this is the headache track for this disc. filtering is actually going to be minimal for inrimake and most projects from here on in. the source has moved to digital. i've left this as is, except to fade the track out about a minute early. there's no use in taking the truman show ending to it's conclusion on each listen.
in truth, this is an impressively thick, warped and very messy piece of music. it'd be nice if i could turn the vocals down a tad and the lead guitars up just a bit in a few places, but the mix isn't going to allow that.
1) i've hinted at my mixing method being a type of synthesis. usually, one records parts separately and allows the interference to develop on playback. i've recorded the parts separately and electronically synthesized the interference, which creates secondary interference on playback. that creates a unique sound that is, overall, an asset to the track (and others), but it makes separating out fundamental frequencies virtually impossible. it also just flat out swallows entire sections. the depth on the bass is devoured by the guitar distortion and it's never, ever separating itself out (my only theoretical hope is something like (but not exactly) de-convolving it, but i don't have the right signal to use).
2) the bizarre vocal effects i used here (and note this is mid 99, before the early 00s vocal sampling craze) saturate the frequency spectrum. there's no way to cut them without cutting something else - the best option is to hollow them by zeroing out a series and it just doesn't sound good. boosting any frequency at all is going to boost the vocals. it's a total gloss.
3) the tactic i was using to fatten the bass cannot be used for the tracks on this record because it blurs the stereo separation and the extreme panning in these tracks is a part of what they are, on the level of the compositions themselves.
4) the above, combined with the saturation on the track, suggests that any modification is ultimately arbitrary. see, here's the thing: this needs to be listened to carefully through headphones, anyways. any attempt to actually do that is going to order the sound. so, regardless of whether i actually can isolate the frequencies i want to isolate, the reasons i want to isolate them collapse when the required listening approach is contemplated.
5) through repeated listening, i've reminded myself how weird this is anyways. ultimately, this is a weird song that is hard to digest on first listen, but it needs to be deconstructed by the listener, not cleaned up by the composer/engineer. the drums, for example, are constructed out of low quality samples for most of it. i can't pull out a bass drum because there isn't one. instead, there's a deep tom that's ultimately in the middle of the spectrum. etc.
i have to recommend this, though. there's a further lengthy write-up on the page that explains why the vocals caused me grief. musically, though, the track is very lush prog. it really explodes through a pair of headphones around 7:00 in.
recorded in the summer of 1999. edited jan 2, 2014.
https://jasonparent.bandcamp.com/track/liquify-2014-edit
