PhonoBrainer

Maybe both of you should get a barber

This might be the worst song ever written

Tea is the gateway drug to coffee, so let's not forget that slippery slope. Me? I just can't get the Kombucha monkey off my back.

This is one of my fav 80's songs so I will not let it slip off the page. Great job, so very listenable, and as usual, a stellar rundown of your weapons in your post. Killer! thanks so much! -Tom p.s. Blue Nile's "Tinseltown in the Rain" ???

Love the guitar, it's got a lot of transient plucked goodness! Be the plectrum! Great lead chops. I believe you have doubled the guitar part (except for the lead in the middle) - did you manually do the guitar lines twice, or is it a plugin doubler? Whichever, sounds really good. cheers, -Tom

I like the energy of your song, the holy honky tonk vibe. First question - have you taken an eq to every instrument, and lopped off the lower frequencies (except on the bass and the kick drum)? a.k.a "high pass filtering" . . . certainly the piano could be conflicting with the bass down there. After that you could pan some things wider, a lot of this sounds dead center. Keeping vocals and bass elements in the middle? The mal bgv's are almost as loud as the lady lead in spots, I'd bring her out more. You might also look at that bass recording, it doesnt have much of an attack transient, it's kind of a pillowy bass sound and you might want better recording of a more articulated bass tone. Just a few thoughts . . nice vibe, nice tune, and good luck! cheers, -Tom

As a fellow companion to two older dogs I wish you both the best.

I think you should be very proud of this. I like the very subtle extra touches, the castanets and the tubular bells (both maybe louder?) and the dominating cadence of that rhythm never got boring, because you switched the leads in and out. Plus a nice dynamic arc. Well done! cheers, -Tom

Uh, define "stranded" But also, hello! Long time no hear from!

Live Free and/or Die

Let's not rule out Sturgis! Safe returns and best of luck, Larry . . .

Very nice! I was on headphones and so got the separations - I'd vote for pulling the edge elements in a bit more toward center. Personal choice for sure - but strings hard panned are for me offputting because I expect strings to be a bit more blendy. It's hard to pull off soaring string lines if they are heavily panned. That out of the way, this piece has movement and a bit of creepiness and uncertainty, all useful in a horror or a melodramatic context, so you are definitely well on your way there! cheers, -Tom

Well that was freakin awesome. Got a great Pink Floyd / Alan Parsons vibe. Mix I thought was top shelf. Video was excellently crafted. Plus the guitar lust factor. Would be interested in which Kemper profiles were used . . . they sounded amazing. The clarity and resolution of the vid was great, was that just filmed on a phone, or something a little more special? I thought the purple light accenting the acoustic guitar was especially neat. so glad I heard this today! cheers, -Tom

Super laid back and understated, really cool and calming. Kudos on those vocals and the lyrics - very heartfelt, and I like your voice! Kind of a 70's throwback! For me a mix crit might be the bass guitar, it seems to fill the mix with a bit overmuch low energy. I think it is good in volume, but it's kind of puffy, like the bass guit is allowed too much range. I don't know where your upper EQ rolloff is for the bass, but you might try a bit lower, and maybe a notch cut around 100 or 150 to boot. ? When the bass and the B3 are going at the same time, I think the b3 suffers 'cause the bass is filling everything up down there. Anyway just my .02 Zimbabwe dollars - great tune, love the vibe. cheers, -Tom

Very good vocal performance! In your song arrangement, I liked the part at the end of a verse? where other instruments fell away, leaving just the vocal. Nice choice there! Cheers, -Tom

Yeah I thought Dylan, in the cadences and style, but it's your own thing. FWIW I listened on earbuds from my phone, and I thought the bass was perfect! That can't help you much but I was happy. You might cut the intro down? I found it a tad long but glad I waited for the main groove to get there. Maybe Buffett is a writing influence as well? Jimmy, not Warren. ? Cool tune! Cheers, Tom

What the actual f ? Suddenly the murder hornet actually looks cuddly! I wonder: although internet pundits might prove them identically lethal - which one gives you a more pleasant death?

I like how you have some sonic elements that fight the groove, but the groove is still there and can't be denied. It won't be everyone's cup of funk but I dig it! I gotta get me some psychadelic flangey vocals going - and in this song you might bring them up just a bit in the mix, in the first half of the tune particularly. Nice outtro boomwhacker! I always appreciate your creativity. cheers, -Tom

@Douglas Kirby, @Bajan Blue, @noynekker, @Wookiee, @DeeringAmps, @daryl1968, @David Sprouse - a super big thanks to all for your comments, much obliged for your time. The kick drum was an issue from the get go, and correctamundo it's not that spleen-shattering subby kick you might expect. I probably shouldn't have advertised this as EDM! The kick as it is is part of the "Moonkits" drum thing for Kontakt, which is bent more toward the jazz/funk than the dance floor. I'm sure I can go back and exhange some sizzle for some beef - thanks for the observations, it helps. The "metal drum riffage" at the end is as noted pretty loud - it's an example of me just loving a part and not wanting to turn it down properly! I thought about adding a bass guitar in but decided that the guitar is too loud, too! I know I could do more with that section if I just found the brains to turn the guitar and drums down. We'll see! thanks again, -Tom

Jeeze, this is creepily spot on. You do such a good job on these. Loved reading your mix breakdiown, thanks for that. Your vocals totally work and sound full and interesting all the way through. You've got those cool little vocal mannerisms, that Hetfield does, down. So great! cheers, -Tom

Nice tune! I thought the lead vocal could have a bit more midrange added back to it, it's kind of eq;d on the bright side and sounds a bit thin maybe in spots. The bgv's really are a good add, they blend well and support the lead. At :54 your panned rhythm guitar strums are not in sync? I dunno, might be worth a check. Good luck with getting this one more air time, that would be very cool! cheers, Tom