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Songwriter Forum => Feedback on Finished songs => Topic started by: Viscount Cramer & His Orchestra on December 31, 2018, 04:37:36 PM

Title: Never Do You Wrong (provisionally!)
Post by: Viscount Cramer & His Orchestra on December 31, 2018, 04:37:36 PM
*** I should have asked especially for any feedback on the mix/production from some of the experts on here. After all, the song may be totally not your thing and render you unable to review it....but the mix is universal. ***


Couldn't let the New Year celebrations get under way without a bit of hot wax from the VC studio here in the wild country of France.

Apologies for not being around much...busy year...not done many songs. I'll rectify that I hope!

This has been around for a good year and a half as a song but couldn't get it together until now. I'm so much up my own arse with it now that I know not what it's worth.
I've thrown a good bit at it and tried for a bumper production so hope that hits something.
I wanted a bit of hardness with a nicer chorus.
The lyric is a load of nonsense on my well-travelled theme of 'You're the girl for me and I'm the man for you' (Ain't that Enough...Save Me For A Rainy Day etc). A lot was placeholder for so long that I can't think away from it now so it'll have to stay like this.

Just sneakin' in a last blast for 2018.

Happy New Year folks!

The lyrics are perfectly audible if you need them....but I'll post them if it's absolutely necessary...…..

So.….


https://soundcloud.com/cramer1930/never-do-you-wrong-1 (https://soundcloud.com/cramer1930/never-do-you-wrong-1)
Title: Re: Never Do You Wrong (provisionally!)
Post by: pompeyjazz on December 31, 2018, 10:36:21 PM
What a wonderful listen to see that olde year out. Fantastic vibe Ian. Loved the Isley bros guitar and 80s squinchy synths and funkafantasic guitar.  Brass is brilliant as ever. Bon Nouvea Anee to all in Perigourd. A happy birthday to your mutt as well. My two are getting a bit freaked by the firework action. Nice one as ever Ian  :)
Title: Re: Never Do You Wrong (provisionally!)
Post by: CaliaMoko on December 31, 2018, 11:41:51 PM
Yeah, perfect for New Year's Eve. Ambiance of a dim-lit club with a jazz ensemble in the stage area scatting away.
Title: Re: Never Do You Wrong (provisionally!)
Post by: Movin Flavour on January 01, 2019, 01:18:42 AM
A great funky tune.

Has real hints of the Blow Monkeys.

You've got that Doctor Robert vibe.....what did I hear u say!

A great listen.

Sandeep
Title: Re: Never Do You Wrong (provisionally!)
Post by: shadowfax on January 01, 2019, 05:41:24 PM
You keep writing songs fit for Tony Bennett or Frank Sinatra...no mean feat mate...got all the right atmosphere and everything goin on...

best, Kevin :)
Title: Re: Never Do You Wrong (provisionally!)
Post by: PaulyX on January 02, 2019, 08:39:48 AM
Yes that’s proper funky, Viscount.
The brass is the star for me ... really natural sounding. The whole thing glistens. Great guitar break too.
I’m too far away from decent speakers to comment on the mix/production but rest assured it is sounding mighty fine coming out of an ipad.  :)
Title: Re: Never Do You Wrong (provisionally!)
Post by: Skub on January 05, 2019, 06:16:09 PM
Yo Hector!

I always get much childish pleasure from your anagram shenanigans! Nice Faulty Towers touch.  :D

Lovely funky stuff going on here. The mix sounds fine to my old ears,everything is well defined and all the many parts can be heard clearly and appreciated.

I'm way too simple to attempt such funky goodness,so I stand in the wings in awe.

I dig.  8)
Title: Re: Never Do You Wrong (provisionally!)
Post by: MichaelA on January 05, 2019, 06:29:14 PM
Really good listen with all its layering and structural points of difference throughout. I hardly listen to funky stuff anymore, but yesteryear I couldn't get enough. This was a refreshing revisit for me, especially liked the brass section.

Since you asked on production, well if I had mixed it I think I would have sharpened up the bass tones and made them slightly louder to create a bit more funky drive. But I wouldn't necessarily have thought of that if you didn't ask. Just enjoyed the whole thing really!
Title: Re: Never Do You Wrong (provisionally!)
Post by: adamfarr on January 06, 2019, 09:15:20 AM
Ah Viscount, you are BACK! Love this - fusion of brass that we’ve come to expect but with drum sounds that touch on acid jazz at times and funky synth sounds that could be from an 80s series (I want to say Hill Street Blues - it’s not really similar but you know what I mean).


Agree that a touch more bass could really get the loins moving, but this is one of my favourites of yours.
Title: Re: Never Do You Wrong (provisionally!)
Post by: PaulAds on January 06, 2019, 09:38:08 AM
Excellent!

Manages to take a little something from several different styles...and blends it all together perfectly. Tip top. I always look forward to hearing from you.

The verses were the highlight for me...the chorus seemed a little congested or something...which is probably what we always tend to do...keep something back in the verse and hit them with the kitchen sink in the hooky bit. Not an issue for me, though...I'm just trying to be slightly more expansive than simply saying "I really liked it"

Also, I really liked it.

I think your singing has come on a treat too...you seem to have cultivated an excellent and distinctive style.
Title: Re: Never Do You Wrong (provisionally!)
Post by: cowparsleyman on January 06, 2019, 10:02:59 AM
@Viscount Cramer & His Orchestra - This one's for all the ladies in the house, yeah...excuse me while I just tuck my chest hair back in to my open-to-the-navel Jumbo collared black shirt.

Loved this, I thought your Voice sounded a cross between Edwin Collins and Theophilius P Wilderbeest  8)

Hope you don't mind but I do have just a few ideas...Thought the strings and snare were rather enthusiastic at the beginning...could have started at 0:12, or just with a single Wurli

If you can get some Female Vocalists to help with the  BVox, or use Melodyne /Little Alter Boy to shift the Format, and keep it low in the mix  'What you gonna find'

1:06 strings - maybe a tad more layers, as this sounded a bit exposed.

Very nice brass going on in here.

some of the LVox sound distorted to my old ears.

Great work CramerV - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cram%C3%A9r%27s_V (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cram%C3%A9r%27s_V)

Hope this helps

Rich

Title: Re: Never Do You Wrong (provisionally!)
Post by: Paulski on January 06, 2019, 02:39:43 PM
Groovy! There I've said that after how many years?
Seriously though this is great - best I've heard your vocals and you're talent for real-sounding brass is well on display here.
Don't care about the lyrics - they fit perfectly and the music is the star here.
Mix sounds good on a laptop FYI.  ;D

Nice to hear your stuff again Ian - keep 'em coming!
Paul
Title: Re: Never Do You Wrong (provisionally!)
Post by: MonnoDB on January 09, 2019, 11:21:39 PM
Very funky as has been said a few :) or more times... love that synth at (at 2.38 for example) - that was my fave among many lovely features including the brass, the organ, strings.. very cool indeed.

Very smooth altogether.. My ears are no use to you no mix matters so I'll just enjoy!
Title: Re: Never Do You Wrong (provisionally!)
Post by: montydog on January 10, 2019, 03:10:01 PM
Hi,

It's hard to add anything to what's been already said - all the bases are covered. In response to your question, I think the mix and production are 2 of the highlights of the song. You are best arranger of brass on the forum.

Excellent throughout and a very enjoyable listening experience

M
Title: Re: Never Do You Wrong (provisionally!)
Post by: Viscount Cramer & His Orchestra on January 11, 2019, 07:02:16 AM
Thanks for listening folks.

PJ.... yes that guitar....I was going to try harder to get that Isley fuzz tone...forgot to do that.

Vicki...I seem to favour dimly lit clubs!

Sandeep.... Yes I quite liked the Blow Monkeys....never entered my head though!

kevin…..Frankie and Tony....er….never entered my head.

Pauly…..glad its sounding good. Glistens is a nice word. The guitar was a loop I must confess!

Skub  Again glad the sound is good.

MichaelA  …..OK thanks...more bass needed. I'm mixing on phones and monitoring on them too...haven't heard the song myself any other way so bass is always a tricky thing!

Adam.....  glad it grabbed you....yes they have loops someplace I've seen called 'cop show clavinet'...this is close to clavi sound...actually some preset from Hybrid synth which I got for a quid just to get free Neutron Elements...at least I got some use from it! Nice drum loop isn't it!....well I like it!

Paul...always very kind. Yes a bit of a hybrid of styles (as often)...comes I suppose from not really listening to much music these days just tapping into whatever there is stuck inside my old head and not trying to ape anything in particular. I get what you mean about the chorus and prefer the first minute and a half myself. Didn't quite work that chorus though I had high hopes at first....

Cpm....cheers Rich for thoughts. Intro I slavishly copied a loop I liked AND a drum intro and typically of me never thought to change them at all. I do have a cello part to go with those violins but didn't want to use that there....maybe I should have?
Distortion in the lead vocal is quite possible....is it general or is it just where I never bothered to try to tame some plosive sounds....I can hear that.

Paulski....Groovy is good! Glad vocal OK....and brass...and MIX!

MonnoDB...yes I actually deliberately used a synth! Not to try and emulate a 'real' instrument but just to be a synth!

Monty....Your comments tally pretty well with how I'm feeling about the song now. It's not much of a song (doesn't quite live up to what I'd been hoping for) but it sounds OK. I'm glad about that because I have worked harder here trying to get a good sound and tried out some different things so it's good if that all paid off. Brass is chopped up loops not a sampled instrument thing....but yes I arranged them as ever....very kind of you to say so!

Thanks for your time everybody.
 
Title: Re: Never Do You Wrong (provisionally!)
Post by: crystalsuzy on January 12, 2019, 12:20:03 PM
Man I love those horns! I guess because I play one ;) where do you get them?
I love everything about this track and I think the production and mix are excellent, although I'm certainly not one of the experts on this forum ::)
For some reason when the vocals come in with "gonna come a time" at around 2:10, I thought it was going to break into a rap ;D ;D
I really like the contrast between the softer chorus and a little more hardness verses. Awesome vocals! Is that you singing?
Totally enjoyed listening to this track and will be back for more :)

Title: Re: Never Do You Wrong (provisionally!)
Post by: Yodasdad on January 13, 2019, 01:16:25 PM
GggRooovy Baby...yeeaaah!

I'm late to the party with this one and I can't see that I add add much constructive to what has already been said.

I could't write this I don't think, I wouldn't know where to start...therefore I'm not really qualified to critique it either.

So much going on that is well constructed.

I appreciate what you're saying that the vocal isn't meant to be the star hear  but I'm one of those that, when everyone is up dancing I'm sat trying to listen to the intricacies of the music.

For those folks this would most definitely do the trick, for me i'd like the vocal slightly more prominent and clear.

Good work though man, I can hear where all the time went.

Yodasdad
Title: Re: Never Do You Wrong (provisionally!)
Post by: Neil C on January 16, 2019, 06:32:41 PM
Dear Count,
Apologies for lateness, here. Anyway just to say you had my old foot tapping to this funkin' little jazz groove number.
Too much to describe but the point is that I liked it all with the fab arrangements. And enjoyed the vocal too.
Sharp ending too
 :) :)
Neil
Title: Re: Never Do You Wrong (provisionally!)
Post by: Wicked Deeds on January 16, 2019, 07:17:54 PM
@Viscount Cramer & His Orchestra,

Loved the intro!  Cool verse sections. Lovely groove!  I know how much work goes into a production of this size so kudos there. 

The vocals are a little buried beneath the music. As much as you're probably loathe to  revisit the track, I would do so to address this.

By th way, I love your soundcloud photo of the theatre - class.

Paul



Title: Re: Never Do You Wrong (provisionally!)
Post by: Cawproductions on January 17, 2019, 05:35:01 PM
Dude, not seen you for a bit,

The Mix.
Ok, songs sounds funky, Most of the instrumentation sounds nicely balanced. 

The Tambos I would EQ so they are a bit thinner and push them back as they are there only to lift slightly.

For me the vocal got lost in places, I normally Corrective EQ first, then automate by hand the volume by hand then apply compression just to finish up and smooth out.
Just my way not the highway....loads of techniques for this.

But hey, whats not to like. Think someone mentioned the Blow monkeys, I forgot about them...

Disclaimer, Only my interpretation of your work, mixes are quite personal.

Top work fell and welcome back.
Title: Re: Never Do You Wrong (provisionally!)
Post by: LostBoy on January 20, 2019, 09:43:25 PM
You funky bastard!! I love the music in this! The music mix sounds great on my Apple pods...the top line vocal melody/lyrics are cool too, but just needs a little work mix wise, you sound great, it’s just getting it to shine more in the mix, more Eq and the start of the choruses are a little distorted.

Fab stuff buddy! Congrats!😄🎶👊🏻🎶
Title: Re: Never Do You Wrong (provisionally!)
Post by: SlavaB on January 21, 2019, 01:50:47 PM
Wow...
What a great funky jazz? :)

Very nice song, I did enjoy it. Mix sound really well, the only thing i would possibly bring horns a little bit further on the speakers.

Best Regards,
Slava B.