Since the April project bled into late May I decided to create a version 2 of the April song. Since I was on the fence with the electro-ish ending of the April version I removed it from this one and extended the four x four kick. I added some beat repeat to the melodic bits and fuzzed up some of the other percussive elements for good measure.
Take 1:
Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.
Notes:
Kept April project mastering rack on master channel
Applied Audacity’s default Normalize and Compressor effects to bounced wav, then exported from Audacity as MP3
Take 2:
Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.
Notes:
Extended ending since it was being cut off a bit early in take 1
Take 3:
Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.
Yes, I am late. It is a reccurring theme. But goals I have set, so goals I must try to meet. This one took a while to get to a point where I felt that I had a solid enough idea to warrant stopping jumping through every last possible preset and sound. This one I like well enough, but I find that it is maybe a touch boring, or needs more of a developing melody, vocals perhaps (vocoded of course), something. But for the sake of progress and moving on I decided to call it done, “mix” it a wee bit, bounce it, normalize, and see what happens.
Take 1:
Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.
Notes:
Bounced/processed mp3 sounds considerably louder in iTunes this time around
On master track in Ableton I used: compressor with Opto-Tight setting, default Limiter, PSP Vintage Warmer plugin with Mastering First Aid setting
Added compressor with Gentle Squeeze setting on drum kick; added Dynamic Tube with Warm Tube setting on drum track
Applied light EQ to each individual track as I understand EQing should be used at this point
Rendered to disk from Ableton with Normalize set to off, exported as wav
Opened wav file in Audacity, ran Normalize with default settings; then exported as MP3
Highs are a bit high and have that near ear-piercing sizzling sound (not good in this case)
Overall I am happy with the considerable gain in loudness of the MP3, but it is almost too loud
I wonder if the electro bit at the end seems tacked on, or feels right; my decision I know, but I wonder
Ends pretty abruptly
Take 2:
Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.
Notes:
Removed the EQ from the open hihats, which improved the sizzling highs from take 1
So I spent a good chunk of February fiddling with Reason as a slave within Ableton, which lead to countless hours of noodling and no real results. And then I spent the other chunk of February with Molar VST and the Monomulator patch that turns the APC40 into a monome-like device and had a lot of fun with that (although I have a lot to learn about interfacing with Molar VST).
My February experimentation did not lead to a complete song, but it did lead to an idea that was the birth of the March song project. So I’ll take that and keep on truckin. I’ll hopefully catch up down the road and sneak in an extra song at some point.
Take 1:
Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.
Notes:
Used Vintage Mastering 1 effect rack with default settings on Master track
Used basic EQ device on most individual tracks
Exported audio as wav file from Ableton and turned Normalize OFF, bit depth at 32, no dither
Normalized wav file in Audacity with default settings
Exported as MP3
Mixed entirely in headphones, probably a bad thing
Could probably ditch or modify the filter automation on maracas
Arrangement not too bad
Sounds a little too compressed or processed or something
Take 2:
Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.
Notes:
Replaced Vintage Mastering 1 effect rack with Simple Mastering Chain rack, left with default settings except turned up the gain to 3.85dB
Removed the filter automation from the maracas track
Exported audio same as before
Did not normalize in Audacity, just exported as MP3
Sounds more natural, but much quieter than take 1 (when playing back in iTunes; it actually sounds better in browser)
I do seem to hear some glitchy artifacts sprinkled throughout (clipping?)
Take 3:
Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.
Notes:
Returned to this song to try the final mix again after the April project (5/20/10)
Added the “_My Mastering Rack” rack to the Master track
Normalized, then Compressed the exported wav in Audacity; used default settings
This mix originally appeared on abrooklynlife.com back in 2006 as a part of the podcast series. I put this mix together using Ableton Live and I am very proud of it. It is definitely one of my favorites, and I think it turned out pretty well.
This mix is an ode to one of my favorite record labels ever, the now defunct SVEK Records out of Stockholm. This was mixed on two good ol’ Technics 1200s turntables and my Pioneer CDJ3000 Mixer. This mix is from 2006 and originally appeared over at abrooklynlife.com as a part of the podcast series.
Tracklist:
Forme – Lordag – Svek 047
Sunday Brunch – Things You Said – Svek 042
Forme – Sondag – Svek 047
Sunday Brunch – Festen – Svek 042
Sunday Brunch – Honung – Svek 034
Jesper Dahlbäck – Vatten [Dub] – Svek 039
Nordelius & Ressle – Mellow Thoughts – Svek 030
The Persuader – Centralbron – Svek 029
Stephan G. & The Persuader – Funk Seven – Svek 022