Hey guys!
I’ve recently started using ableton live to do some mashups and this is the first fruits of my labour… however there are some parts of it that sound very off to me and i’m not quite sure why… So please be critical of this mashup so i can keep working it out. Thanks for the help!
The mashup is Living on a Prayer by Bon Jovi and City of Lights by Lush and Simon.
It is also a private soundcloud link so if its not opening for some reason let me know.
EDIT: Thanks for all the Help guys! Full Final Version is a free Download Here:
ya the vocals were way to loud before…so i dialed them back
My warp mode was complex pro… and the acapella was raised by 2 semitones..any way to get rid of the “slicing”
Also not quite sure what you mean by your third point.
Thanks for the fast response! hoping to play it this saturday
I would deff dial them back up a bit - add some compression on them perhaps to bring them inline - it sounds like a vocal being dropped cautiously onto a backing track rather than an in-your-face remix IMHO.
The slicing would really depend on the way the samples are cut up or triggered - its not the vocal that sounds sliced up/jumpy its the beats
[QUOTE]Also not quite sure what you mean by your third point.
[/QUOTE]
At the big build up … “oooooo0000000OOOOOOO …” with the raising pitch @ 2.26 instead of dropping “were halfway there” before the beat I’d throw “were halfway there” in a bar early around 2.22 so you end up with the vocal “living on a prayer” just before the beat.
I just kinda “expected” on hearing it that I’d be hearing the big “Living on a Prayer” and crowds respond better to predictability especially with mashups of stuff they already know - means they can sing along without thinking too much
ok that makes a lot of sense! Not quite sure how to make the beats less “slicey” though. The original version of the track sounds very exactly like mashup. Here is a link to it if your interested:
Also Did you notice that the ending part where living on a prayer is sung over the beat is a little off key? it sounds funny to me… could just be my ears though. If it is though.. any way I could retune some of the notes?
Thanks again so much for your help! I will try your suggestions and reupload!
i really dig the track. vocals gotta be louder and the kick drum from 1:45-2min in just sounds a bit too raw. its pretty rock and roll but i think if you can do some magic stuff it would sound a little less harsh (you can tell I’m a producer from the technical terms). the build is sick and unexpected how the ohs just build. creates tension. i dig it. when you finally get the full chorus its sick. well done
Since all I have is 320kbps mp3 of the beats not a separate multitrack theres not much I can do about the harsh kick. I tried eq ing that section in this revised version along with some other changes @deevey suggested. Thanks so much for the feedback It will definitely be a free download when it’s finished.
I’d still crank up the vocals a good bit more as they are still very “distant” like someone standing too far away from the mic (not something Mr. Jovi is known for) - don’t be afraid of the vocal. The “Living on a prayer” before the kick should be completely obnoxiously in your face … make everyone wanna SCREAM along with it before waving their hands like loonies
You can either use the pitch tool in Ableton to tweak the vocal back into tune for that segment or possibly even just adjusting the cents slightly might do the trick as it doesn’t appear to be off by a whole semitone - just a tad off.
Don’t know what you did with the export but it sounds less “slicey” this time round.
Sounding much better though dude with the changes so far.
I agree. this is one of the all time best (drunken) sing along songs and people want to hear themselves sing but, lets be real, chances are they can’t sing. if you pump up the vocals i think it’d be gnarly. i also think the raised vocals helped with the drum kick. its not as in your face when you want to hear the vocals
https://soundcloud.com/djd-rise/living-in-a-city-of-lights/s-hvRva
Used some of the background vocals of the track that somehow creates the illusion that bon jovi stays in key a little better. Tried to boost some of the vocals again as well. I’ve been doin most of this with ipod headphones so its really tough to tell when stuff is to loud or not loud enough… You guys have been so helpful. Thanks
Vocals sound fcukin great now throughout the track, except on the “Living on a Prayer” the vocal volume drops again .. pump the vocal volume up on for those words. and I’d say your just about done*
Honestly that track would get insane radio play if it was released.
I’m guessing the earbuds are playing in a big part in it - they boost the mid too much, not bad considering
*apart from the Mastering, the top end is really ouch in parts. A HP filter on the master perhaps to roll off the freq’s *above 20khz
Congrats! The stuff you’re hearing is probably because
Jovi isn’t really following the click as much as some studio-only vocalists, so even if the tempo is correct, the transients might not be
It’s still a “screamo” track, with a lot of “dirty” harmonics in the voice that, say, a female vocalist such as Foxes might have. Also, he doesn’t always hit the correct note in the beginning of the word, so this is also a factor
Don’t worry about it! The last bounce you did sounds awesome!
And i totally agree with deevey, this could get mad plays, very much like the million voices/apologize mashup by thomas gold that trended a couple years ago
I still think the vocals get overpowered by the synth from about 2 minutes to 2:20. (thought I was listening to the last version, but maybe not?) I also think removing the synth on the “Woah, living on a prayer” right before the drop could get removed to give more emphasis to the vocals. Google deadmau5 playing Living on a Prayer in one of his sets…he always cut everything but the vocal for the “Whoah” living on a prayer" and the crowd went nuts.
I agree though…that’s a banger and could get lots of play.
Thanks guys! I feel like i’m just writing patch notes now:
This version includes:
-Lowered synth before first drop
-pumped up vocals from 2-2:20 and the last "livin on a prayer
-Highpass filter set to 14.5khz across all acapella tracks
-Converted to 320kbps mp3 file for convenient Soundcloud download
Fingers crossed this is the last one? But please continue to be critical
Also a side question…You guys think 1 drop is enough? Like I could make a second drop with the second verse of the song but I just feel like the whole thing doesn’t have as much energy then.
I know, but the point I was making (or trying to make) was the only sound was the “whoah, living on a prayer…” and the crowd went bonkers. I think doing that in the mashup will provide the same bonker effect, removing the synth.
I’ve tried removing the synth…but it doesn’t sound right.. it needs to build to somewhere and without that synth there the build just stops… sorry man I tried haha
