bats brew

On 2/6/2024 at 6:30 AM, jack c. said:

nicely recorded.jack c

thanks jackC!

it's great to get some feedback on this project.

every song kind of leads into the next,
with that same level of production.
i mixed this as an 'album', like old school song programming.
hopefully, folks will get to experience it the way i intended,
it really works well.

13 hours ago, equality said:

Awesome! Great vocals and guitar playing. I like the guitar riff. Sound quality is excellent as well. 

hey equality!

thanks so much for checking it out.

yea, that guitar riff is fun to play,

it kinda just rolls off the fingers, you slide it around a little bit, 

it's kinda sexy! LOL

It's called "The Time is Magic"

a full length album, old school style, 10 songs are ordered to work as a continuous listen.

i thought i'd introduce some of the songs on it,
starting with this one:

"High Time"

https://batsbrew.bandcamp.com/track/high-time

it's an acoustic number, has a cool feel to it.
hope you dig it!

i see nothing but Plusses for modern daws.

it's up to the user to reign it all in.

you have to have a vision.

otherwise, you are spinning wheels, whether it's old analog gear or modern DAW.

to be clear,

i think i saw it on the plant/page collab, and not necessarily zep...

those guys are synonomous with 'zep', so it all kinda falls under the same umbrella

5 minutes ago, Lynn Wilson said:

Regardless of the drum kit you use, this is a very fine song, Rob!  That's the key!  All in all, brilliant.

thanks lynn!!

well, i'm on a mission...

to try to define a certain kind of drum kit sound, that would be a 'bats brew' sound.

i've got 3 different kinds of kits i want (dead dry 70's style, hard rock modern, and ballad level)

10 hours ago, Bridget Murphy said:

As an amateur bodhran player, I'm particularly drawn to the rhythm and how well both kits complement the overall energy of the song.

THAT'S SO COOL, the bodhran, i've seen it used quite a few times,

even in a led zeppelin context,

i'd love to get one and try to learn some basic rhythms.

i'm also wanting to get one of those baritone recorder, just cuz of stupid grogu!

LOL

thanks for listening, the drum parts i program from scratch using superior drummer 3,

usually  i start with a loop from the library that i close, then i move stuff around and edit, to use it as a main rhythm motif.

but i love working with real percussionists!

ok, just published a new version of this with a revamped drum kit, using a lot of suggestions from listeners

https://batsbrew.bandcamp.com/track/running-free-ver-3

4 hours ago, jack c. said:

MT Power Drum Kit 2

free and i use it's cymbals on all me songs.nice song.jack c

well, i'm going to stick with superior drummer, and find a good blend of just the right components.

i've spent a long time getting good at programming with this piece of kit, and not switching horses in the middle of the stream.

but thanks all the same.

6 hours ago, DeeringAmps said:

So I'm going to agree with David, the Masshoff kit, although for me its the kick.
The snare "rings" a bit much to my ears, but for some that's the "sound" they're after.
I prefer the "crack" of a Louisville Slugger, compared to the "ring" of an aluminum bat; but that's just me...

Another great tune Bats.

t

louisville slugger...! 

heheh,

yep, i get that, used to play a lot of baseball when i was young.

#2 is becoming the standout, for sure.

i could work that snare a bit, i was thinking about dropping the pitch just a few cents.

22 hours ago, David Baay said:

Having only listened on headphones at this point. I much prefer the meatier V2 drums, especially the snare.

wow, thanks so much for listening, i wasn't sure anyone would bother with the excersice, and i understand...

yea, i think i really wanted a more rock modern live kit, but had to create #1 to figure it out! LOL

something about the Masshoff kick, with that snare, is just right.

still not sure about the toms yet.

im' trying to decide which drum kit between two i've built, work best for this song.
i posted the 1st version of the song already, but now i want to try at least one different kit that i've been working on. a more rock sounding kit.

both are from the toontracks superior drummer 'rooms of hansa' expansion kit.

here's the song:
https://batsbrew.bandcamp.com/track/running-free

and here's the kit used:

  [img]https://i.postimg.cc/Gp8bhG94/gonzo-hansa-live-kit.png[/img] 

1st version of this song, uses this kit,
this kit is a bit unique compared to the usual kit i use:
the basis of the kit is a CAMCO set. it's a vintage set.

i like it for a dry almost 70's kind of kick and impact.
this kit is setup in the "Live" room.

ok, 
here's the 2nd song version:
https://batsbrew.bandcamp.com/track/running-free-version-2

2nd version, with new kit:

 [img]https://i.postimg.cc/TwnGnxVG/hansa-masshoff-marble-room.png[/img] 
this kit is built around a Masshoff kit:
"This is a very special kit, custom-built by Berlin-based boutique drum manufacturer Udo Masshoff. The stand-out feature in these drums is the the so-called “twin shells.” These shells make use of both steel and maple, resulting in drums that produce very warm, powerful and unique tones with an amazing frequency range."

this kit is setup in the "Marble" room.
room mics used to great affect.

12 hours ago, John Vere said:

Late to the party but this is definitely in the can. I guess I’m just a fan!  

thanks so much for being a fan john!

i appreciate it!

i've got to do one last pass on this mix, so i'm taking all the review notes i've gotten and incorporating them in the last mix.

On 1/2/2024 at 10:38 PM, Bridget Murphy said:

I am excited to hear the latest iteration. I will check it out soon.

heh, all you need is 3 minutes and 8 seconds!

On 12/29/2023 at 8:22 PM, noynekker said:

Hey bats brew !  . . . very much enjoyed this one . . . influence wise I'm hearing more like Kansas, or even Styx . . . but I date myself, lol . . . I think this is the trickiest genre to mix . . . getting that round analog sound for rock and roll in a digital world, and I think you've done a great job. Top shelf guitar work as always !  . . . and I listen with great appreciation to the hard and detailed work that went into this one.

Glad you're hearing what I was going after!

Yea, its hard. Mostly training the ear to hear the difference between hard clarity and smoothness the ear really wants to hear.

Thanks for the comments 

On 12/23/2023 at 3:37 PM, FreeEarCandy said:

Really nice tones. Vocals have a strong Ozzy influence. So much so, I really think you are Ozzy hiding behind the name Bats Brew ;-).  Kidding of course. Yeah, the 1:30 drum thing through me off too. Perhaps a key change at that spot would clean it up and also add a surprise dimension to explore? I'm sort of imagining the guitars dropping out and you have something in a lower key going on between the bass and drum. Sort of like taking a breath/rest  before charging in again. Along the lines of what the band Rush did 3:00 in to the song La Villa Strangiato. Even if you don't use a key change, I think backing off the guitars and letting the bass and drum play it though would accomplish what I think you were trying to do in that area.

All the above aside, I like your tune, Ozzy!

ha! ozzy!

i dig ozzy. one of my first albums i ever bought, was the black sabbath Paranoid album..

so i can't see he's NOT an influence! 

love rush too...

the meter drop out has to be there, to match up with the lyric...

i've made it more obvious now, and i already had a key change after the 1st verse... what i call the middle eight, happens twice, there is a full step up, then a step back down to the main key. 

not a bad idea, for sure, but wouldn't really work with the flow i'm going for.

i appreciate the comments, thanks for listening!

10 hours ago, Ron_Pko said:

Man if you still don't have it, I recommend getting a license for ''Waves Sibilance''.
One of the things that I most hated was going after those ''s'' sounds to correct them, it was a pain in the S indeed lol

After I got Waves Sibilance my nightmares with it ended. It handles practically 99% of the problem every time automatically without affecting

the voice itself and just attacking the evil S's. You just need to figure out the best settings for your voice, then save a preset and use it every time.

Listening again here, the S problem happens in many parts of the lyrics.
As for the crash... I am not sure if it is really the frequency or just a bit too loud.
I am sure you will find out though. Everything else sounds great! : )

 

excellent idea!

i have waves Renn de esser, and De esser, plus a de esser with studio one, but haven't tried sibilence.

you know, some plugs just work better than others by design, so yea, on sale, i might nab it.

the crash, i processed the pitch a bit lower, and lowered the volume a bit, and voila.

 i actually like the pitch of the cymbal now. it's a keeper.

i wont post another mix of this, til i release for album. 

appreciate the help along the way!

20 hours ago, Ron_Pko said:

As always a great taste for composing songs!
As for the mix, I like. Except two things that are bothering me with the higher frequencies.

One thing is the crash cymbal on the right side. I am listening with headphones, and it sounds a little bit harsh, pierces my ear every time it hits.
And another thing in some words there is a harsh ''S'' sound, like for example in the word ''nice'' around 0:32.
Also I am noticing some harsh ''S'' sounds from 2:04 to 2:09 specially on the word ''sky''

thanks for listening ron!

good ears you have..

i'm going to find those freq's, and kill them with extreme prejudice!!!

LOL

actually, maybe just a touch of a dynamic EQ on just the one frequency,

i think in the case of the cymbal (superior drummer rooms of hansa), i may just drop the pitch of the cymbals a smidge,

and see if that shifts that frequency to make it a bit richer.

if not, same deal with the vox, i'll deess it with either deesser or dynamic eq, which i'm using more of these days for problem solving.

On 12/22/2023 at 7:54 AM, mark skinner said:

 Robert , I Really liked the mix and I thought your vocal harmony's were Fantastic! I really liked the drum "flams" and drums as a whole. The drum change up part threw me off a little (only for a second) and then I felt what you were going for. Very creative , I wasn't trying to dance to it ..        Enjoyed it ..   mark

hey mark! i'm glad you dig this mix,

i suppose it will appeal to some, and not to others, that's ok with me... 

those drum flams, are fills i took from the 'rooms of hansa' SDX kit with Superior Drummer.

i really like that set. i've built a custom drum kit, i'm still working on what i will call my 'signature' kit.

the drum part change happens as the arrangement changes, and the mood of the song changes,

it keeps the groove going, but releases the tension completely, hopefully aligns the listener's ear with the next section.

i thought about just dropping the drums out completely at that point, as the music plays on, and letting it come back in with the full band a few bars later...

i may still try this approach, as i finalize what i want to do with the song.

thanks for the input!

On 12/21/2023 at 1:55 PM, markno999 said:

Bat,

Cool song, like it overall.   The vocals seem pretty far back in the mix.   

More on the production side than the mix side, the only other thing that threw me off was the drum thing starting around 1:30.    I think you had so much momentum going with that driving drum  beat and bass part, I found breaking that momentum to be a little distracting.    I think it would work better when you drop the instruments out to keep the same general drum beat going and maybe add some offbeat percussion instead of changing the drums completely.   

Very cool upbeat song and enjoyed it very much.

Regards

That drum break is my favorite part mark! Heh, no, I think I'll keep that part, its inherent to my sense of humor!

vox are up now. Tnx for getting me to think about it

On 12/21/2023 at 11:21 AM, jack c. said:

right on brother.jack c      merry christmas

Thanks so much!

so, i remixed this today,
worked on the vox quite a bit,
reduced the actual 2nd lead vox tracks, and moved them off center, or mute them at times..
left the harmonies, but repositioned in the stereo field, and added some more room verb, which made them sit in the mix even better.

i have the magma bb tubes on the vocal bus, i reduced the high end a bit, and reduced the odd order harmonics (beast) and that made them quite a bit smoother.

see how you like the new one please!
(same link, i never keep the older mixes.)

https://batsbrew.bandcamp.com/track/running-free

ok, remixed the entire thing, using the ideas folks gave me! thanks for that...
and re-eq'd the entire drum kit.
it's getting closer

On 12/22/2023 at 1:49 AM, Bridget Murphy said:

It's always helpful to get input, especially on maintaining momentum in certain sections.

 

That is why I posted

https://batsbrew.bandcamp.com/track/running-free

would love some feedback on the mix,

working this one up right now