"Get A Clue" MBR original by Hardlock - critics needed!

[AndyR]

Like it

What's the panning like on the guitars? On first listen it sounds like there's one lead and one rhythm, and both are panned down the middle. I'd like that rhythm off to one side slightly, but that might unbalance it. If you had keyboards I'd stick them opposite the rhythm guitar... otherwise I'd be tempted to dream up a complimentary rhythm guitar part, less chords maybe, bass-type notes, to have opposite the existing rhythm part.

On a second listen, you could maybe even pan the lead slightly in the opposite direction instead.

There's lots of reverb going on - and on second listen, I noticed that there's loads on the bass. Is that just in the intro, or has the bass got that much reverb all the way through? You can usually really clean up a mix, and keep the atmosphere, by taking all reverb off the bass...

Nice track though, lovely guitar playing

[j.g.]

That's some great playing on this and a lovely feel to it.

Love your vocals  -  glad to see you are doing more of them.

As usual a great bit of songwriting from you.

Geoff

[hardlock]

Once again, thanks much for the input!  Really got me thinking.  

Regarding reverb, I mix down on the MBR and accidently left it on from a previous bounce which doubled it to the master. Normally I don't add any reverb to the bass.

As to panning, I did a stereo rhythm guitar track, then added the slide fills.  Made them stereo as well but limited their pan to about 20 from the max of 50 to bring it toward the center to separate them from the main rhythm chords.  

Then a background lead track around the vocals, again toward the center and solo lead tracked centered.  I always figured that normally the lead and vocals should be centered unless overlapping but as suggested, there it now way too much going on in the middle for sure.

Time for a remix I think......

BTW, what's the reference to the "pie-pod"?  Obviously talking about Ipods but "pie"?  What am I missing?  

[hardlock]

Found I'd lost the original bass and rhythm tracks due to a corrupt card but managed to trick the background tracks to get a stereo pan going.  Lost the mid bass but killed the reverb on it anyway.

I also doubled the vocal for more depth with one track left stock and the other with high pass filtered.  I also left the lead(s) raw for contrast.  Just playing around with the mix at this point but see what you think.  Better?  Worse? 

[Kevin Mammoth]

mmm, lots to like here - listened to mix 1 and now on mix 2 - both good, I think I like the vox on mix 1 best, but the leads on mix 2 stand our very nicely.  (sorry, I don't want to send you to mixing hell, I spend too much time there myself...).

Lots of good recording/mixing suggestions from everyone, the panning ideas especially.

BTW, what's the reference to the "pie-pod"?  Obviously talking about Ipods but "pie"?  What am I missing? 

I have been wondering the same thing - I think it is a play on the name of a segment in a US game show from the 90's, where contestants were put in a "pie-pod" and pelted with pies - but I could be miles off the mark here and making a twit of myself 

[Tony W]

Excellent piece of music right here Ken. Quite a treat to listen to.

[SE]

Enjoyed that bass and guitar intro and then the vox kick in, one of your best, enjoying that cool blues vibe excellent stuff.

[Halem]

Quite a well-mixed blues, don't know what to add there, maybe some keyboard\harmonica solo for a change?

[hardlock]

Thanks again everyone - been a big help.  Okay, one last mix.  Cleaned up the vocals and better isolated the guitars.  Instead of adding yet another file here, I'll just post the Soundclick link:

[soundclick]9707996[/soundclick]

[Speed Demon]

Hello Ken, I see your creative talent has struck again. I like blues in a minor key and you've done this one justice. A few adjustments needed, as mentioned above, but that is just technical improvements,
The song stands nicely on its own. Nice work.