Some Chill Dub

[sammydix]

This was a collaboration from another site that I did a few years ago. Michael, the song originator, sent me the music to sing to 2 maybe 3 years ago, and I'd completely forgotten I did this.
I re-found it by when he mentioned it in a recent FB comment. He did the original mix which I felt was a little too bassy. I doubt he has the stems anymore, so I updated everything from scratch and sang new vocals.

Vocals up:
https://app.box.com/s/vg94rf5p3hsd7zgoy3l5ukzmtw25op8s

Michael Marquesen: original composer.
Me: Synth (all sounds made with Xils-lab Poly KB III)
AD2 prog, guitar, vocs.

Luke's (OPI) mastered version:
https://app.box.com/s/cn97ewhe7e131yj7vv63ny6l9k1vyaj4

Myopia
Michael Marquesen/Sam Dixon 2017

I could have been the
eyes sitting upon your face
fractured and blurred
I don't know

It may have been my mind tricked
into a display of utter illusion
Still don't know

I got no time for sorrow
dripping from windows
Still I don't mind
'Cause I don't feel a thing

And I won't wake up
turning the light s on
Don't make sense
since it's already bright

Can you feel it all come soaking in
Through the moist, silken lens
And don't know whether to close my eyes once more
When you look at me the way you do
I see it's true

I blame it on the near sight circling in chaos
like small bits of sand in the wind
Like some distant object faded to background
mirrors of death
And I'm leaving all the details to you
My myopia

[Timothy Lawler]

Sounds quite fine and balanced on my system here.

[sammydix]

Thanks Timothy. That's good to hear because I put this together pretty quickly. Wasn't sure how it sounded outside my environment.

[sammydix]

File updated. Same link.

[BCF1]

Well that was cool. Not my thing so I don't really have viable knowledge of the genre, but I enjoyed it.

Definitely dig your lyrics Sammy and always impressed with your vocal talent.

Mix sounds great to my ears to bro !!

nice job

[zeekat]

Dub song being carried by keyboard riff instead of a typical dub bassline is kinda unexpected. Gives it sort of a synthpop vibe. Sounds fantastic, great performance and harmonies.

[bucca]

c'm on sammy, crank the voices up

[sammydix]

Originally Posted by BCF1

Well that was cool. Not my thing so I don't really have viable knowledge of the genre, but I enjoyed it.

Definitely dig your lyrics Sammy and always impressed with your vocal talent.

Mix sounds great to my ears to bro !!

nice job

Just trying something different again. I wanted this 'updated' version to be completely different from the original as far as the arrangement/instruments. Only my vocal melody and lyrics are the same. So I did it sort of fast: two days putting it together and two days for mixing. Only the vocals took a little time to get down (as usual for me since I have to obey neighbor and city noise. I'm at a point I dread having to sing something). I want to move, but I dread that even worse. Thanks for checking it out.

[sammydix]

Originally Posted by zeekat

Dub song being carried by keyboard riff instead of a typical dub bassline is kinda unexpected. Gives it sort of a synthpop vibe. Sounds fantastic, great performance and harmonies.

NEVER thought I'd hear myself associated with 'synthpop'. hah. It just sounds strange. But it is what it is and I agree. Even though my version is different, I tried to respect Michael's original feel (spacey and eerie). I did add a little 'chuck' and verbed guitar to feel like I at least added something real. But yeah, it's still very synthy. I learned a few things though, so I think that's good.
Appreciate it man.

[sammydix]

Originally Posted by bucca

c'm on sammy, crank the voices up

Ok, buc. I'll re-update the link this weekend.

[suleiman]

Originally Posted by zeekat

Dub song being carried by keyboard riff instead of a typical dub bassline is kinda unexpected. Gives it sort of a synthpop vibe. Sounds fantastic, great performance and harmonies.

100 % agreed. Cool n unique take on dub.... And yeah ur vox man....

Reminds me a lil of young fathers but im not sure who did this earlier, you or they

[sammydix]

Originally Posted by suleiman

100 % agreed. Cool n unique take on dub.... And yeah ur vox man....

Reminds me a lil of young fathers but im not sure who did this earlier, you or they

I'm not familiar with Young Fathers, so gonna go to YT to check them out. Thanks man.

EDIT: I've heard their songs plenty, I just never knew the group name.

[sammydix]

Replaced original link with louder vocals version.

[bucca]

Originally Posted by sammydix

Replaced original link with louder vocals version.

well done hope you like it too

[sammydix]

Of course. You just brought it to my attention and the mix is better for it. Thx!

[mschuster]

Not your usual fare, if you have a usual fare - that is. which i don't think you do... LOL.. Mr. Eclectic!

as usual, you put your signature on this Sam, as i knew, and hoped, you would. you don't disappoint. you really 'make' the song.

thanks for sharing this.

[sammydix]

Originally Posted by mschuster

Not your usual fare, if you have a usual fare - that is. which i don't think you do... LOL.. Mr. Eclectic!

as usual, you put your signature on this Sam, as i knew, and hoped, you would. you don't disappoint. you really 'make' the song.

thanks for sharing this.

Thanks Mark. Since Michael recorded the original with all synths, I figured I'd do the same for my 'remake.' Figured I'd just jump in.

[OPI]

These are just my first impressions

Intro could be different... Not sure how but just needs to be more special imo.

Like the transition sound at 46 mark. But this part -> "I got no time for sorrow, dripping from windows" just sounds too washed out and vintage for my taste. This Part -> " Still I don't mind Cause I don't feel a thing" Sounds simply amazing, modern and psychedelic.

1:13 - 1:41 could use some different fx (old school tape dub dlys etc.) on the vox Try really cranking a high feedback tape delay on the end of those phrases. You kind of did that in some places but its not trippy enough for me hehe. Go here for trippy goodness https://tal-software.com/products/tal-dub

Love the outro. Some really epic shit here.

Overall it was really cool and creative man. I would play around with those vox quite a bit though. Trippy is the whole feeling i got while listening to this. I would capitalize on that.

Also Some more synth effects sprinkled here and there would be a nice addition. My ideas were to have Long pitch bending horn like notes w/ reverb and delay. Also some cheesy single sine wave higher pitched tones would be nice, either or..or Both

Got any water samples on your hard drive? For some reason i was thinking about witches boiling potion the whole time while listening to this. Slushing/pouring/boiling would be really cool imo.

listening again... Maybe those drums could be just a tad more electronic. But also remember who is writing this hehe

Cheers mate, another awesome track.

[sammydix]

Originally Posted by OPI

listening again... Maybe those drums could be just a tad more electronic. But also remember who is writing this hehe

That got me laughing.
Thanks for the in-depth thoughts, Luke. I think the more I venture, the more daring I'll get. I did go for a particularly sparse feel in this tune, but that won't fit all the time (obviously), so your ideas will come in handy next round. Thanks again.

[HugoRibeiroDotCom]

wow!! Excellent production. It could be on the radio!
Well done Sammy!

cheers

[sammydix]

Originally Posted by HugoRibeiroDotCom

wow!! Excellent production. It could be on the radio!
Well done Sammy!

cheers

The louder songs will just laugh at me. Thx Hugo.

[OPI]

Can i give a shot at mastering this? Mwahhaa!

[sammydix]

Sure. Give me till later this eve and I'll send the file. You'll notice I did up the vocal effects per your suggestion, I just never reposted.

[thequietroom]

Never heard of chill dub, but whatever it is its sweet. Loved the vox

[jeranx]

Hi Sam. Really good piece. Your voice's awesome. Music's good too. Hope we could have only this kind on radio. Hear/Read you

[sammydix]

Originally Posted by thequietroom

Never heard of chill dub, but whatever it is its sweet. Loved the vox

I just sorta made that up because it's all I could think of that might fit as a description. Thanks for stopping by QR.

[sammydix]

Originally Posted by jeranx

Hi Sam. Really good piece. Your voice's awesome. Music's good too. Hope we could have only this kind on radio. Hear/Read you

Hey Jeranx and thanks. Looks like we're getting there with the new standards taking off.

[jeranx]

Originally Posted by sammydix

Hey Jeranx and thanks. Looks like we're getting there with the new standards taking off.

Hi Sam. With my english and google trad, I didn't get the point of that :

"Looks like we're getting there with the new standards taking off

[sammydix]

Different sources are trying to equal out the volumes of different songs so that everything plays at a fairly even volume universally and you don't have to turn up and down constantly (like Youtube videos). Like when you hear one song/video at a reasonable volume, then the next nearly blows out your speaker or is too low.

So more dynamic songs will sound as loud (and much better, less fatiguing) than anything else. If a song is mixed for loudness under this new circumstance, it will sound even more like crap than it already does, even though both the dynamic and the loud songs will play at the same volume. Dynamic songs will just get turned up and smashed sounds will sound even more smashed.

[sammydix]

OPI's mastered version added to OP.

[morgon]

Great mood music Sammy, atmospheric, flows beautifully, cheers.

[sammydix]

Mood and atmosphere: just what I was trying for. Thanks Morgon.

[Timothy Lawler]

Originally Posted by sammydix

OPI's mastered version added to OP.

I like the depth and detail it brings out. It's hotter overall so I matched levels in segments to compare while I listened. Nice work OPI.

[OPI]

Originally Posted by Timothy Lawler

I like the depth and detail it brings out. It's hotter overall so I matched levels in segments to compare while I listened. Nice work OPI.

thanks tim

[wakodoha]

This is good!

[sammydix]

Thanks man.

[jeranx]

Hi there. Took one shot again this morning. Really awesome.
And so quiet. Both versions.

Nice work from Luke on the vocals.
The intro work on the synth is a bit too much for my taste. Maybe something in between ? Good work anyway.

Thanx Sammy, thanx Luke.

@+

[OPI]

Is there another Luke? Haha cause I didn't sing the vocals, Sammy did all I did was master it.

BTW the mastering was alot harder then I expected. I had to use 3 different listening environments to pick up on all the eq adjustments. Also what I found strange was that distortion wasn't nearly as noticeable as on my headphones.

[sammydix]

Luke sang it, he's just being modest and trying to give me a little credit.