First Tracktion Project Complete

[DWS]

Very nice! Excellent engineering, everything is clear and sits well. Did you do any mastering work in Tracktion or use someone/something else?

I thought about using FinalMix but shelled out the cash and used Emily Lazar instead. To be honest I had a hard time determing exactly what she did, but maybe my monitors don't pick it up. It's a black art

[DWS]

I have some criticisms

Well, you can't say that and then not say what - let 'em rip

Scott

[AD80]

To be honest I had a hard time determing exactly what she did, but maybe my monitors don't pick it up. It's a black art

That could mean two things, either the mix was so clean, and stereo image was soo good, that she had little work to do. Or you over compressed the hell out of it before you gave it to her, so he had no room to work with.

Either way, sounds real good to me so I'll guess the first one.

[Lunch Money]

I have some criticisms

Well, you can't say that and then not say what - let 'em rip

Scott

Bah, but none of them are regarding engineering! OK, I guess part of me was secretly asking for permission to be an asshole, so here goes:

-Takes too long for the song to get 'backbone'. at 0:30 instead of 0:54 would've been the spot I chose. Ie. the "intro" takes too long to deliver on the implied promise of a fully-instrumented song.

-Even when things pick up a bit at 0:54, it's still fairly sudden. I would've liked a few layers to be added (and continued) before that point.

-The entire song is a bit too dry or sparse for my tastes. I miss a few subtle textures (be it extra guitars, other instruments, or lusher harmonies) that would've filled in the empty gaps

-If the song is going to drop out after the chorus, why go ALL the way out again? The "intro" sparseness is fine because it's almost like a tease before delivering the main product. But it's not aurally satisfying to go back to that slightly 'empty' sound again once we've had the treat of a slightly fuller mix

-The 'outtro' segment repeats her "aahhhh ahhhh ahhh" background wailing a bit too often, which isn't an interesting enough vocal to sit so starkly in the mix. Having an "ahh ahh ahh" part is fine, but it might benefit from being a full harmonized part.

-In the chorus, the "ahhh ahh ahh" vs. "paranoia sets in" is twice as long as it needs to be. OR, halfway through, there needs to be some sort of fairly dramatic change in the music and/or lyrics to hold interest; otherwise, by the 3rd time (it gets repeated 4 times) I found myself already wondering, "Yeah, so... paranoia sets in, I get it." I find an effective technique would have been a counter-melody. For example, a more rapidly sung part with a bit more aggression (not 'rap', though), which could build into and match up with the phrase "paranoia sets in".

-The "outtro" feels like it should have been an "interlude", bringing back in a chorus one last time. But in this particular version, the chorus isn't really strong enough to warrant it anyhow.

-I think the vocals might have been more effective if Suzy had doubled them. As they are, they're a bit too fragile for almost anything but an 'acoustic' version, in which case the fragility would match the intimacy of the setting.

Now, in order to forumulate a few opinions and make sure I'm not talking out of my ass, I listened to the song about 5 or 6 times, and I can say that its particular style DOES grow on you a little, and the above criticisms seem less important than they did on the first few listens. Still, I've weighed them against the song again before posting, and I feel that for my particular taste in music (which includes Aimee Mann, a comparable artist even according to music.download.com) they still ring true. Hope it doesn't make me look TOO much like an asshole.

Greg

[DWS]

[quote="AD80]That could mean two things, either the mix was so clean, and stereo image was soo good, that she had little work to do. Or you over compressed the hell out of it before you gave it to her, so he had no room to work with.

Either way, sounds real good to me so I'll guess the first one. [/quote]

thx! - I didn't have any compression on the mix buss because I had read mastering engineers hate that and can't remove it, and there was very little compression on individual tracks so I'm going with option 1.

[Lunch Money]

Ouch, dis on me! Completely ignored!

[DWS]

I have some criticisms

Well, you can't say that and then not say what - let 'em rip

Scott

Bah, but none of them are regarding engineering! OK, I guess part of me was secretly asking for permission to be an asshole, so here goes:

-Takes too long for the song to get 'backbone'. at 0:30 instead of 0:54 would've been the spot I chose. Ie. the "intro" takes too long to deliver on the implied promise of a fully-instrumented song.

-Even when things pick up a bit at 0:54, it's still fairly sudden. I would've liked a few layers to be added (and continued) before that point.

-The entire song is a bit too dry or sparse for my tastes. I miss a few subtle textures (be it extra guitars, other instruments, or lusher harmonies) that would've filled in the empty gaps

-If the song is going to drop out after the chorus, why go ALL the way out again? The "intro" sparseness is fine because it's almost like a tease before delivering the main product. But it's not aurally satisfying to go back to that slightly 'empty' sound again once we've had the treat of a slightly fuller mix

-The 'outtro' segment repeats her "aahhhh ahhhh ahhh" background wailing a bit too often, which isn't an interesting enough vocal to sit so starkly in the mix. Having an "ahh ahh ahh" part is fine, but it might benefit from being a full harmonized part.

-In the chorus, the "ahhh ahh ahh" vs. "paranoia sets in" is twice as long as it needs to be. OR, halfway through, there needs to be some sort of fairly dramatic change in the music and/or lyrics to hold interest; otherwise, by the 3rd time (it gets repeated 4 times) I found myself already wondering, "Yeah, so... paranoia sets in, I get it." I find an effective technique would have been a counter-melody. For example, a more rapidly sung part with a bit more aggression (not 'rap', though), which could build into and match up with the phrase "paranoia sets in".

-The "outtro" feels like it should have been an "interlude", bringing back in a chorus one last time. But in this particular version, the chorus isn't really strong enough to warrant it anyhow.

-I think the vocals might have been more effective if Suzy had doubled them. As they are, they're a bit too fragile for almost anything but an 'acoustic' version, in which case the fragility would match the intimacy of the setting.

Now, in order to forumulate a few opinions and make sure I'm not talking out of my ass, I listened to the song about 5 or 6 times, and I can say that its particular style DOES grow on you a little, and the above criticisms seem less important than they did on the first few listens. Still, I've weighed them against the song again before posting, and I feel that for my particular taste in music (which includes Aimee Mann, a comparable artist even according to music.download.com) they still ring true. Hope it doesn't make me look TOO much like an asshole.

Greg

The spareness and dryness are intentional - I'm not a big fan of reverb in general - but I'm glad it's growing on you. I'm not that familar with Aimee Mann except for a few of her hits but I think Suzy's voice is stronger. Maybe it's because I've heard the rest of the CD. Still..thanks for taking the time to post the review. - Scott

[Lunch Money]

Ie. I shoulda kept my yap shut. <laff> No worries, I'd definitely be curious to hear the rest of the CD.

Greg

[DWS]

Ie. I shoulda kept my yap shut. <laff> No worries, I'd definitely be curious to hear the rest of the CD.

Greg

Really...you shouldn't feel bad to release a scathing critique of a fellow Tracktioneer's first project. But now you have to purchase the CD to relieve your conscience. - s

[Lunch Money]

Tell you what, it's a deal. <grin> Her music is right up my alley, so it's money well spent.

Greg

[rich_h]

Ie. I shoulda kept my yap shut. <laff>

No, that was good considered criticism, albeit subjective (but then again, so is most criticism). It makes a change to hear something other than "that sux" without any reasoning!

[nuisance sonore]

Ie. I shoulda kept my yap shut. <laff>
Greg

Why? There was absolutely nothing offensive in it, and Scott did say to let it ripp...

Personnaly I whish to, one day, come up with music worthy of such a detailed review.