-
Ruby
Here is a song I’m working. Probably need a bass line in the second verse and beyond. Open to any ideas. Thanks.
-
8 Replies
-
Patrick! This is so good! I love the song and atmospheric dreamscape vibes.
I too kept wondering when a bass instrument would enter! Would be a fun upgrade at some point to build momentum. Maybe someone here in the community would even lay down an idea for ya if you’re open to it… I could hear a soft Moog-style sub bass, or a gently-played Fender Jazz or P bass, or a plucky-round Hoffner w flatwounds … lots of fun options rolling in my mind.
Love the surprise guitar solo and the sound you got for that – Just when we thought the song was done!
And love the lyrics – especially the astronaut / moon line
I noticed the vocal recording sounds a bit thin and distant – would be great if it were recorded close to the mic, preferably a large diaphragm condenser on cardioid pattern to make use of the “proximity effect”, adding richness and depth to the voice. A more intimate, deep, full-range vocal sound would really enhance the dreamy meditation/mantra feeling – like the “hug” technique we talked about in @JLew‘s recent post.
Your current vocal definitely has a great flow and spirit to it. If you find yourself struggling to capture that same essence in a re-recorded vocal, try singing along with the old vocal – even line by line if necessary. Have the old vocal nice and loud in your headphones (watch the bleed tho 😬) and keep one side of the headphones pushed off your ear so you’re hearing the old vocal in one ear via the headphones and your live vocal in your exposed ear in the room. Be patient with yourself and find a rhythm in your work as you basically record a perfect “double track” to your old vocal — either line-by-line or in full passes that you’ll comp from later. Throughout the process you can mute the old vocal to get a sense of your progress and verify that you’re achieving your intended result.
Who knows … maybe it’ll sound cool to have the hi-fi full-range proximity “hug” vocal upfront, with a nice distant bit of that original vocal tucked in behind it w/ a little verb … and maybe that verbed OG layer only comes in in the second verse as some extra ear candy to pull the listener along….
-
Here’s a link to the original “hug” vocal visualization video:
… or here below, as the above link for some reason isn’t scrolling to the correct video (tho the above link has more context!). Either way, to avoid confusion, here’s the isolated video in case the above link left you confused lol:
-
And I watched the video 🙂
-
-
Thanks, Dana for the tip. I hadn’t thought about listening to it while re-recording. I can definitely try that.
I’m glad you like the lyrics. My fav are ‘with the blankets you love and the pillows you hold’ Very visual, but i like them all. And that funky guitar solo at the end has some crazy fx from crystalizer i think. I wanted to do something like that because the song is so short.
-
Yeah man – I love all those lyrics! Great work!
Look fwd to hearing your updated vocal re-recording!
-
-
-
Patrick – This song is so beautiful. It pulled me right in to your world – and took me on a journey. Your voice sounds amazing. I loved the guitar at the end! so cool! Beautiful work.
Jesse
-
Thank you! Glad you like it!
-
-
Patrick,
I recall after your first posted piano piece and saying how I reacted. The unbridled joy just bubbling through your playing was contagious.
Now you’re back with an absolutely disarming, tender vocal performance. I’m not sure if this is a fatherly prayer for a kid (like @JLew ‘s recent offering) or perhaps, a dream visit from a deceased loved one. I don’t know, and I don’t care because the sentiment is palpable. You’re onto something here, young man.
You had asked if I produced, and if I did, I would suggest flipping the two movements. The more immediately-focused guitar outro, starting with Ruby calling your name, gets the listeners’ attention. It’s riveting, kinda shocking and I think makes for a great intro. Play the guit, sing the song, and then save the acoustic trip to the cosmos for the ending fade-out.
Am I onto something here?
Log in to reply.