• Songs
  • Loving-Stallings Band "Her Golden Key"
2017/02/04 21:55:47
stevee9c6
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
2017/02/06 01:18:01
stevee9c6
No comments at all?  Hmm
 
2017/02/06 09:31:27
SupaReels Music
Good Luck mate ... Love it! 'an the geek in me understands how much work is in this song!
 
2017/02/06 10:06:36
stevee9c6
Thank you for the comment.  Yes, this tune, to include the rewrite (I rewrote the entire song, added a verse and bridge.) recording each track as I performed them, recording Jesse's vocal, editing and mixing, mastering, and uploading the song, took probably about a month off and on over the last couple of years. I could have done it all at one time but during that same period I was kinda busy working on other folks projects. 
2017/02/06 11:56:05
Wookiee
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.
2017/02/06 12:05:50
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...
2017/02/06 13:26:48
eph221
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.
2017/02/07 22:02:24
bjornpdx
Steve
I don't listen to country music much, but what I like about your song is what I like about traditional country - the open sentimentality of the lyrics accompanied by a pedal steel guitar and fiddle. Heck I even like that nasally western accent of the singer :-)  
I think your song has everything going for it - good melody,  good arrangement with great accompanying tracks too.


2017/02/14 13:27:14
eph221
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?
2017/02/14 16:18:00
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.
 
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