PhonoBrainer

That must have been fun as hell to put together, Mark! Completely awesome guitars, clean and crisp when the funk is popping in the wonderful stereo field your panning choices have created. Craig Chaquico didn't need lyrics. Keller Williams usually adds lyrics. These are the two excellent artists I immediately thought of when hearing . . . so I think it's fine with or without, 'cause it's got snap and sparkle. It might be just me but I could hear the bass maybe 1db louder in the mix? Might be worth a go . . . You are so good at creating this type of guitar weave - when things are layered like this, they can get mushy. Just not when you mix them! cheers, -Tom

You have made your own lane, and it's great. Major points for coolness of musical ideas. So because the mix elements are so (wonderfully) diverse and so eclectic perhaps traditional mix comments may not always land successfully? But for me, the elements in the right speaker (guitar lead, and the synthy stuff) occasionally overpowered the vocals. And, again just me, but the kick drum as a super dry "click" drum, I found myself wanting something more traditional with an attack and sustain. Great lyrics, loved how you delivered them, and I really respect your musicality and the choices you make! cheers, -Tom

Got 20 voucher in email, applied to Percussion Thingie, 79 out the door, not too shabby.

Like if Joe Walsh was in the Beatles for the White Album??? I liked those quirky chord changes, and your lead vocals, and the little extra lead vocal that piggyback. Very Inventive! Cheers, -Tom

I liked the sparse creepiness that wasn't too creepy. For me, the vocals could have come in sooner. In the intro buildup, there's a bit of crackle in the left side with the acoustic guitar, and for me the bass guitar could have a bit more presence, maybe the bass notes sustaining longer when they are short? Very cool lyrics, excellent vocals, and the mix (apart from the bass being too low?) has excellent separation. Your drums punch and the cymbals sould clear and fresh! very original and inventive! cheers, -Tom

So it's not sliding anywhere. I guess I'm hearing the latest mix. The word that pops into my head is "soundstage" as in "incredible soundstage" . . . such a pleasure to listen to this mix and it's well-conceived and executed separations. I can't offer any mix ideas where none are needed! But I did find a perhaps checkable moment where a vocal edit or something may be leading to a clip or a pop. 1:13 going into 1:14. That's it. That's all I could find, and it might even be just this particular render, or how it streamed to me. The song itself is poetic, heart rending, and beautiful in the extreme. Vocally you give it a treatment reminiscent of Gordon Lightfoot or Ron Hynes. so thanks for that listen! cheers, -Tom

Love this song, and what a great respectful mix you have here. The pitch of your vocal is splendid!!! But for me the timbre is just a bit thin. You must have considered doubling the lead vocal with another take, and adding a splash of microshift? It could be your mic of choice did the thinning, hard to tell. But the performance is super solid. Love your cover and I'll definitely check back to catch where it ends up. Nice one! cheers, -Tom

I don't think there's too much wrong with the vocal. There ends up being 1 billion choices of how to process vocals, and I've used Nectar to get a start on things before. But more and more I find less is more, and less Nectar for me ends up being more. I listened to the first (compressed) mix, and I liked the vocal very much. But for me it's being killed by the loudness of the piano. You might duck or volume automate the piano down maybe 1.5 db when the vocals are vocalling. I bet your loud piano (which sounds quite nicely compressed and full ) is really masking your vocal. The vocal should pop when the piano is moved a bit lower. Just a thought. cool song and I respect your chops on this one! cheers, -Tom

Lots to like here, but particularly ther BGV's, sweetly hard panned? Lovely chorus effects? Care to dish the secrets of the smoooooth bgv?? As advertised, toes were tapping. And I loved the mix, nothing poked up and out of place. The lead vocal was clean and crisp without being crispy. Well done! cheers, -Tom

That was fun, very cool setup to say the least! Must be hard to leave the house. That keyboard, or whatever patch it was controlling, in the 3:20's area, very floaty! What is that patch? Thanks for sharing your good time! cheers, -Tom

This is my favorite one of yours yet. Video hits the phone on the head. Great vocalist and vocal mixing. Loved the panned electric crunchiness of the guitars. So good! cheers, -Tom

You've got a great voice! And the heavy chops surrounding it are killer! I couldn't help but notice your video had copious areas of black background all the time, and I thought maybe a fertile field for chromakeying other visuals supportive of the song's concepts. ? Heavy ain't my go to for a listen, and I still found that well sung, well mixed, well done! cheers, -Tom

The sparkly chime melody is a pleasant happy wisp, which fades away as swells of lower register bassy synths come to overwhelm it. Yours is a tone poem built of musical language, and the first reference I thought of was J.S. Bach. Best of luck to you and yours, sir.

A quality voice and hand at work. I wish it were longer! Well done! I agree with Bjorn's comment about your chords having a recognizable signature of sorts. That was a pleasure. cheers, -Tom

Thanks Jesse! I never had an Ensoniq to fill the hours with back in the day, too spendy. Now I've got nearly every synth ever made on a hard drive palette, for cheap, but hardly any time. Cruel trick, if you think about it.

I like it.

Yup. thanks for that acknowledgement, I'm sure you know how the video is a time beast. I think I started this one back in 2018 or 19, and I just kept at it. I think audio editing is actually more painstaking and difficult than video editing. It's easier to see what works! many thanks again!

Your talent is immense, and your ability to spot-on cover is even more so. Love those hard panned guitars with that nice crisp tone. Different chick on the wake up, sure why not. Excellent work! Check out John's "Dirty Laundry" if covers are your thing. cheers, -Tom

The last time I jaywalked across Miramar Blvd I was sober, it was 1987, and there were three lanes each way doing at least 55 mph both ways. Not good as a sobriety test. I'm sure, however, that Robertos was involved.

Hey Andrew, great Q's! Could you share what you are mixing and monitoring this baby on? What speakers or headphones are you using? And the wisdom is so very finite . . . 😩

You are the Universe. I want to attend the church where this is the liturgy. I counted the dreams, I got a few more than 9, so that's gravy. The gated guitar around 6:30 scared my houseplants, but I dug it. Something new around every corner, none of which are 90 degrees. cheers, -Tom

Wow. It just so happened I caught this one with me good headphones on, lying on the couch. My immediate response was to close my eyes and drift. Great work, nice panning, super calm, suitable for yoga or meditation session. Not a crit at all, but another choice would be to add back a little more low midrange to the piano? It sounded like an upright floating in space. If I'm in space, how about a grand??? I mean, I'm dying out there in the cold vacuum, throw me at least a six footer. 😅 So nicely done, thanks for the voyage! cheers, -Tom

It's introspective, it's rubato, it's having a conversation with itself. It's a pleasure to experience. Love the mix clarity. Wish it was longer! cheers, -Tom

That was great from every perspective. Maybe the vocals could be .25 db louder. Maybe the bass .5 db louder. Maybe not. Freakin swampy greatness. Say "hi to Amos Moses if you see 'im. cheers, -Tom