"Here I Go Again" - The Stragglers

Steinberg Lounge
1

Steadily working through the remixes… here’s the latest work-in-progress:

Here I Go Again


:sunglasses:

2

Hi Ian,

So refresh my memory - is “The Straggler’s” a band name for your solo project, or have you got some other players with you? I see you’re listed as the writer.

This sounds great! The drums and bass sound solid, clear and fat. Your vocal sits nicely in front.
The guitars and synths are pushed back in the mix, and part of me thinks it works well that way,
and part of me wouldn’t mind seeing if those things could be brought more into focus without losing the clarity
of the vocals and rhythm section.

Hope this helps. :^)

Lenny

3

great work on the mix. really like the part at 2:00, some cool sounds in there and breaks to the atmo lead break nicely.
like the bassline in this track

4

Hi Ian

The bass is a lot tidier on this tune but there is a difference in the mix when he plays the higher notes. It is about right for those parts but on the lower notes the round sound swamps the sonic space a bit. I would guess the only way to overcome this would be to split the part into two tracks.

The song is ok but no where near as strong as some of the others in the collection IMVHO.

Cheers

5

Hi Lenny! :slight_smile: The core of The Stragglers is myself and bass player Shayne. Our goal was to be a 3-piece but we haven’t had much luck with drummers. I think we’re up to number 7 now… though he’s yet to be confirmed. The last guy lasted 3 rehearsals then meanwhile changed jobs and ended up working night shifts. :confused: Most or the previous candidates were non-starters. You may recall late last year we took some material into a pro-studio - for those sessions the studio band was a 4-piece.

This sounds great! The drums and bass sound solid, clear and fat. Your vocal sits nicely in front.
The guitars and synths are pushed back in the mix, and part of me thinks it works well that way,
and part of me wouldn’t mind seeing if those things could be brought more into focus without losing the clarity
of the vocals and rhythm section.

Hope this helps. :^)

Thanks. :slight_smile: The drums are from the new Steve Slate 4 kits. They alone have made the single most notable improvement to my mixes done in recent years which is one of the reasons I am working through these songs, remixing and introducing these new kits. AND because I want to put this 22-song collection on CD I need to try get as close to the pro mixes as I can! :astonished:

Thanks Bob! :smiley:

Cheers Jet… eerrrr… I mean Dave :laughing: I often do split bass across two tracks - if the line wanders up the octaves, though I obviously didn’t feel compelled to do so this time? I know what you’re saying though, in my car the lower stuff does seem to ‘mask’ somewhat though it didn’t sound too bad through my monitors? Curious.

The song is ok but no where near as strong as some of the others in the collection IMVHO.

I wrote this one back in 2003 I think. I decided to introduce it to our set list because it felt, with some tweaks (mostly a major boost in tempo) like it had a ‘Stragglers vibe’ and could probably sit quite well next to the other songs. Its actually one of Shayne’s favourites but of course - each to their own! :slight_smile:

Thanks for the feedback! :sunglasses:

6

The mix sounds like it’s missing some brightness, based on what I remember of the last mix of this. Everything seems back and mostly centered. Maybe it’s the new drums. It’s still good, just seems a little duller and less stereo than I remember, if that makes any sense!

7

Nothings makes any sense to me anymore! :laughing:
Which is what I love most about this music production lark. When it all starts to make sense THEN I think I will move onto something else! :smiley:

8

Hi Ian

Listened again this morning with fresh ears and have to agree with the above. Definitely too much ambiance. That’s probably whey the bass is dominating. I can’t easily make out much besides the vocal, bass and drums. There is no punch from the other instruments for an up tempo song.

Cheers

9

Well, that was kinda the intent on the verses… mostly bass & drums with other sounds just adding atmosphere. I wanted a ‘broody’ sort of feel I guess. Anyway, I’ve had another tweak-session and upped a new mix. :slight_smile:

Thanks for your ongoing interest! :smiley:

10

The mix seems fine to me. I am decidedly NOT in the “Brandon Drury” school of mix criticism here – you can take things like “punch” and “make it killer” too far, IMO.

The song is okay, but I agree with an earlier poster, it’s not as strong as most of your other material.

My one nit is… I’m sorry… but… yes, that SNARE. It’s not terrible, mind you, but I’m wanting something with a bit more “crack” on it – not a lot, just a bit. As it is, it says “sample” all over it.

I know this snare sh1t gets old, and like Jet once said, “snares are such personal things.” I agree with that. So, regard my comments with whatever weight you think they deserve :laughing:

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No worries, while I do endeavor to write a top-10 hit each time I sometimes miss the mark :wink:

My one nit is… I’m sorry… but… yes, that SNARE. It’s not terrible, mind you, but I’m wanting something with a bit more “crack” on it – not a lot, just a bit. As it is, it says “sample” all over it. I know this snare sh1t gets old, and like Jet once said, “snares are such personal things.” I agree with that. > So, regard my comments with whatever weight you think they deserve > > :laughing:

Snare schmare! :stuck_out_tongue: