Midnight in Harlem - Feedback wanted

deepnback · #1 10-01-2017, 10:23 AM

Hi Folk,
sorry for my absence for a longer while. I was just to busy organizing concerts and workshop. I am currently in the studio for my 2nd CD. Here is a cover of "Midnight in Harlem" (originally by Mike Mattison of the Derek Trucks Band). Do you think it is good enought for the CD. Me on guitar, lead vox and my wife Elke doing the harmony vocals. What do you think? Any advice making it sound better? Thank!

http://rolandkalus.de/images/mp3/mid...arlem_fin3.mp3

ITB · #2 10-01-2017, 12:16 PM

You asked, so here's my 2c FWIW ...

Great groove and mood.
Nice playing and vocals, especially your lead vocals.
Love the whistling intro, a lost art! We need more -- even if just a bar or two of whistling near the end to bring us back?

On the mix I'd do a few things:
- Shaker is too up front throughout and distracts a bit.
- The claps/snaps are a bit too dry, need a touch of reverb.
- Sounds like 3 steel string guitars and they're recorded really well but I think the lead acoustic tone/timbre is so close to the fingerpicked rhythm acoustic that they overlap/compete in some instances. It's busy here and there which is too bad because the playing and tone are great. I'd suggest a warm nylon acoustic in the lead over the steel string backing for a variety of timbre. Also, in the stereo image I'd move the lead guitar bits somewhat to the side of where the lead vocal sits so they don't compete where they overlap.
- A sparse clean tasty bass down low and way back would fill the bottom -- acoustic bass would be ideal or if you don't have a bass, an acoustic guitar with strings tuned low?

Again, great playing and great tune. Makes me want to hear more.

deepnback · #3 10-02-2017, 06:41 AM

Thanks a lot. I will remix and update it here. It is always good to have someone listen to it, who is not involved in my music. Appreciate it!

reeve21 · #4 10-02-2017, 08:49 AM

I'm in no position to offer any advice, just want to say I enjoyed it very much. The vocal is really expressive!

Good luck with it

SalFromChatham · #5 10-02-2017, 01:00 PM

I love this song - it introduced me to TT. I have my own recording of it somewhere. It doesnt touch yours.

Fantastic.

Glennwillow · #6 10-02-2017, 07:02 PM

Hi Rolli,

I thought it sounded good. I particularly enjoyed Elke's vocal harmonies. I thought the guitar mix was good and very interesting. I heard two guitars, but there certainly could have been three.

Well done in my opinion! It's very hard to judge whether it should be on your CD without hearing what else is going to be on there. I'd say that's your call. Best of luck on this project.

- Glenn

Tele1111 · #7 10-02-2017, 08:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ITB

You asked, so here's my 2c FWIW ...

Great groove and mood.
Nice playing and vocals, especially your lead vocals.
Love the whistling intro, a lost art! We need more -- even if just a bar or two of whistling near the end to bring us back?

On the mix I'd do a few things:
- Shaker is too up front throughout and distracts a bit.
- The claps/snaps are a bit too dry, need a touch of reverb.
- Sounds like 3 steel string guitars and they're recorded really well but I think the lead acoustic tone/timbre is so close to the fingerpicked rhythm acoustic that they overlap/compete in some instances. It's busy here and there which is too bad because the playing and tone are great. I'd suggest a warm nylon acoustic in the lead over the steel string backing for a variety of timbre. Also, in the stereo image I'd move the lead guitar bits somewhat to the side of where the lead vocal sits so they don't compete where they overlap.
- A sparse clean tasty bass down low and way back would fill the bottom -- acoustic bass would be ideal or if you don't have a bass, an acoustic guitar with strings tuned low?

Again, great playing and great tune. Makes me want to hear more.

I agree with most of this. I would suggest a different mic placement on the guitar parts-leave the rhythm part alone, and fatten up the tone on the fills. And I say respectfully - don’t play the leads that don’t fit. There are a couple-the one right about 2:47 to 3:02 is glaring. The vocals are strong enough to support the song. I would cut it, or re-record the part mimicking the vocal that preceded it.

It’s a great start. Solid in many ways. Just get rid of the superfluous.

Mark

deepnback · #8 10-04-2017, 10:24 AM

Quote:

Tele1111:It’s a great start. Solid in many ways. Just get rid of the superfluous.

Thanks Mark (and all the other nice people) for the input. Yes - I got rid of some licks and sounds more compact and less distracting. I am just looking to get a bassline on it. Must do it by Midi since I lend my bass to a friend. But it might be a good idea to add kind of fundamental basis!

deepnback · #9 10-06-2017, 09:50 AM

Hi folks, I added a bit of bass (sorry I am not bassplayer) and reduced the licks, as well I pushed the leadvox a bit in front. Better?

http://rolandkalus.de/images/mp3/mid...m_061017-3.mp3

3notes · #10 10-07-2017, 12:59 AM

Boy, if you're on the fence about putting this down on your CD, I'd sure like to hear the other stuff.

Sounds great. I do agree on the comment of adding a little whistle as an outtro.

deepnback · #11 10-07-2017, 05:42 PM

Quote:

Sounds great. I do agree on the comment of adding a little whistle as an outtro.

Thanks a lot. Did you notice that I put a little whisteling very distant in the very end

Amarc · #12 10-21-2017, 10:11 PM

Hi Roland, you do a great rendition of the Tedeschi Trucks Band version. However, to me this is a blues song, meant to be delivered with a more earthy, raw, and emotional vocal. I think you hear that too, as you approach that style. You are close but still sound somewhat controlled, not spontaneous. For the chorus, you both are in lock step with a flat delivery, more like a Broadway musical, which makes it sound out of place in this song. Uncouple yourself from your wife’s vocals with more freeform and emotion. More like lead over rhythm. The instrumental tracks sound fine. I love your guitar playing, however, it’s the vocals that will make or break this song. Work on that and you have a winner. Just my opinion.

Art

deepnback · #13 10-22-2017, 07:20 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Amarc

Hi Roland, you do a great rendition of the Tedeschi Trucks Band version. However, to me this is a blues song, meant to be delivered with a more earthy, raw, and emotional vocal....

Art

Art, thank you so much for your great feedback.
I totally understand your point. I first heard that song by the young german Jazzsinger Caro Trischler singing that song at my venue.
You can check her lovely version of that concert here:
https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B8...mFMTzRhYXowb2s
And I fell in love with the harmony and melody. Of course I also checked out the version by Mike Mattison, which is more kind of soul and the bluesy Tedeschi/Trucks version. I am not a blues man and I wanted to have it sounded more like a singer/songwriter would do it. More relaxed and trying to catch the mood of "Midnight in harlem" how I imagine it would be. So it ended up in the version I did. I also did more ad-lib vocals like Susanne did in the choruses of the song, but it just did not do it for me and my limited vocal abilities.
But thanks again for listening and your input! I appreciate it!