Tomorrow I will return to Let 'Em In Music to finalize mixing for "Aloud." Nadim Issa, the engineer I've been working with there, will spend about 4 hours getting the mix in order before I arrive at 6 and then we'll work together from there until 10. This marks a notable relinquishment of control on my part, born by my eagerness to complete the mix (the next available date booking isn't for a couple of weeks) as well as my genuine confidence in Nadim's handling of the mix following our successful tracking session and promising rough mix. Moreover I'll still be there with plenty of time to request any tweaks. I'll also be adding a few embellishments and FX in a couple places in the song.
The one aspect of the recording that hasn't quite come together for me yet is the bass, though I remain confident that we'll be able to come up with something to work with. We tracked both the direct signal and an amp so we've got all sorts of tools to work with from applying plug-ins to re-amping the DI signal. I like what we got to tape out of the vintage Ampeg amp we tracked with, but I think I'm looking to embellish that with more of a dry, overdriven tone that could help the bass cut through the mix, even on your laptop speakers. The bass line adds a lot of interest to the song and I'd hate to have that drop out completely on an underwhelming sound system. It's worth noting that I did try "re-amping" (without any of the proper equipment of course) through a small bass amp in my own studio space cranked to the max. It didn't quite deliver what I'd hoped, but this may have been because I lacked the proper box to drop the signal back down to instrument level.
I've also recorded a few sound effect type things on my own that I'd like to experiment with in the mix. For the transition to the bridge, I added a guitar slide that I achieved by using a can of WD40 on the strings (using the can itself that is, don't worry I didn't spray anything on my guitar) and some delay effects tweaking in Logic. I also recorded some wacky synth noises to add into the heavy, half-time part of the bridge with my Skychord Glamour Box and Audible Disease Infection IN-2. Lastly, I've laid down some clanks during that same part of the bridge on a brake drum run through a guitar amp plug-in in Logic (channeling a little Skeleton Key, admittedly).
Additionally I've come up with a brief harmony for the "Dared to live..." line that I will try out for good measure, though I may deem it unnecessary. I also like the idea of adding a piano bassline in a couple places in the verse, particularly the quiet end part.
Most importantly, I hope not to ruin the song by getting too carried a way with extras and details. This song is very much a straight-ahead pop tune, perhaps more so than any in my catalog, and I can feel my inclination to try to make it just a little less accessible and more abstruse. At the same time my impulse to give the song dynamic range and some texture is a good thing and indeed separates the song a bit from the treatment it would get from a band really looking for a hit, which would probably just push the groove hard through the whole song without much variety and have something catchy but nondescript. We'll see soon enough.
-Terry
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