Entourage Paul Tucci
EntourageForum Replies Created
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Patrick, I think the performance outperforms the capture. The first thing we hear is the low frequency thumping of the foot pedals and the low frequency of the ( I’m guessing ) HVAC system or traffic noise leaking into your recording environment. The focus should be on the piano, not the external and a high pass filter would help the cause by filtering out the lowest frequencies and allowing (passing) the higher sounds. Having a speaker system or headphones that are closer to full range would allow you to hear these unnecessary and invading low freqs. Listening on the laptop will not work for critical listening. There’s a pretty big buildup of low mids also, almost approaching a honky-tonk upright but without tonk, and by that I mean the percussive tack sound of strings being hit. Sounds like you have a pair of mics on there. That certainly gives the piano more space and a wider sound-field than a single mic capture would. Experimenting with different mic placement may result in a more natural sounding recording. Give it another go and let’s see what you can improve upon. PT
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Jesse, The intro as presented, is oblique rather than gentle and inviting to my ear today. I wonder what an arrangement that has just the KB line and shaker perc setting the stage followed by vocal and then allowing the the drums and bass to enter later and fill in the arrangement as compared with giving it all away too early. …. I also wonder if I should wait to give an opinion after having just gotten home from watching CIVIL WAR at the theater. Just as I was still “processing” seeing the fictional President get shot in the head, the credits were rolling and I was struck by the written words stating that “No Animals Were Harmed IN The Making Of This Movie.” That’s entertainment. Yea, I should probably wait.
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Jeremy, I think you are correct for asking is there room for your vocal at the end because the three most important words of the song are “to be me” A strong declarative statement at the end is a perfect way to wrap up the story. Plant the flag at the end and walk away victorious. PT
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Big C, I live in the box, on AT M70x headphones with Sonarworks software correction, rely on Ozone’s collection of genre specific reference curves and my time in live audio for guidance in tonality. I can’t offer up anything regarding your specific question, but damn, you do ask good questions. PT
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Christopher, I’m wondering, if with such a sparse, open musical arrangement with interesting and compelling ear candy happening, could you not take advantage of that open frequency range in the low end and really have a wall of low end when the bass comes in, effectively making it one of the lead musical characters? Bass/handclaps/lead vocal atop the ear candy talks to me. Good luck with the track! PT
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Jeremy, This song has evolved considerably lately, and by that I mean it has moved from an engineering production laid atop a man’s song to a man’s words being served by the production. I think you’re in the right space now. Your singing and Nate’s primo BGV arrangement get to shine through, rather than compete for attention. There’s a hierarchy that is now far more appropriate for what I perceive to be you intent. The piece is softer, more inviting, and more likely to move people at this point, but Jeremy, that fucking kick drum man! My instinct says to use a kick sound mimicking the one used on the Raising Sand record by Robert Plant/Allison Krause. Specifically, the song “Please Read the Letter.” It’s big, deep, and it’s organic like a heartbeat. Oh!! My instinct also leads me to think about the intro and outro and how to minimize what’s there to keep the focus where it should be. The good writer uses fewer words, but more powerful ones. The synth opening riff is seemingly more “production” than necessary. The guitar riff is all the invite needed into the song. The density of the outro. chorus almost gets in the way of your words Then again there’s an entire subplot about struggle going on in this song. I think there’s a dramatic moment, as of yet unrealized. I said it after the first version and will again. The three most important words are your last ones, “To be me.” How more effective might they be if heard against the background of silence? Bless your guitar players heart and all, 🤨, but his work was a bar or so already. The message can stand on its own and shine in the single spotlight by that point. Fade to black. Silence, then applause.
It’s your sand box, thank you for letting me verbally rearrange the castle. PT
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👂👂👂
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Patrick, Now your piano sounds more like this pictured piano except black and white. Definitely go the right vibe tonally and with the wear and tear of the piano.
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Patrick, So what is your recording a piano set up? Directly into the computer mic input or a 4 channel mixer?? Have you got tone control before the recording software? Your “I turned the mics down because the piano was so loud” has me wondering. PT
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Yea, that’s more inviting and lets me hop onboard the moving train without falling over 🙂
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As lead scientist on this experiment I tried a different path. Using RIP-X I separated out the bass line and tried dropping it an octave via the RIP-X MIDI -like notation. However there appears to be no B flat -1 on the piano scale. The part is written to be plenty deep, but doesn’t translate as well as I was desiring probably because of a mix level. A quick mix with +4-5dB made a big difference. Now I’m starting to wonder if my combination headphones and modest listening level is pushing the extreme low end into Fletcher-Munson territory. I learned a thing or two . PT
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Very informative reply. I should have used the word “egos” instead of politics in my question. That would have conveyed my hopes of a group think to determine the best mastering choice. PT
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I was thinking something along these lines. I separated out the bass line dropped it down the octave, low passed out the 100 Hz and above, and mixed it back in to supplement the low end. Obviously playing it in the desired register would be smoother sounding than this is. I think the concept was good. The 808 lives above the Bass line and is separated well. The new weight of the new found low end forced my hand to work the top end too. How do you react to the experiment?? Thanks, this was much more fun than working on my taxes. PT
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Dana’s idea of deepening the 808 kick is one path. It would be foolish to ignore the Fuhrer ya know? His suggestion triggered my thought of what is the sonic landscape, and led me to believe there’s room in the low end to explore. There’s a big dynamic range in that area, from nothing going on in some verses to Bass/K support that feels a little polite, level wise. Deepening the tonality of the 808 K will change that considerably. Taking the Bass line down an octave and gaining it up a couple dB just might separate it from the K frequency wise and add some drama and weight to the lower end of the track. I say “might just” because I’m a 70 year old white guy. You may want to check in on some of my posted pieces here to see if I’m at all legit. 🙂 PT I will attempt this experiment my own self in a day or two.
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David, That’s a good find that I guess I missed on their educational website. Tonight’s reading for sure. Thnx PT