Songes of Love

So, I like ben folds, I've been sitting on a great piano arrangement of this forever, and I can't focus enough to attend to the pile of writing I've fallen behind on. But if I'm creating something that can be shared, is it REALLY slacking? This is a cover of one of my favorites from Supersunnyspeedgraphic, the LP, "Songs of Love".

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posted by ShawnStruck (3 comments total)

So it's slacking - who cares! How about a remix with the vocal a bit more upfront? This is an interesting track and the piano playing is cool, but your voice is fighting to be heard in this mix. I'd also suggest backing off the slapback delay and chorus effect (?) on the piano just a little, so that the sound is a bit more natural. You might also reduce the volume of it as well. There's also a bit of popping on the the early parts of the vocal - using a pop shield will eliminate that next time you record a vocal. Another way to do this (if you haven't got a pop shield) is to quickly pass your hand across your mouth when you're singing words that emphasise plosives ("p" or "b" and sometimes others) That technique was used by John Lennon - if it's good enough for him etc... And keep about 6"- 8" away from the mic to avoid the proximity effect (a muffled, bassy sound). Hope you aren't offended by those comments - offered in good spirit.
posted by MajorDundee at 3:51 PM on August 6, 2010 [1 favorite]

I was trying to figure out where I had heard this before, and it took me a day and a half to remember it was the theme to Father Ted. Great version and I love the piano, though I agree with MajorDundee that the mix is off when it comes to your voice fighting with it.
posted by John Kenneth Fisher at 7:59 AM on August 8, 2010

I think the piano is terrific, and I've been a fan of this song for a really long time. You might be interested to know (if you didn't already) that it's originally a Divine Comedy song, which Ben Folds then covered. Since your version is piano-based, it sounds a lot more like the Ben Folds version, which I actually like much better than the Divine Comedy one.
posted by naoko at 1:10 AM on August 26, 2010