The Tiger n' the Swing (Cheetah Men II remix)

[Die]

All right.

I decided to post another remix. This time I spent hours leveling, EQ'ing, managing effects, etc., trying to make the mix sound cleaner and better. I'm not sure if I did a good job, but I'm quite pleased with how the mix sounds right now. In any case, I have the project with all the original audio files, so I can re-tweak it anytime.

There was virtually no mastering after the mixing process, since I don't have any knowledge on how to use a multiband compressor or any other plugin related to mastering. All I did after the mixdown, was to use a Stereo Expander, a Loudness Maximizer and a Limiter.

I'd like to receive feedback and if there's any correction to be made, please let me know.

NOTE: I don't like how the song sounds on SoundCloud (don't know why), so I added a link to download the original file.

Original song:

Remix: http://soundcloud.com/diego-vizia/the-tiger-n-the-swing

Downloadable File: https://rapidshare.com/files/211034120/The_Tiger_n__the_Swing.mp3

[Tables]

I really liked the arrangement and the instrument choices, great take on a hilariously classic theme. My only nitpick is that one hissing percussive sound present throughout most of the mix is really distracting, at least for my ears. I think the rest of the production is fine, but I'm definitely not an expert.

[Die]

I really liked the arrangement and the instrument choices, great take on a hilariously classic theme. My only nitpick is that one hissing percussive sound present throughout most of the mix is really distracting, at least for my ears. I think the rest of the production is fine, but I'm definitely not an expert.

Thanks for your reply. Glad you liked it.

I believe you are talking about the hi-hats, especially the open hi-hats. I had the same impression when listening to the mastered track after the final EQ, to be honest. Too many highs. At first, it was too loud on the lower frequencies, but looks like now it's gone the other way. I could take some db from its higher frequencies to remove the hissing. I EQed it that way because it's important in the genre's rhythm, but maybe I overdid it

[Rozovian]

Too loud. Sounds like the hihat is especially loud, there's a hiss in them that stands out a bit too much, even on my setup which typically has me mixing the highs too loud. Piano is also probably too loud.

Something weird happens at 1:51... and it seems like everything ends up better mixed at that point (except the hihat, see above). Aside from that jump in dynamics, this things sticks to the same eergy level throughout the track, which makes it feel more repetitive than it is.

The source is used well here. I only really know it from previous remixes of it, but the lead was easy to pick out just from those. After checking the source I find that you've used other parts of the source well, so source-wise, I'm cool with this. If you take away the genre adaptation you'd have something that might be too conservative. You don't really change much, you just move it around and put it to a different backing. I think it works.

There's something vanilla about the sound, but I can't put my finger on what exactly that is. Perhaps you need to separate the instruments more, using both the background-foreground placement and EQ separation. Perhaps.

I'm also a bit concerned about the sequencing, it's written well but it seems to lack humanization. The organ obviously can't have velocity-sensitivity, but the bass seems really mechanical, like a robot was playing it. Piano and drums have some amount of mechanical sequencing as well. The piano sound doesn't seem very dynamic, sounds like you were playing with a hammer, a lot of the notes seem to be at a really high velocity.

PRODUCTION

- Too loud - levels mixing could use some work, which should leave this track a little softer and more dynamic

- Unrealistic sequencing - mechanical

- Overcompressed (pumping/no dynamics) - needs more dynamics and less arbitrary volume jumps

- Mixing is muddy (eg. too many sounds in the same range) - possible issue

STRUCTURE

- Not enough changes in sounds (eg. static texture, not dynamic enough) - dynamics, rhythm and instrumentation

- Too repetitive - a consequence of the lack of changes has the recurring parts making the track seem more repetitive

- Abrupt ending - could be signaled better, but not a big deal

I think it's in NO, RESUB territory, but I'm having a hard time wrapping my head around your track. Perhaps another mod could verify and clarify what I haven't.

[WillRock]

I have to say, I quite enjoyed the take on this. Its a daring direction which works, and I can see alot of people grooving to it.

Like Rozo said, the source is used well, maybe its due to unfamiliarity with the source but I had more trouble than Rozo picking out the source. That said, I did hear it and if Rozo says its there, its probably there so i'll leave that side alone for now. With an adaption like this, I think all you've got to do is make sure the track has 50% source at least. The adaption will serve as variation but some lead differences wouldn't go amiss.

Now, for the issues, which granted weren't too many imo. I do agree with rozovian about dynamics. The quieter parts could be softer, but you don't need to boost the loudness of any sections.

The sequencing is mechanical, most notably the piano. If you fix the piano i'm sure you could get away with the others, could just be me tho. Also, that guitar lead is notably fake. You might want to either change up that instrument or get someone on OCR to record guitar for you.

One thing I will say, is that I actually don't find the hihats too loud - granted they are louder than what would be deemed "normal" in terms of general music levels but I've heard jazz tracks with that same sort of leveling and I think you could get away with that as a stylistic choice myself.

Structure like rozo said was a little lacking in dynamics. You could throw in a breakdown somewhere, which i'm positive you can pull off.

I'm basically inclined to agree with rozo with most of what he said minus over compression issues he pulled out of thin air

Fix the mechanical sequencing, that guitar lead, the dynamics and don't be afraid to experiment with the structure of your track to give it a little more variety. Its a cool base, carry on!

[Die]

I have to say, I quite enjoyed the take on this. Its a daring direction which works, and I can see alot of people grooving to it.

Like Rozo said, the source is used well, maybe its due to unfamiliarity with the source but I had more trouble than Rozo picking out the source. That said, I did hear it and if Rozo says its there, its probably there so i'll leave that side alone for now. With an adaption like this, I think all you've got to do is make sure the track has 50% source at least. The adaption will serve as variation but some lead differences wouldn't go amiss.

Now, for the issues, which granted weren't too many imo. I do agree with rozovian about dynamics. The quieter parts could be softer, but you don't need to boost the loudness of any sections.

The sequencing is mechanical, most notably the piano. If you fix the piano i'm sure you could get away with the others, could just be me tho. Also, that guitar lead is notably fake. You might want to either change up that instrument or get someone on OCR to record guitar for you.

One thing I will say, is that I actually don't find the hihats too loud - granted they are louder than what would be deemed "normal" in terms of general music levels but I've heard jazz tracks with that same sort of leveling and I think you could get away with that as a stylistic choice myself.

Structure like rozo said was a little lacking in dynamics. You could throw in a breakdown somewhere, which i'm positive you can pull off.

I'm basically inclined to agree with rozo with most of what he said minus over compression issues he pulled out of thin air

Fix the mechanical sequencing, that guitar lead, the dynamics and don't be afraid to experiment with the structure of your track to give it a little more variety. Its a cool base, carry on!

Thanks for your reply.

I'll try to bring the hi-hats down if they are at an annoying level, but not too much, because the track would lose its personality. The hi-hats med-swing rhythm is an integral part of any jazz track. I'll try to level it properly.

About the mechanical sequencing, it's hard to do it more real. I actually played almost all of this in a MIDI Controller. Maybe I could change the VST for the piano and see if it helps. I'm using TruePianos right now. I'll try with Colossus Bright Piano or some other good VST.

I also noticed that lack in dynamics, but didn't know exactly how to get around with it. Maybe I could take the levels a bit down after the first take on the source ends (around 1:50), especially managing the drums' level.

I'll see what I can do and post an update.

[Rozovian]

As I'm sure you know, a loud piano note will sound brighter and harder than a soft one. When we're talking about dynamics (in terms of arrangement and performance, not mixing), we aren't so much concerned with the levels but rather with whether the instruments sound loud or soft.

If you played this on a keyboard, you may have been playing mostly in the loud end of its velocity range. Your DAW may have a tool for stretching the velocity range of your notes, making the softer ones much softer and keeping the loud ones loud. It could also be a lack of velocity sensitivity in the instruments themselves, but I doubt the higher-end stuff you seem to be using would be this stiff if given notes with a good velocity range.

When you need to soften a part, go edit the midi. Adjusting the track levels won't change the sound, it'll just sound artificial like that 1:51 levels jump. When you make the notes softer, the instruments respond with softer, less bright sounds. This is a more natural difference between soft and loud than just turning the volume down.

There's also a possibility you have some auto-quantizing going on (or that you've quantized it yourself).

[timaeus222]

This is quite enjoyable, actually. But yes, I would find a more velocity-sensitive plugin for the piano and bass (assuming the bass is supposed to be organic), or edit the velocity responsiveness curve on your DAW if possible.

Personally, I want to see this ready for OCR approval.

[Die]

This is quite enjoyable, actually. But yes, I would find a more velocity-sensitive plugin for the piano and bass (assuming the bass is supposed to be organic), or edit the velocity responsiveness curve on your DAW if possible.

Personally, I want to see this ready for OCR approval.

Thanks !

I'm glad you enjoyed it.

I'll redo the piano this Tuesday with another VST. Maybe I'll even play again some parts.

I'll follow all the other recommendations too and see if I can polish it more.