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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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
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David, Thanks. I solved my non flat mixing environment by going into headphones and using Sonarworks, the software that makes the frequency response neutral for hundreds of models/brands of headphones. Coupled with the tonal balance feature of Ozone that has amassed gadzooks of measurements to get a genre-specific target goal helping to we can get in the ballpark pretty quickly. Love that technology and the stabilizer too. That one is a dynamic EQ that keeps the overall tonality closer to the target curve offered up by the tonal balance even when the song’s frequency response changes somewhat.Have you explored that feature if it exists in your version? PT
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Muchos gracias, but naw bruh, that’s from the show itself, not soundcheck. The off axis sound of the audience response through open vocal mics isn’t worth putting in at the end of the song. IMO It’s an old picture of the theatre and fortunately, I have an appropriately sized PA now. I’m happy to share more when something good happens and I can get permissions. PT
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I stand by my statement that I had no clue what the song was about but I am now impressed you rhymed a line with “Mixing garden bowls and kidneys.” That’s impressive, I trust your talking beans. I agree, the song definitely feels and listens more whole now. Good one! PT