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High Anxiety (with some mix changes)


freddy j

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A while ago I had the opportunity to re-watch Mel Brooks' movie "High Anxiety.  This is my take on it.  The movie was (and is) an absolute hoot and I loved it,  but I think that we should all keep in mind that anxiety, panic disorder, and a number of other mental/behavioural health concerns are real for a lot of folks. 

I am taking another step off of my comfort platform area and this song is a wee bit different that what I normally and like to do.  So, comments, crit.'s and suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,

HIGH ANXIETY

https://www.soundclick.com/music/songInfo.cfm?songID=13974053

Edited by freddy j
new mix
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I think you "hit the mark" on subject matter here Freddy. I find the "center" a bit congested though.
Is that a flute patch under the vocal? Maybe duplicate that, better yet change it up just enough so it sounds as if it was played twice.
Hard pan left and right, do that eq trick where you "cut and boost" on one side then "boost and cut" the same freqs on the other.
I'd hard pan the bg vocals as well, lot of "traffic" in the middle here on my cans...
You are a storyteller, no doubt about it!

Tom

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Freddy
Never heard Klonopin in a song before. Those discordant notes work really well considering the subject. Coming up with a blues song about panic attacks/anxiety might be kinda therapeutic actually. I'm thinking of Neil Diamond's Song Sung Blue which can perk you up, if you can tolerate Neil Diamond.

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Hi David.  I think that one time or another in our life that most of us can relate --- at least temporarily.  I am very glad that you liked it.  Thanks much for listening and taking the time to comment!!!

Hi Kloon.  You're right it is a serious topic.  I was trying to use a little bit of a light, slightly humourous, touch to get across how difficult the problem can be for many folks.  I appreciate your comments and thanks very much for listening and commenting!

Hello Martsave Martin s.  You are right.  There are parts of the song that are kind of crowding other parts.  Thanks for the suggestion and thanks for listening!

Hello Tom.  Thanks for you suggestions.  As was pointed out in the comment by Martsave Martin s, EQ or something is needed to separate things out a bit.  No, the is no  flute.  Perhaps you are hearing  the two separate tracks of good old fashioned MIDI voices.  I think they were labeled "oo's".   If memory servers me correctly they were just recorded about an octive apart.  I am writing down your suggestions and any others received and will go to work on cleaning things up as soon as I complete some other projects.  Thanks again Tom.  I always appreciate and value your comments and suggestions!

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hey freddy!

dig the tune! lyric is funny, and yea, totally channels that freaky funny movie.

 

 

everything sounds good but the vox,

it's too bassy, needs some low end rolloff and a bit of high end clarity. sounds like a good capture tho...

think the mix will fall together with some focus on the vox mix.

 

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Freddy the J

I find the vocal layers very interesting

Did you do the ooohs?

and the guitar tones on the lead are very unique

listening on headphones, and deaf in one ear, had to switch the phones around and listen twice, sounded good both times, but best when the left was on the left.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Hey Freddy -- have you been reading my thoughts or something?  Enjoyed this one -- I like the slightly out of kilter feel to it -- perfect for the song.  Terrific demo -- everything hangs together.   Another good one -- as usual -- from you~~Allan.

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I agree, the off kilter quality sure fits the subject. If you are looking for mix clarity, I think the drum kit seems to be the least distinct component. What drums are u using, and how might you be processing them? Perhaps less is more on the processing?

Fun tune, but not "fun" in a fun way. A good listen!

 

cheers,

-Tom

Edited by emeraldsoul
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It must be the winter season because we have been enjoying visits from our family and friends from the north country.  Hence my apologies for the delay in responding.

Hi gtrpastor.  Actually, I was looking for "things" in this song that might create a bit of an unsettled sound.  I actually tried a few different drum loops and came up with what you heard.  I thought that with those loops it  and the "oos" MIDI voices that a bit of discomfort might have been created.  Thank very much for listening and for your comments.

Hi geere1.  Your right , Tom always has great suggestions and his were echoed by others.  In between visits I have tried a bit of EQing, panning, volume placement, etc. (look at that -- I'm talking like I actually know what I'm doing 😄).  Hopefully the middle is a little less cluttered and the vocals a bit more prominent.  I appreciate your input and thanks for listening.

Hey Bjorn.  Actually since I don't take those medications I had to look them up (lol).  I have known some friends that have had to deal with such issues and even one that is dealing with PSTD.  Sometimes writing a song with help you deal with their issues when you can't do much about it.  Thanks for your comments buddy!!

Hi Gary.  Your are right Tom had some good suggestions and hopefully the changes that I have made might have addressed some of the suggestions above.  I am very sorry to hear about your having to deal with PSTD.  It can be very rough and I wish you all the best!  Thanks very much for taking time to listen and for your comments.

Hey Bats.   Thanks much for your kind comments and suggestions.  I have made some tweaks and hopefully they might have improved things a bit.  Since I am a complete amateur at mixing,  any further suggestions would be appreciate if these tweaks didn't make the grade.  Thanks again!!

Hello Jesse.  Thanks for your comments pal.  No, the oo's are not mine.  They are a MIDI voice under the ensemble category.  I believe that they are actually called "oo's"  Maybe that is  part of the trouble on my mixes?  I can't tell left from right on my h-phones.

Hey Douglas.  Thanks very much for taking the time to listen and for your very kind comments.  This song is a bit different from the usual stuff but every once in a while I like to get out of my comfort zone and exercise different muscles  and gray matter.  The movie is indeed a hoot and if you can find it you may indeed find it funny.  Thanks again for your comments.

Hi Allan.  I am very glad that you enjoyed it.  I was going for a bit of an unsettled sound in this song.  I'm glad that it came through and was hoping didn't sound too weird. Thanks for listening and thanks also for taking the time to respond.

Hi Tom.  Thanks for the tip.  I use drum loop clips.  There are a number of reasons for this one of which is that I feel like a few drummers are getting paid for what they do and being a guy who loves live music they have a bit more of a live sound to me.  They do indeed have their problems though.  The clips might not fit together neatly, the recording might be poor, many are restricted to specific tempo's which don't match the song you are trying to do etc.  On this particular song, I believe that I used some clips from Beta Monkey (don't know that for sure - I will have to dig up the working file and check).  Usually, Beta Monkey's stuff is pretty good.  I did make some changes on the drums with EQ and I did use WAVES' L1 + Ultramaximizer to get some resolution.  Prior to that they were naked -- I used nothing.  Thanks again for listening, kind words and for your insight.  Let me know if the changes didn't work.

Hey Daryl1968.  I'm really glad that you liked it!  Hopefully, it brought a bit of a smile to your face.  I do appreciate your kind comments and thanks for listening.

Hi John B.  Thank you very much for the kind words.  I very much appreciate your taking the time to listen and comment!

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