Dandelions performed Live at Wrigley Field by punk-rock band Haggis

Dandelions - Haggis (Live at Wrigley Field)

Work in progress, don't judge too hard. +/- 3 hours of mixing. Produced by Adam 'Nolly' Getgood and Karybdis. ;)

Karybdis - Constellations -Unfinished Mix 3

Final mix of "Another Man's Smile" by Bend Sinister.

Another Man's Smile - Bend Sinister -  Kyle Delso Mix

Recorded this for my good friend Dave Savage. He plays the guit-fiddle, and he sing's with his voice, too! What a guy!

Make Up Your Mind - David Savage

Metal Teaser

A Taste of TarTar

You might be surprised to find out that-- this is my entry into the GearFest/PureMix 2013 contest!

I had downloaded the files a few days after the contest was opened and began listening to each track, then listening to them together, and listening to them in chunks... I really tried to hone in on and grab the vibe that was already present in the recordings, thanks to the artists and Mr. Dupont. So after a few playbacks I felt I was comfortable enough to start mixing.

I started by organizing my tracks, mixer and subgroups in FL Studio 9. I am super comfortable with FL and I work in it every chance I get as long as it does not restrict me. It's my goto DAW-- my favorite pair of jeans.

I like to start off with some basic things that won't color the sound at first (not coloring the sound was also a goal I had specifically for this project, I had to keep those vibes, man!). I did some simple equalizing and filtering-- highpass, lowpass-- basically creating the 'puzzle pieces' and refining them a bit. That way, when I assembled my puzzle, it would all fit together effortlessly. Like a glove.

After that I crafted and polished up the tone of the tracks and song. Now, by 'polishing' I do not in any way mean that my goal was to make the recording pristine, ultra-clean, and super-modern sounding. Quite the opposite. I wanted some dirt, some grit; some subtle and dynamic overdrive-- shifting with the song and the attack of the artists. That is more apparent on select vocal tracks, for some aged flair, and (my favorite) the bass track. I strived for a woody and punchy tone. You can here the fingers move around and really make love to the bass, for lack of a better phrase. Groovy. This recording was not recorded in a multi-billion-dollar studio to become the down payment for the artists custom-suits. This song was recorded for the love of music and the love of making it. It's raw, and it hits you in the heart. Nicely, of course.

The guitar was a trick at first, I didn't want to go with the standard doubling of the track, so I added a side-chained bus with a small amount of delay and reverb. It balanced out the track, made it sound full and real-- you can visualize where the guitarist is standing, but also kept to the idea and sound of having just one guitarist. Nice and bluesy, nice and honest. On the solo, I kept picking up some Jefferson Airplane (not Starship) vibes, and gave it a little psychedelic funk. Maybe not exactly in lieu of Airplane, but that's what I was hearing in my head, and I'm very pleased with it. I think you will appreciate it as well.

The drums were given a little dirt as well as the bass and select vocal sections. I got rid of some of the higher end from most of the tracks-- giving it a slightly warmer sound, making it a bit older sounding. I took a unique approach to the bass drum, giving it a more forward sounding thud and moving it to the foreground. I wanted listeners to hear it and think "When they mic'ed the drums, they did it quick and dirty" while still enjoying the sound of them, if not for that matter. I didn't want it to be super apparent or obnoxious, rather just some rich frosting on the percussion-cake. Is percussion cake a real cake type? If so, I'm not sure I would ever eat it.

The vocals, as I mentioned, have some dirt and old-school warmth and distortion in a few segments. Just to really set you in the mood and 'period' of the tune. Then, once the song pickups up, it switches to a more modern and more clean sound. It wakes you up, and that's the hook that pulls you in. Now you're listening! That aside, I compressed and automated them a bit-- her voice jumps in volume at times. Simple lowpass/highpass, and some slight Equalizing.

The overall mix is not 'mastered' by any stretch of the imagination. I added some tape-simulation to compress is a slight amount. I wanted to retain the dynamics of the song though-- both the players changes and the automation of the tracks. The tape simulation gives is just a bit more warmth and 'oomph' as well. I felt it wasn't completely right to master this track in house of my 5-inch Tannoy monitors in my (practically) un-treated room for a few reasons-- the main one being, even though the rules mention mastering, this was a mixing competition. Not a mastering one. So I did just that.

I listened, I expanded on the bands sounds, I created some nice tones-- rich and full of character, I helped the band achieve a warm and solid end product that is true to their sound and approach, while taking on a few new sonic-vibes. I hope you enjoyed listening to it, i sure enjoyed mixing and working with this. And if you have time (which I don't assume you will with all of these entries!) I suggest going back over the mix with my notes in mind to really let those 60's / 70's tones set in. Especially the woody-ness of the bass. I don't normally pick favorites... But I'm lovin' the bassline... ;)

All the best, may your journey be without ear fatigue,
Kyle Delso

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