I just thought I would comment on the make up of this song from a mixing standpoint. Not sure how many of you pay attention to these things, but as it is how I make my living...it kind of is a curse, listen with earphones with your eye's shut and visualize. It is ear candy my friends.
Heavily panned guitars...overdriven HEAVILY compressed guitar full left...and it stays there. Most of the audio program is from center (Bono and Adam) and the left (edge). Listen to the choruses...the reverb travels left to right...(ex:hola, donde esta?). There is a screaming long guitar right way low on the right side during the choruses as well. Then the guitar solo/bridge explodes by bringing the more "traditional" edge delay sound in from the right crushing your skull. The absolute butter is the last chorus, listen for the synth like overdriven guitar from the right. My personal favorite.
Bono is using a similar reverb scheme, but the feedback (meaning the repeats of his words) are much more present than the past as well as it pans. He has been using this delay time for his voice for years. Have you heard the alien reverb delay on the last "feel" before the guitar solo/bridge on the right?
Pay attention to the varying levels in the guitar program, they build the entire song in reference to Bono's vocals. Most of the guitar grit and crunch is actually low end from Adam.
The lights go down: can you hear him say that prior to him actually saying it in the very first verse? Reminiscent of the tape bleed on "whole lotta love" by led zepplin. In that particular case the tape was stored wound backwards instead of "tails out" and you can hear the bleed. The vocal actually "ghosts" before the real vocal. Quite a simple trick nowadays...but not done on purpose in the 70's.
How about the stick click at the end where Edge's guitar is humming. Bad edit. My thinking this is not the final version (or at least the album version). I also feel that the short strums on the first verse are bit out of time (right while bono says "stronger than", makes me think that this will sound different when we actually buy it on the album. I could be completely wrong.
The compression ratio is intense on the guitars. Compression makes it sound like your ear is against the guitar cabinent speaker by decreasing the dynamic range. Also it is close miked, not typical for edge.
Adam's bass distortion is wicked. Again wicked. I think this may be my favorite specimen of his work. God damn that man is one sick motherf**cker. Highly underrated. His tone and touch is unbelievable. Listen to the complete grit on the "all of this could be yours..." That is all bass cabinent and no DI. To me this feels so natural for him as he is picking I believe...what he does best. I mean, he may have actually invented that sound.
*Just as a side note, I work with a lot of session players here in Nashville, and I have heard on so many occasions..."play that like Adam Clayton" or "Adam Clayton tone"...etc. I always smile on the inside. I can just imagine Adam sitting in these lame demo sessions or country pop sessions wailing out. Hahahaha...*
I am curious how the Edge will pull this one off live. Lots of guitars going on below the surface and at the same time. I can't wait to see however.
One more thing...I have been told by some friends that work directly with Michael W Smith that he played some B3 Hammond organ during the sessions for this LP. I do not know which song, but we will have to see if it made the cut.
Heavily panned guitars...overdriven HEAVILY compressed guitar full left...and it stays there. Most of the audio program is from center (Bono and Adam) and the left (edge). Listen to the choruses...the reverb travels left to right...(ex:hola, donde esta?). There is a screaming long guitar right way low on the right side during the choruses as well. Then the guitar solo/bridge explodes by bringing the more "traditional" edge delay sound in from the right crushing your skull. The absolute butter is the last chorus, listen for the synth like overdriven guitar from the right. My personal favorite.
Bono is using a similar reverb scheme, but the feedback (meaning the repeats of his words) are much more present than the past as well as it pans. He has been using this delay time for his voice for years. Have you heard the alien reverb delay on the last "feel" before the guitar solo/bridge on the right?
Pay attention to the varying levels in the guitar program, they build the entire song in reference to Bono's vocals. Most of the guitar grit and crunch is actually low end from Adam.
The lights go down: can you hear him say that prior to him actually saying it in the very first verse? Reminiscent of the tape bleed on "whole lotta love" by led zepplin. In that particular case the tape was stored wound backwards instead of "tails out" and you can hear the bleed. The vocal actually "ghosts" before the real vocal. Quite a simple trick nowadays...but not done on purpose in the 70's.
How about the stick click at the end where Edge's guitar is humming. Bad edit. My thinking this is not the final version (or at least the album version). I also feel that the short strums on the first verse are bit out of time (right while bono says "stronger than", makes me think that this will sound different when we actually buy it on the album. I could be completely wrong.
The compression ratio is intense on the guitars. Compression makes it sound like your ear is against the guitar cabinent speaker by decreasing the dynamic range. Also it is close miked, not typical for edge.
Adam's bass distortion is wicked. Again wicked. I think this may be my favorite specimen of his work. God damn that man is one sick motherf**cker. Highly underrated. His tone and touch is unbelievable. Listen to the complete grit on the "all of this could be yours..." That is all bass cabinent and no DI. To me this feels so natural for him as he is picking I believe...what he does best. I mean, he may have actually invented that sound.
*Just as a side note, I work with a lot of session players here in Nashville, and I have heard on so many occasions..."play that like Adam Clayton" or "Adam Clayton tone"...etc. I always smile on the inside. I can just imagine Adam sitting in these lame demo sessions or country pop sessions wailing out. Hahahaha...*
I am curious how the Edge will pull this one off live. Lots of guitars going on below the surface and at the same time. I can't wait to see however.
One more thing...I have been told by some friends that work directly with Michael W Smith that he played some B3 Hammond organ during the sessions for this LP. I do not know which song, but we will have to see if it made the cut.
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