PhonoBrainer

Here's some lesser Larrys to tide us over while the real one is away.

Thanks Bajan B, so glad it sat well with you! Appreciate the comment and the listen.

thanks so much, Tom! Like how a short, simple phrase, repeated over and over, loses all literal meaning, and with increased repetitions you find a zoned-out state of mental non-focus. Sometimes spelled "mantric" . . . like the classic "ohmmmmmmmm" becomes a mantra when repeated into unconsciousness. Or so ommm told. Now what about that hat again??? 🕵 cheers mate, thanks for the comments!

Gary my friend I know I can rely on your ears and comments, they push me to finish things properly. Truth is I'm never 100% mix-happy with clarity between bass and kick. Did you mean add a click on the kick, or take the kick click down? I'm too close to it to tell. +1 on the "check the mix lastly at big volume" because thats where you find the pokey icepick stuff. Many many thanks for the observations!

Hello France!!! Thanks John for the nice comment, and the subscriber boost! 😃 much obliged!

Thanks for the awesome comment! I mixed and remixed, having issues always with "is the low end swamping everything???" Flipping back between decent monitors and headphones. Perhaps the low end was overtamed, I'll give it another test drive, thanks for the observation! The first funky guitar lead in the reggae groove is Orange Tree Rick 12 guitar jammed through IK's Amplitude 4 (free version) with the problematic Leslie speaker. The lead guitar at the end is a combo of OTS Dracus + Three Body Tech's Heavier 7. Plus effects! Drums are a lot of SD3, but frequently blended with some Ujam modules in spots. The snare has Audiothing Clap blended in. Yeah, a fair bit of trickery! And a fair bit of length, too! Sorry for the eight minutes, a bit too long of course. . . oh well!

Thanks Kurt, I can't get much bass on my crappy ear buds either! Bon voyage. awesome comment, made my day, thanks!! TFH is due for a vocal mixover, it's too crispy and overcompressed. But I'm so glad you found it amusing!!! Thanks. The cat was just the best attention-grabber I could find. Cool lookin' dude.

If you soloed the drums, and put a metronome on them, I bet they would sound fine. I think you just need to slice and slide the guitar strums around to match the drum timing. Very cool 80s vocal throwback fun! Catchy too. cheers, -Tom

Self-explanatory? I'd love any mix comments. What is poking out or too buried? Help!!! Headphones recommended if you have them / please watch video @ 1440 p for max res if you can stream that / many thanks y'all! audio only, Soundcloud:

cool song with an especially innovative video. I really liked some of those effects! Well put together! cheers, -Tom

Great mix and production - I especially liked the bgv's which brought Styx of all things to mind! Super cool! cheers, -Tom

So much variation and cool chord changes inside a boogie piece! My favorite part was in the 2:20's. Your piano capture is very smooth, clear highs and solid lows. What did you use? Kudos on the ending as well - busting out the jazz chords! Great chops. cheers. -Tom

that guitar lead in the intro could be louder. I appreciate the hammond backing track in the chorus and in the pre-verse (is that a thing?) - super great barely discernable leslie wobble! What were you using for the organ/processing? It adds a ton of vibe, very authentic!! I'd be proud if this were my song. It makes regret feel good. cheers, -Tom

well if you are asking, maybe pull the scrap metal off of the vocals, stand the vocals up, dust them off, let them have their say. I liked it otherwise but it's a bit cacophonous of course. Poor chap is giving us pearls without being properly intelligible. just my .02 pineapples. cheers, -Tom

Catchy, catchy, catchy. That cool 80's guitar tone really serves the song, once I hear that I can't imagine any other guitar tone fitting as well. Jangly chorusy goodness. love the drums and bass together, great balance there. nice! cheers, -Tom

holy crap, wish I could do harmonies like that. Just great. I'd agree the violin is a standout. The drums for me are the letdown, they really place your very fine song into the "unfinished" category. More snare variation? The thing is five minutes long and I didn't get bored, so that's a good sign indeed! the acoustics panned to the edges were very well done as well. I think this is the best overall tune I remember hearing from you - thanks for posting it! cheers, -Tom

I just read this thread twice.

I'd say no, it does not. It's an interesting question, to be sure. If the Q is "does musical inventiveness wane?" Then for me that's a no. I'll be creating melodies, baselines and rhythms in my urn. If the Q is "is there less energy for it as we get older?" Then 10-4 good buddy.

I like the way the parts all slowly fold in. The guitars in that arrangement and blend are quite good. Lyrics of course are a treat, and the mix is very clear. Maybe the piano sounds a bit reverbed back, compared to the other elements. But that's okay. I love this song. The vocal mix and arrangement is super creative. cheers! -Tom

Groove is the universal language. You can't misinterpret bounce. loved it. cheers, -Tom

I like the steely bite those guitars have. This has a bit of the Craig Chaquico vibe which I dig. cheers, -Tom

Her voice is exceptional, an operatic/pop mix, very novel. So that's cool. I liked the mix, powerful with clarity. Professional! -1 pt because those aren't hiking boots. nice one! cheers, -Tom

Friggin' great. Loved the guitars and especially that tele, a great contrast to your killer strat. The drummer wins the video because of his enthusiasm. Top drawer, gents. cheers, -Tom

Thank you for the trip back to 1986. Much obliged. Um, any chance for vocals? And a weird haircut? The snare and drums generally seem perfectly placed in the mix. cheers, -Tom