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Post by donr on Feb 2, 2016 20:47:20 GMT -6
"It needs brass and strings, that much I do know." *
* Troggs Tape
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Post by NoFilterChuck on Feb 2, 2016 21:42:59 GMT -6
out of all the ones posted here, popmann's was the only one that sounded like it was ready to have a video attached to it, imho. You're hired, popmann!
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Post by porkyman on Feb 3, 2016 2:37:17 GMT -6
i like saxmonsters. those guitars need to be up the middle because they cant hold their own isolated to the sides. i tried and i tried to hide those guitars but i couldnt crack the code. i think the key was tucking the lead back behind the rhythm. mine are slightly panned to no mans land.
good job sax.
https%3A//soundcloud.com/satans-vagina-1/loco-mix-comp
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Post by saxmonster on Feb 3, 2016 5:51:20 GMT -6
out of all the ones posted here, popmann's was the only one that sounded like it was ready to have a video attached to it, imho. You're hired, popmann! yea i liked his panning and effects on the vocals and trumpet part. For me it has too much bass and low mids, a little too boomy for my taste down there. I tried to get rid of that. Nice mix popmann.
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Post by jcoutu1 on Feb 3, 2016 9:00:54 GMT -6
I just looked at details--the bassplayer IS the guitarist! Ha. Makes me wonder if bass was his first instrument....the way most guitarist "can" play bass, but probably shouldn't. I'll run mine down for whatever value a quick mix brings o the discussion. J, your mix was really bright and thin and loud. While I get where you're coming from, part of the job I've always understood better than some other engineers I've worked with is to feel what the band's WANTING--and deliver that with fingers crossed. And while that snare treatment would make the Fall Out Boy guys happy, this sound more like hippie southern soul that requires a bit more beefy pocket. but, then--that's also more up my alley, so I might simply be doing the same thing--bringing my own interpretation to the table. The highs were really swishy, too--which may or may not be a side effect of Soundcloud's generally horrible transcoding...or might be something you did with the highs. Dunno--I didn't hear any of that in the tracks. If I can remember my Soundcloud password, I'll put mine up there so it's apples to potentially swishy apples. We definitely live if different worlds musically. I listen to mostly bright, loud, modern mixes, so that's what I mix towards, but I mostly work with blues acts, so I have some experience with more rootsy sounds too. If you compare my mix to most stuff on the radio, I think it's actually a bit too weighty on the bottom still, but I felt like the song needed the extra bottom, so I sat it the way I did. I used this song as a bit of a reference when mixing the track. The genre isn't the same and this is a bit more electro pop influenced, but it felt soul enough without being a soul track, if that makes sense. I agree that my snare had a bit too much crack and not enough boom. It was a fight to get it to cut through the way I wanted to, so I stuck with the crack. Also, I needed to ride the fader on the lead vocal on the verse because it was too hot there and seemed to come together better to my ears in the chorus. In your track, the bass is WAY too loud for me. It basically buries everything except the vocals. Maybe leaving the limiter on would have helped with the bass balance. The vocal treatment is nice though. Sounds natural. What are you using to figure out the DR? Do you have a meter plug that analyzes the whole track or something? Or do you just have a meter plugin open and are eyeballing an average DR throughout the song?
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Post by jcoutu1 on Feb 3, 2016 9:04:59 GMT -6
Hey Sax, nice mix. I felt like the snare was a bit too forward and the vocals could have come up a touch (most pop stuff I listen to has the vocals WAY up), otherwise, cool stuff. I especially liked where the bass sat.
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Post by jcoutu1 on Feb 3, 2016 9:09:34 GMT -6
i like saxmonsters. those guitars need to be up the middle because they cant hold their own isolated to the sides. i tried and i tried to hide those guitars but i couldnt crack the code. i think the key was tucking the lead back behind the rhythm. mine are slightly panned to no mans land. good job sax. https%3A//soundcloud.com/satans-vagina-1/loco-mix-compHey Pork, cool mix. For me, the bass was too hot, but I thought the same thing about Pop's mix, so maybe I have no idea what I'm talking about. The lead guitar treatment felt a bit heavy handed for the track too. I thought you nailed the drums though. Really dug the snare sound that you pulled together.
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Post by jcoutu1 on Feb 3, 2016 9:15:11 GMT -6
i like saxmonsters. those guitars need to be up the middle because they cant hold their own isolated to the sides. i tried and i tried to hide those guitars but i couldnt crack the code. i think the key was tucking the lead back behind the rhythm. mine are slightly panned to no mans land. good job sax. https%3A//soundcloud.com/satans-vagina-1/loco-mix-compHey Man, is this "SNAKEBUTT" your track? Cool stuff. Reminds me of the "...And Justice for All" album...well, not the vocals, but you know what I mean.
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Post by popmann on Feb 3, 2016 10:22:19 GMT -6
J....the free TT Offline meter. I'm not using it while I'm working. Just something I run on the exports--in this case, to give me a ballpark of how much the limiter (not on the track above) was clipping. I agree there's too much bottom. But, I will also pass along advice I've been given over the years my multiple mastering engineers--(paraphrased)--"err on the side of making the bottom to big, and the bass guitar too forward, I can tighten and focus it in mastering--make it too thin and weak and there's nothing I can do well". Which, in the little mastering I've done and sat in on is true. I would say my bass and kick is the right relationship--and they're BOTH a little too "bumpy" (loud)--that's really easy to tighten up. While I don't really use direct comparison tracks anymore, is it coincidence that this has been on my stereo mostly full time for a bit now? We are what we eat, you know? And for the record--I think the TTB MASTER is a little bottom/low mid heavy....because it masks some upper mid definition, which means you either cut the low mids a scooch to leave that natural, or you have to bump that upper mid/low treble to compensate. But, it's also a lovely velvety recording. So, my opinion on clarity and cleanliness might take a back seat to that "sound that fits like an old pair of jeans". I DO think that's changed with this one verse the last two--all recorded in the same "home studio". Quotes intentional, since....well--look it up.
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Post by jcoutu1 on Feb 3, 2016 10:44:16 GMT -6
J....the free TT Offline meter. I'm not using it while I'm working. Just something I run on the exports--in this case, to give me a ballpark of how much the limiter (not on the track above) was clipping. I agree there's too much bottom. But, I will also pass along advice I've been given over the years my multiple mastering engineers--(paraphrased)--"err on the side of making the bottom to big, and the bass guitar too forward, I can tighten and focus it in mastering--make it too thin and weak and there's nothing I can do well". Which, in the little mastering I've done and sat in on is true. I would say my bass and kick is the right relationship--and they're BOTH a little too "bumpy" (loud)--that's really easy to tighten up. While I don't really use direct comparison tracks anymore, is it coincidence that this has been on my stereo mostly full time for a bit now? We are what we eat, you know? And for the record--I think the TTB MASTER is a little bottom/low mid heavy....because it masks some upper mid definition, which means you either cut the low mids a scooch to leave that natural, or you have to bump that upper mid/low treble to compensate. But, it's also a lovely velvety recording. So, my opinion on clarity and cleanliness might take a back seat to that "sound that fits like an old pair of jeans". I DO think that's changed with this one verse the last two--all recorded in the same "home studio". Quotes intentional, since....well--look it up. I err'd towards a "mastered" product for the sake of submitting a "finished" sounding track rather than pushing the bass too hot. The TTB album is a strong reference. I'll be listening to this for the next hour or so in the office. Thanks. Edit, found the meter. Link is on the top right of the page... dr.loudness-war.info/
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Post by mhbunch on Feb 3, 2016 12:56:42 GMT -6
https%3A//soundcloud.com/fcgoldyouth/locomotive-mix-contest Here was my submission.. did a little work on it at the beginning of the month then left it for later. forgot about it until 15 minutes before it was due hah so sent it in as is. I definitely went with the dry approach.
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Post by porkyman on Feb 3, 2016 19:54:57 GMT -6
i like saxmonsters. those guitars need to be up the middle because they cant hold their own isolated to the sides. i tried and i tried to hide those guitars but i couldnt crack the code. i think the key was tucking the lead back behind the rhythm. mine are slightly panned to no mans land. good job sax. https%3A//soundcloud.com/satans-vagina-1/loco-mix-compHey Pork, cool mix. For me, the bass was too hot, but I thought the same thing about Pop's mix, so maybe I have no idea what I'm talking about. The lead guitar treatment felt a bit heavy handed for the track too. I thought you nailed the drums though. Really dug the snare sound that you pulled together. agree. i hated everything except the snare... i dont know if they hi passed on the way in or what but there was no beef in the guitars at all. i normally like separation in mixes but this time i was going for a blended sound to try and mask the guitars because i really really hated them. i was trying to make the micd bass the low end of the guitar and it was a total fail... next time ill give myself some time to reassess the mix before submitting. i was way to rushed because i didnt know when the cutoff was. it just said by the 31st so i tried to get it in as early as i could.
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Post by porkyman on Feb 3, 2016 20:03:12 GMT -6
i like saxmonsters. those guitars need to be up the middle because they cant hold their own isolated to the sides. i tried and i tried to hide those guitars but i couldnt crack the code. i think the key was tucking the lead back behind the rhythm. mine are slightly panned to no mans land. good job sax. https%3A//soundcloud.com/satans-vagina-1/loco-mix-compHey Man, is this "SNAKEBUTT" your track? Cool stuff. Reminds me of the "...And Justice for All" album...well, not the vocals, but you know what I mean. lol. yeah thats me. it was an attempt to show a friend of mine (snakebutt) how easy death metal was to make. no offense to anyone who likes that stuff. im a metal fan, just not a death metal fan. to me growling has no melody. if theres no melody, theres no song. "...And Justice for All" album... - yep. its a total rip off of "Orion" which is actually Master of Puppets, but you nailed it.
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Post by tonycamphd on Feb 4, 2016 12:41:19 GMT -6
here you go....I purposely bypassed the limiter so some, since I'm always saying you need to hear it at full scale before making that decision--it basically kind of tightened the bottom some and narrowed the image. You could argue for or against either....but, they both registered DR13 on the TT meter so I obviously wasn't clipping it much. soundcloud.com/langsongs/locomotivemix1644I like it, it sounds "relaxed" to me, you clearly know what you're doing in 30 mins, i personally aimed for a punchy, tight, dried up, and "stressed out" type sound for this, i'm gonna bounce/post my attempt hopefully later tonight, i gave myself exactly 2 hours, which is about 6 hours less than i might normally spend, and that's with something that was tracked and performed top notch, this needs some groove focusing work that goes beyond what i did. Then I kinda just threw whatever effects at it unapologetically at whim, it totally goes against my nature as an obsessive, but i stuck to my guns. As i am super slow, i did spent the first hour or so just editing, clip gaining and filtering, especially tedious fixing on the wildly sporadic levels of the kick and lead vox, then I speed mixed through about the last hour.
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Post by tonycamphd on Feb 4, 2016 12:45:26 GMT -6
OK I'll play, sounds like fun.... Here is what I submitted... IIRC , I spent about 3 hours on it. Now, its interesting the thoughts on the song people have had, and will be interesting to hear each persons mixes... I am used to mixing sub par tracked stuff 8).. it was my bread and butter for a while... 8) I did no timing repairs... or tuning etc.. I always approach a mix for someone else ( unless directed otherwise) that they have there , tracked, what they want, and they are coming to me, for me to put my stamp on it. So I listen to the track... decide what would present the song the best, and mix it... So, if they were my client this would be my first mix back to them... with MY vision of their tracking... Then I would listen to their feedback, and touch up, complete remix etc... Once I have mixed for them, usually the process is a bit more streamlined. Enough excuses.. here it is Cheers Wiz https%3A//soundcloud.com/user550433336/locomotive-mix-final-wizcool, i like the outside the box approach to arrangement, sonics are real nice as usual with you, i'm a bit weird on delaying things to one side as depth usually pulls straight back in my peanut, what happened to the dudes at the end? sounds like you kicked em out the building 8)
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Post by tonycamphd on Feb 4, 2016 12:48:46 GMT -6
cool man, quite up the middle approach, why not, gave good effect to the dudes at the end 8)
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Post by tonycamphd on Feb 4, 2016 12:51:38 GMT -6
i like saxmonsters. those guitars need to be up the middle because they cant hold their own isolated to the sides. i tried and i tried to hide those guitars but i couldnt crack the code. i think the key was tucking the lead back behind the rhythm. mine are slightly panned to no mans land. good job sax. https%3A//soundcloud.com/satans-vagina-1/loco-mix-compcool man, quite distorted indeed, clearly u used your new vinyl plug haha, the lead vox were lopsided to the left on my rig, was that intentional?
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Post by tonycamphd on Feb 4, 2016 12:54:28 GMT -6
https%3A//soundcloud.com/fcgoldyouth/locomotive-mix-contestHere was my submission.. did a little work on it at the beginning of the month then left it for later. forgot about it until 15 minutes before it was due hah so sent it in as is. I definitely went with the dry approach. cool man, sounds warm, ambience seemed left to me on this? i wonder if my rig is weirding out haha
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Post by Ward on Feb 4, 2016 14:25:13 GMT -6
In future, when companies like these have these types of contest... they should first hold a contest for material submission and not have us work hourly with things that make us want to slit our wrists.
JMHO... YMMV.
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Post by formatcyes on Feb 4, 2016 15:30:32 GMT -6
In future, when companies like these have these types of contest... they should first hold a contest for material submission and not have us work hourly with things that make us want to slit our wrists. JMHO... YMMV. Yep this has been great to hear what people did with this everyone here who did a mix has good skills but the material for fuk sake. Need more of these contests the little tricks invaluable. Great thread despite the material.
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Post by Locomotive Audio on Feb 4, 2016 16:22:12 GMT -6
Hey guys,
Eric Strouth here from Locomotive. I've been following the thread for quite some time, but wanted to wait to comment till all the submissions were in for a number of reasons. I like coming to this forum and respect many of your opinions. As you may imagine, being the creator of such a competition and hearing all kinds of feedback (good and bad), it brings on a lot of emotions that one must process before going and making any statements on the Internet, which as we all know can be bad news!
First off, I'd like to say thank you to the folks who have submitted a mix to the competition. Yes, mixing this would be a lot of work, but nobody is forcing anybody to do anything. Whether you didn't like the song or thought that there were lots of issues that needed to be addressed, I hope it was still a fun exercise. It’s a way to get people talking about the real reason we are on these forums, instead of just badmouthing something that you were not a part of. I’m glad you are sharing your mixes with each other and giving good critiques. We all have different tastes, skill levels, etc., but to be able to have a common set of files to mix can really show and highlight those strengths each of us have. Regardless of the material, I’ve heard a lot of good and creative mixes so far. Plus, it's fun to have something new to talk about!
The reason we did this little competition was to get the Locomotive name out there, as there are many people who had never heard of the brand prior and to offer up some sound files that were recorded with the 286A preamp. I've gotten lots of emails asking for sound samples and thought that this would be a fun way of making them available. Many manufacturers don't offer samples, probably because it pushes them into the corner and limits their reach to a customer who is looking for that "one" sound. So, in a way, it is a little uncomfortable exposing the brand like that, but what the hell, right?! My main goal is to build nice products and have fun with the branding, as well as do things a little different by offering such competitions.
As far as the sound files and recordings go... Should we have done some things a little differently... Absolutely! It has become clear that some of you really hate it. :-) Its amusing. Over and over. Just as Jesse had stated in an earlier post, being such a small operation prohibits larger budget amenities such as studio time and paid bands. Firebrand Recording was nice enough to help put this thing together and record the song in two short sessions with musicians from around town, one for instrumentation and one for vocals. Should we have had a rehearsed band with a real drummer? YES. Live and learn. It was my decision that we focus on sounds directly from mic to preamp to converters to allow users the opportunity to mold their own sounds and to keep any other external variable to a minimum. After all, we are promoting our own product and that was the point of this. Brian, the owner/engineer at Firebrand, who is indeed a talented and knowledgeable engineer agreed that although he doesn’t normally work like this, that we shouldn’t affect sounds on the way in with EQ and compression... Was this a bad choice? And not what you are used to getting?… Probably! But again, the intention of the recordings were not to write a hit song, but to offer up sound samples of the 286A in a fun way.
Until the day we recorded, the drummer and guitarist/bassist had never met each other and were given a short amount of time to work things out, which some of you will say "never worked out." The drums and guitar were tracked together, and then the rest was layered on top. The process in which we chose to record is probably the culprit for most of the issues you hear, I would assume. Unless you just hate everything, which may be the case.
No excuses though! I get it. There were mistakes. We'll likely do something similar in nature in the future and I hope that those who were not exactly wowed by what we did will at least give us another opportunity to change that perception. I wasn’t expecting such negativity, but after all, owning a small business and recognizing such successes and failures is a learning process. I imagine that if you either knew me personally or had I contributed on this forum besides being an advertiser, constructive criticism would be much more easy to come by. I’m easy to get along with and open to suggestions. Thank you.
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Post by wiz on Feb 4, 2016 17:28:09 GMT -6
Hey guys, Eric Strouth here from Locomotive. I've been following the thread for quite some time, but wanted to wait to comment till all the submissions were in for a number of reasons. I like coming to this forum and respect many of your opinions. As you may imagine, being the creator of such a competition and hearing all kinds of feedback (good and bad), it brings on a lot of emotions that one must process before going and making any statements on the Internet, which as we all know can be bad news! First off, I'd like to say thank you to the folks who have submitted a mix to the competition. Yes, mixing this would be a lot of work, but nobody is forcing anybody to do anything. Whether you didn't like the song or thought that there were lots of issues that needed to be addressed, I hope it was still a fun exercise. It’s a way to get people talking about the real reason we are on these forums, instead of just badmouthing something that you were not a part of. I’m glad you are sharing your mixes with each other and giving good critiques. We all have different tastes, skill levels, etc., but to be able to have a common set of files to mix can really show and highlight those strengths each of us have. Regardless of the material, I’ve heard a lot of good and creative mixes so far. Plus, it's fun to have something new to talk about! The reason we did this little competition was to get the Locomotive name out there, as there are many people who had never heard of the brand prior and to offer up some sound files that were recorded with the 286A preamp. I've gotten lots of emails asking for sound samples and thought that this would be a fun way of making them available. Many manufacturers don't offer samples, probably because it pushes them into the corner and limits their reach to a customer who is looking for that "one" sound. So, in a way, it is a little uncomfortable exposing the brand like that, but what the hell, right?! My main goal is to build nice products and have fun with the branding, as well as do things a little different by offering such competitions. As far as the sound files and recordings go... Should we have done some things a little differently... Absolutely! It has become clear that some of you really hate it. :-) Its amusing. Over and over. Just as Jesse had stated in an earlier post, being such a small operation prohibits larger budget amenities such as studio time and paid bands. Firebrand Recording was nice enough to help put this thing together and record the song in two short sessions with musicians from around town, one for instrumentation and one for vocals. Should we have had a rehearsed band with a real drummer? YES. Live and learn. It was my decision that we focus on sounds directly from mic to preamp to converters to allow users the opportunity to mold their own sounds and to keep any other external variable to a minimum. After all, we are promoting our own product and that was the point of this. Brian, the owner/engineer at Firebrand, who is indeed a talented and knowledgeable engineer agreed that although he doesn’t normally work like this, that we shouldn’t affect sounds on the way in with EQ and compression... Was this a bad choice? And not what you are used to getting?… Probably! But again, the intention of the recordings were not to write a hit song, but to offer up sound samples of the 286A in a fun way. Until the day we recorded, the drummer and guitarist/bassist had never met each other and were given a short amount of time to work things out, which some of you will say "never worked out." The drums and guitar were tracked together, and then the rest was layered on top. The process in which we chose to record is probably the culprit for most of the issues you hear, I would assume. Unless you just hate everything, which may be the case. No excuses though! I get it. There were mistakes. We'll likely do something similar in nature in the future and I hope that those who were not exactly wowed by what we did will at least give us another opportunity to change that perception. I wasn’t expecting such negativity, but after all, owning a small business and recognizing such successes and failures is a learning process. I imagine that if you either knew me personally or had I contributed on this forum besides being an advertiser, constructive criticism would be much more easy to come by. I’m easy to get along with and open to suggestions. Thank you. Lovely measured and thoughtful reply. Welcome and good luck with your brand! Cheers Wiz
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Post by tonycamphd on Feb 4, 2016 17:52:29 GMT -6
Hey guys, Eric Strouth here from Locomotive. I've been following the thread for quite some time, but wanted to wait to comment till all the submissions were in for a number of reasons. I like coming to this forum and respect many of your opinions. As you may imagine, being the creator of such a competition and hearing all kinds of feedback (good and bad), it brings on a lot of emotions that one must process before going and making any statements on the Internet, which as we all know can be bad news! First off, I'd like to say thank you to the folks who have submitted a mix to the competition. Yes, mixing this would be a lot of work, but nobody is forcing anybody to do anything. Whether you didn't like the song or thought that there were lots of issues that needed to be addressed, I hope it was still a fun exercise. It’s a way to get people talking about the real reason we are on these forums, instead of just badmouthing something that you were not a part of. I’m glad you are sharing your mixes with each other and giving good critiques. We all have different tastes, skill levels, etc., but to be able to have a common set of files to mix can really show and highlight those strengths each of us have. Regardless of the material, I’ve heard a lot of good and creative mixes so far. Plus, it's fun to have something new to talk about! The reason we did this little competition was to get the Locomotive name out there, as there are many people who had never heard of the brand prior and to offer up some sound files that were recorded with the 286A preamp. I've gotten lots of emails asking for sound samples and thought that this would be a fun way of making them available. Many manufacturers don't offer samples, probably because it pushes them into the corner and limits their reach to a customer who is looking for that "one" sound. So, in a way, it is a little uncomfortable exposing the brand like that, but what the hell, right?! My main goal is to build nice products and have fun with the branding, as well as do things a little different by offering such competitions. As far as the sound files and recordings go... Should we have done some things a little differently... Absolutely! It has become clear that some of you really hate it. :-) Its amusing. Over and over. Just as Jesse had stated in an earlier post, being such a small operation prohibits larger budget amenities such as studio time and paid bands. Firebrand Recording was nice enough to help put this thing together and record the song in two short sessions with musicians from around town, one for instrumentation and one for vocals. Should we have had a rehearsed band with a real drummer? YES. Live and learn. It was my decision that we focus on sounds directly from mic to preamp to converters to allow users the opportunity to mold their own sounds and to keep any other external variable to a minimum. After all, we are promoting our own product and that was the point of this. Brian, the owner/engineer at Firebrand, who is indeed a talented and knowledgeable engineer agreed that although he doesn’t normally work like this, that we shouldn’t affect sounds on the way in with EQ and compression... Was this a bad choice? And not what you are used to getting?… Probably! But again, the intention of the recordings were not to write a hit song, but to offer up sound samples of the 286A in a fun way. Until the day we recorded, the drummer and guitarist/bassist had never met each other and were given a short amount of time to work things out, which some of you will say "never worked out." The drums and guitar were tracked together, and then the rest was layered on top. The process in which we chose to record is probably the culprit for most of the issues you hear, I would assume. Unless you just hate everything, which may be the case. No excuses though! I get it. There were mistakes. We'll likely do something similar in nature in the future and I hope that those who were not exactly wowed by what we did will at least give us another opportunity to change that perception. I wasn’t expecting such negativity, but after all, owning a small business and recognizing such successes and failures is a learning process. I imagine that if you either knew me personally or had I contributed on this forum besides being an advertiser, constructive criticism would be much more easy to come by. I’m easy to get along with and open to suggestions. Thank you. Hey Eric! Your a good man, and you make killer shit!! I wish i'd have submitted something, just been slammed and not too happy being currently stuck ITB, that said, these are real world tracks, with some issues, but good engineers should be able to tighten up even pretty bad tracks(which these were not), though it takes a good chunk of time. I think it was a smart idea on your part, and I hope it helps your company move forward as it should, I also think the workmanship on your stuff is second to nothing i've ever seen, kudos to you! btw, I'll be posting my less than best effort of this tune later if you want to get a laugh out 8) T
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Post by porkyman on Feb 4, 2016 18:55:24 GMT -6
i like saxmonsters. those guitars need to be up the middle because they cant hold their own isolated to the sides. i tried and i tried to hide those guitars but i couldnt crack the code. i think the key was tucking the lead back behind the rhythm. mine are slightly panned to no mans land. good job sax. https%3A//soundcloud.com/satans-vagina-1/loco-mix-compcool man, quite distorted indeed, clearly u used your new vinyl plug haha, the lead vox were lopsided to the left on my rig, was that intentional? nothing i do is intentional.
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Post by porkyman on Feb 4, 2016 19:22:16 GMT -6
Hey guys, Eric Strouth here from Locomotive. I've been following the thread for quite some time, but wanted to wait to comment till all the submissions were in for a number of reasons. I like coming to this forum and respect many of your opinions. As you may imagine, being the creator of such a competition and hearing all kinds of feedback (good and bad), it brings on a lot of emotions that one must process before going and making any statements on the Internet, which as we all know can be bad news! First off, I'd like to say thank you to the folks who have submitted a mix to the competition. Yes, mixing this would be a lot of work, but nobody is forcing anybody to do anything. Whether you didn't like the song or thought that there were lots of issues that needed to be addressed, I hope it was still a fun exercise. It’s a way to get people talking about the real reason we are on these forums, instead of just badmouthing something that you were not a part of. I’m glad you are sharing your mixes with each other and giving good critiques. We all have different tastes, skill levels, etc., but to be able to have a common set of files to mix can really show and highlight those strengths each of us have. Regardless of the material, I’ve heard a lot of good and creative mixes so far. Plus, it's fun to have something new to talk about! The reason we did this little competition was to get the Locomotive name out there, as there are many people who had never heard of the brand prior and to offer up some sound files that were recorded with the 286A preamp. I've gotten lots of emails asking for sound samples and thought that this would be a fun way of making them available. Many manufacturers don't offer samples, probably because it pushes them into the corner and limits their reach to a customer who is looking for that "one" sound. So, in a way, it is a little uncomfortable exposing the brand like that, but what the hell, right?! My main goal is to build nice products and have fun with the branding, as well as do things a little different by offering such competitions. As far as the sound files and recordings go... Should we have done some things a little differently... Absolutely! It has become clear that some of you really hate it. :-) Its amusing. Over and over. Just as Jesse had stated in an earlier post, being such a small operation prohibits larger budget amenities such as studio time and paid bands. Firebrand Recording was nice enough to help put this thing together and record the song in two short sessions with musicians from around town, one for instrumentation and one for vocals. Should we have had a rehearsed band with a real drummer? YES. Live and learn. It was my decision that we focus on sounds directly from mic to preamp to converters to allow users the opportunity to mold their own sounds and to keep any other external variable to a minimum. After all, we are promoting our own product and that was the point of this. Brian, the owner/engineer at Firebrand, who is indeed a talented and knowledgeable engineer agreed that although he doesn’t normally work like this, that we shouldn’t affect sounds on the way in with EQ and compression... Was this a bad choice? And not what you are used to getting?… Probably! But again, the intention of the recordings were not to write a hit song, but to offer up sound samples of the 286A in a fun way. Until the day we recorded, the drummer and guitarist/bassist had never met each other and were given a short amount of time to work things out, which some of you will say "never worked out." The drums and guitar were tracked together, and then the rest was layered on top. The process in which we chose to record is probably the culprit for most of the issues you hear, I would assume. Unless you just hate everything, which may be the case. No excuses though! I get it. There were mistakes. We'll likely do something similar in nature in the future and I hope that those who were not exactly wowed by what we did will at least give us another opportunity to change that perception. I wasn’t expecting such negativity, but after all, owning a small business and recognizing such successes and failures is a learning process. I imagine that if you either knew me personally or had I contributed on this forum besides being an advertiser, constructive criticism would be much more easy to come by. I’m easy to get along with and open to suggestions. Thank you. thanks for your efforts. i really enjoyed it. i actually like the song. loved the vocal. just couldnt get around the guitars. im not a pro though. did it for the experience. i wish there were more of these. i hope you do another one soon. maybe next time have a band come in. i dont think itd be hard to find one willing to get tracked and have it mixed by 400 different people for free. thanks again.
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