Hi Bill, I had a quick listen to both your tunes.. Both seem well recorded but there are a couple of audible click/pops which are distracting. The vocal parts in Reflections are not real tight in term of timing and might benefit from some compression. I don't like the bridge in Tree but I like the bridge in Reflections. Maybe you could get that sax back to split the lead break in Reflections? And maybe some delay on the gtar? HTH Norv ________________________________ From: Bill Allen <bill(a)k2bea.org> To: Linux-audio-user(a)lists.linuxaudio.org Sent: Thursday, 2 July, 2009 10:30:28 AM Subject: Re: [LAU] New Music On Sun, Jun 28, 2009 at 10:08 PM, Bill Allen <bill(a)k2bea.org> wrote: recording since these are my first fully done with lau tools. I understand that nobody has any obligation, but if you've got the cycles to listen, let me know what I can do better. One part that I wonder about is the mix of the soprano sax in Tree of Life. At times it seems a little harsh. It was recorded with a not so great mic, which might account for some of that, but I'm wondering about techniques for mixing sax. At any rate, enjoy. ____________________________________________________________________________________ Access Yahoo!7 Mail on your mobile. Anytime. Anywhere. Show me how: http://au.mobile.yahoo.com/mail

Bill Allen wrote: I don't think it's overdone. Allthough I didn't think of drunken singers when listening, it sure is very effective in setting the mood. -- Atte http://atte.dk http://modlys.dk http://virb.com/atte

On Thu, Jul 2, 2009 at 6:40 AM, James Stone <jamesmstone(a)gmail.com> wrote: That's a good idea. I actually did the bass track riding on an Amtrak train between New York and Boston one Friday night using the laptop keyboard through Alsa Modular Synth. I kind of like it, but maybe I'll try a a new track using my fretless bass. It just wasn't convenient on the train :) Interesting about the guitars. They are actually the least processed of the bunch. Just guitar->amp->mic. I put a little reverb on (Caps Plate), but that's it. Hmm... I fear that's probably my ears. I actually mix with both a small set of monitors (old Boston Acoustics A40) and headphones. It's possible they both emphasize mid, but I think it's more likely that my ears are just off. I'll work on that. Thanks for the great feedback.

On Sun, Jul 5, 2009 at 5:51 PM, Folderol <folderol(a)ukfsn.org> wrote: Thanks for the feedback, but ohhh - that stings. The sax is a real soprano sax played by a real human sax player (me). I'm gonna have to work on that if it sounds synthesized.

Bill Allen wrote: probably because you partly doubled it with a synth, and because it's mixed very wet. but once i've managed to listen "through" this, i like the sound. very unobtrusive, which is hard to achieve with a soprano. and good intonation as well! for my taste, it would be mixed a little more in front, and dryer. didn't like the drums, kinda static - my standard advice: go pick a starving drummer from some burger joint. the 5/4 part is fun, but the "take five" groove doesn't have room to settle (at this tempo), and so it sounds quite repetitive to me after a short while. i think i should try to get rid of some beats, and try to play "over" the bars more, i.e. not be back on every downbeat. liked the grinding guitar sound on "apples" (although it does lose reveal some oddness over headphones), and also the sizzle cymbal. drums are more "loose", but still mixed too artificially perfect for my taste. and i really hate how everybody seems to feel obliged to spread the drum set across the entire sound stage. i've never seen a drummer with arms longer than a metre, but i've never heard one with less than four... the vocals are not quite happening. is that yourself singing? if so, rule of thumb: finish the mix, then raise the vocals by 3 db, walk out, never listen again. everybody under-mixes their own singing :) the choir effect is very nice sometimes, but at some points the voices differ too much in phrasing, and the choir sound falls apart. thanks for sharing! jörn