What will bring me Home? What will make me stay? Pure Pop

[fjell_strom]

Last night a friend's sister came over and we cranked out a pop song in less than an hour. We had never worked together before but we knew quickly that we're going to work together again! I spent a further three hours adding more tracks and cutting and pasting in my host.

The result: http://www.soundclick.com/bands/songInf ... ID=2762742

(downloading requires registering - just stream the song to avoid having to register)

The guitars are double takes panned hard right and left, as suggested by many helpful folk in Production Techniques. I only had a single vocal take from Riona (singer) so I had to make due. I successfully doubled some parts of it and in others I encountered evil phasing.

No matter. This was really only a meeting to get to know each other and work with my equipment. A complete song coming out of it was much more than we expected!

She's gone on holiday now for a few days but when she get's back we're going to work seriously! I'm quite excited as she is a real vocal talent. She walked in at ten at night, sank a glass of white wine, stepped up to the mic and let fly a single vox take which is this song!

But I do have one last request: any easy ways to improve the clarity of her words without a vocal retake? I read what Sasha Frank wrote and will mess with eq accordingly - any other suggestions? I'm not going to spend much time tweaking this as it's nothing but a rough draft (guitars are even out of tune). But for the first time in a long time, I'm excited about what's going to happend next!

Dustin

[advaya]

I think that your link is taking me somewhere else... Jar of Light? Is that you? I hear no female vox in that track... I think the songs called Rain. Under the main header, it says 'No such song'...

[1-2-Many]

bad link, go to his page, song is called Not Tonight (Riona). Lovely voice, nice tune fjell.

[fjell_strom]

Sorry, advaya! Link is fixed! http://www.soundclick.com/bands/songInf ... ID=2762742 Thanks, 1-2-Many! Riona really delivered for a one take, I think. Take care!

[annode]

wow...this really sounds excellent!
Has a "Cocteau Twins" feel and sound to it..love it.
Getting rid of the vocal phasing will help her clarity.After that.all i can say is to experiment with it.

EDIT: Well actually on futher listens...I don`t think the vocal treatments so far are bad at all...it works well for me!
Your doing a fine job of it..keep it up!

I hear the chorusing/doubling in the chorus...but what`s going on in the verse...am i hearing a slight phasing in there?

[Hovmod]

Hm. Lovely little tune there, Fjell_strøm

[advaya]

Heh... That second link worked... Nice little track...

For a 'quick-take' track, this is really quite good! It's funny... before I read the song story, I was already thinking Gwen Stefani in some places!

The vocals are really well sung for sure. But my only complaint would be the 'I don't know' chorus part... It sounds really wide (Black-Eyed Peas wide!). The guitars and keys seem quite wide already... It'd be cool to fill the center with the dry and unprocessed vocals for that 'I don't know' part... Or even just have her speak that phrase in one of those deep sultry voices... might be cool...

But it's still a nice sounding track regardless... And I love your sideburns mate!

EDIT:
I forgot to mention... The lyrics are really tasteful. Diva-Pop always seems to run the risk of being borderline 'cheese'... I'd keep working on this one! You are on to something that might be greater than you expected!

[fjell_strom]

Thank you, mange takk, and thank you! I was sadly watching this tune descend to the murky depths of the KVR archives without so much as a half-hearted listen - unnerving because I think, despite vocal chaos, this is a good tune! So thanks, boys, for rescuing it!

annode - I hear you on all points re: vocals. The difference you hear in the verse and chorus is that I did not have a second take to do "panned doubling" with in the chorus, and so phasing ensues, whereas I did have that second take beginning with "Well, I don*t know..." Good ears on you.

Anyway, long story short, Riona (vocals) and I plan on redoing this song seriously once she gets back from holiday. At least rerecord guitars and vox. Then we*ll probably not do so wide vocals and remove all hints of phasing.

advaya - thanks for taking the time to try the tune again after being misguided. I really appreciate your comments: especially that we may be onto something, because I'm having more and more the same sort of feeling. You comments about the vocals are also spot on and as said, in the final draft we won't probably run the vocals that wide. As you pointed out, the guitars are already hard panned.

The best of luck on your own projects, boys. See you around,
Dustin

p.s. thanks for the vote o* confidance on the burns.

[will.record.for.food]

She walked in at ten at night, sank a glass of white wine, stepped up to the mic and let fly a single vox take which is this song!

could this be the source of any un-clarity

[fjell_strom]

Every last bit. Fantastic, isn't it?

Kidding. Course there are downsides to working so fast and haphazardly. But the point of the post is that we worked that way and still pulled off a pretty decent pop tune, methinks. When Riona comes back, we'll see what we can really make of it with more work.

[clueless]

whereabouts in ireland is she from? we're probably related

she's a natural alright.

oh, and yes, sideburn approval here.

[fjell_strom]

re: Riona, das Wunderkind - she's straight from Killarney, co. Kerry off the boat.

re: sideburns - every time I shave, I try and notch them up, up, up a little bit, but it seems they've grown back even lower and lower every time I peek in the mirror. My hair is starting to thin on top. I guess God decided to even it out by providing me a truly unstoppable beard.

[bluedad]

ah, what a lovely voice.

hope you get to work more with her, and share with us.

another vote on the sideburns.
I used to wear them longer than that back in the 70's.

[dasjambo]

this is a great song! really, everything is very nice!

[fjell_strom]

Well boys, I raised the shutters of the pub today. 11 a.m. as always. Who was standing outside on the street looking in, but Riona herself. The Wunderkind is back and ready to sing.

In half an hour she's to ring my bell and we're going to carry my DAW down to the cellar of the pub and start kicking out the jams. Open mic at the pub is thursday and we intend to deliver. Then...the road? We'll work the circuit in Freiburg! Yes! I can see it all....(fjell begins waxing poetic...)

See you, boys!