In a week that saw my son Henry turn 1 year old, and four days later, saw my marriage turn 5 years old, I confess to finding it rather nice to have such momentous occasions near each other. The whole week becomes celebratory.
Friday night, went to dinner at a restaurant called Church and State. Tremendous food, and even better vibe; it’s French bistro style, but in east Downtown Los Angeles, amongst the grime of the old ways and the wow of the new lofts and converted buildings. The restaurant is located in the loading dock of the old 1925 National Biscuit Company Building, so it’s steeped in look and feel. You just can’t fake an 80 year-old building’s look. The food? Classic bistro fare that all comes down to execution. This is where they nail it. Recommended.
Add to that a babysitter, and it made for a nice night all around.
Studio Day Re-cap
Saturday morning, the plan was to begin work on the mix for the 1st single release in quite a while. I still had more vocal tracks to clean up. This song is so particular, everything has to be on point, or it suffers. So, I suspected it would be a rather tedious affair.
It was.
Fast forward to 1PM or so (I literally took a 15 minute lunch break), and the mix finally began in earnest. To explain this song: Well, it’s ALL about the bass part. It’s the heart and soul of the tune. And it’s a bit of a beast, so initially I wanted to wrestle with some of the drone on the low end.
I pulled up first the drums and got tones, then the bass, then keys & synths. The verse has an 808-style, 4-on-the-floor beat during the verses, with the live drums coming in on choruses and solo sections. Had to work a bit to get the 808 kick to not overpower the low end. Still unsure as to whether I did.
The vocals were next: two parallel performances—one high (yup, falsetto) and one low—throughout the entire song, with harmonies sprinkled in places (choruses and certain sing along phrases). Toyed with a plate verb and a quiet but long delay. After first test listen (in the car, of course), I hated the long delay. The whole melody was awash and distant. Didn’t like it at all.
So, I ixnayed the delay, and shortened (considerably) the plate reverb. It’s better, but there is still something a bit shimmery, almost brittle, about the vocals I’m not sure if I like. Mostly, I think it’s the “almost brittle” part.
And wow, that first listen netted the essence of my mistakes: I went too far on a lot of things. So, Sunday —in between my Mr. Mom activities (aka henry’s nap time)—I dialed back a lot of what I didn’t like.
Listened today, and it’s on its way. I wouldn’t regard it as close, just yet. I kind of had a feeling this song would be a bear to mix.
It’s proving me right, but I must say it’s going to be worth all the trouble.
