middleaudio.com

My apologies for the delay but I am excited to announce that April's entry "I Haven't Got The Time To Spare" is now posted at http://www.januarythroughdecember.com.

This month is a little bit unique since you'll find two different versions of the song on the site. One is a mix by Sean Boyer and the other, a mix by Chris Fudge.

Hope you enjoy...

Hey Clinton are you going to put out an album of all twelve songs at the end of the year?

I'm not sure to be honest. Right now I'm just really enjoying having a homebase to put my ideas. This project has been so rewarding and has me thinking about music all the time. I haven't made home recordings since my first EP back in 2006 and I forgot how gratifying it can be to just create with my friends. I feel like these are some of the most honest and direct tunes I've ever written and the whole deadline concept is a definite factor in that. I might put out an album of some sorts at the finish or I might just let it be what it was. Too early to decide.

Awesome! I was wondering where you'd find the time, this month has been pretty crazy for you.

hahaha...hence the lyrics!

clinton wrote:hahaha...hence the lyrics!

I will listen to it tonight, as my work internet is rather limited.

It's easily one of my favorites so far. Boyer did an outstanding job on the mix, and I think that plays a role in my opinion as well.

Thank you Matt, it's one of my favourites too (mostly because I finally got my Hofner 12-string on a song). Sean and Chris both did a great job and I am pretty grateful to have such good friends (you included) to help me with my music.

clinton wrote:Thank you Matt, it's one of my favourites too (mostly because I finally got my Hofner 12-string on a song). Sean and Chris both did a great job and I am pretty grateful to have such good friends (you included) to help me with my music.

Chris did a very solid mix. Boyer's blew it out of the water for me though. Unfortunately by posting both mixes you sort of put us in a position where we have to compare. I'd love for Boyer to come on here sometime to discuss audio production.

Oh yeah, by all means, compare away. I made sure that both Chris and Sean were up for it before posting both mixes and they loved the idea. I don't really think the mixes are that drastically different really. Chris used a couple of parts that Sean didn't even have access too but for the most part they're similiar with Chris' being a more organic appraoch.

I agree though, Sean consistently blows me away with his mixes, especially considering the source.

clinton wrote: I don't really think the mixes are that drastically different really. Chris used a couple of parts that Sean didn't even have access too but for the most part they're similiar with Chris' being a more organic appraoch.

Chris' mix sounds like Parade. Boyer's mix is more polished. It's still subjective. I like polished things some people prefer the more "organic"... to each their own. Neither mix is lacking, I just really like Boyer's interpretation.

Mathieu Benoit wrote:

clinton wrote: I don't really think the mixes are that drastically different really. Chris used a couple of parts that Sean didn't even have access too but for the most part they're similiar with Chris' being a more organic appraoch.

Chris' mix sounds like Parade.

Totally! I told him this exact thing.

clinton wrote:I agree though, Sean consistently blows me away with his mixes, especially considering the source.

So, about the source... I was going to ask who actually recorded the tracks?

clinton wrote:

Mathieu Benoit wrote:Chris' mix sounds like Parade.

Totally! I told him this exact thing.

... and that's not a bad thing.

I recorded and performed most of the tracks at home on my Boss BR-532 digital recorder with a Rode NT-1 microphone. I think the actual instruments I used ca n take credit for the vibe of the track. I used a '79 Gibson J-45 that I double-tracked for the main finger-picking guitar part, a 1970 Hofner 12-string for the lead breaks and my '65 Ludwig mahogany snare for the drums (with a little 20" Yamaha kick wide open). Chris Fudge recorded (and played) the bass track. I'm not really sure what he used but I am sure he'll chime in on this thread....he loves this stuff.

I'm blind-listening to both mixes now.

Mix A: voice silky like chocolate, echoey backup vocals. Guitars surround the ears, bouncing playfully everywhere. Pretty rhythms. I'm guessing this is Boyer's mix, because it reminds me of the other songs from the project. The guitar pops in a way that bugs the hell out of me, because I don't know how to do it.

Mix B: guitar sits more in one place, mostly on the right. Vocals are a little darker, more erratic, volume-wise. Feels like an empty space somewhere on the left.

Basically, Mix B sounds like someone mixing Clinton for the first time and asked at the last minute, while Mix A has had experience mixing Clinton already. I mean those both as compliments, instead of the insults they probably both look like :P

Blindfold off: I was right! The winner is me! Hey, great song, Clinton, I really liked this one. Friggin' last-minute wonder, you.

Edited to add: I'd like to know if one song was mixed on headphones, and one mixed with monitors instead? Because I'm listening on headphones instead of speakers, and that probably changes how I'm interpreting Mix B.

Matt played me both tracks blind and it turns out I liked the Boyer mix better, it was me who asked who tracked it because I felt that without that neither mix would have turned out as good as they did. I especially liked Sean's treatment of the vocals, they were "finished".

geesh thanks Al. I'd like to say that I put a lot of effort into the recording but I just kind of point a mic at stuff and hope for the best. Seems to be working so far...

I will deny ever saying this but sometimes a degree of serendipitous intuition can be a factor in a successful capture.