"Sleeping in the Middle" original song

KaiEllis

Would love feedback on this tune. Y'alls comments on my last song were super helpful!



"Sleeping in the Middle"

Sleeping in a desert
Least it's warmer than your bed
Used to think I was clever
Now I'm drowning on dry land

Sleeping in the middle
I don't wanna take sides
Why does laying down my weapons
Always seem to start a fight
We ain't gotta be a riot
We ain't gotta fight it
Sleeping in the middle
I don't wanna take sides
If I open up my ears
Can you open up your eyes
Can't sow what you don't reap
Can't survive if you don't sleep

Sleeping in a desert's
Just like I'm laying in your arms
All the time my heart was racing
It was an alarm

Sleeping in the middle
I don't wanna take sides
If I open up my ears
Can you open up your eyes
Can't sow what you don't reap
Can't survive if you don't sleep

I've been reduced to dust
Major into minor
Maybe into must
Underneath
I shiver from your heat
Oh I can't wake up
And baby I can't sleep

Sleeping in the middle
I don't wanna take sides
Why does laying down my weapons
Always seem to start a fight
We ain't gotta be a riot
We ain't gotta fight it
Sleeping in the middle
I don't wanna take sides
If I open up my ears
Can you open up your eyes
Can't sow what you don't reap
Can't survive if you don't sleep

[Deleted User]

The song as a whole I liked. It's different in a good way, and you have a good sound to your voice

Your voice is great sounding but was a little pitchy. Other than that no problems with the vocals, but to me it seemed like there was something missing in the mix like it just needed that one thing. Also watch those mid frequencies, they seem kind of high.

Do you ever try compressing/limiting the final mix?

Peace, Tony

highmtn

Nice song, @KaiEllis !
It's your best demo, to boot!

Bob

KaiEllis

Thank you @highmtn !

@videoace Thank you! I'm still figuring out compression, limiting, eq, all that. I was dialing all of the production up waaaaaay too high, way over compressing and limiting all the frequencies. You got any tips for finding the sweet spot?

[Deleted User]

What I usually do when dialing up effects is to bring them up just enough to notice they are there, and then turn it down just a hair.
For compression I look at it this way: You're taking a 3 dimensional sound, and flattening (squeezing) it into a two dimensional sound.
It's like when you take a picture, and print it on a flat piece of paper. The depth is still in the picture, but its completely flat. You don't want to over compress which is easy to do.

Limiting is setting a threshold for the signal. Once you set the threshold, no matter how much gain is added, it will still not go past that threshold.

A good way to tell if you're over compressing is to play a chord on the guitar, and let it sustain until you can't hear it anymore. Play the track back, and if the signal cuts off before the guitar finishes fading out. It's too much. Once you get used to using it with your sound. It's very quick, and easy to throw in.

Are you compressing during the recording itself, or throwing it on the track afterwards?

KaiEllis

@videoace Dude your descriptions, especially the way you use pictures and analogies. SO helpful. Thank you!

I'm recording everything as dry and clean as possible, then adding anything like compression in post. That way if I get it wrong... I can just start over haha

The only thing I'm not trying to learn is pitch correction. I fiddled with Melodyne for about ten minutes. Maybe I'm just spoiled by KTVA, but listening to the vocals get fixed versus just getting it right in the first place made me nauseous.

[Deleted User]

@KaiEllis
Yeah, I don't mess with pitch correction or timing correction on my recordings. The better it sounds naturally, the less enhancement effects I need to use which makes for a much more clear recording all the way around. Not to mention it has more emotion/feeling to it than a perfectly quantized recording.
Plus as you mentioned, if its a dry track, you won't ruin a good take by adding too much effect during the recording itself.

The only reasons to use EQ, and effects is to alter natural sound. Nothing more.

Peace.

KaiEllis

@videoace So cool hearing how you approach the production side of things. Thanks for your help!!