Semi-final mixes done on last 2 Straggler tunes

[woodman]

After much delay, we finally worked the last two demo tunes today.

The first one's the Bob Wills classic Brain Cloudy Blues.

The second one is Mickey Newbury's only psychedelic song Just Dropped In (To See What Condition My Condition Was In)

So i'll be doing the obsessive-listening thing for a week or so, then we'll do final tweaks and wrap the thing up. ... as always, your comments and critiques deeply appreciated!

[All the tunes in the project are here: http://www.reverbnation.com/thewoodshed]

[Skully]

Just listened to "Just Dropped In." Love the harmonies! Love the bass and kick! The guitar is great, too, but I suspect the guy playing it might be a dirty hippy.

Only two minor criticisms. One the high-hat is a little too prominent in the mix and maybe a little too midrange-y and the drummer has a tendency to be a bit busy on the brass (pet peeve of mine), particularly the ride.

[WisconsinStrings]

Sounds great on the Rokit 8s! Nice work!

[woodman]

Originally Posted by Skully

high-hat is a little too prominent in the mix and maybe a little too midrange-y

that's the first thing that jumped out at me when i played it outside the studio. ... definitely on the fix-list.

[Del Pickup]

Yup. Both sound good to my ears but I agree about the hi hat needing to drop back a bit on Just Dropped In. It's a bit too in yer face and dominant.

[woodman]

i also noticed the toms being a little too assertive on Brain Cloudy — a persistent problem in this particular mixing room.

[StuH]

Sounds real nice here. Fantastic music.

Agree with all about the hat. Little too chingy.

[Geoff738]

First, let me say (I'm listening to the Wills' song) - there's a LOT going on here, and the arrangement and recording gives everything room. Easier said than done! Sounds good to me.

As for the lead hi-hat (er, switching tunes here)? Sounds ok to me actually. Tough to tame - the bloody things will bleed into every mic within a three county radius. Give or take.

As for the toms being too prominent. I have a comment I guess. The drums sound, well, modern, for lack of a better term. They have a thickness to them that the recorded drums from the eras those tunes were originally recorded wouldn't have. I might be tempted to thin out the low mids (180 to 350 or so?) on the toms and the snare. Just a little. But then, most of the time I like a ratty kind of snare over a beefy one unless it's a wave your Bic kinda thing. I usually want to hear the snares and the stick hitting the top and a minimum of the middy "pop". that's simply my preference - and I'm a rocker, so grains of salt and all that. The amount of meat under the pop depends on the tune - ballads usually allow for more. Your snare is pretty meaty. I also think that the rattier, less meaty snare sound is more distinct from the kik on crappier systems like most cars etc. But will lack the oomph.

But it doesn't sound to me like anything's lacking there - ie it isn't that the bass or the vocals or anything else needs more power there. It's really a subjective/production decision rather than anything that needs to be fixed.

So, sounds good. really good. Very minor tweaks - if anything.

I wouldn't change anything unless it's bugging you. The hihat is a little out front maybe - like on a bajillion other recordings. I might thin out the low mids on the toms and snare and try and bring up the "crack" and snares on the snare a bit. But that's my taste in drum tones.

Um, you're pretty much done. From what I've heard, very well done. Time to let your children go forth into the world. With the knowledge that they're ready.

Cheers,
Geoff

[Geoff738]

Woodman,

Did you tweak these or leave 'em as they were.

Please ignore my advice to make the drums sound less good.

Cheers,
Geoff

[woodman]

Originally Posted by Geoff738

Woodman,

Did you tweak these or leave 'em as they were

we put in an afternoon of tweakage on minor details (snare, hat and toms among them) and my mixing partner, who's actually the brains of the crowd, suggested we give it a while to let it all sink in, then get together for a final touch-up on the subtleties. he's tied up in Nashville all week, so i suspect that'll happen next week.

[Geoff738]

Woodman,

I went back and listened to everything on your myspace page again last night.

Sounds good!

I noticed that the tunes referred to in this post had very low "listens".

Are they new mixes?

Cheers,
Geoff

[woodman]

yeah, these mixes weren't uploaded til October ... once we get the final tweaks done, i'll hafta start all over again!

Hopefully it won't be long ....

[eddiewagner]

wow! woody, that is awesome! you play in a very high league. everything sounds great to me on laptop speakers and a nother sound system. congratulations. you guys are real pickers. the vocals are fantstic!!!! eddie