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I'm Losing You - John Lennon Cover (A Unique Rock Arrangement)


PavlovsCat

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Posted (edited)

One more John Lennon cover and then I'm on to finishing and recording some of my original songs. 

Thanks for the encouragement to everyone in this group. I also welcome constructive criticism, especially regarding mixing (which I realize I am incompetent at). 


 

Edited by PavlovsCat
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  • PavlovsCat changed the title to I'm Losing You - John Lennon Cover (A Unique Rock Arrangement)

Yeah, that's a good one! Musically top notch. Mixwise, I'd like your voice 4-5 dB louder (as in Walrus) otherwise I think you did a great job with this one. I like when covers have some personal originality to them, more like an interpretation, which is the case here and the other Lennon songs I have heard from you.

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Posted (edited)
5 hours ago, equality said:

Yeah, that's a good one! Musically top notch. Mixwise, I'd like your voice 4-5 dB louder (as in Walrus) otherwise I think you did a great job with this one. I like when covers have some personal originality to them, more like an interpretation, which is the case here and the other Lennon songs I have heard from you.

Thanks so much for the kind remarks and tip.

Do you have any advice about panning? I largely keep the bass and drums center and pan the other stuff to what I think fits the placement of band members on a stage and also to keep the instruments / frequencies distinct. I did think this mix seemed less clear than it could be, but wasn't sure what to do.  I use Izotope Ozone's AI to master. 

- Peter

Edited by PavlovsCat
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11 hours ago, PavlovsCat said:

Thanks so much for the kind remarks and tip.

Do you have any advice about panning? I largely keep the bass and drums center and pan the other stuff to what I think fits the placement of band members on a stage and also to keep the instruments / frequencies distinct. I did think this mix seemed less clear than it could be, but wasn't sure what to do.  I use Izotope Ozone's AI to master. 

- Peter

I am not that good at mixing but the rule of thumb is, I guess, to put low frequency instruments in center. Higher frequency instruments can be panned. Low cut on almost anything except bass and kickdrum. I use Izotope as well but can't let it control everything, it ends up in a harsh result Their loudness control, maximizer is great. It would be fun to try mixing your stuff if you like but I am sure there are people here who are a lot more competent. 

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I like your version of this classic song very much.  I applaud you for taking on the Beatles songs and making them your own!  As for panning,  I often put the kick at 11 o'clock and the bass at one o'clock.  I then boost each one by a db or two @ 2.5k - 3k to give them a bit more separation while still keeping them sounding centered.  That leaves room in the center for the lead vocal.  Actually, I consider the center to be from 10 o'clock to 2 o'clock.  Don't forget to check your mix in mono to keep things in perspective.

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This is one of my favorite songs of all time and this song, along with Number 9 Dream are probably the first songs that inspired me to learn music, so I applaud your choice of songs!

You've really put your own stamp on this one and you did a great job with the vocals. The advice on panning is good, and there is something to trying to place band members sonically, but I also consider panning an essential tool for creating space for the listener to feel like they are in a much bigger place that they really are. The best advice I can give on panning is to simply listen to a lot of great productions and hear how they approach building the listening space.  There isn't a right or wrong answer.

Really well done!

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Posted (edited)
17 hours ago, Kevin Walsh said:

This is one of my favorite songs of all time and this song, along with Number 9 Dream are probably the first songs that inspired me to learn music, so I applaud your choice of songs!

You've really put your own stamp on this one and you did a great job with the vocals. The advice on panning is good, and there is something to trying to place band members sonically, but I also consider panning an essential tool for creating space for the listener to feel like they are in a much bigger place that they really are. The best advice I can give on panning is to simply listen to a lot of great productions and hear how they approach building the listening space.  There isn't a right or wrong answer.

Really well done!

Funny coincidence, I was just commenting on your track and then I saw you commented on mine! (For some reason I'm not getting alerts on my threads). Thanks so much for checking my cover out and your kind words. 

Besides loving Lennon's music and it being easy to play, it also fits my voice well. So except for one section (not even the most challenging section where I did my own thing on piano and vocal, it was the final verse where I sing an ocatve higher), the vocals were the first take.  I'm a terrible singer (obviously) and don't enjoy doing it, so I especially appreciate the positive feedback. 

 

Edited by PavlovsCat
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BTW, in case anyone is unfamiliar with John Lennon's demo for "I'm Losing You" featuring Cheap Trick's original guitar and drummer and Tony Levin on bass, that is what I based my version on.  I think that version has an edge to it that reflects the lyrics much better than the released version. According to what was reported, Yoko didn't like the original version, she thought it was too heavy, but I completely disagree. It was superb. 
 


I actually forgot that Cheap Trck did a phenomenal cover of the song too -- and I think I might make some tweaks to my version after listening to this, it is, IMO, freaking awesome: 
 

 

 

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On 5/28/2024 at 12:01 AM, Kevin Walsh said:

This is one of my favorite songs of all time and this song, along with Number 9 Dream are probably the first songs that inspired me to learn music, so I applaud your choice of songs!

You've really put your own stamp on this one and you did a great job with the vocals. The advice on panning is good, and there is something to trying to place band members sonically, but I also consider panning an essential tool for creating space for the listener to feel like they are in a much bigger place that they really are. The best advice I can give on panning is to simply listen to a lot of great productions and hear how they approach building the listening space.  There isn't a right or wrong answer.

Really well done!

# nine dream is an incredible song - blew me away at the time, and I still really enjoy hearing it once in a while.

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