Downtempo Track

[lessera]

Old-school downtempo track, with an Armenian Duduk... who doesn't love the duduk?

https://soundcloud.com/lessera/carmen-e ... O0tHjamsGO

This is a complete overhaul of something I attempted many years ago (how time flies). **Newest version now uploaded. Redid all the guitars, and cleaned up some of the midrange-y stuff that was much too present in the mix.**

[Bansaw]

Love the duduk. That shimmering "acoustic" guitar sound, - I don't know if its a guitar + a synth part layered, 0:00-0:58. But you are making yourself a headache for mixing because its an awful frequency hog for the mid range. So when the dudduk comes in, there's still some shimmering under it, so its slightly more cloudy than is good to be. the duduk is mid-range. I would back of the shimmering altogther and go with a stronger bass/perc and a hi-string in the top octaves if you are determined to play the duduk where you are.

[lessera]

Hey Bansaw. I agree about the shimmer to the guitar. It really isn't a well done backing acoustic track at all... I will see about adding a multiband compressor to the upper frequencies, and try to force the shimmer into the background, where it belongs.

The intro bit you are referring to is the acoustic layered ontop of a gated minimoog. And you're right again. Mixing that has been a bit of a headache. I'll scoop a bunch of the midrange out of the synth, and see if that doesn't give some more breathing room for everything else.

It's very much a work in progress. Appreciate the feedback.

[lessera]

Updated to version 2. It's now a bit closer to what I was hoping for.

1. Removed a fair amount of shimmer from the acoustic guitar.
2. Scooped out a lot of lower-mids from the gated synth.
3. Narrowed the frequency range for the AM Radio Strings. Now they shouldn't muddy up the orchestral strings.
4. Misc volume leveling.

Hopefully this version is better.

[Bansaw]

0:42 thats a nice high arp, but its getting lost a little in the mix
Those Am radio strings, I dislike to the point where I'd eliminate them and leave them out altogether or choose another sound option. Probably the former. You can narrow its frequency range which you've done, but its still all over the mids .
Sometimes less is more.

[wagtunes]

Guess I'm listening to the modified version. Doesn't sound so bad to me, but I'm not really all that picky. There is a bit of mid that's bothering me though. Sounds like the Duduk. Can't really tell. For the most part, track is fine. Just needs some touching up here and there. Musically, interesting enough if not a little on the long side.

[lessera]

@Bansaw: Thanks again for the feedback. The arp that follows the intro piano sounded a bit cliche to me (though not enough to get rid of it) so I chose to bury it in the mix with just hints of it's presence. Those AM radio strings will be the death of me... I am not sure why I ever choose to use them. I guess I just like how they contrast with the openness of the full orchestral strings. I will tame them further, or perhaps you're right, I will just remove them from the mix. Yes. I have to keep telling myself that less really is more.

@wagtunes: Thanks also for the feedback. Most appreciated. I will go back and see if I cannot tame those mids a bit more. Working/reworiking the midrange is my least favourite part of mixing (choosing what to scoop, and by how much makes me nervous for some reason). I agree that by today's standard, 6 minutes for a track is a bit long (I had so many ideas I wanted to throw into the composition). I will see if I can maybe up the tempo a notch.

I promise I'll get around to commenting on yours, and other's tracks this weekend. I have the whole weekend to myself for music listening.

[lessera]

Thought I'd try another crack at this.

1. completely redid the guitars (not sure what I was thinking with the first takes)
2. substantially reduced the tracks that were hogging the mid-range frequencies
3. balanced out some of the other instrument levels

https://soundcloud.com/lessera/carmen-e ... O0tHjamsGO

It goes without saying that feedback is welcome.

[layzer]

nice track, i enjoyed the sounds and flow. well done

[lessera]

Hey layzer. Glad to see you still frequent this place from time to time. Thanks for the feedback. I will take a leap-of-faith, and assume that the mix is passable this time 'round. (it's been a tough one to get to sound the way I had envisioned it).

Cheers.

[layzer]

Hey layzer. Glad to see you still frequent this place from time to time. Thanks for the feedback. I will take a leap-of-faith, and assume that the mix is passable this time 'round. (it's been a tough one to get to sound the way I had envisioned it).

Cheers.

hi, lessera.
thanks, some here would love to see me gone for good.
but i'll never grant them that wish.
and yes, unless i point it out otherwise,
one can assume the mix is satisfactory to my ears

hey downvoters,
here are 2 fingers up for you: ┌∩┐(◣_◢)┌∩┐

[Allomerus]

Sounds good. Nice mix and lovely flow to it. Porcupine Tree style drum machine is cool. The breathy synth at 4:50 is sublime. Well done!

[GRUMP]

Old-school downtempo track,

Thumbs up. It sounds really good - especially the (Stereo) Staggering.

May I ask which FX you used for that Purpose?

[ZoomDagaZoom]

I enjoyed this a lot! Are you perhaps a fan of Thievery Corporation?

[lessera]

@ Allomerus: hey, thanks! The breathy lead at 4:50 is an Armenian Duduk (played using the Kontakt instrument by Ilya Effimov).

@GRUMP: thanks also for the feedback. Are you asking about the wide echoing applied to the lead instruments?

@ZoomDagaZoom: and also thanks for the feedback. Yes, I enjoy TC very much. Ethnic acoustic instruments mixed with electronica is such a 90's thing, but it remains my guilty-pleasure.