Hi Folks.

Here is a recent collaboration with Ray (rayc). I think it came out
in style of pop rock ballad. Unfortunately, I was not able to do a more
creative melody, but still this was interesting project. I wanted to
try a different approach in recording vocals, as a result they are
not very balanced...this was a dual mic experiment gone sideways a
little. Constructive critique is always welcomed!
Thank you for listening!
Ray: lyrics, me: arrangement, vocals, mix.

File These Memories


Lyrics:

I’ve never been someone that you could talk to
And I communicated like a bad mime
And our life together seems like a walk through
Burning minutes while you’re still in your prime

It’s time we both just walk away
And leave these memories in the ground
Neither has anything to say
Nothing to keep us hanging round

I remember when the passion could burn through
The apathy that filled up most of the day
Now the burning leaves scars it didn’t use to
Afterward there’s nothing left to say

It’s time we both just walk away
And leave the licence in the drawer
Neither has anything to say
No point us hanging round for more

Both you and I have clearly seen this coming,
Both you and I believing it was a crime
Neither wanted to be first to start running
It seems we’ve found a mutual starting time

It’s time we both just walk away
And filed these memories in the past
Neither has anything to say
And now the used by date has passed.

I’ve never been someone that you could talk to
I’ve never been the partner that you need
Oh no, this life’s a nightmare to walk through
That’s something which both of us should concede

It’s time we both just walk away
Let’s file these memories in the past
Seal them in a lost yesterday
And hope the pain won’t last.



Things used:
921: Bass
2196:Piano
RealDrums: LaPopJazzLaidbackEv16
2928: Guitar
1403:Guitar
796:Guitar
2462:Piano
2146:Sax.
Recorded/mixed in Cakewalk

Since I'm a recording slob...
I can't critique your recording techniques...
But I do enjoy this collaboration with Ray...
It sounds like it could a featured song in a film noir movie!

Misha,
You did a great job with a throw away set of lyrics.
I love the backing you've created as well as the melody.
Thanks very much.

It's a difficult process to get right and requires the energy and persistent for experimentation that you possess.
Fabulous outcome!

Really awesome collab guys! Thanks for sharing!

Very cool collaboration. Super vocal and loved the lyric. Well done. Some very cool chord progressions in this song. It just flows so nice. Well done

I enjoyed the song quite a bit - there's nothing the matter with it. Lyrics, mix, singing, instrumentation. It all worked for me.


That said, since you asked for constructive feedback...

I didn't like the choice of reverb for the sax - to my ears, it sounded like it was in a warehouse. I love sax drenched in reverb - just not that particular reverb. I'm sure others will disagree with me.

For vocals, I think the best thing you can do is articulate better. They were clearer in this mix than the last song I listened to, so that's an improvement. And I thought the doubling you did sounded fine (except for some nits I'll get into later).

That's not meant to be a criticism of your voice. Quite the opposite! I enjoy listening to you sing, but often have a hard time figuring out what you're saying.

Part of that is because your language is more eclectic than a typical pop song. That's great because your lyrics are interesting. But it's bad when trying to guess what you might have sung, because you're going to zig where other people zag.

For example, the lyrics:

I’ve never been someone that you could talk to
And I communicated like a bad mime

Clever!

But what I heard was:

I never been someone that you could talk to
And I communicate a guy bad mime

Similarly:

Neither wanted to be first to start running
It seems we’ve found a mutual starting time

The first line was clear, the second... not so much. The word mutual is an unusual choice, and what I heard:

Neither vanted to be first to start running
It seems ve foun a new shoe starting time

Also, watch those /W/ sounds!

In your defense... my kids complain that I can't hear them right, either.

A minor thing: sometimes you let a lot of vibrato get into your singing. That's fine, but don't let it creep into your background vocals. In general, background vocals should be bland so they don't detract from the foreground vocals. That generally means not quite as expressive, and no vibrato.

All said - a good song, well done.

Hi Misha (and Ray),

Your experiment with the vocals turned out good to me. Your voice(s) sounds bright and -particularly- louder.
They fit well in your mix. I am also experimenting with stereo recording the vocals (with varying success).
But your doubling of the voices is working ok, and I know it can be very difficult to align them.

It's true what David C said about articulating, but it happens in a lot of songs. In my country they had a tv-programm about this. Making fun of what you think someone was singing and what really was sung.

The lyrics are, as always, very good, as well as the composition and performance of your song.
I think your partnership with Ray is getting succesful. Are you already working on an album?

Bye,
Hans

Good song guys!

Good lyrics from Ray and nice track from you. Love the scat at the end!

We experimented with using two mics a couple of years ago, recording the vocal with two totally different microphones and then blending during the mix, not sure if that's what you did. We stopped doing it after a couple of songs because I didn't feel it was worth it. But, always fun to experiment with different techniques. Your vocal sounded fine to me BTW.

Overall a good listen, enjoyed!

Ray & Misha,

An interesting write. Dark. And pretty far along the "negative feelings" path - makes one wonder why the split took as long as it did. Sounds like it was doomed from the start. That passion didn't seem to last long.
"It’s time we both just walk away
And leave the licence in the drawer"
That is a very original line! Cutting.
"Neither wanted to be first to start running
It seems we’ve found a mutual starting time"
Another original...
"And now the used by date has passed."
Clever. Almost too "clever" for the tone of the rest of the song.

The melody works well to tell this story (there is something about it that seems familiar, but I can't put my finger on it). AH! after several listens it came to me...it has the sound and feel of a song from Danny O'Keefe's "Breezy Stories" album. One of my ALL-TIME favorite records. Misha, your phrasing here sounds much like Danny's on that record. IF you can find it, you might very much enjoy it...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S2y7exw-JNI&list=OLAK5uy_mMMEr7jZdWlRwq5R6crw8mtX2L5n2ilX8

The vocal sounded fine to me. Mixed at a good level. I thought the sax reverb was fine (referring to David's comment). The piano sounded great. Bass, too. One small nit (to my ear) is the crispness of the hi-hats. I'm not a fan of being able to hear every single hi-hat hit - that becomes distracting to the ear.

Y'all are doing interesting work together...

fj

Misha & Ray,
A different style from your other collabs- it works for the theme of the song.
Its a sad story and that sax was a good choice for the breakup theme.
The dual mic thing is very interesting and to my ears the result here is good- it does seem louder on one channel, and maybe overall mixed a smidge louder than it needs to be.
As far as your phrasing goes, I rarely have trouble getting the lyrics- and I`m a listener that is turned off by slurred, heavily affected vocal styles.
Your accent brings so much colour I`d hate to hear you trying to sound more Anglo!

Robert

Misa / Ray,

Great sound! Good song and an excellent mix. I really like the vocal and arrangement.

Another great collaboration!

Bob

Jim, Thank you for taking time to listen and you feedback!
-------------
Ray, Thank you for working with me on this!
-------------
Ember, Thank you for your nice comment!
-------------
Scott, Thank you for listening and your positive comments here and on SC!
-------------
David, Thank you for listening and extensive review & honest suggestions, especially articulation! I agree with most of the great points your made! Some blurriness/muddiness comes from poor mixing. I probably should spend more time addressing stuff that can be easily addressed until I get my articulation right The lyrics are written by Ray, he can probably comment of it.
-----------
Hans, Thank you for positive review in the Showcase and Sc! I understood the mistake I made using two mics.
It is not so much of Stereo field that I am after, but to capture different mic characters on same vocal take. I am getting there. Need a couple of more songs to practice on, to get the process situated. ArTiCuLaTiOn!! Got it ! P.S. I just do this for fun, my production level is
ages away from something that would be considered to be an album. I was thinking of idea of organizing things by year and naming it something - sort of an album
------------
Dave, Thank you for listening and nice words! I am not giving up on 2 mic recording! I think it has a lot of potential. Example: I got two favorite mics and one captures presence very well but bassy, the other is very bright & crisp but lacks fullness. So far, it is interesting to me, if it gets frustrating, I will switch back to single mic
------------
FJ, Thank you for listening and your comments!
Dark! Sure! But also it gives a way out (choruses)... I do not usually do "relationship" tunes, but these lyrics had interesting twists that spoke to me. Thank you for pointing out High hats, I will look into it! And also will listen to Danny O'Keefe when I get back home.
-----------
Bob,
Thank you for listening and kind words!

Misha.

Great vibe!!! Love the really wet vocal and sax!! I think this is my favorite of yours for the vocal sound. Really interesting and moody piece.......liked it a LOT!! Great job guys!! Take care. Greg

Thanks folks,
Mine was the easy part. I wrote the majority of the lyric in an half hour sitting & was going to stash it with my other useless texts that may, someday, render a decent line to recycle but decided to send it to Misha as he'd turned a similar junker of mine - Hubris - into something decent.
He was up for an experiment.
All I did after that was add the final verse & chorus to meet the requirements of the backing's structure.
The tone & texture of the music is a million miles away from what I do & what I had, very vaguely & even more momentarily, considered.
For me the melodic rendering of the 1st line and the 1st chorus are worth the price of admission.
To have the rest of the song step as so well is an added bonus.
Thanks Misha.

What a tune! A really solid collaboration, and despite the 'simple' nature to the tune, I thought it really packed a punch. Some interesting vocals and lyrics as well, and I thought the mix was really concise and professional sounding. It flows naturally, and smooth as butter.

Really well done - thanks for sharing

Great work on this Rustyspoon and Ray! I found this very easy to listen and rhythm is easy to follow. Very captivating lyrics. Well done to both of you!

"Bad mime" is worth the price of admission for us! A cool phrase amongst many others and cool lines.

Experimenting is fun. I can't recall from my 50 years of off and on recording ever having tried two mics on a vocal. Many times on acoustic guitars, etc. Interesting.
And the vocal works fine for us.

We like the melody...whether you do or not

And, well, you know Janice is always gonna love a scat!

The session guys sound good and you mixed them well.

The mix sounds good on our monitors...nice and open with everything occupying a good spot. We'll listen later on another system.

Well done.

J&B










scat

Best vocals I've heard from you (I'm still new, only heard about five of your tracks), which really helps your always thought provoking lyrics. Came together nicely.

Can a man say he "enjoyed" listening to such a sad and dark song? Sure... Why not. The backing worked well. The progression is so smooth. I'm not sure you couldn't have gotten a similar effect doubling (or tripling) the vocal track with different "EQ' and compression settings, but that might be more trouble than two mics. I'm no sound engineer.

Total package gets high marks.

Greg, Thank you for listening and extra positive feedback!
-------------
Deryk, Thank you for taking time to listen and comment on this. Still faaaar away from professional level.
Backing was all BIAB, that is why it so smooth

-------------
Joe, Cool! glad you liked it!
-------------
J&B Thank you for listening and your great feedback here and on SC! Actually I found it interesting using two mics for vocals. I do not use "matched" pair, quite opposite. Totally different character mics to grasp their character in one take. Probably a studio guru can get away with single mic, doubling the track and creating a different "feel"... But I think if I have 2 mics why not? I wanted to start a new topic on the subject, but need a bit more time to experiment.
-------------
TuneMonger, Thank you for your supportive comments!

-------------
Tangmo, Thank you! I do not think in terms of getting "better" sound, just enjoy experimenting.
It is like fishing with two fishing rods. You might get a sunfish on one, but other might get a trout....
This reminds me, got to go fishing before summer ends.
wishes wishes
-------------

Misha,
I was singing this in the shower this morning.
Earworm melody.

Most enjoyable. The lyrics are great and I love the band choice. Well done to both of you.

Misha/Ray, this is different and I love everything about it! There is absolutely nothing in this that sounds "off" to me! The work with that horn is astounding! Misha, I feel you are one of the most versatile and best vocalists presenting work here! Everything you touch a classy feel to it! The same can be said for Ray's participation in this or anything else he works on! It's always done with great care and excellence! Enjoyed it! Thanks, Torrey

Hi Ray and Misha,

You've created a wonderful ambiance with this production. It really shines. Moreover, coupling this with Misha's mesmerising performance and Ray's wonderful writing makes for a delightful musical journey.

Regards,
Noel