Barry Seymour

Uh, I'm puzzled. The song is OVER by 5:45. ? If you meant 4:45, that's when the harp ends and the guitar begins. It then solos and fades out. So I'm not quite sure what you're asking here. That said, I'm done. Gonna launch this one. Thanks though, for the feedback.

Thanks, T. I've been told I "essentially have a new heart," that it's been "re-vascularized." I find I have more wind for singing, which I'm doing after my cardiac rehab workouts. I'm back to work as well, and I'm telling my co-workers "I'm fine - now it's YOUR heart I'm worried about!" Thanks for the kind words and suggestions on the song; I still am open to some tweaks. I moved the snare over to one side earlier, then back in a bit; maybe move it back out and down a bit.

EDIT: Final mix is here! FINALLY. Got the harp. Lemme know where you think I am on this. Mixing suggestions / input welcome https://soundcloud.com/barry-seymour/sneakin-up-on-the-blues

I'm still waiting on the final piece, the harmonica solo. I'll have a new mix soon, guys, I promise.

Fun is what I'm shootin' for!

Thanks, Lynn, very kind. I am actually leaning towards increasing the volume on the bass and rhythm guitar, but just a scoche. It's all minor tweaks at this point. Plus I'm still waiting for my harmonica player! ?

Thanks, TD. I think I'm going to stick with the EQ on the guitars for now, although I may boost the volume of the rhythm guitar a bit. It's all minor tweaking at this point, at least until the harp solo gets here. How about the amount of distortion on the vocal? Too much?

Very kind, thanks Mark. I recorded the drums and rhythm guitar prior to the surgery; the vocals are the first thing I did after I came home from the hospital. The slide work I did on an acoustic guitar - it was the only thing light enough that I could pick up at first! (Doctor's orders.) It was only a few days ago I was allowed to pick up my Telecaster again, so I could play lead. I'm still waiting on a buddy to provide a harp solo near the end.

EDIT: This is now the final mix! Okay, here's a new mix for 28 May. I did some low pass filtering on the guitars, adjusted some volumes (bass!) and balances, and added a little more distortion to the lead vocals. What do you think? https://soundcloud.com/barry-seymour/sneakin-up-on-the-blues

It does, thanks. I'll give it a shot.

Your ears are true; I went into the drum mixer and panned stuff out from the center, including the snare. Toms were added manually to a separate track. "High pass" as in reduce the treble, or increase it? And to which guitar, the backing guitar or the solo?

Eh. Walk in the park. (NOT!)

I actually did that, but it's subtle. I may crank it a bit more.

EDIT: Final mix is in this post! Hey everyone! Sorry, I've been out of circulation for a while. A little matter of quadruple bypass heart surgery. ? But I'm doing great and am back with a new song. This is a rough mix; still missing a harmonica part. But I'm soliciting advice on how to mix this. So many of the parts are busy, or dirty - I even applied a little distortion to the voice. (Black Keys FTW.). But does the mix need more clarity? Or is it good to sound swampy? Let me know your thoughts, thanks. https://soundcloud.com/barry-seymour/sneakin-up-on-the-blues

Download it here: https://soundcloud.com/barry-seymour/the-silence-of-snow-drifts Click the '...' button to see a "Download" link.

Thanks for the kind words. My actual problem is that my voice is not as solid and effortless as it was when I was younger. It took several passes and multiple takes for me to get this, and even then I hear places where I'm not quite on the note the way I want to be. So I'm definitely not inclined to try and show off!! ?

I basically wrote this by plunking a few keys to get the basic rhythms down; I then transitioned to fleshing the parts out by clicking in the piano roll. Then I quantized it. I think I used my elbows at one point. ?

Thanks, everyone, for the detailed feedback. I re-did the lead guitar as there was a ringing string in there that I didn't hear until I soloed the track. I boosted the bass a touch. https://soundcloud.com/barry-seymour/the-silence-of-snow-drifts-0328 As for the other remarks, I will digest and remix. Good stuff, thanks!

No, this is good. Critical is what I want. So one of the strings is 'pinging' a bit too loudly? As for 'static,' what do you mean? It needs more movement? I'm playing the keyboard with my thumbs here, but I am getting better at editing the notes in the piano roll. Suggestions / clarification welcome. And thanks.

It means a lot to me that the song moved you. That is, after all, the point! ? Thank you for saying that.

I'm asking for real scrutiny on this one. It's quiet and contemplative; if there are any hiccups that distract, I need to know about them. My bassist friend Jack provided upright bass on this, both for the pizzicato bass and the solo. I am indebted to him. I've been working on it for a long time, I need some perspective. Thanks in advance for any / all guidance you can provide.

My ears are rent-free, Lynn. ? Just as long as you don't borrow them for too long.

I upped the bass, re-sung a few vocals and tinkered with the mix.

I usually burn my MP3s at 192kbps - it's an acceptable compromise between size and quality.

We used to DREAM of living in slurry tank!