Clock is Tickin'

[Wiley]

I know what you mean Pine dog about the rhythms and drum tracks.  It comes hard to me to use the Br drums.  Much easier to use the drums on my keyboard.  But gosh some of these guys and this site have really mastered them.  I envy them.

[launched]

This was a fun listen - loved the guitar tone and the vox. You sound a little like Byrne, which is cool.

Right on, man!! 60? No Way!!

Peace,


Mark

[Pine]

Way 

Not sure who Byrne is...wasn't the singer in the Talking Heads like David Byrne? If i sound like anybody on a major label i guess thats a good thing 

Thanks for the listen Mark..never very confident on my vox. I like that patch on my voice the best i guess..i use it alot.


Wiley...I have so many folks say the same thing about BR drums. The general consensus by the folks that use them...and use them well...is "dive in". Do NOT try to use them on a song you really like or use them expecting great results. Try to program a very basic track and get the feel...work your way up they say...practice makes perfect. My friend Paul Killington, who is better at it than anyone i know, says that once you "get your head around it" that it starts to flow quite easily. I'm saying this as i stand by the side of the pool...still using presets on my Boss DR-3 and using my keyboard as well :-)) I'm a bit fried i guess on "new learning curves". Gotta do it though because i really like music, especially rock and blues, that has stops. Presets rarely have them.

[Oldrottenhead]

this is great, vox reminds me of david byrne from talking heads for some reason, great post.

[Greeny]

I hear David Byrne too. This is really REALLY good. Great funk groove, and much more contemporary / leftfield than just another blues workout. Lots of nice guitar work and interesting touches in this. And perfect production! Very cool!

[Pine]

Thanks Tim. I don't think i own any Talking Heads but i remember some of their songs. I'm thinking that perhaps the comparisons come not so much from my vocal tone as from my phrasing of the lyrics (?) I intentionally chopped them down to the smallest pieces i could get away with, which i think can be a "secret weapon" for folks who are not great singers. I strive these days to never try and hold a note. I can hit them but have no sustain to keep them solidly on key and have no vibrato. My tone is not special..no Joe Cocker here.. Mark Knofler is a better role model for me. He gets it done without shooting himself in the foot. I also have a tendency, like many writers, to write too much. These days, i like to go back over my lyrics and "comb them out"...dumping every single word that is not absolutely necessary. I usually end up with quite a few words in my comb.
   As for my "perfect production"..well..i'll pass that along to my BR1200..she does all the work there. I love the clean sound with vox well out in front. I've never told you guys this i don't think but i have major hearing loss. Only 50% on my right and 20% on my left. I have to wear hearing aids at work. It sucks. I struggle to hear lyrics. Today's mixes, in general, are not fun for me. When folks say my recordings are "crystal clear" i always wonder if they are saying that because subconsciously they are hearing the lyrics without a struggle. For two years I ran sound for a 5 nights a week top 40 band in the early 80's that featured two great singers. As much as i loved to hear the guitar player, i ALWAYS kept the vox on top and out front. I guess that's just the school i came from. Avoiding live mics whenever possible, cranking the gain as far as i can go without clipping, and using quality cords are kinda my guidelines. I try to keep my signal chain as short as possible, but i do like to use my ART tube pre to get big, warm signals on any live mics and bass guitar. Do many of you guys use outboard preamps? Sorry i got a bit windy here...

[Greeny]

I'm sorry to learn about your hearing loss... there are a few people on here with similar issues, and I admire all of you for your resilience and ability to still make great music. Who knows - it might be a factor (as you say) in making very clear mixes and using different production techniques to compensate. Either way, your mixing sounds good to me! And whatever you're doing, keep doing it! 

Here's a bit of talking heads. Yes... it was your phrasing that we're spotting similarities in...


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l5zFsy9VIdM

And I've never owned or used a pre-amp 

[Pine]

You may be right on there Tim...perhaps my hearing deficit is having an unplanned positive impact. great thought. Like they say..."for every door that closes, one opens"

As for the pre amps...well..the BR's have great ones installed already (compared to my old Fostex). I also have had my share of G.A.S. and don't recommend anyone fall into that addiction! The fewer components the better...easier (and better) to get to know ONE component thoroughly than be half ass on 6 of 'em. The little tube pre's are effective though...and at their current $29 at MF, a reasonable price for the results. They give up to like 80% more gain and add that warmth that digital lacks. If i get time, perhaps i'll do a side by side, with/without demo and post it.

Thanks for the posting the video...don't think i ever saw one of them.

[Frank53]

Nice and smooth, Pine. Good feel to this, and insightful lyrics. Interesting how our perception of time changes as we get older.

Nice production, well recorded. Good work!

[Bluesberry]

I like this one a lot, I see what you mean about the vocals and working within your zone, it really works here.