Dancing with a ghost (3D glitz disco with Benjamin Michael)

[jeanette_c]

Hey hey, Jeanette C & Benjamin Michael like to present: Dancing with a ghost (3D)
https://youtu.be/15q_FetgmCo
Composition: Jeanette C.
Lyrics & vocals: Benjamin Michael & Jeanette C.
Saxophone: Benjamin Michael
production and 3D mixing: Jeanette C.
Video: Benjamin Michael (images courtsey of pixbarbay www.pixarbay.com)
I'm afraid I have to learn a lot about 3D mixing yet. It turned into a mammoth project with over 100 tracks going into the Csound spatialisation. I used an HRTF based model with some room modelling, placing clean/source sounds and reverb/delay sends separately in the 3D space.
Benjamin enthusiastically agreed to join this song and made it come alive with his lyrics, singing and the saxophone. Every disco track needs a sax!
Inside the DAW I used my favourite plugins. The 3D processed version was loaded into the DAW again for some polishing, i.e. EQ and compression/limiting.
We wish you pleasant listening on your headphones!

[oscillator]

Great song, and I like the sax solo a lot!

I'm not sure what all this 3D processing is to be honest. I could feel a lot of width in the mix, but maybe also some lack of that solid feeling that I like in a mix. But that is just my taste!

[jeanette_c]

hi @oscillator , many thanks for you feedback. Yes, there is a lack of "solidity", this is mostly due to my lack of skill with the 3D work and only partly due to the process itself. I think the best element to show the 3D nature are the hihats. Another factor that reduces the punch is the reverb from the modelled room. I opted to put it in to give more cues for the direction and position in the room. I few key sounds might have done without it though.
I really did start too big or had no idea how much material I would end up with, especially when Benjamin joined with so many vocals and five saxophone tracks. If I attempt a 3D mix again, I will go for something really small and intimate. A maximum of five instruments, even with effect sends would be much better to control.
This song came along because I listened to a discussion and demo of Dolby Atmos and its integration into Logic. I arrogantly thought that I could do that too without much effort using my tools. I still maintain that it is possible, but easy it is not.

[oscillator]

Well, the process and your work is still impressive, @jeanette_c! And way beyond my abilities!

[jeanette_c]

Well, the process and your work is still impressive, @jeanette_c! And way beyond my abilities!

Certainly not, you'd just take the sensible route and use one of the many burgeoning 3D plugins, instead of messing around with convoluted exporting and importing.

[milo]

I'm always up for a bit of disco (but just a bit!). Good texture work on the backing tracks to make a danceable rhythm. Nice counterpoint harmonies in the sax. You hit the genre pretty squarely in the composition, I think.

You ended up with a good recording here, but I agree that it doesn't sound as solid as your typical work. The vocals are a bit low in the mix, overshadowed by the lead synths, and a little too buried in reverb. Maybe mixing in a little more of the dry signal after doing the 3D stuff would help.

[jeanette_c]

Hi @milo , thanks for your detailed feedback and listening. I will convey your praise on the sax to Benjamin, who both played and wrote the sax voices.
I completely agree with you about the vocals, for the most part. Alas, mixing in a dry track wouldn't have been possible without artefacts. There are phase differences and such through the HRTF processing. There would have been other ways to pull them more to centre stage though and I failed to achieve that in time.
Thanks again for your kind words and involved criticism, they are well received and will hopefully be remembered when the time comes for the next 3D project.
Best wishes, jeanette

[Basslint]

First, really amazing track! It has italo disco vibes (one italo disco song with saxophone is P. Lion - Happy Children -> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jLK4ZfTYcsI). And the sax solo really puts the icing on the cake