Poopot's Cover Challenge #27 - the letter N

TTony

stickyfiddle said:

 But EQ and compression are a minimum, and the rest to taste.

Thanks - I might have to go back and listen to mine again (generally, not specifically this challenge) and experiment with some more effects.

monquixote

TTony said:

stickyfiddle said:

Yeah, double tracking, mic technique, saturation, distortion, eq, echo and compression..! 

I don’t let a vocal take leave the house without at least 4 or 5 of these…

Seriously??

I usually add reverb to mine, but that's about it.  You've got me feeling that they're "naked" now and I need to putting some more effort (and effect) on them!!

I think some compression and EQ is a must.

Double tracking is very much a flavour which you may or may not like the sound of, but loads of tracks have it and as long as you can sing the same thing reasonably consistently it does thicken things up.

stickyfiddle

I've also been dipping into Flex Pitch in Logic this weekend. Now THAT is a dangerous and time-consuming can of worms... 

thecolourbox

I managed to get up early and do the one I was struggling with before having my first tea of the day as my voice is always a bit croaky until I've had a brew, and it seemed to work. I double tracked some bits by copying and pasting sections onto heavily distorted tracks, rather than singing it twice as I'm usually rubbish at that. I listened to the original and the chorus is very obviously pieced together as the tune overlaps a bit so I made that more of a thing by doing a left vs right call and response thing, lots of chopping and fading in though to get rid of my breaths! I was going to miss out the spoken word bit but managed to whisper it into a distortion and I thought it sounded pretty cool so that's in there too.

So yeah, my Liner Notes for Numb by Linkin Park (as much for my benefit as anything). And of course continuing my unofficial theme of covering artists who died too young (have now done Buckley, Cornell, Drake, this one - not sure where to go next as I definitely don't have the chops for an Amy Winehouse cover!)

I found a nice instrumental Midi file for it so that helped to form the basis of this one. I initially replaced the rubbish built in midi sounds with nicer instruments of the same thing, then changed things around as I went - bit of splitting out into different tracks for panning and effects etc, adding some more dynamics and expression (midi files always sound too monotonous don't they) and working out the combination of drums between the swishy electro bit and the acoustic drums.

I tried to do the Chorus chords on guitar but my playing techniques don't ever seem to lend themselves to high gain tones for chords so instead I used two tracks of an organ plugin, both smashed through heavily distorted amp sims - one brighter one darker, which kind of gives the effect I was unable to get by playing it on guitar.

There's a little guitar phrase in each pre chorus, I doubled one of the troublesome vocal sections (and I knowwwwww) with a guitar solo, then went a little bit silly noodling over the rest of it but I liked it so it stayed in. Guitar is my Thinline Tele through Helix Native, pre chorus is a generic clean with memory man delay, the doubling and soloing bit is through a whammy octave up then Rat and slightly crunchier version of the generic clean from the Pre Chorus bits.

Virtual instruments are mostly Native Instruments (acoustic piano, organ, bass, strings), Drums are Cubase Groove Agent on a couple of different kits, the hook riff on the e-piano is UAD Vintage Piano, some really nice presets to use on that one. Various other effects splattered around, mostly UAD ones that I've bought recently, but actually for once the vocals sounded much better on this through the Waves CLA Vocals rather than the UAD channel strip. I suppose CLA himself does more rock based stuff so that's probably why?

A bit of a departure in style for me I suppose, although the album this was on was released when I was in year 11 so similar nostalgia music for me to when I did the Strokes song last time. It won't surprise anybody to know I was a bit of an emo type back then so this song does make sense in that respect

thecolourbox

How do we feel about a song that is done to the tune of the New World Symphony, Largo movement, so that bit begins with N, but the song itself is probably more realistically called Going Home?

Edit, I've probably answered my own question there really haven't I - i probably already have enough entries (I'm not doing any more for N, and don't worry there are less songs I like for O  )

flying_pie

@thecolourbox in the playlist

monquixote

thecolourbox said:

How do we feel about a song that is done to the tune of the New World Symphony, Largo movement, so that bit begins with N, but the song itself is probably more realistically called Going Home?

Edit, I've probably answered my own question there really haven't I - i probably already have enough entries (I'm not doing any more for N, and don't worry there are less songs I like for O  )

I certainly feel good about it.

You can never have too many random covers.

thecolourbox

Thanks Flying Pie.

Thanks Monq, I know what you mean but I'm not sure if I'm just over flooding by shoe horning in stuff that isn't technically on theme! I have it ready but will wait a bit and see

monquixote

thecolourbox said:

Thanks Flying Pie.

Thanks Monq, I know what you mean but I'm not sure if I'm just over flooding by shoe horning in stuff that isn't technically on theme! I have it ready but will wait a bit and see

Well one way or another make sure you share it.

flying_pie

Reminder that entries close 11.30pm tonight

IMC1980

 flying_pie said:

Reminder that entries close 11.30pm tonight

Any chance I could get an extension please sir? Another day will do it I think.

stickyfiddle

IMC1980 said:

 flying_pie said:

Reminder that entries close 11.30pm tonight

Any chance I could get an extension please sir? Another day will do it I think.

Please sir!! Me too please!! 

I have one more that needs work that I think can get done by tomorrow eve.. 

stickyfiddle

Ok I just picked up the thing I originally did back in April then got cold feet over and I'm much more happy with it than I had been, not least because I've learned shitloads in Logic since so can now do a lot of the production stuff I didn't previously know how to. Needs the vocals sorting out and a bit of keys and will def get done. 

Tonight inshallah, tomorrow if not. 

#godlovesadeadline

flying_pie

An extension is fine be me and you can get a bit extra. Deadline extended to Sunday night

stickyfiddle

Sunday?! Maybe I'll get 2 done!!  

IMC1980

flying_pie said:

An extension is fine be me and you can get a bit extra. Deadline extended to Sunday night

Thanks Hamish!

monquixote

Woo 

MOR SONGS!

stickyfiddle

Submitted #2 from me. I doubt I'll get a third done tomorrow but we'll see.

Unless you'd accept a cheeky full-band recording of "Nuptown Funk", or "Nespect..."  

flying_pie

@stickyfiddle in the playlist

stickyfiddle

Woop Woop! 

And liner notes from my other thread that nobody ever reads.... :P 

Nude is from Radiohead's In Rainbows and honestly a massive challenge, between the bonkers exposed vocal, sparse arrangement and general gorgeousness of any latter day Radiohead recording. I'm very happy with how this has turned out, though I'm sure I'll spot extra bits I didn't do the next tie I listen to the original.  

What's actually really nice is I can already hear a shitload of stuff in the first one recorded in April that I would do very differently now, having learned a huge amount of how to actually engineer & mix to make things sound good in the last couple of months. Which is great but also makes me want to go and have a second go at the mix from scratch. Anyway, maybe in a few weeks... 

As ever, all played by me using Roland TD17 into one of Logic's onboard kits, ES-355 into Helix Native for guitar and custom P bass with flats again via HX Native. Vocals are all me through a Rode NT1.