Trippin' Down A Different Road - A Farrell original

Rata-tat-tat · April 10, 2012, 03:22:15 PM

Forgot to comment on this one... This is so good FJ... I love the upbeat tempo... High energy rocker for sure. Way to go buddy. Love it.

thetworegs · April 11, 2012, 02:59:49 AM

excellent song .. life with a skip in it for this fine sunny morning...great job

Blooby · April 11, 2012, 03:53:29 AM

This has a great west coast (USA) 70's vibe to it that makes really infectious. The rhythmic vocal line drew me right in. Great tune.

Blooby

Greeny · April 11, 2012, 08:23:09 AM

Great stuff! Jackson Browne, John Cougar Mellencamp... perfect West Coast driving music. Absolutely immaculate on every detail of the performance and production, with the lead guitar work and backing vox really standing out as amazing. And that's one hell of a finale. Fabulous songwriting and the kind of stuff I really wish I could nail like this.

launched · April 11, 2012, 09:30:39 AM

Deeeefrickin'licious!!! Tasty licks, yummy bass line and backing vox, scrumptious guitar! You know how to write a song, bro!!

The production is out of this world - Love it!

Farrell Jackson · April 11, 2012, 12:11:58 PM

Thanks TW, Bruno, Rata, Tworegs, Blooby, Greeny, and Launched! It makes it all worth while to read so many good comments on my song......thanks guys!

Farrell

j.g. · April 11, 2012, 03:27:21 PM

Totally knocked out by this - Must be one of your best yet.
Great playing, singing and production.
You are a real pro - give us some tips how you do this quality - absolutely brilliant.
Geoff

Farrell Jackson · April 11, 2012, 06:43:24 PM

Quote from: j.g. on April 11, 2012, 03:27:21 PMTotally knocked out by this - Must be one of your best yet.
Great playing, singing and production.
You are a real pro - give us some tips how you do this quality - absolutely brilliant.
Geoff

Thanks Geoff! Tips?

He he....let me try without going overboard with the details and boring you to death. Basically I just make sure that every track is recorded right from the start. I mean I take my time getting the right sound in my tracking headphones before I begin the keeper tracks.

I have several mics to choose from and I know what type of sound they will produce so I get in the ball park from the start by choosing the right mic. If something sounds too thin or too muddy I make adjustments until it looses the bad sound. It depends on the instrument or voice but it could be just a tone control adjustment or the repositioning of a mic or changing the distance from a mic or even changing to a different mic.

There are usually several partial trial takes before I commit to the real take. After I get all the tracks done and before I mix, I make sure there isn't any low end build up. If there is too much bass on every track then it starts to multiply when mixing and you loose clarity. The whole sound becomes muddied and muffled. For instance I might roll off all the EQ from a lead guitar track from 300hz on down or I might add 1.5 to 2dbs at 700hz to the bass guitar to give it presence in the mix. They might sound thin by themselves but how they sound in the mix is what counts.

Once you get all the tracks sounding right, the mixing is so much easier. I also make sure I can hear every track amongst the group of tracks. If I can't hear something clearly I will move it in the stereo field left or right or I will eq it, usually take away eq, so it can be heard. Trying to push it up in the mix by volume most times is not the answer. The way I tell when I have my tracks eq'd right is by lowering their volumes. If I can hear it at several different volume levels then it's right. At this point the song almost mixes itself. Once I get a good mix then I move to the mastering phase with overall compression and eqing but that's a whole story in itself.

That's a quick explanation but I've found getting the tracks recorded right in the beginning is the key to a good, clear mix. You should also have a reason and an expected out come before you make any adjustments...what ever they are. Don't make them just because....listen closely then decide what to do.

I hope that helps without being confusing. I been doing this for sometime now and it's become second nature without too much thought as I go through the process but I still get stumped now and then. My process is still not a science but I do follow some basic steps for consistency.

Thanks again for the good comments on my song!

Farrell

Bluesberry · April 12, 2012, 03:30:09 AM

I am loving this......great groove you got, it really moves my body around. Totally fantastic song and recording. I really like the way you sing this.