What was that? (Disembodied Voice reviews)

[Jefff]

2. play each interval and match both notes. So, play a C and then a D, then C and D#, then C and E. Work your way all the way up to C again, practicing the octave jump.

This seems like a great exercise for more than vocals. When I'm recording lead guitar or a keyboard melody, I just stumble around the notes until I find something I like. I've wished for a while that I could hear the melody I want before playing it.

Do you ever sing what you want to hear first and then figure it out on the instrument? It occurs to me that you probably do hear melodies you want and that what you're describing is a sort of *translation* problem, but you tell me, I might not be getting what you're saying.

Not really. Or maybe in the loosest of ways. I guess I must have some kind of feeling for what I want, but I really do just randomly try notes to see what works.

[mo]

but yeah I'll often, for practice, do the Jimi Hendrix thing of singing the solo as I play it---I sucked at it at first, but after a while you get the hang of it and you're able to sing and play simultaneously, although doing it in harmony is still tricky for me brainwise.

and when there's a conflict between sides of my brain, I err to the singing side, because that side is less constrained by my physical limitations on the instrument. Once I have a contour I may or may not then go to the theory/technique buckets to try to see what spices I have.

Then there's the other kind of solos where I know what the chords are and I do my pitiful version of playing changes hahahahaha

[mo]

Not really. Or maybe in the loosest of ways. I guess I must have some kind of feeling for what I want, but I really do just randomly try notes to see what works.

That's kind of fascinating to me. So do you have tricks for finding notes, like you know you like certain intervals already, or is it more a new process of discovery each time?

[Jefff]

Not really. Or maybe in the loosest of ways. I guess I must have some kind of feeling for what I want, but I really do just randomly try notes to see what works.

That's kind of fascinating to me. So do you have tricks for finding notes, like you know you like certain intervals already, or is it more a new process of discovery each time?

Yeah, there's some sense memory for the jumps that tend to work. I end up with different types of melodies on guitar vs. keyboard for that reason. It also creates ruts. But I suppose the same thing could happen in my brain.

[jpnickolas]

Do you come up with chords and noodle (or mix/match) over it? Or do you find notes you like first and have that dictate the chord progression?

[Cybronica]

Number two: you have a strong tendency in your vocals of smearing the pitches, i.e. at the start of the note you need some time to "warm up" to the right pitch. This is partially due to technique, but it's also habit. Simply by doing some occasional practicing hitting notes faster (without trying too hard, of course), you can do a lot to change that, to the point where it will be more of a conscious decision to smear pitches and not do it just because it's what you always do.

I know I’m not even in this fight, but this is something I tend to do as well and I’ve been trying to figure out how to not. If anyone’s got any more specific advice or exercises, I would greatly appreciate it.

I do this, too. The best exercise I know for this is to sing scales or arpeggios starting in a comfortable range and move up chromatically until I start hearing or feeling the slide up to the target pitch. E.g., sing a C major chord up to the octave and back down on a repeating syllable, then C# major, D major, etc. It seems to happen more on the higher notes when I don’t start with enough support and have to add tension to reach the pitch. It helps to have an honest third party like a teacher listening, or to record yourself and listen back to it. I don’t do this nearly enough myself, which is probably why I’m a pretty inconsistent and eternally intermediate singer.

Hi hi hi I am maybe going to write reviews but I had to jump in on this comment -

Ok so yes scales are really good for having less wobbliness when landing on pitches- practicing the tune so that you know it in your bones also helps- but hands down the best thing you can do is have good breath support, mholland is 100% right

That said I am concerned about you having to add tension to hit the higher notes. Are you feeling the tension in your neck/tongue/throat? That can cause long term damage. Is the tension in your abs? That’s fine, it means you’re engaging your core to control your breath better.

[Cybronica]

Words

More words

I appreciate this advice. I tried singing along to an instrumental melody last time, but I couldn't even get close to it. In this week's song, as usual, the vocal melody is developed intuitively, and I have no idea what notes I'm singing, or supposed to be singing. I think I may have even farther to go and more to learn than some of you suspect.

I do this too- I think of it like that toy with the pegs and holes of various shapes. Singing the tune intuitively the first time is like trying to get the square peg in the square hole blindfolded. After you’ve done it once/recorded the first take it gets easier, you can use that as a guide and to teach yourself the melody by ear, getting better at tuning by the time you do your final recording. This might just be a matter of ear training at this point- start by matching pitch with one of your instruments, then play a melody and sing it back. Record yourself doing it if you have trouble telling if you sang it right. Eventually move on to singing along with songs on the radio (or stream or whatever) and really try to focus on lining up with what you’re hearing.

Sing is a three step process at its core- hearing a sound (ear to brain), interpreting the sound and sending it to your vocal fold (brain to larynx), and then your larynx has to know how to form the sounds your brain is telling it to make (larynx to sound). All of these can be trained up.

[Jefff]

Do you come up with chords and noodle (or mix/match) over it? Or do you find notes you like first and have that dictate the chord progression?

This is all after the song is written, so the chords are set.

[jb]

Vocals are the most commonly terrible aspect of Song a fight entries. Countless times a track will begin and I’ll be like “hey not bad!” And then the vocals come in and I’m like “oh, one of these.” Weak, out of tune, poorly recorded, poorly mixed... it’s really not fair to compare but it’s easy to have a well-mixed arrangement of synth presets. It’s not easy to perform and record vocals well.

The advice that’s probably the most on-point re: singing is the need for a coach.

There are lots of things a coach will do for you, but the most basic is developing your sense of pitch. You absolutely cannot sing well if you can’t recognize whether you’re in tune, and in which direction you need to correct.

If you can’t get a coach, turn on the tuner plugin in your DAW and watch it while you sing your exercise. You’ll have to go kinda slow to let your brain recognize everything it needs to, but still. And if you’re off, fix it. Do it again until you’ve got it down.

I dunno if it would be effective, but those Rock Band games detect pitch as well, so you could maybe try that and not just get close enough to score but get that line DEAD ON and consistent. That’ll take work but heck, that’s what practice is eh?

[owl]

Other thoughts re vox: it might also be helpful, if you have pitch correction software, to sing something and then look at the results in Melodyne or ReaTune or whatever, see how far off you are and in which direction, and then listen to your uncorrected vocal and then your corrected one to hear the difference. Even if you can tell something is off, it’s not always easy to tell which direction without ear training, particularly if you’re close to hitting the note. You should be able to see the note contour and realize if you’re always starting flat and sliding up, for example.

I haven’t owned a console in years, so I’m not sure what’s out there now, but back when I had a PS2, games like Rock Band and Karaoke Revolution were pretty cool as tools for visualizing pitch in real time and telling you how close you are. There are probably similar games or apps for phone or computer that are easy to get your hands on now, maybe someone else has a suggestion.

Instrumental guide tracks are definitely helpful. You can solo the guide and your vocal after recording if you want to viscerally feel how close you were... the instrumental can cover up a lot, but ideally everything should sound good in isolation. I frequently solo my vocals when I’m working out harmonies to make sure they sound ok. Sometimes they sound fine with everything else going and then pitchy as hell once I’ve soloed them.

If you don’t know what notes you’re going for, you need to figure that out first or it will always sound like you don’t know where you’re going, and that’s not good. If you’re developing the melody as you go, you can still do it in stages, scratch vocal first, use that to figure out the melody (maybe with the help of the pitch correction software), play that on your guide track, then mute the original vocals and re-record using the guide track to help.

I would also leave lyrics out of it at first if you’re trying to work on technique/pitch/breath control, to minimize the number of things you’re thinking about at once. Once you have your song down singing ooh or lalala or whatever you can get into working on phrasing...

@lichen throat, it might be easier to stay on pitch if you start up a few steps. I think you have a tendency to sing really low and deep, and your timbre sounds nice down there but I think it’s harder to get a lot of breath support if you’re at the bottom of your range (Micah Sommersmith will never let me live down my issues with the low notes in Whichever Whenever...) so it may be easier to control your voice if you’re working in a higher range at first. I personally find it easier to sing on key in the higher parts of my range, not sure if it’s less overtones or what, but what comes out of my mouth in my head voice is usually closer to what I’m hearing in my head than if I’m singing in my chest voice/natural speaking register. Not saying you have to go up into falsetto per se but I do think singing a bit more in the middle of your range could be helpful.

@ujn are there certain songs you feel really confident singing? You could start there to figure out a good comfortable range...

[Lunkhead]

This is all great but we have plenty of Help and How To subforum threads about all this stuff and we could always use one more, so maybe this could all get moved over there so this review thread can be for reviews?

EDIT: I'm just saying that in reply to the whole side topic, not to anybody specifically. And again, it's good stuff and definitely helpful for people.

[gizo]

This is apparently how Rivers Cuomo comes up with guitar solos.

Do you ever sing what you want to hear first and then figure it out on the instrument?

This is the only way I've ever done it.

After listening to River’s songwriting process via SongExploder, I never want to approach anything the way he does.

[Mostess]

Number two: you have a strong tendency in your vocals of smearing the pitches, i.e. at the start of the note you need some time to "warm up" to the right pitch. This is partially due to technique, but it's also habit. Simply by doing some occasional practicing hitting notes faster (without trying too hard, of course), you can do a lot to change that, to the point where it will be more of a conscious decision to smear pitches and not do it just because it's what you always do.

I know I’m not even in this fight, but this is something I tend to do as well and I’ve been trying to figure out how to not. If anyone’s got any more specific advice or exercises, I would greatly appreciate it.

Vocals and vocal harmony are my strong suit. Here's my advice for a simple way to improve your tuning:

Sing harmony with a recorded song you like (the best song for this exercise has just one lead vocalist and no or very few harmony parts) by picking one note and staying on that note for the whole song. Sing the words in rhythm with the vocalist but don't change notes. Just keep singing that one note. It doesn't really matter which note you pick.

While you're singing along, do these things with your ears and voice: 1) keep your volume (as you hear it in your head) a little quieter than the singer. 2) stay on that one note and do not change it no matter what. 3) Listen intently to how the lead singer and your one-note harmony sound together from moment to moment. This last bit is the most important: some moments it will sound great, some moments it will sound harsh or ugly. No matter how it sounds, keep your pitch on the same note and your volume just quieter than the lead vocal.

Doing this with different notes in the same song and doing this with different songs will teach you vocal control and some music theory. You'll improve your intuition about how functional harmony works and how dissonance and resolution (counterpoint) works. Doing this with different songs will teach you more about how modes work.

And most of all it will strengthen your voice-ear control so you can perform your part while other parts do other things that sometimes bump up in ugly ways against your thing.

[Mostess]

Number two: you have a strong tendency in your vocals of smearing the pitches, i.e. at the start of the note you need some time to "warm up" to the right pitch. This is partially due to technique, but it's also habit. Simply by doing some occasional practicing hitting notes faster (without trying too hard, of course), you can do a lot to change that, to the point where it will be more of a conscious decision to smear pitches and not do it just because it's what you always do.

I know I’m not even in this fight, but this is something I tend to do as well and I’ve been trying to figure out how to not. If anyone’s got any more specific advice or exercises, I would greatly appreciate it.

Vocals and vocal harmony are my strong suit. Here's my advice for a simple way to improve your tuning:

Sing harmony with a recorded song you like (the best song for this exercise has just one lead vocalist and no or very few harmony parts) by picking one note and staying on that note for the whole song. Sing the words in rhythm with the vocalist but don't change notes. Just keep singing that one note. It doesn't really matter which note you pick.

While you're singing along, do these things with your ears and voice: 1) keep your volume (as you hear it in your head) a little quieter than the singer. 2) stay on that one note and do not change it no matter what. 3) Listen intently to how the lead singer and your one-note harmony sound together from moment to moment. This last bit is the most important: some moments it will sound great, some moments it will sound harsh or ugly. No matter how it sounds, keep your pitch on the same note and your volume just quieter than the lead vocal.

Doing this with different notes in the same song and doing this with different songs will teach you vocal control and some music theory. You'll improve your intuition about how functional harmony works and how dissonance and resolution (counterpoint) works. Doing this with different songs will teach you more about how modes work.

And most of all it will strengthen your voice-ear control so you can perform your part while other parts do other things that sometimes bump up in ugly ways against your thing.

Oh and also remember you (I mean not just you, each of us) have a range and a vocal tone that is unique and that is the source of your power and style. You can refine it, of course, but unless you are a professional musician who wants to do vocal performance professionally (or competitively like for summer stock theater and whatnot), don't bother taking lessons or hiring a vocal coach. As a singer-songwriter, your vocal sound is already as unique as it can be and any training you do will make it less unique. The most powerful thing to do is learn how you sound in different parts of your range and at different volumes. Then write songs that capitalize on where your voice sounds coolest.

[Mostess]

Do you come up with chords and noodle (or mix/match) over it? Or do you find notes you like first and have that dictate the chord progression?

I used to write a chord progression first, then fit a melody to it. When I first started writing songs, I'd take chord progressions from songs I liked then change the tempo and write a new melody.

At some point I switched to writing melody first then finding chords that made sense and that opened up so many more possibilities. Especially since many different chord changes can fit the same melody. There's a lot more to play with that way and you end up with more interesting songs.

For a long time I listened hard to Sting. Because he's a high tenor and a bassist, he has an excellent ear for outer-voice counterpoint. And because he's a pop artist who clearly likes jazz and fancies himself kind of a smart-ass, he tends to try funny modes, funny time signatures, quirky modulations but always very listenable. But always his melody and bass line play against each other and that is what drives even his most uninteresting songs.

These days I write them at the same time but the melody is king.

[seemanski]

My attempt at putting my thoughts down, not something I make a regular habit of doing but I figure the more I do the better I get. Great round everyone, I thoroughly enjoyed it. Hopefully my thoughts mean something and it isn't just me talking out of my bottom.

add:

A charming little ditty, the guitars are nice and crisp and I really like how your vocals follow the guitar on the "disembodied voice".

Brown Word and the Big Whine:

I'm not sure how I felt about the intro. I kept waiting and waiting for something to happen, the intrigue kept me listening but it was a bit drawn out for my liking. I would like more clarity in the rhythm guitar, I felt it could probably use a bit more treble. Cool rockin' song though.

Cloverdance:

I think the acoustic guitar could do with some work, I felt it needed a bit eq-ing and a touch of reverb. I did like the flangry guitar that ended the chorus, I thought was a nice touch.

Conspiracy of Joy:

I really really liked how this song started, the guitars are really nice and it builds up so nicely. However, I'm not keen on the drums, specifically the amount of reverb on them doesn't do it for me. I can see what you were trying to do is to try and add atmosphere, it works to begin with but for me as soon as the beat kicks in it drowns out all those lovely guitars.

Evermind:

This really sticks out from the bunch in the fact that it so quiet. I'm not sure how I feel about the harmonics, they felt a little too harsh when they came in. Nice build up and when the guitars and drums kick in it lifts it, I only wish it was a bit longer, I wanted more.

You have my vote.

Future Boy:

Really like all the funky keyboards, the arrangement of the track is really something. The middle 8 was unexpectant and very nice, I also liked the ending phrase.

FutureProofTheories:

Very rough and ready. It's very difficult to understand what you are singing, it would have been nice to see your words to see what you were singing about. Although it is not clean and polished like a lot here, well done for having a go. The more you do it, the better you'll get.

Hostess Mostess:

This is cracking, it has a very Beatles feel to it. Your vocals are really emotive and sound really great. I really enjoyed listening.

This one has my vote.

J.A.N.:

Interesting soundscape you have going on there. This isn't really my thing and I don't know how to comment on it. I will say this, I did enjoy the listen though, if that counts for anything.

Jon Porobil:

Loved the upbeat feeling for this, it knocks you into place. The guitar licks are really nice and the pace is great, it makes you want to move.

JP Nickolas:

This absolutely rocks, it reminds me of the band Ghost alot. The guitar licks you've got are cracking.

Ken's Super Duper Band 'n Stuff:

The vocals are so good in this track, they are really clear and crisp. I would have liked a bit more variety, the vocal tone seems quite linear, actually I'm not sure I agree with that, it is growing on me. This reminds me of Teenage Fanclub.

Yeah, this gets a vote. It grew on me.

Lichen Throat:

That is some really nice interplaying of instruments, really out there and spot on with the timing. You've got a really nice deep voice I'm just not sure it is quite in time with the music though. I think it just feels a little lazy compared to the frantic music that is going on in the background.

luntar:

Love the pace of this, it's totally toe tapping. The timing is spot on, I really liked the listen. I would have preferred a better ending, fading out always feels like a bit of a cop out whenever I do it.

Night Sky:

The synths to me steal the show in this, the interludes between the vocals are really cool. Great vocals, they have David Byrne feel to them.

Paco del Stinko:

This is so creepy, I was listening to this whilst walking down a dark alley I night, I admit I did keep looking over my shoulder as I was listening.

Loved it, VOTE!

The Pannacotta Army:

I always know I'm in for a treat when I see your name. The quality of your recordings are outstanding and your vocals are so good. The toms really lift the track into another level and the guitar in the background with a whammy or slide (I can't figure it out) is great. This track has so many layers, I'm in awe. Well done.

This has my vote.

Phlebia:

Holy smokes that is LOUD!!!! From what I can hear of the melody I am getting shades of System of a Down. Not generally what I listen to but I do love a good head bang at my desk now and again and this ticked the boxes. I must admit it did take a couple of listens for me to start liking it.

Pigfarmer Jr:

I found myself really liking this right off the bat. I liked the bass and the acoustic and your vocals fitted perfectly over the top. It is definitely one of my favourites from you.

Although after a few listens I realised, to me anyway, it sounds like Good Fortune by PJ Harvey.

Still gets a vote from me though

seemanski:

This is me, I have been listening to Mindless Self Indulgence, Jimmy Urine (I love the album he released with Serj Tankian this year - Fuktronic (British gangster electronic music, need I say more). I wanted to replicate the stabby synthy stuff he does. I think I needed to go more frantic and I couldn't pull off his vocal style but I quite liked the laziness I got in it.

I was umming and arring about the speed change, I just fancied doing it because it is something I tend to avoid. I am disappointed with the ending though, I thought it dragged on a bit and got a bit samey.

Sweeney Toad:

I always like the sounds you manage to get, this one felt a bit rushed to me though. I get the feeling that you weren't overly keen on the topic. The "I am Scarlett Johanson" made me chuckle though.

Third Cat:

The reverb and the effects in your vocals really set this apart, especially on the chorus. I love how the track pulsates.

Tim Hinkle:

I really liked the guitars to begin with, but there is something about the rhythm guitar in my right ear that doesn't sit right with me. It feels like it takes detracts from everything else that is going on. There are some great things going on in the background but my ears seem to get drawn to that guitar. I am getting shades of Depeche Mode from your vocals.

[seemanski]

Thanks for everyones comments on my track, it is much appreciated

seemanski
My song is gonna lose to this one, isn't it?

I'm not sure, I think you might have the edge on me. Personally, my money is on Pannacotta Army

seemanski - Better vocals than I remember hearing from you during Nur Ein. I'm getting Nine Inch Nails vibes off this one, which... I mean, well-executed, at least, but they're really not my cup of tea. The literal question-and-answer structure of the verses serves well to built and maintain interest. One synth sound, the higher, bouncy one, is mixed a little hot, and overwhelms the vocal when it comes in. Besides that, the mix is solid! I was enjoying the groove shift when the accelerando comes in, and then it falls apart in a way that I really didn't see coming. Ah, heck, you've won me over again. You get a vote!

Thanks Jon. I was pleased with how the turned out, I found it interesting that my vocals came out clearer even though I didn't belt them out. I must have managed to get the distance from the mic right for once. I think I will have to change my music style next time, I think I have done the whole NiN thing to death now

Best song of the fight - Seemanski It has a late 70s, doing it all at home, feel to it which immediately engages with me and helps me see past the annoying novelty parts like the speed up towards the end. The words are crap but everything else means a VOTE.

Not sure if I should be happy or sad. I think I will go with happy because I have always known my lyrics are shite. I've always felt like I should improve but this probably involves reading books and learning and that doesn't really float my boat, tinkering with sounds is way more fun.

seemanski: May contain traces of FM synthesis. Actually I think the FM gimmicking is going a little bit overboard, but maybe I'm just too vanilla? More importantly, the static mix needs work, the vocals are way too low and get drowned out, particularly once the extra saw-y synth comes in around 0:37. I think additionally a bit of distortion/saturation on the vocals could help them punch through a little better and, simultaneously, work well with the kind of style I think you were going for. Adding some sub bass (separate track, not restricted to the same envelope you're using on the bass synth) would help give this a little more body, I think. I do like the idea of playing with the tempo in this song but this is maybe overdoing it slightly. Overall verdict: interesting (and not even in a negative sense).

Loved this, I am starting to get into sound design and anything constructive you can through at me is useful. I think it might be a case of me dialling it down. I'm throwing everything at it at the moment and it might be a case of less is better. This is certainly something I can try. Great tip about the sub bass, I never know how to judge that. Probably should splash out on some better monitors and stop being so stingey.

seemanski - this is good but it's not quite my thing for some reason or another (I know, that's really helpful?). still, you deserve a vote because it's well done. VOTE.

This is fine by me, if you liked it then that makes me feel good. Thanks for the vote.

[jpnickolas]

Nick Hilton - It's not you, it's me.

I've been doxed! My secret identity, hidden for weeks, tarnished! How could I be so reckless? Is this because the town's not big enough for two JP's? If it makes you feel better, there's an unrelated JP Nicholas running around on the internet who started writing books about a year after I picked this name. I think I still have dibs, but we'll see if the courts agree once I'm eventually famous.

Reviews:

add
- I dig this take on the prompt.
- The slowdown is nice and adds good feeling.
- The same chord progression repeated feels a bit too repetitive. I would have liked more of a changeup.

Brown Word and the Big Whine
- I like the drums in this intro.
- Did you do something different with singing or mixing your vocals this time? They sound better than usual but I can't tell why.
- I really like the outro guitar around 3:30-3:40.

Cloverdance
- That lead guitar coming in is real smooth. I especially like how it fades in, and it lingers very nicely.
- Good repetition with the lyrics.

Conspiracy of Joy
- Oh, you have an excellent voice! Especially during the verses where it sounds operatic.
- That piano creeping in at ~2:00 is also real nice.
- The whispers at 3:10 are also fun.
- Is this song based on a book/movie?
- The "and I'm shouting" where you turn it up a notch seemed like a good idea on paper, but didn't quite work for me. I think I either needed it to go /bigger/ or use a different word than "shout". I'm not sure, because I actually like the execution of this section when I set the lyrics aside.

Evermind
- Intro feels drawn out and maybe 45 seconds too long for my tastes.
- Guitars at 2:00 are great - maybe a touch less volume on the delayed guitars.
- Good minimal lyrics.

Future Boy
- Oh! That intro feels like Sonic took a pit stop at a seedy lounge in Chemical Plant Zone
- Ok, so at first I didn't like the lyrics, but they're really growing on me in a tongue in cheek sort of way.
- That funky synth is great.
- Interesting interlude, but I think it went on too long, especially since it's got such a sudden change back to the main chord progression. It would be cool if that could have been a smoother transition too, but it serves well in its current form to give the feeling of being jolted awake.

FutureProofTheories
- jast worded it better than I ever could - good start but don't stop there! I'm looking forward to hearing this taken to its full potential.
- Humming to set the tune at first was smart. It gave me a foundation.
- I like the volume and confidence you're singing at between 0:40 and 1:00. Everything else sounds like you're trying not to let your neighbors hear you. Fuck your neighbors, I want to hear you!
- Unfortunately, with the sparseness of the song, anytime you have a rest it highlights that there's nothing else to hear. Consider playing more with holding your notes to fill up some of the longer rests.

Hostess Mostess
- The sample at 0:08-0:10 is too quiet for me to make out.
- 'you're a beautiful soul, a beautiful soul' has a really powerful payoff in that first verse. It's great!
- mmmm, I really like that guitar at 0:45. It would be a touch nicer if you held out the notes longer.
- These lyrics are really pretty.
- The raking that gets progressively louder from ~1:20-1:50 is good. It seems to only get more dynamic towards the end, but a nice steady increase would have been awesome.
- You could probably have cut the last 6-7 seconds of the outro

J.A.N.
- I really liked all the lyrics before ~1:10. Not that anything after was bad, but those were particularly tight.
- "Maybe a cop will shoot me through my window" and "Boris Johnson has a new girlfriend" were both a bit too clunky to fit in the rhythm.
- "Too busy looking for the hook of this song" was particularly good - guilty as charged.
- Second half of the song starts to get too on the nose for me - I'm trying to figure out if it's the words themselves or if you had switched the order of the verses I would say the same thing about the new "second half". It might just be too many pithy lines in one sitting, I can only handle a slice of this cake and not the whole thing at once.

Jon Porobil
- Fun and upbeat! Referring to the voice as "it" for most of the song feels repetitive, although I guess that's in the spirit of the challenge.
- I particularly like how the guitar in the left echos the vocals.
- It's really unfortunate this followed J.A.N. the lyrical juggernaut, because it left me wanting more from your words. I think on a cold listen this wouldn't be the case.
- "To the voice between my ears" is a fun line, and I like the sound of your voice when you sing it.
- Real nitpick, but the arpeggio at 1:20 was a bit muddy and could use more definition in the pull-offs.
- The rest of the solo is nice, and I like the way shares motifs with the lead guitar through the song.

JP Nickolas
- Several experiments in this song, most of which I think were successful.
- I miked up my amp instead of using an amp sim this time. It was way easier and sounded much better than I expected. I also doubled the rhythm guitar which added a lot of body. Someone mentioned scooping the mids, which this badly needed in the rhythm section.
- I tried using more aggressive vocals than usual. I like how they came out, although I'll need to practice that technique a lot more. It took many takes, but I think this was less pitchy than usual.
- I'm particularly proud of poise/poison being interchangeable in the lyrics, and how several of the lyrics borrow words or syllables from the surrounding lines. Unfortunately, with the verse in particular, it was really hard to fit the lyrics and repeating phrases into a tune I was happy with.
- Bass during the fast guitar verses was attempting to hint at the rhythm of the middle and pre-solo verse. I think this made those parts more muddy and I wish I had stuck with quarter notes.

Ken's Super Duper Band
- I dig that the second verse has the same last words as the first verse.
- Light leads at ~1:55 are nice. It would have been nice to have more of these peppered in the first half of the song, since the rhythm is all quarter notes.
- There was a light harmonic at 0:52 that maybe wasn't intentional. It sounded good, and I was hoping for that to jump into an accompanying lead.
- Altogether nice song, I'm struggling to come up with ways it could be better.

Lichen Throat
- Is that a round in the intro? I love it!
- I dig the drums when they come in. A good end to the round.
- Your vocals are more melodic than usual. Nice job!
- Something about "Why did they listen to the disembodied voice" seems to not work for me. Nothings wrong with the words themselves, but I can't tease out if this line was too much of a mouthful or if the rhythm just changed too for me. Something there broke the flow.
- The song gets a bit busy with the layering around 1:20. I think this needed a bit more work with the mix, potentially with making the whole notes that come in at that verse quieter. The singing starts to get a bit crowded there.
- On the opposite end, this song is busy in a way I really like. I feel like I'm getting a touch of flair every few seconds from a different instrument that keeps me pretty engaged throughout the song.

luntar
- Fun solo right near the start. You've certainly got chops. I appreciate the rhythm guitar getting its own little flair around 0:35.
- The yeehaw was a little too much for me.
- Oh, that's a real short song. Proportionally, maybe too much time was spent on the solos.

Night Sky
- I'm not sure if it's intentional, but that synth that matches the bass gives me a spoopy scooby doo vibe that's pretty fun and campy.
- Oh, that reverse guitar at the end is particularly good.
- The bridge felt a bit clunky for me. I think because it's all tension that doesn't really resolve so much as jump back to the chorus.
- Nice use of repetition.

Paco Del Stinko
- Nice creepy clean guitar riff.
- Guitar was a bit thin for me, I would have liked a bit more body on it. Maybe it was the lack of drums, but it felt like an intro and I was waiting for "the drop" where a fuller guitar would come in.
- I think you (narrowly) win for most minimal lyrics.
- Whispers are nice.
- I like how the synth fills out the song. The song feels very (intentionally) bleak.

The Pannacotta Army
- Oh, that's a nice interlude at 1:30
- Ugh, I wish I could properly explain how good this is - it's currently my favorite of the week.
- I think the percussion stands out as particularly good in this song. It does a lot to carry the song and drive the increasing energy despite basically being the same rhythm for the entire song. Just with more vs less layering.
- Another whacky full on interlude at 2:35. I'm impressed at how the guitar and two synths come together here and compliment each other. It's also such a fun and intense flash in the pan(accota).

Phlebia
- This rocks \m/,
- I get an unhinged vibe from this song. It's helped a lot by the vocals, the progressively harsher "yeah"'s and the record scratches. Nice layering!
- The "yeah"'s are pretty catchy.
- Listing out the organs was particularly menacing
- The diction could be better, especially during the verses. I had trouble following along even with the lyrics in front of me.

Pigfarmer Jr
- Vocal doubling during the chorus was tight (were you vocal doubling? Maybe I'm wrong and you just sound more full there)
- The spoken part was a touch too sing-songy for me. I would have liked to see a harder commit to a speaking tone.
- The rhythm is strong, and I like how the lead punctuates each phrase.
- Consider using a different chord progression during your guitar solo to help it pop more. A bit difficult in this song since you follow the solo with a chorus.

seemanski
- Harsh, ugly, unpleasant, and I want more of it. Reminds me of Marylin Manson - sorry I don't listen to much in this genre so I don't have many reference points other than him.
- Speed changes are wonky and fun. Interesting take on a bridge. I may steal that at some point.
- I like the changes in loudness throughout the song.
- Well done! This is another front-runner for me.

Sweeney Toad
- Hahaha, scrolling to your lyrics before the singing started was hilarious. I knew I'd be in for a treat.
- Is that a sample of mario's fireball?
- I actually like this flute solo a lot.


Third Cat
- Ah, I thought there was going to be a drop after ~0:18, but it felt like it fizzled instead.
- Solid song. Synths are nice and there's some good layering here. I'm for sure head bopping by ~0:40.

Tim Hinkle
- Sorry Tim, you're going last which means I'm a bit exhausted from writing reviews. Third Cat also probably got a bit of my fatigue. I'll do my best to not be too cranky here.
- Head bop at 0:20, check
- The doubled echos panned hard left and right are cool, but a bit off time from each other. It's especially distracting in the first two lines.
- The verses feel very epic and cool. Especially with the echos. I wish the chorus went bigger instead of smaller - I feel like I'm losing some great energy there.
- On the second listen, I'm jealous of your deep voice during the echos. You have some great timbre.

[sleepysilverdoor]

Phlebia
- I get an unhinged vibe from this song. It's helped a lot by the vocals, the progressively harsher "yeah"'s and the record scratches. Nice layering!

Unhinged? Mission accomplished!

It took a lot of restraint to not just start doing some Freak on a Leash style "AAMMMOOBEO AAMANEEE" scat nonsense at the end but I eventually decided against it.

As for the diction -- I think a lot of that is the mixing and uneven in the vocal mix. I think I needed to cut some frequencies cause there's parts where I accidentally got the "Charlie Brown grownup" effect.

[lichenthroat]

Lichen Throat
- Is that a round in the intro? I love it!

Yes, it is! I've used instrumental rounds a few times before, but not for a while. I'm glad you liked it.

[JonPorobil]

Hey, I almost forgot to mention. Evermind and I both did remixes of Phlebia's song before submitting. He went with his own mix, but I thought it might be instructive to compare and contrast with the other two versions.

Phlebia - Disembodied Voice (JP Mix).mp3

(3.9 MiB) Downloaded 34 times

There's mine right there.

phlebia_dv_evermind_remix.mp3

(3.61 MiB) Downloaded 31 times

And there's Evermind's version.

This song is way out of my genre comfort zone, but I felt like it was a good exercise for me, it helped me get more familiar with this song that I probably wouldn't have listened to twice otherwise, and to be honest I still like my mix a little better than his.

On that note, here's some advice for anyone who'd like to send their tracks out to someone else for mixing (or any other type of collaboration).

1.) Unless you've miked something with stereo microphones, please send mono wavs. They're smaller, easier to send, and easier to work with.
2.) Send the files "dry" to the extent possible. That means no effects already applied, no compression, no reverb/delay, none of it. If there's something you did in your mix that you're dead-set on hearing in the final mix, let the person you're working with know, but it's possible they'll have a better way of doing the same thing.
3.) This applies whether or not you're sending your tracks to other people, but when collaborating, it becomes even more important to avoid clipping. Give every part, especially vocals, some extra headroom so that other effects can apply. Even the best engineer can only do so much with a flat waveform that's peaking all over the place. In Phlebia's song, I sensed that the clipping was intentional and going for a particular vibe/effect, but I'm quite certain that same effect could have been achieved via processing and sounded better for it.

I don't want to hassle Phlebia too much, because we kind of decided to do this remix project on a whim and he didn't know in advance that he would be sending me files. But for future reference, make your collaborators' jobs a little easier!

[sleepysilverdoor]

Hey, I almost forgot to mention. Evermind and I both did remixes of Phlebia's song before submitting. He went with his own mix, but I thought it might be instructive to compare and contrast with the other two versions. Phlebia - Disembodied Voice (JP Mix).mp3 There's mine right there.

phlebia_dv_evermind_remix.mp3 And there's Evermind's version.

This song is way out of my genre comfort zone, but I felt like it was a good exercise for me, it helped me get more familiar with this song that I probably wouldn't have listened to twice otherwise, and to be honest I still like my mix a little better than his.

On that note, here's some advice for anyone who'd like to send their tracks out to someone else for mixing (or any other type of collaboration).

1.) Unless you've miked something with stereo microphones, please send mono wavs. They're smaller, easier to send, and easier to work with.
2.) Send the files "dry" to the extent possible. That means no effects already applied, no compression, no reverb/delay, none of it. If there's something you did in your mix that you're dead-set on hearing in the final mix, let the person you're working with know, but it's possible they'll have a better way of doing the same thing.
3.) This applies whether or not you're sending your tracks to other people, but when collaborating, it becomes even more important to avoid clipping. Give every part, especially vocals, some extra headroom so that other effects can apply. Even the best engineer can only do so much with a flat waveform that's peaking all over the place. In Phlebia's song, I sensed that the clipping was intentional and going for a particular vibe/effect, but I'm quite certain that same effect could have been achieved via processing and sounded better for it.

I don't want to hassle Phlebia too much, because we kind of decided to do this remix project on a whim and he didn't know in advance that he would be sending me files. But for future reference, make your collaborators' jobs a little easier!

Yeah, this was very impromptu...I'd never sent anyone stems of a track before so I didn't quite know "best practices". The raw tracks themselves were kind of a mess, cause trying to keep a vocal level track within reasonable dynamic range when you're half singing, half screaming at the top of your lungs is hard! Actually, turns out screaming musically is pretty difficult...

Also, mixing drums in an aggressive genre like this is super hard with only a single mic setup for the drums. I bought a cheapo Pyle PDMIC78 for mic'ing overheads -- so at least I'll have some presence of the toms and cymbals in the mix and be a bit less heavy on just "kick + hat + snare". In order to get the snare to compete with the rest of the guitars I had to go a bit nuts with the multiband compression. Pretty sure I went overboard on it.

I've been diving into "HEAVY MUSIC MIXING TIPS" on the internet to try and get a more coherent sound next go round. Crazy how I can enter SF almost every single week for a year and a half and still have so very, very much to learn about mixing and recording. Though admittedly there have been many times where I've deliberately not even tried to aim for fidelity (see: "Sitting in the life boat" which deliberately sounds awful) Honestly that learning process is one of the reasons I love this place so much.