These audio files accompany the Mix Rescue article in SOS May 2024 featuring the song ‘The Winds Of Gypsy Moor’ by the Ferryboat Men (www.theferryboatmen.com).
www.soundonsound.com/techniques/mix-rescue-strong-arrangements
You can download the full Cockos Reaper project file for my remix at www.cambridge-mt.com/ms/mtk/#FerryboatMen, where you can also find the song's raw multitrack recordings if you fancy remixing it for yourself!
mr_01_original_mix
Trevor Piggott's original mix.
mr_02_remix
Mike Senior's remix of the song, working from Trevor's raw multitrack files.
mr_03_backing_vocals_buildup
In this example, you can hear how I used simple muting to develop the chorus vocal texture through the song. The first phrase demonstrates the vocal sound for the first and second choruses, where I muted all but one of the backing-vocal layers; the second phrase shows the texture in chorus three, where I reintroduced one of the previously muted backing-vocal lines; and the third phrase is the texture during the final choruses, where all the backing vocals are unmuted.
mr_04_drums_buildup
In this example you can hear how Mike used editing and automated EQ to create a sense of build-up during the opening sections of the song. In the first four bars you can hear the sound of the introduction, where all the drum tracks except one kick mic and the oversnare/undersnare mics were muted, with both the kick-drum and undersnare mic low-pass filtered around 2kHz. The second four bars show the sound of the first verse, where the overhead mics and second kick mic were added in, and the undersnare mic's low-pass filter was raised to around 6kHz; and the final four bars showcase the sound of the first prechorus, where the tom mics and room mics were added in, and the only remaining low-pass filtering was at 10kHz on the undersnare mic.
mr_05_echo_guitar_buildup
In this example, you can hear some ways in which Mike embellished the main echoey guitar part to add variety and a better sense of build. For the first four bars, the guitar sound has been high-pass filtered at 90Hz and low-pass filtered at 3.5kHz, as in the song's second verse; for the second four bars, the filtering has been removed, and a subtle programmed acoustic-guitar layer added, as in the song's second prechorus; and in the third four bars, a more expansive programmed part introduced to expand the harmonic voicing.
mr_06_filtering_in
Here's a section of Mike's remix where filtering is used extensively to maintain clarity. There are high-pass filters on the drum overheads and room mics; all of the electric guitars; the piano; the hammond organ pad; the lead and backing vocals; the background storm-noise Foley; and most of the effect returns. Low pass filters are on the main distorted rhythm guitars and a couple of the vocal reverb returns.
mr_07_filtering_out
This is the same mix section heard in the mr_06_filtering_in file, but with all the high-pass and low-pass filters removed to demonstrate how much of a difference they're making to the overall sonics. In particular, notice how the vocals feel much less upfront and the drums and bass sound less tight and powerful.
mr_08_hook_guitar_pitched_solo
Here's one of the song's guitar hook lines, as it appears in Mike's remix. The shimmering upper spectrum has been achieved by mixing in some octave-upwards pitchshifting.
mr_09_hook_guitar_unpitched_solo
To demonstrate the impact that the pitchshifting had on this guitar hook line's timbre, here it is without the pitchshifting.
mr_10_hook_guitar_pitched_context
If we now listen to the guitar hook line within the full remix context, you can hear how the pitch-shifted upper spectrum really helps the line cut through the mix, despite how busy the arrangement is at this point in the song.
mr_11_hook_guitar_unpitched_context
For comparison purposes, here's how much less audible the guitar hook line would have been had the pitchshifting not been mixed in.
mr_12_drums_paracomp_out
One of the techniques Mike for the drums in this remix was parallel compression. To demonstrate how this affected the sound, here's Mike's drums submix without the compressed parallel channel mixed in.
mr_13_drums_paracomp_solo
Here's what the compressed parallel drums channel sounded like on its own. The fast-acting, high-ratio compression is dramatically emphasising the drum sustain as you'd hope, but also robbing the sound of transient punch.
mr_14_drums_paracomp_in
By mixing the compressed parallel drums channel (as heard in mr_13_drums_paracomp_solo) with the uncompressed drums submix (as heard in mr_12_drums_paracomp_out), you get a blend of transient punch from the uncompressed submix and enriched sustain from the compressed parallel channel.