Old 04-09-2019, 09:26 AM   #1
kirk1701
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Default ELO cover tune: beta listeners

Here's something I've been working on for the past couple of months. Huge Jeff Lynne/ELO fan, as well as George Harrison's solo stuff. I wanted to take a crack at a really dense mix like this and see if I couldn't figure out a few tricks.

I also think this song is wrongly maligned. It's silly nonsense, sure, but I'm not sure 'Xanadu' is much different than 'Tutti Fruiti.' (I dare you to not smile when Little Richard kicks that number off.) It's a dream about a paradise where everybody's happy and just wants to dance.

I nixed the heftier disco elements and added some Harrison-isms. It's all me. I recorded everything: guitars, vocals, bass, and I programmed the drums. Tod was kind enough to listen as I went along and keep me on the straight and narrow. Much thanks.

Let me know what you think.

https://www.dropbox.com/s/4ti4mgi37n...19%20.wav?dl=0
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Old 04-10-2019, 10:24 AM   #2
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I like it! It sounds full of genuine love for the genre. I think you captured what is essential for ELO/harrison compositions.

Apart from some guitars not being 100 % in/on time, I enjoyed the listening.

Cool
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Old 04-10-2019, 11:26 AM   #3
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I like it! It sounds full of genuine love for the genre. I think you captured what is essential for ELO/harrison compositions.

Apart from some guitars not being 100 % in/on time, I enjoyed the listening.

Cool
Thanks!

Which guitars aren't in time?
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Old 04-10-2019, 04:44 PM   #4
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I like this, I like this a lot

Listening to this, it makes me realise that I can't mix to save my life
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Old 04-10-2019, 07:26 PM   #5
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Originally Posted by asharin View Post
I like this, I like this a lot

Listening to this, it makes me realise that I can't mix to save my life
God bless you.

I feel the same way when I listen to anything Jeff Lynne does.
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Old 04-11-2019, 08:49 AM   #6
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Here's my master, if anyone would like to hear it.

https://www.dropbox.com/s/meyhrer8wi...anadu.wav?dl=0
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Old 04-13-2019, 05:25 AM   #7
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Cool remake and one that you generally wouldn't expect. Jeff liked to compress the HELL out of everything, but you didn't go quite that far.
Now I enjoyed the song, but please don't ask me to watch the movie! Just awful.
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Old 04-13-2019, 08:30 PM   #8
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Cool remake and one that you generally wouldn't expect. Jeff liked to compress the HELL out of everything, but you didn't go quite that far.
Now I enjoyed the song, but please don't ask me to watch the movie! Just awful.
Thanks! I love deep tracks.

Oh yeah, the movie is rough. The original version of the song is also dodgy. It wasn't till I heard the Flashback version that I realized how solid it actually is.

Actually, this project showed me how specific Jeff's compression is. It's really precise and surprisingly isn't on everything. It's a very complex jigsaw.
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Old 04-13-2019, 08:32 PM   #9
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Originally Posted by kirk1701 View Post
Here's my master, if anyone would like to hear it.

https://www.dropbox.com/s/meyhrer8wi...anadu.wav?dl=0
Sounds good my friend, but now bring up your vocals a little so the folks can see how well you sing.
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Old 04-14-2019, 12:54 PM   #10
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I am most impressed with your tune.

I really like Jeff Lynne as a personality (after watching the documentary about him and the excerpts with the Travelling Wilburies.) but I find his compositions a bit thin. The analogy with Tutti Fruiti,... iq

I really liked the album he did with covers of various tunes, including "She" by Charles Aznavour. And I thought he was fantastic in the Tribute to George (or whatever it is called) concert.

But forget that, your recording is really good.
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Old 04-14-2019, 12:58 PM   #11
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Sorry, I pressed the send button by mistake. So to continue, your recording is excellent. Maybe let us know how you proceeded, even, dare I suggest, post your Reaper version, prior to rendering.

Congratulations.

P.S. I am impressed that Jeff Lynne's sojourn in the United States has not changed his Brummy accent one bit. Sounds a lot like me - I am from the Black Country.

Anton
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Old 04-15-2019, 09:05 AM   #12
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Sounds good my friend, but now bring up your vocals a little so the folks can see how well you sing.
Can do Tod! (To be fair, I tuned that lead vocal pretty severely.) The backing vox is not tuned too much, I don't think. I made considerable use of the track aligning script that's floating around the forum. That took a lot of time .

I could post the rpp, but I did a lot of bouncing. For instance, the reference to "Here Comes the Sun" (which I'm very proud of btw) is two acoustic guitars and a Leslie gtr all bounced to one stereo track.

The Leslie is a Strymon Lex into two amps with close mics, then a room mic hovering above. George would've used a proper Leslie 147.

Basically, I started with the ELO track and tapped out the drums on my Minilab. From there, I layered each instrument onto that: bass, l&r acoustics, l&r nashville tuned guitar, double tracked rhythm guitars, etc.

I started to mix, but hated the lead vocals. So I recut that a bunch of times till I wasn't sickened by my own caterwauling.

The mix was...interesting. I learned way more than I expected to. For instance, the importance of a drum crush buss cannot be overstated. If you're using samples, you have to fake it, but that's not difficult.

If you have specific questions, I'm happy to answer.
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Old 04-15-2019, 12:46 PM   #13
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If you have specific questions, I'm happy to answer.
Hi my friend, it sounds like you've got it all under control and your getting some good feedback and reviews, so I'd just leave it as it is.

It sounds way better then what you started with.
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Old 04-15-2019, 01:24 PM   #14
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Hi my friend, it sounds like you've got it all under control and your getting some good feedback and reviews, so I'd just leave it as it is.

It sounds way better then what you started with.
No kidding

I agree that the lead vox could poke out a bit better, though.

I had Klanghelm's IVG2 on the subgroup, but it was squeezing the edges too much on the really loud bits. On headphones I could literally feel it squeezing my temples. So I dropped it when I started the master project. I have an idea of a simple eq move I can do in the master to nudge it just a touch.

I am, btw, extremely appreciative of all the great feedback. I wasn't even planning to share this when I started. I just wanted to see if I could do it. Thanks guys!
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