mark skinner

"Thanks" for the comments to everyone. @Kevin Walsh Thanks I really wasn't sure I could pull this one off. It started as more of a mixing experiment. I'm in "A" but couldn't get Any of the "chicken pickin" stuff done until I capoed up and played in "G". This was my first time trying to use audio snap and I deleted it all. More to learn. @noynekker A Lot of parts didn't blend and were deleted , If I accidently wing something I like , I then have to learn it. @KurtS All the drum loops I used were Kick busy. I just deleted one of them and actually added a single kick on the 1 beat . It calmed things down . I've done a bit more volume and panning automation. I think I knew exactly where it was getting busy. I Always listen to suggestions and act on it. Sometimes I hear it , sometimes I don't until it's pointed out "Thanks" @Paul Bush I Really appreciate you taking time to listen and comment. @jack c. Thanks , I Know you're a funk man ! I'm reworking the mix now but won't repost (or bump it up) until I'm sure everyone who wants to adds more suggestions or weighs in . Later .. mark

Hello , here's a new instrumental I'm Trying to finish up. It's kind of a funk /groove type thing , It's a little sloppy but the more I work on it the worse it gets as far as timing. Individual track volumes have been a little hard for me on this one. 5 guitars in the blender. Any suggestions would be a great help. I'm still unsure about the overall EQ , but this is the first time Ozone had basically nothing to change. "Thank You" for your time and help .. mark

Lynn , the rapture pro stuff was really nice . The vocals were Superb. I Really liked the power you projected and the way you attacked the phrases with conviction. I believe you could be a serious blues singer. I really enjoyed it .. mark

John , Thanks for mentioning that. I've got a TC Helicon Voiceworks that I Never use. Never even thought about using it with guitars. Might even come in handy for some octave up sparkle on acoustic. Harmony timing can be can be randomly offset. May give this a try next song. I totally agree with @bdickens about double tracking. This is by far the best Sounding way. ms

I Really liked the acoustics and the way they were captured and EQd. It was also Very nice the way this song flowed without a drum track. mark

Kevin , I thought the last mix was Way better. EQ wise , the drums and vocals seem more balanced against the guitars. I'm not listening on a good enough system to tell if it needs any further tweaking. The phasing seems to be resolved Except for the Very start of the vocals on the "I will" phrase. 2x. Maybe a single "boosted" vocal on that part , putting it a little forward and more in your face. One guitar part is also fizzling out at 3:43 . It's the 10 second phrase leading into the next hotter section. It's pulling the energy down in that section .. I got a big smile when you sang that first high note. This gem is polishing up Very nice. Loved it .. mark

Kevin , Fantastic vibe ! I Loved the vocals and harmony and the guitars had So much texture . I totally agree with Gary on the drums , I think the vocals could take a little of the same treatment , and they seem to be phasing a little during the thick harmony parts. When you First started singing I could see Bowie doing it , then it went to a lot of great different directions. You have a real gem here. Superb .. mark

Steve , Great song ! I liked the warmth of the 1st mix until I heard the clarity of the 2nd one. You picked up a very Beatle "ish" feel on this one. Great writing and performance .. No suggestions. Enjoyed it .. mark

Rex , Your vocal harmony's are getting better and better. I really liked the descending part around 0:58 . I agree with Gary about the backing tracks volume. Nice .. mark

"Chilly" Super ambience and perfectly clear tones. The High Quality video was a very nice. I loved the way the piano surrounds you.. Top notch production .. mark

Great Job . I Especially liked the toms , they kept everything moving and chugging like a freight train. Very nice bridge as well , it fit in perfectly. Enjoyed it .. mark

Kevin , Good move picking that guitar back up , Great playing ! I think you captured the Gilmour feel nicely. I'd be interested to know how you got that sound from TH3 .. The you tube version was a lot better , I think the guitar is still getting buried a little by the synth. Great song and playing , enjoyed it .. mark

Been There .. I Loved it ! I think the backing "It's all Abner's fault" needs a Lot more "highs". It's a hook that Really needs to be in the forefront. I also think the main narrative vocal needs a little less effect on it with a longer pre delay putting it more forward in the mix , like I'm hearing you Directly in front of me. I can't believe how well you did all the narrative parts . So convincing and on time. This is now my Favorite of All your songs. Great Job .. mark

Marlon used the raw tracks from my "high strung" project to make this video. He's using Cubase but nothing in it is DAW specific. There were quite a few good pointers here for me. REWIND IT .

Another Great collaboration and a Killer performance on Everyone's part. I agree with Tom about the lyric change , I figured you were just trying to keep the lyrics from being too predictable. I've listened a bunch of times over several days and each time the opening "into" word at the start of the choruses seems to have a slight timing issue. There's a glitch in there somewhere that may have been copied and pasted. More obvious to me on the first 2 choruses. Anyway something to look at if you do another mix. Another Highly impressive job . mark

Fantastic ! , I especially appreciated the overlapping drum tracks. Really Nice feel on All the instruments. Enjoyed it. mark

Great one Jesse , what a Funky groove! Great job on all the quick vocals. I thought it was a good mix of standard and experimental. Enjoyed it .. mark

Tom , there sure was a Lot to Like here! I Loved the heavy intro , the keys came in perfect , and Great guitar playing and tone. The bluesy steel drum was very interesting as well as the acoustic guitar build up. All around fantastic production. Loved every second of it .. mark

Noynekker / Epic Dreamery , can't believe I've never realized the connection. I thought this was a "Fantastic" song. For Sure the vocals need boosting . Its sounds like it would be a hard one to play to against the drum track , but you did a good job of it . I was wanting to hear a little 4 on the floor deeper kick keeping me anchored a little tighter. I thought the vocals were Superb , it sounds like a timeless classic . Loved it .. mark

Jack , Great song ! I Loved the instrumentation. Lots of cool different stuff going on but all in the same direction. I think the vocals need some minor attention. I think the main vocal needs some more "highs" and a very Small amount of reverb. The high vocal need centering a little and backed down some. There's a few spots where it's out of sync with the main but nothing real bad. Anyway .. just my opinion. Great work ! mark

King , You "might" be doomed if you don't like the results , but I've done it if the bpm change isn't substantial. Make sure all of you audio clips have been bounced to 1 single clip each. Using your 1st. bpm setting , drag the ends of the clips all the way to the Very end of the project. Trim everything to the same nice stopping spot at the end. Thake note of where your project Ends on the timeline. Enter your new faster bpm. Now right click the "edit" module in the top control bar and choose "stretch". Now since the timeline has changed , Just drag the end of the audio clips using the stretch tool to the exact same spot where it ended before . If it stopped on measure 96 , change your bpm and drag it back to 96. I'm sure there's a better way but this one works . mark

Really Nice Jack , I loved the airy smooth mix. Wonderful song and job capturing it .. mark

Superb ! Quick and to the point. You can say a Lot in a short time if done right. I also liked the cover photo , looks just like a section I used to ride my horse thru in a national forest near me. Brought back a nice memory. Thanks .. mark

Dallas , it sounded like the vocal channel was side chained to a compressor affecting the rest of the mix. When you sang , the main mix would decrease in volume , ducking under it , and as soon as your singing paused like between phrases , the main mix would jump back up. It sounded intentional like is often done on bass and kick drum ( if you want to bring either one to the forefront). It seemed to me to be happening whether intended or not. It didn't sound like the vocals were covering up the mix , but like the rest of the mix volume is actually dropping when you sing . ?? mark

Cool song , I'm not hearing an infringement but if you did , someone will probably let you know "one way or the other". If you're looking for any mix suggestions , mine would be to not duck the main mix with the vocal track. It's pulling a lot of the energy out of it . Really enjoyed it .. mark