• Songs
  • "Racist Country" - A Country-Rock tune
2016/09/09 03:10:35
Leee
[Updated: Version 2 - Sept. 17, 2016]
A song about the 2016 presidential elections, and racism in America.  The song is not based on any single individual, but rather a combination of posts seen on Facebook from both friends and strangers.  Also, no disrespect to any religion in general, but rather pointing out that certain individuals use religion as an excuse to be racist.

http://soundclick.com/share.cfm?id=13446718
2016/09/09 10:52:29
jamesg1213
Leaving aside the content......the mix sounds kind of 'smeary' and indistinct to me, especially the drums. Might be SC's player, or might be that you were aiming for a late '60's type of sound. There's a lot going all through the song, might be good to strip things out in the verses so the choruses stand out a little better.
2016/09/09 13:22:56
Leee
Thanks for your feedback jamesg1213.  I did kind of throw everything but the kitchen sink into this one.  I had two separate acoustic rhythm guitars,  two different twangy/slide guitars, plus a regular drum kit, congos/bongos, along with a tambourine and shaker.   Not to mention 3 part harmonies.
I also had some verb on the drums.

And yes, I usually do go for the 60's/live/garage band sound (like a loose Neil Young and Crazy Horse)
But thanks for the suggestions, I could probably tighten it up and thin it out in a few places.
 
2016/09/10 12:46:54
Wookiee
Along with James thoughts I wonder if there is to much reverb on the backing as it sound like it I am listening through a veil.  Few tweaks here and there would probably sort it.
2016/09/11 00:08:09
Leee
Thanks for the feedback.  It seems I did a mixing/mastering "no-no".  I didn't listen to the finished song through various monitors or listen to it in mono.   All the mastering experts say you have to do this so the song sounds good in a variety of settings.   I recorded and mixed it through headphones.  Yeah, I know, you're not supposed to do that.
So it ended up sounding pretty good through headphones, but then I listened to it on my laptop and I can hear what you guys are talking about.  All the panning I did to separate the instruments, just mixed into one messy sound.
So either I have to remix it or you have to listen to it on headphones. LOL! ;)

I can also probably also remove the Hammond organ and 2nd acoustic guitar.  They just add to that hazy mix.
2016/09/11 08:51:44
pwalpwal
jamesg1213There's a lot going all through the song, might be good to strip things out in the verses so the choruses stand out a little better.


this was my thought - maybe play with the arrangement, bring things in and out?
also, when reviewing a mix, it's sometimes worth just turning off all fx, and seeing how far you can mix without any...
i like it, i like the sentiment :-)
 
2016/09/11 09:13:53
emeraldsoul
I think things sound basically fine, but I wanted to hear more bass level, and the snare is coming in late sometimes I think. I liked your bgv's particularly.
 
cheers,
-Tom
2016/09/11 21:35:43
bitflipper
Love it. Sounds like an ad-hoc band on jam night after a few drinks.
 
Bring up the bass and kick, please. And next time, give the drummer some coffee instead of a joint.
2016/09/11 22:20:04
gswitz
I listened and liked it.
 
I agree with Bit that sum more thump would be nice.
 
Are the drumz real or synth? There's some stereo spread on the drumz, sounds like.
 
If the bass is compressed, a little less compression would be nice.
 
Is it the same voice on all the vocal parts? Might be interesting to get some other voices in on it.
 
2016/09/12 17:40:39
Leee
gswitz
 
Are the drumz real or synth? There's some stereo spread on the drumz, sounds like.
 
If the bass is compressed, a little less compression would be nice.
 
Is it the same voice on all the vocal parts? Might be interesting to get some other voices in on it.
 

Everything you hear is being played by me on a MIDI keyboard, using VST plugin synths and samplers.
And all the vocals are my Bob Dylanesque voice, two vocal tracks with Melodyne created harmonies.

Thanks again for all the feedback and suggestions.  I'm going to take another crack at it and rework some of the instruments and mixing.  But first I need to take care of my sick dog, so it may be awhile before I have a revised version. Thanks again for listening!
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