PhonoBrainer

Well, I know how compressors work. You fart around with knobs randomly, print a zillion mixes that are too crispy and baked and spitty to be heard in public, and then after 30 years you learn the simple lesson that less is more and that more knobs invite more inefficient rabbit-holes. In that light, the simple S73 represents I think the biggest no brainer purchase in the history of plugins. I love that simple, simple plugin. Used correctly, it treats tracks with respect, it has sonic options, it allows a % of its application strength to a source, has a wet/dry mix knob, has an "add air" button. It is not the solution for every track (I actually use it on tracks, never on the master bus!) AND it isn't light on CPU. But it makes things sound great. $35 bucks, no brainer. I've been waiting on the multiband 1973, that's a good sale too, but my Fab MB and Lindell 354e seem to cover that ground ok.

Hi KEvin, nice piece here! The ear candy is stellar. No you don't have to pardon the pun. The guitar cranks along and your playing is very fluid indeed. I can't comment on the Dr Who-isms because I haven't heard the theme. I would invite you to play some reference tracks along and compare to your mix. Maybe go get a mix done by something Cirque du Soleil musicians? Lookup La Nouba, as I think your piece would sit well in that production. Then you could get a second read on the possibilities for your mix. You might get a bit more crack on the snare, yank some reverb from the guitar, certainly cut away some lower eq from the reverbs as they return, that sort of thing. It's all subjective, and your piece is high energy fun as it is. Another idea is to simply update your original post with the very latest mix, instead of building up a chronology of mixes in different posts as you go. Keep at this one, it's not like a black hole at all, because it doesn't suck. cheers, -Tom

Yes I've heard of these schools, didn't they find a mass grave of kids somewhere in western Canada? "The grass is greener where the children lie" . . . I don't know if the Alice in Wonderland references need explaining, or if I'm just dumb - is there an intersection between these schools and Alice's experience? Your song is ambitious in it's lyrics, which is great. Mixwise I'd find more room for some punchier drums, and a more present bass. It's a catchy melody and I liked how you sang it. cheers, -Tom

Why ban a crowd pleaser? Give the boomers what they want!!

Awesome look into your setup and your mixes are wonderfuly clear. I'd see them as very commercially viable. Your use of reverb and the decay of its wash is a clinic unto itself! Great advice about room treatment. Is the white wall behind your screens treated at all? cheers, -Tom

Good one! I've never been there but feel as if I had. I could see why you brought the bass up a bit, and for my ears it could do with just a hair more low end but that's just me. Pretty impressive, being done on the Android tablet, bet you had that thing maxxed! cheers, -Tom, who travels infrequently, unless we're counting mental walkabouts

I would only get mad if I added up all the total money I've spent. At myself.

Perhaps they were just . . . forgetful???

Interesting thread, getting to know some of your life situations. After I retire, the log jam of time will break, and the output of songs will be like so many dangerous logs bobbing and roaring down the river, hundreds of logs, and videos, and a dangerously coherent website, and if it ends up that this is all a delusional view of my future then I will be very disappointed. 59 is near, and it could be three years or 10. Does anyone happen to know what inflation and the world economy will be doing in three years or 10?

That was very nice, had an organic feel, kind of wistful. I'd also vote for a delay or short reverb increase for the flute, or somehow get some of the "breathy" off of it, it's a bit in your face for the mood of the piece, and that is a big YMMV on that one! A fine shanty-esque instrumental! So that's make the flute a little wetter, and while you're at it, make the lighthouse a little drier cheers, -Tom

Certainly a cool, thoughtful song. I happened to have the volume up a bit on the monitors when I listened, and I felt that the mix here might work well when listened to quieter, but I'd agree with the vocal getting buried a bit by the bass guitar's upper frequencies and/or the heavier bass in the piano part. I could be all wet, it's a very subjective thing, you might try notching a bit on those and cranking your volume on the whole thing for a check. You could automate this carve-out for only when the vocals are doing their thing. Otherwise, its a nice uncluttered mix that lets the song and the excellent vocal come through. I envy your vocal range! Nice and strong up there!!! Another winner in my book. cheers, -Tom

Fantastic choice! Well done, I thought the vocals just needed some delay or reverb, then I heard version 3, got it. I'd vote for a bit more reverb, have you tried a plate? It might smear those vocals into 60's shiny aluminum goodness! I think a spot of de-essing might ssssuit the vocals as well, just a couple of spits really, shouldn't need much at all. I really enjoyed this, thanks! cheers, -Tom

I totally have enough libraries, many of them excellent OTS. Certainly easy to skip it this year! Super satisfied with my current tools, making the most out of what they offer. So I just scored banjo, jumbo 12, and mandolin. That is all.

https://www.google.com/search?q=spock+fascinating+meme&oq=spock+fascinating&aqs=chrome.2.69i57j0i512l4j0i22i30l3.10936j0j4&client=ms-android-verizon&sourceid=chrome-mobile&ie=UTF-8

Fascinating.

Best wishes for a speedy recovery , and good luck!

So by "end of life", do they essentially mean that one day a new Kontakt version (like a Kontakt 9) may break the library? Any other end-of-life scenarios to be aware of?

Nobody's clapping for that price.

I'd say, nope. Unless you are a completist with bottomless disposable income. ?

Thanks for that, many good points about the context of the times. I liked the part about that bumper sticker! That's pretty LA. So a prodigy, then? Whoever figured out the harmonies on the hits certainly knew what they were doing. I never got into the breadth of the catalog but as the average listener, my fav song of theirs was "God Only Knows" . . .and even as good as those moving parts are, awesome melody over the changes, there's that part that has always struck me as a compositional wtf, the failure to resolve, at 0:42. I probably need to check out more of their stuff, to be fair. But as the Beatles continually come up as a point of comparison, really that's a bit of a reach, isn't it? And as I grew up Californian in the 60s and 70s, are we really so sure that particular slice of zeitgeist is so culturally critical? Let's see, cars, beach, fun, surfing, chicks. Got it. Are there any cultural fruit that hang lower? No disrespect to my friends in Australia! Anyway it's all just opinion without much basis, as I said I'm working off the hits I've heard on the AM radio. Maybe Wolfman Jack should have ventured off-catalog more.

Where to start? Any standouts or recommendations?

Cool faded guitar at the very end. Vocals were great, guitars sounded way better than I remember Guitar Rig being capable of, so very nicely done mixing those guitars! I suppose this is baked into an album format already? But if not, you might get a bit more drum programming variety going during the sung verses, that pattern became quite static. I also agree, that AKG C214 is a keeper, your vocals sounded great! cheers, -Tom

Fun song, I bet the original band was a good time as well. I liked this, it's a novelty song but also quite catchy. Good job on the vocals! Much to praise here, hope I didn't forget anything.

I watched the new doc and for me, I don't see as much genius as apparently everybody else on the planet does. I feel like I'm missing something. I am impressed with how he's survived the multitude of tragedies and trauma, and keeps being creative. But when I set just the music aside and examine it on what I think may be it's merits, I dunno. A lot of his compositions are certainly good, but not much of it really sticks the landing. For me at least. For my next trick, I'll tell you what a hack Shakespeare was from a point of view of no credibility whatsoever.