Take it Slow

Rock Ballad this time from Christiane and myself.

The band:
Drums: NashvilleEven8
Bass: 518: Electric, Pop HalfNotes Ev 085
Guitar: 2051: Acoustic, Fingerpicking CountryBrent Ev 085
Loop in Song: Chillout\Chillout - dimensions_145_choir_a_minor.wav

I'm on the electric guitar.

Mixed with reaper, mastered with Ozone and LMC

Take it Slow (2018, David Bell)

V1:
You stand alone with your back to the wall and you think that no one cares
You have the weight of the world on your shoulders and your life, it goes nowhere

Chorus:
But don't you know
There are times you have to take it slow

V2:
Thinking back, the times were good, how did things go so wrong
So much water under the bridge, makes it hard to sing your song

Chorus X2

V3:
Try and try, taking your time, taking one day at a time
Step by step, and one by one you will find the perfect rhyme

Chorus

As always all comments are welcome! I would appreciate some feedback on the vocal especially, I'm trying a couple of new techniques there.

EDIT: Also uploaded to soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/blue-attitude/take-it-slow-featuring-chris-spruit

Thanks all!

Great combinations of tracks, fantastic vocals, and seamless integration of the electric solo.

Wonderful track all around, got a really cool Santana vibe from the solo.

Thanks for sharing!

Dave & Chris,

A really nice Rock Ballad.

The Acoustic guitars sound great. A nice arrangement.

The solos are superb. LOVE that tone! Sweet playing.

The vocals are well done. They have a nice "warmth" and sit in the mix well.

Another excellent offering the two of you...

fj

Really well done As it's been mentioned - you can't ignore it, the vocals here are superb. The tune flows smooth as butter as well, complete with a great groove and perfect backing tracks. The solo is fantastic too.

Great work on this one, and thanks for sharing!

Love this tune. Super backtrack. Acoustic was very cool framing the vocal. Loved how your guitar solo came in. You have some very cool effects on the guitar. Well done..

I like the song. And the singer. And the guitar soloing.

You asked about the vocals. Seems to my ears to set too far back. I don't know if that's "levels" or relative reverb. I'd want to hear them cleaner and more up-front, maybe with some of the lows/low-mids rolled-off. A lot of the interest in her voice is in the highs. They may be over-compressed in a spot or two also, particularly in the beginning.

And I'm using the good 'phones, not the $9.00 pair. :-)

What are you trying to do with the new techniques?

Dave & Chris,

I enjoyed the relaxed feel of this song - simple and catchy chorus and fantastic guitar solo (I especially liked your lead matching the vocal towards the end).
There`s always a certain intensity to Chris` vocals, though they are less upfront than on some of your other songs- I liked the delay effect you used in places.
The twin acoustic guitars ( 2x Brent or yourself on one?) are really nicely balanced and as always the end product highly professional.

Robert

This sounds great! The tone in the solo is great. Almost Gary Moore like tone. Loved the acoustic guitar. All really good stuff. Thanks for sharing.

Dave

Thanks for the listen and kind words Mikke!

Yes, I just love the BIAB acoustic guitars! They are so well recorded and sound way better than what I could accomplish here in my modest bedroom studio. I don't do much to them, just add a little additional delay and reverb.

Glad you liked the solos, I had lots of fun recording them, and thanks for the comment on the vocal mix also! I'm always trying to up my game in that department to make her sound as good as I possibly can.

Thanks as always, floyd

Dave and Chris
I’m currently on a holiday so listened on an IPad so I’m not sure any comments on the mix would be useful other than it sounded really good on my IPad.
Nice job on choosing the acoustics they sounded just right for the track.
Lovely vocal and the guitar solos were gems.

Peter.

The vocals are so spot on for this song, and I really love the personal choices you made with this song! Absolutely fantastic. You should be proud.

Thanks for sharing!

Hello Dave and Chris, wow what a team you guys make! Chris’s vocals remind me so much of a young lady I produced an engineered a couple of CDs for many years ago and she just kind of disappeared off the face of the earth never heard from her again but what talent she had and it’s haunting to hear Chris’s vocal as it reminds me so much of her. Dave, what can I say about your guitar playing other music than the fact that it is exceptionally good and when you play I hear total confidence in every note and your tone is great as well as your skill level I am always impressed by it! Great song as always! Thanks, Torrey

Hi Dave,

This is a very, very engaging presentation and production. You and Chris really have a highly polished knack for getting a super sound these days. I"m pretty that most people who hear this will expect it to be on the radio! You both set an extremely high forum bar!

Yet another brilliant job!

All the best,
Noel

Thanks Deryk, happy you liked it!

Dave / Chris,

I like the "slow burn" feel of this tune. Your solo is great - feels very intense and matches the mood perfectly. Love the vocal by Chris...

You guys turn out some great stuff!

Bob

Thanks, Scott!

We are on holiday at the moment (hiking in Quebec) so I can’t tell you exactly what I used on the guitar. But it would have been sgear followed by either CLA unplugged or CLA guitars to add reverb and delay. And for this song I used a doubler for the last guitar part. Always trying new things in the search for the ultimate tone

Great guitar work. Perfect mix and mastering. Nice vocals.

REALLY loved this track. Very nice vocalS and lyrics too.

Hi Tangmo,

Yes I agree; the vocals are a bit too wet. I’ll address that when I get back to the studio next week, we are in Quebec at the moment on holiday. Not sure about your other comments, I only have an iPad to listen on at the moment (even worse than your $9.00 ‘phones

As to what I’m trying to accomplish, I’m always trying new techniques in an attempt to make our tracks, in particular her vocal, sound better. It’s fun learning new things and is good brain/ear exercise

Thanks for the listen/comments!

In our opinion the sweet spot for how forward a vocal "should" be is different for each song and is always relative to the experiences of the listener. FWIW, for us it sounds fine. And as floyd said "They have a nice 'warmth' and sit in the mix well."

And that vocal is superbly delivered!

As is the solo guitar (effects, arrangement and playing). Whether a rock ballad or blues you have the knack for always putting guitar parts in the mix always stand out yet are always supportive of the vocalist and the mix...sweet.

The acoustic guitar sparkles! Did you use Waves's CLA Unplugged?

Great production!

J&B

Hi Robert,

The two acoustic guitars are actually the same Brent real track. The one just doing the strums probably has holds and maybe simple turned on. Not back home until next week so don’t remember exactly which options I used. And each guitar has different processing.

Thanks for the listen and comments!

Thanks, Dave! I’m always searching for the ultimate guitar tone, a holy grail sort of thing I guess

Thanks, Peter!

Thanks, Ember!

Thanks, Torrey! As far as the guitar goes I mostly try and compliment the mood of the song, I’m not much of a shred type player :P

Hi Noel,

The production side of things is something I have spent a lot of time on over the last year or two, always trying to learn new things to make our songs sound more professional. Plus, it’s fun!

Thanks very much!

Dave and Chris, I really like this song. The acoustic guitars sound great. The solo is very well played with a great tone. The vocal is well done and at certain spots reminds me of Ann Wilson of Heart. The production keeps getting better and better. Everything sounds just right to me, Tom

Another cool song.....you guys are on a roll!! Great groove that just rolls along in a very sweet way. Mix sounds great and vocal and guitar playing are killer! Great job guys!! Take care. Greg

Thanks for the listen and comments Bob!



Thanks Ezekiel!



This is actually the first time I've written the lyrics for one of our songs.

Chris is a much better writer than me but was having a problem coming up with something for this particular song and suggested I give it a try. So thanks, I'm happy you liked them!

Thanks for the comment on the guitar, Bud! Supporting the vocalist is the main job of a guitarist IMHO and it's what I always try and accomplish.

You asked if I used CLA Unplugged on the BIAB acoustic guitars. I have used that plugin many times in the past on BIAB acoustic guitars (also on my electric guitar tracks sometimes), but in this particular case I actually used CLA Guitars on both of those tracks.

I'll probably upload an updated mix this weekend or early next week, Chris bought herself a new mic and wants to redo the vocal.



Thanks, Tom! I'm always trying to improve my production skills, lots to learn but it's a fun process.



Thanks for the listen and comments, Greg, it is appreciated!

Cool song, a very nice groove

the mix sounds very good to me

your guitar tone is super

Kenny

Hi Chris & Dave,

What a terrific song and the delivery is simple exquisite. Chris' vocals are always so danged good and your guitar tracks just fall into the listeners ears and rest so comfortably. You two make some real sweet music for the rest of us.

Great mix perfect placement of the vocal - just forward enough to hear every word clearly yet blends rather than competes with the backing tracks. Those acoustic guitars, followed by your lead is the icing on a very good cake - totally loved it!

Alan

Thanks, Kenny! Always searching for the perfect tone




Thanks very much, Alan!