, local music store. The folks at Guitar Center had never even heard of one. It was quite a chore trying to find one and it took me almost an hour to learn how to properly play it. It was fairly easy once I got the hang of it.

    Thanks again to all who gave this tune a listen. I've decided that, since it does have somewhat of a "dated" sound anyway, I'm not going to invest any more time in it. I was just playing with it because I had a little extra time over the holidays and I've really been missing playing with my music since starting our home remodeling projects. I still have about another month of "honey do" projects before I can get back to creating more music and I'm hoping to start creating songs with a more "modern" sound to them. It's tough getting out of that 60's - 70's music rut. I always seem to start out creating projects with a modern sound in mind and something happens along the way and it turns out sounding like...well...60's - 70's type music.

    Thanks again,
    Pete

    "Creating a bad song takes just as much time and energy as creating a good one. The problem is that you don't know it's a bad song until someone tells you, and by then it's too late."
    P. Rabbit
    #10
    dcumpian
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    RE: Time To Fly 2009/01/02 11:45:38 (permalink)

    It's tough getting out of that 60's - 70's music rut. I always seem to start out creating projects with a modern sound in mind and something happens along the way and it turns out sounding like...well...60's - 70's type music.

    Thanks again,
    Pete


    And what's wrong with that? I like this song and it is recorded very well. If the music is enjoyable, that's all that really matters, unless you wanna be a rock star!

    Regards,
    Dan


    Mixing is all about control.
     
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    #11
    radio
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    RE: Time To Fly 2009/01/04 01:07:08 (permalink)
    NOT A BAD SONG , VOCALS GOOD AND MUSIC TOO !

    SLAP YOU A BIG # 8 !

    #12
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