ShortBusMusic Proximal Vicinity Ft Mark Ratcliffe - Spivkurl

Thank you Allen for the kind comment on this one! It's good have you back around! Was definitely an enjoyable project to work with these two, and it was also a learning experience. Thank you again! See you around!

Thanks much bud! That's a real compliment coming from you! Interesting that you bring up PFunk, as I've recently been working on tape looping from a George Clinton collection. Maybe it got into my head? I appreciate you stopping by to listen my friend!

Hello there! It seems to have been a while since I noticed you around, and I'm happy that you visited my page! To be amongst the winners of the mix and master competition, and then to be involved in taking this track even further with Mark's parts was a complete pleasure! It makes me happy to work with people who are so proficient in their instruments of choice, and in recording and composing. It was inspiring to work with such excellent stems, and has encouraged me to perform more and record better on my own works. Thank you for all your comments!

Hey my friend, it's been quite a while! I must admit to having had you in mind recently, and part of the mind was worrying about you. Hope you are well! I can't claim much credit for this track or it's success, as all parts were composed and performed by Bear and Mark. Once I was chosen as one of the winners for Bear's competition, Mark wanted a copy of the track to record his parts to... it seemed only natural that I would put the finishing touches on the mix once he was done. It was a sincere pleasure to be a part of it, especially with the quality of the audio involved. Mark wrote a good song to compliment the original. Thank you for the kind comment! Very good to hear from you again! I've been doing well, feeling ultra creative and productive... I usually end up doing so much in a day that I am just a mess by the evening, and still I find that there are so many things that I didn't get to do. I suppose that is part of life. Our new cat is pretty well integrated into our strange lifestyle now. Have smoked a couple holes in my head in recent months, but that's a different story. Please let me know you are okay!

Hey friend, it was good to read this comment as well as your others! You made me happy with your compliments and your eagerness to learn. I guess I should try to clarify the use of mono tracks... Bass is a good place to start. I only use a stereo channel with bass if the stereo image or effects seem essential to the feel or character of the bass sound that is being used. A lot of modern bass sounds are quite stereo, for example those used in dubstep or drum and bass.... however many more basic sounds are essentially mono. If I have my bass channel center panned, and on the meter I don't see differences between left and right, especially at different times, then I will change the track to mono (either using mono plugins, or adjusting the stereo separation on the channel). If say a bass synth patch is very heavy to one side or the other due to how it was designed, then it might be helpful to change to mono as well. As far as monitoring in mono, it can be useful. The biggest thing I look for is being able to hear all parts clearly when in mono. Not hearing certain things could be due to phasing problems or effects which are not essentially mono compatible. Probably secondary is that there is still good sounding separation of the panned parts even in mono. If you make some tracks mono, such as bass or drums which are not stereo to begin with, then your mix will be more mono compatible. Just a couple basics to help. I really appreciate the feedback you have given! Hope you are well!

Thank you for your kind comment on this track! Mark and Bear really did great work on their respective parts of this piece. It made me happy to help it all come together, and to work with some well recorded tracks. I appreciate you stopping by!

Hey Dave, good to hear from you! I really appreciate the support you've given here, and elsewhere over the years! I have trouble stepping off a curb sometimes, so in comparison the mixing and mastering seems easy...heh. It was so nice to work with some quality audio! I've come out of this project with a lot of new opinions about the process, and that is more than I could have hoped for. My mixing style is definitely not for everyone, but it makes me happy to know that it often appeals to people that I look up to artistically. Thanks again!

Yes, Mark definitely knows his guitar playing! I really appreciate you leaving a comment! Thank you!

Thank you Joe for the kind review! It's always good to hear from you. Hope that you are well!

Thanks friend! I can't claim much responsibility for this song, aside from maybe that bass "hitting your chest" thing... Bear and Mark did all the hard work of composing and performing. It was however a fun and challenging project! I appreciate you listening and commenting!

Hey, thank you for the kind comment! It was good fun to help make this song what it is. I know what you mean about the vocals, but I guess I liked it this way where the vocals were more on level with other instruments... as that is what they are, an instrument. By this time I had already heard this song SO MANY times, that I may have hurried it slightly. Probably won't go back though, as everyone involved seems happy with the results. Thank you again!

Thank you kindly! I think Mark deserves most of the credit for the "blending" you speak of, as he used my earlier master when recording his parts... they were tailor made to sit comfortably in this setting. I really appreciate the supportive comment!

Thank you EazyBeatz for the kind comment! I can't take much credit for this one, as Bear and Mark are the real artistic culprits involved. They were kind enough to let me post it to my pages though, and I thank them for that. Appreciate the support!

Hey M, great to see you here! Sorry about the late reply, but I've been deep into other projects lately. Makes me very happy you enjoyed the listening experience! Take care friend!

Thank you so much for the supportive review! Of course you know that this song would be nothing without your amazing theme and composition. Really had fun and learned a lot working on this project, and it made me happy to get involved with you and Mark. Appreciate it friend!

Hey buddy! Thanks for stopping by to comment on this! It was a genuine pleasure to help melt these two talents into eachother! ShortBus did some great composition here as you already know, and Mark added some amazing performances! They are both guys that I feel a connection to for various reasons, so this makes me happy.They were even nice enough to let me post it on my page, though I had nothing to do with writing the song... heh. Thanks again!

I appreciate you getting back to me. I always try to keep in mind people's preferences when reading their comments, and I'm not usually offended by what people have to say... especially if I didn't compose the track. So, no worries. Between the first mix/master, and this new one to incorporate Mark's parts, a lot of hours went into this song on my end. Thanks for taking a listen!

Thank you for your comment! I see what you mean, but the vast majority of reverb and delay effects were present in the stems themselves, both from ShortBus and Mark. I used a subtle reverb in the master at 5% wet and about -13dB, which is actually less than usual for me since there was already a lot present in the wavs. I did tame the reverb in the main percussion/drum track with a gate, and that helped it pop more, but to go any farther than that would have ruined the whole feel of the percussion. I wanted Mark to be able to have control over the effect levels in his parts as well, so I just did my best with what he sent me. It definitely seems more pop than you would prefer, but that's just how it's supposed to be. Do you mean make the whole track mono? I prefer to make certain channels mono, and induce a wide stereo field. I always give a listen in mono before I decide that something like this is finished, and I found that it kept most of it's character, so that made me happy. I appreciate your feedback!

Thank you very much for your support! I'm happy that you enjoyed listening. The lead guitar is by MWRatridge, and there are two acoustic and three electric guitar tracks by ShortBus as well. Thanks again!