PhonoBrainer

Wait, Larry, who does this plugin emulate? It slipped my mind. Oh, right, it's Michael McDonald! I keep forgetting how you made that so clear.

I'll check this out when I get back from rocking on my yacht.

Simply excellent. I hope you have memories as good as this piece represents. The mix is fabulous. cheers, -Tom

It was a different time. I liked your version a lot, well covered sir! Vocals especially. Going off of deep memory, is your version just a hair faster in the bpm? Or more likely, do I remember things in sepia-tinted meter? Either way, I dug it, you dig? cheers, -Tom

Gulluvfoss.

Plus you're as Old as The Hills if you make liver pill references ?

My most used plugin.

Or you could just ask Mrs. torture, and do the opposite.

Whoa, hang on a sec. I agree with much of PGH in this thread. However, let's not dismiss the obvious psychological utility of a well-timed and overly funded mid-life crisis . . . This would not be the buying of a convertible and chasing of younger women. This is a hobby that can lead to a few moments of creative expressive happiness. No money, though. Keep your day job. To the OP, sing things yourself, learn some Melodyne if you have to, or there are other singers. Maybe fiverr.com? Finally, are you over thinking this??? Let the writer's block tell you to quit. If the songs keep popping up in there, and they must come out, then keep bringing them to life. Thanks for this thread, very good stuff.

The mac and cheese, of course, but I'd check to see if any of those other possibilities have any weevils in them. Then, it's simply a matter of taking the lesser of two weevils. RIP Patrick O'Brian.

Hey Peter Pavlov, this song has great space and I think your vocal is at an excellent level in the mix. I know Wilco is immensely popular, but I'm not at all familiar with them, sad to say. Boomer's choice? However, I of course love the Beatles and there is some familiarity between the two, at least as far as this song goes? Only occasionally does your main vocal (or maybe it's the bgv) get a bit of razor edge to it . . . it might be the mic issues you mentioned . . . I noticed it on the outtro vocal lines . . . that happens to me, too, and I blunt the razor with Softube Tape or similar, where you can dial the initial transient down a bit. Might be worth a go, if this were my vocal, I don't think I'd redo it, it's a great performance!!! the piano sites very well, the mix is a good'un. nice job! cheers, -Tom

I like it, like a darker Beach Boys? You could hang a lot on this but as is it has a driving psychedelic vibe that you can't tell if it's angsty or not. Pretty special territory. Kudos on the vocals and bgv's, nailed it. nice vocal delays . . . great mix as well! cheers, -Tom

I like it, the last version (penultimate) with the cleaner beginning, its a great mix and the song is memorable, love the dynamics between heavy rap/drum/guitar parts, and the softer piano interlude and spoken word parts. Very cool. Good luck with the radio! I would say, for Song forum convenience, I'd vote for simply updating the original post, rather than requiring listeners to step through the evolving versions . . .although the development is interesting! I guess you could offer both paths in the same post, actually. Anyway that's a super cool song, you should be proud! cheers, -Tom

Yes I think I hear it that way as well, vocal on top of the mix. Will tinker. Down, vocal, down!!! thanks for the observation. Thanks Wookie! My fear of adding a "middle 8" is jeeze the thing is already over 7 minutes long. Already quite taxing for the weary listener. I appreciate your comments, thanks!

Well that's quite a song, loved your vocal and the guitar, and the percussion supports. Something to be proud of. I did think the vocal was just a bit too forward in the mix, but with such a good vocal, who cares!!! a pleasure to listen to. cheers, -Tom

well Happy Birthday eventually. Go forth boldly, weary traveller. If you can work in "crochet" into your rhyme scheme, you still got it. Sell this the the Boss, he'll be 80 soon and can change the lyrics Liked the mix, very clean, and the lyrics tickled. cheers, -Tom

bass guitar up maybe? I appreciate the eclectic kitchen sink for the ears. Cacophonic Funk. cheers, -Tom

That's a quirky song, quite Elvis, it wasn't one I'd heard before so thanks for that! I like everything about your mix with the exception of the vocals being masked a bit when that synth comes over them - you might volume automate the synth down a tad when the words are coming (you may have already done that?) . . . I like how open and natural sounding the mix is. and well done on the vocals as well . . . long live the other King! cheers, -Tom

To this list of Boomer Musician nostalgia, I will only add that I agree 100% with the OP. In the '90's my stage keyboard rig was two JBL 15's on stands and a Crown power amp (I didn't want the regular house PA, mixed with everything else, to ruin my keyboard sound!) Plus a Yamaha kx-88 controller for some Roland JV-1080 and Korg Wavestation modules, plus a Motion Sound fake Leslie contraption, mic's up of course. Heavy and cumbersome as all hell, and why is it when you play a big hotel they always make you load thru the kitchen??? And with all of that, I felt I had it easier than anyone else in the band, because when you come right down to it, playing keyboards is like glorified typing.

I like it, it's got stank and swagger! Kudos on the songwriting chops. The mix has a lot of thoughtful panning, very cool. Lead guitar part in the middle has a killer tone! The mix has some pretty high-eq bias, lots of sparkle and sizzle up there on vocals and hi-hats, which is nice and clean, but it might do with a little more high eq rolloff on those, just a hair ought to tame the occasional spitiness up top. Wouldn't want to take the upper clarity away. loved this one, thanks for the share! cheers, -Tom

Thanks Tom! Thanks Makke! This was one of my biggest concerns from the get-go, the long narrative getting to be samey samey. The original had no little breaks or quotes to space the verses. So I added some . . . but as you rightly point out I am no Bob Dylan! I do think I added a fair few instrumental and "song quote" changeups as the thing goes along . . . many thanks for the comment! Thanks OJ, glad you liked it!

This one is super clean and clear, love the glass-chimey sprinkles, and the epic happened for me when the drums came in. Well played there, the drums sound great in the mix. Overall a nice mellow ride!

Time to let the Satanic children out for a potty. No I was not relaxed (great composition by the way) what with their 360-degree rotating heads. . Again, ? Sonically stellar, super clean, very listenable and well mixed. That's a lush yet clear reverb for sure! cheers, -Tom

I had the "figuring out the Irish accent" moment with this. As in, as an American, when you first watch a show with heavy accents (thinking "Peaky Blinders", yes, I know, not pure Irish really, but same concept) it takes the ear a while to adapt to the accent so you can comprehend things. So with your tune, the first third, I had absolutely no clue what lyrics were being sung. About half the way in, I got the jist of the heavy metal lingua franca and it all came clear. that's all just preface to say you have done a lot of mix heavy lifting to make it fit, and it does, very well! Perhaps even bring up the vocals a tad, or drop the guitar just a hair when they compete with vocals? Either way, I could see hundreds of hours spent on a mix like this to get it this good, and you've done a great job. Heavy metal is not my thing so all of the above comments could safely be ignored. I don't want to depress you with my comments, for fear they could send your psyche down, downward, into some kind of downwardly-rotating vortex, a bit like a toilet flush, or perhaps being pulled inextricably into a black hole. There's a term for that - can't quite pick it at the moment . . . nice job all! -Tom

This hits my ears in the sweet spot, super tasty improv choices, on the mellow side, very smoooth. I dig that guitar solo tone, and the wind chime, because, wind chime! All very good! If you want an idea, I found the drums a bit low in the mix, you might volume automate them up a bit in those lovely spaces where nothing else is featured up front, so the drummer can have some. kudos. -Tom