I also love the way the musicians, and the way they’re mixed, weave melodic lines in and out as the song progresses. It sounds as if having the vocal dead-center and wide-panning a few of the guitar layers is one of the secrets here, although there’s also masterful control of the transient attack of the instruments supporting the vocal. Such instruments can easily interfere with the presence of a vocal, competing for the same areas of the frequency and energy spectra. This is no mean feat…there are layers of guitar (in various tunings), bouzouki, banjo, and upright bass. Kate Rusby has a beautiful, pure voice, and it’s been recorded and presented well in the mix. The vocal performance commands attention from the get-go. But since we’re here to talk about the mix. On a personal note, English folk music reminds me of home, of the music I grew up listening to, and I think sentimental value far exceeds any other measure of a song/mix/master’s subjective qualities. The entire album ( Little Lights), and especially this song, are exemplary examples of sonic delight. I chose this on account of it checking every box: fantastic songwriting, arrangement, performance, recording, mixing, and mastering. Sometimes the seemingly small decisions we make in a production can make a record, even if the decision showcases how unpolished we really are. To me, however, it’s a perfectly imperfect moment captured exactly as it was the night of recording in 1969. Recording this today, many would be tempted to “fix” the take by tuning the vocal, removing Mick’s holler, or re-recording the take. At 3:04, you can even hear Mick Jagger yell “WHOO!” in response to the take. She did three takes, her vocals cracking in the recording as she sings with progressively more intensity.
And tape saturation… all the tape saturation.Īn of-the-moment idea to add female vocals prompted a call to a pregnant Merry Clayton well after midnight. I absolutely love the engineering on "Gimme Shelter" because it’s steeped in rich rock lore, the heat of Vietnam War era frustrations, and the deep, collaborative musicianship of a late 1960s recording studio.
0 kommentar(er)
