C_Matt 02.06.2013 03:56 |
Hello again, another attempt to make a Queen album sound better. This time, 'Hot Space' is the chosen one. As a preview, I upload a few songs from the few I finished. It's taking too long because I'm really bussy with the university and other jobs till a stressing point. No time to do absolutely anything, and when I have it, I only want to do anything productive, and I really hate that. I can't tell when this one will be uploaded completely, but as far as I hear, the results are great. Here are three songs: Cool Cat General: -Cleaned some noticeable "MBMPBH" breaths at the mic (ex: "Oaahh" 0:16 or "Happen" 2:04). -So much cleaner sound. -New start. -Eliminated some clicks. -Reduced lots of strange noises (like at the 0:50 "Feeling the beat of my heart"). Drums: -Brigther cymbals. -Raised up hi-hat. -Panned a little the hi-hat. -Smoother and slightly boxier snare. -Enhanced the click at every snare. -Corrected every single snare, no more opaque hits. Vocals: -More natural voice, eliminated a bit of that effect. -Raised up vocals, because rest is a bit loud. -Stereo expanded backing vocals. Guitar: -Added a bit of reverb. -Added some deleted guitars. Keyboard: -Smoother start (at 1:14) -Added some pan. Bass: -Cleaner bass. -Raised up volume. |
Chief Mouse 02.06.2013 04:00 |
Excellent! I'll check it right now. Thanks. |
C_Matt 02.06.2013 04:01 |
Punchi panchi punchi panchi... Dancer General: -Corrected speed problems. -Given depth and life to those flat choruses. -Eliminated an annoying hiss during the whole song. -New ending. Drums: -Restored the whole percussion set shine. -So much more depth to the drums, no more ultra flat percussion. -Given attack to the kick and the snare (this song needed a "PUM PUM PUM"). -Added tambourine to the second chorus. Vocals: -Not so ear driller backing vocals. -More body to the backing vocals. -Stereo expanded backing vocals. -More body to Freddie's voice, not so ghostly (specially at 'pararap pararap...' or 'Hot space, let's go!'). -Added some new "Dancer, dancer" to the ending guitar solo. -Added a bit, and just a bit of crowd effect to the last dancers. Guitar: -Cleaner sound. -Raised up some choruses guitars. -Raised up the guitar at the messy end. Bass: -More definition and attack given to the bass. -Lowered down the excessive lows. -Balanced the lows between the lows themselves. -Fixed the drop that the lows had at 3:09. |
C_Matt 02.06.2013 04:05 |
And for this one, I need you to put your volume very very loud. Under Pressure (Album Version) General: -Cleaner sound. -More "explosive" explosive parts and "quieter" quiet parts. -More quiet and relaxed finger clicks and claps. -More natural sound, not so synthesized. -Lots of other things which I can't remember, so I didn't wrote them. Drums: -Less carton drums. -Given a body to the snare, sounds more Queen. -Changed the general snare sound. -More definition to the hi-hat. -Pan to the drum climax. -More body to the toms -Pan to the hi-hat and cymbals. -Messy hi-hat at the necessary parts. -Centered the snare, no more annoying echo by the left channel. Vocals: -Stereo expanded the "Pressure on people" and "People on streets" backing vocals. -More natural vocals. -Fixed the second "Pray tomorrow" which started on the "morrow". -Eliminated a very annoying hiss at the "...that one more chance" at the "give love" part. -Corrected a bit the "LIKE A blind man" pitch. Guitar: -Changed the volume priority at some parts. -A bit more of overdrive in the strong parts. Piano: -More presence. -A bit brighter piano. -Key role to the piano. Keyboard & Effects: -Pan to some parts. -More presence at some main parts. -Eliminated white hiss in the keyboard tracks Bass: -More definition given to the bass. -Adjusted some parts so it fits with the bass drum. -Eliminated the bass note at the "Turned away" part start. |
C_Matt 02.06.2013 04:06 |
Great, Mouse Rapist! Just listen very tranquil and enjoy them, I'll come back in a few days to QueenZone. Cheers! |
Lord Fickle 02.06.2013 06:56 |
I think it will take a "Miracle" to make this album sound any better, unless you have a whole batch of new songs for it. ;) |
beatmichael 02.06.2013 11:05 |
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beatmichael 02.06.2013 11:16 |
Thanks for the preview. As usual, it sounds like the project is going to be another winner. Your attention to detail is amazing. You have a knack for picking out these little nuances and hi-lighting them in a way that doesn't distract from the track as a whole. I think that Cool Cat is the biggest revelation so far. You made a somewhat dull song hold my attention. I'm digging those 'new' guitar parts. Really gives the song some depth. I think Hot Space, while certainly not a great album, is a little bit picked on. Maybe it just came at a pivotal point in my life. I think it was the first Queen album I bought for myself on release. I had just turned 14 and I saw them for my first and only time on this tour, which I think was their last US tour. Thanks again, and I'll be looking forward to the rest of it. |
drmurph 02.06.2013 16:11 |
I love and am amazed at what you do. I'm looking forward to listening closely to these. Thank You |
Vali 03.06.2013 06:02 |
Woaaaaaah ! amazing Matt, amazing ! these previews sound just ... spectacular to me ! as said above in another post, it's incredible the atention you put on every smallest detail to make it audible as never before, Hot Space is an album that with the passing of time has grown more and more in me, so I was expecting this new effort with much anticipation. Can't wait listening carefully to the whole album. Keep on with the good work! :) |
Haystacks Calhoun II 04.06.2013 09:41 |
Nice! Can't wait to have a listen on the ride home tonight! |
Back2TheLight 06.06.2013 22:48 |
Dancer sounds effing awesome! :) |
C_Matt 08.06.2013 00:39 |
Wow, thank you very much to all of you for those nice replies! These three songs have a lot of love, and I'm very happy you liked them. It's really really hard to work with this album, to get a good sound since the album mixes are too flat. Now I'm working really hard with 'Action This Day', not easy at all, is the most opaque song of all the tracklist. Hopefully,I'll be working more 'Hot Space' when I finish this week, full of exams. I uploaded some past albums in FLAC format at the main topic, I'll be uploading them as I can. Cheers! |
brians wig 16.06.2013 05:00 |
Lord Fickle wrote: I think it will take a "Miracle" to make this album sound any better, unless you have a whole batch of new songs for it. ;)Now Now Fickle. Hot Space is a GREAT album! |
TheVisibleMan 26.06.2013 08:08 |
very good Job. Thanks |
Mr. Bulsara 26.06.2013 18:51 |
I really like coolcat but i still prefer the end of the first take version. it's a bout ten seconds long. |
C_Matt 28.06.2013 14:43 |
Thanks to you all for the replies. Hot Space is a good album is you check it from different perspectives. 'Back Chat' is really cool, 'Las Palabras de Amor' is a very Queen song, 'Body Language' very original, POtF is a perfect rocker, the album is great. But it's true it sounds a bit flat, like if the lows were spilled and a bit bodyless. 'Cool Cat' is an excellent song, and as I love the demo guitars then I added them to the original song. I think I prefer the album version's ending, which fits more in the album, but it's always interesting to hear the unheard bits of the demo, which makes it very interesting. Cheers! |
dysan 07.07.2013 02:08 |
Cool Cat is amazing. I love it. Never used to, but in the last 5 or so years I think it's stunning. I don't think I'll have a similar rethink about the comparably throwaway My Baby Does Me. |
C_Matt 12.07.2013 15:23 |
Dysan, I think something like that too. 'Cool Cat' is a great underrated song, trought I don't understand why they deleted those great guitars or the short drums start like the demo version. Those two things change a lot the song, that's why I'll include a version with an abrupt start and without guitars (like the album one) and a hybrid with the drum intro and the guitars, which I like a bit more. MBDM is not a bad song, but yes, it's a comparably flatter experiment, which doesn't transmits to me the same level of the joyful feeling or desire they had to made it. Thought I love the "Turn it up a bit please" bit on MBDM, I prefer CC a lot. Very soon I'll upload a little preview of 'Hot Space'. |
C_Matt 22.07.2013 00:06 |
Hi everyone, since I'm not in my hometown by a couple of days I brought with me some songs to work with. I made a little preview of some hot tracks I finished from 'Hot Space HD Revision', excluding 'Dancer', 'Cool Cat' and UP. I made a final EQ between songs but it's very blind since I don't have my own workspace and everything sounds very different. I hope you really enjoy this very much! Very soon I'll upload the complete album. Cheers and enjoy it very much! |
Vali 22.07.2013 02:46 |
This preview sounds promising ! thanks Matt ! |
Blaise Pascal 26.07.2013 11:52 |
Hey, how are things going? |
C_Matt 01.08.2013 15:07 |
You are welcome! Well, I finished POtF yesterday and I'm making some extras, so the album is actually ready, but I can't do anything about 'Life Is Real' and it's fucking mixing. It's ruined as hell. Freddie wanted a "Lennon" sound, but this is not a good try, in my opinion. I think I'm going to give up with it. Even some 'Jazz' or 'Queen' songs sounds so much better. I'll correct at least some missing notes and hits, but It's almost time to upload once for all the album and start with ADatR. Meanwhile, 'Put Out the Fire': General: -Cleaner sound. -Inverted channels, so it sounds more like a Queen album, with the hi-hat by the right. -Eliminated some percussion "ghosts" (ex: the very start before the other channel guitar starts) -Corrected the end, sounds more like shoots now. -Enhanced some explosions (ex: 0:34). Drums: -Restored shines. -The hi-hat has now More hit, and doesn't sound like a mattress weak hi-hat. -More natural sound to the general drums. -Enhanced shakers. -Stronger machine shoot snare. -Replaced the choruses snare. -Not so spilled drums. -Restored a lot of missing kick hits at the 2:18 part. -Cleaner hi-hat. -Not so cheap sound, especially at the machine hi-hat or when the ride bell is played. -Restored some missing fills (ex: 1:30 or 2:52...). Vocals: -Extended backing vocals. -Balanced various volume issues (ex: at 0:23 "I HAAAD TO make him pay"). -Stereo expanded Brian's backing vocals (ex: the 0:28 part and similar parts). -Cleaner backing vocals and different priority (more audible Roger and Brian's voice). -Balanced backing vocals stereo volume and EQ. -Eliminated a "Bab!" which sounds at 0:50, like if Freddie were sing "Baby!". -More natural vocals, less old radio effect. -Enhanced the "fire" effect at the second chorus. -Eliminated a strange noise at 2:50. Guitar: -Raised up guitar shine. -Made more audible some guitar fills, like at the 0:49 "Put out the fire!". -Not so annoying and ear driller solo guitar sound. -Eliminated some strange noises at the silenced channel when the guitar starts. -Added some demo eliminated guitar bits after the known guitar solo. Bass: -Enhanced the bass at some key places. |
Haystacks Calhoun II 01.08.2013 15:44 |
Well done! I always look forward to new stuff from you! |
Vali 02.08.2013 03:15 |
Great Matt, great ! I had a very strange reaction after listening to POTF the first time. Initially I said to myself "no, no, Matt what have you done? I don't like it!" but after three or so additional listenings and, what's more important, being able to notice the modifications (those lists you do with the changes are wonderful), well, then I changed my mind !! Hahahah, I am almost anticipating this release as much as Roger's "Fun On Earth". Can't wait !! Oh, and I am so sorry for the problems you had with Life Is Real .... thanks anyway for trying !! I'm sure the rest of Hot Space will shine so much that we will be able to forgive you :) |
dysan 03.08.2013 03:22 |
I'd guess with LIR one approach would be to strip it right back - the recent acoustic versions have been splendid. |
Blaise Pascal 05.08.2013 06:30 |
Matt, I would like to ask you two things, if I can: 1 - The speed of POTF has been slowed down or was it so? 2 - It was your choice to make it look more prominent the drums that the guitar (or so it seemed to me)? |
thefantasticdrowse 05.08.2013 10:17 |
I am loving these! It's like hearing the songs again for the first time -- definitely not a bad thing. |
C_Matt 05.08.2013 19:42 |
Thank you for your responses! Haystacks, I'll upload the whole album by August 12th, if I can earlir, but I doubt it Vali, I got the same feeling too! But I think that's because of how the song changed from the version we are used to know. I didn't make list for two albums, but it's better to take my time and write the changes, because unless somebody knows every song 100% (I'm sure a lot of people can do it) it's hard to recognize all of them. I'm giving a last try to LiR, correct at least what I can do. And I really want 'Fun on Earth' too! Dysan, I'm sorry, I couldn't understand what you wanted to say with "strip it right back", would you explain me? Thanks! And I think too the acoustic version was awesome. Blaise, about the speed, it's the original speed from the 2011 remasters, which is just a little bit slower than the first press. I wanted the drums to be prominent, but I think they are a bit loud now (the snares actually). I'll low them down just a bit. About the guitar, the first verse guitar is in mono, and shares the channel with the vocals: When I eliminated a bit of that 'old radio' sound from the vocals to sound cleaner, the guitar was lowered down too. But that change is really necessary to change the song sound from being muddy and without the needed shine. The general master was really strange. The first chorus backing vocals are cleaner but panned to the left, the second chorus backing vocals are over burned and have lots of volume levels problems, and the last chorus ones sounds more louder and expanded, but it hasn't the power from the previous ones because Roger is playing the ride bell and that steals a lot of shine. The song is muddy (I think the second one after 'Action this Day'), that's why it gives a feeling that it has more mids (guitars) and lows (bass), because it doesn't has highs, which makes it sound cleaner. I'll correct all the songs speed to make them sound in the right key, trought there are some exceptions. Look at 'Scandal', AoBtD or AKoM, if you slow them down to be in their original recording speed, they loose a lot of power and energy. Thefantasticdrowse, I'm really glad you like this! I hope you enjoy this and the other uploaded albums as well. Thank you very much for your comments! Ready to download: link m/?lc=1033&mkt=en-145#cid=444956C082D185FC&id=444956C082D185FC%21258 |
Blaise Pascal 13.08.2013 06:30 |
I have some problems to download "Hot Space" The was a damned space betwee "co m" xD |
Vali 13.08.2013 06:53 |
what ? The link above is for the full album download ?? damn it ! had not noticed that :( |
Chief Mouse 13.08.2013 07:17 |
Thanks a lot for this :) |
Haystacks Calhoun II 13.08.2013 11:07 |
Awesome! Donwloaded, converted to MP3 for my iPhone...can't wait for the drive home to give a listen. |
Lord Gaga 13.08.2013 19:00 |
Any chance we can have this uploaded somewhere else than Sky Drive? Thanks! |
GAP 13.08.2013 23:21 |
I have problems with skydrive too. Would you mind uploading this amazing album with a different kind of source, please? |
Vali 14.08.2013 04:07 |
Matt !!! I downoloaded it yesterday and have not been able to proceed with a proper complete listening, but ..... I've listened with detail to the first 4 songs and, well, I'm blown away man !!! Staying Power sounds bigger than ever and I looooove the new intro. Back Chat: amazing, amazing and amazing ..... never enjoyed listening to this song as much as now! there are many new details surfacing !! And ....... Body Language. Perhaps the most controversial song in the entire Queen discography and now, for the first time in my life I have really ENJOYED it as well !!!!! Need more complete listenings of course .... and will try to give you a deeper feedback in a few days!! you rock man, you really rock!!! |
Chief Mouse 14.08.2013 05:10 |
I uploaded it on Mega for those who have problems with Skydrive. https://mega.co.nz/#!DcVziRQS!cJkh4SHG_da51-gxxHLHCAjgyXxzdII30tJX3fY5ujE |
PiotreQ 14.08.2013 11:55 |
Thanks for this! |
GAP 14.08.2013 13:40 |
Yes!!!! Chief Mouse, with this Mega Download I had no trouble. Thanks a lot pal. |
Chief Mouse 14.08.2013 13:48 |
No prob :-) |
Lord Gaga 14.08.2013 19:33 |
Thanks Bruce! |
vicspec 14.08.2013 22:21 |
This is fantastic - gives a whole new edge to the listening experience of Hot Space. Really like the extended intro of Staying Power. Great work C_Matt - thanks for putting in the time and big effort! |
DAZH 15.08.2013 11:20 |
Thanks |
Haystacks Calhoun II 15.08.2013 16:37 |
Love this! Brings new life to the entire album, even Life is Real. Well done, your best work, especially considering what you had to work with. Queen should hire you, for real. |
C_Matt 15.08.2013 18:42 |
Hi everyone! Thank you very much for all your comments, I'm really happy to read them. Sorry for the inconvenients with the download link, I forgot to explain that there was that space between the "co m". I'd put it because I don't want the entire link to be on Internet. Might is myself, but I have this idea that an entire link is easier to find, and with all this copyright things, maybe all the uploads will get eliminated. Haysyacks, I would love to work for them hahahaha, but might for those copyright new things, I have to eliminate all. Once or twice a week, I go to a friend's country house in a town near from the city I live to disconnect myself from everything, that's why I didn't answered. So I apologize to Blaise, Lord Ga Ga, GAP, and all those who can't download it, and thank you very much Mouse for uploading it to Mega. I should create an account there too and start having an alternative download source. For all those who could hear the album, Haystacks, PiotreQ, Vali, Vicspec, DAZH, Mouse again, I'm really glad you enjoyed it! Thank you Vali again for those individual reviews, I really like how 'Body Language' and 'Back Chat' sounds now too. The first one was really hard to work with! Even having that simple structure, it was hard to make the bass thing sound like I wanted. I thought that the new intro would give a more ambiental or "thematic" feel to the album, like 'The Game', ADatR, Queen II, AKoM... and almost all albums which, if not have a separated intro, they had a great song to open. 'Staying Power' is the best song to open the "funky" part of the album, and the album itself, but it never had the neccesary strength to be at the start, the song is a bit empty, that's why it's weak, beside the bad mastering. About the music, the album is just great, there are great jewells here! 'Las Palabras de Amor', 'Body Language', 'Cool Cat', 'Back Chat' are really beautiful and strong points in the album, really great to listen to. The artwork is just spectacular, I love it. But the whole album always sounded a bit muddy, flat and spilled to me. For example, main things to me which annoyed me and were my maing goal to change: -There were like no true or definited lows/basses, those where just a "sensation", like a feeling or a perception that they were there, but at the same time, not really. It was too spilled, there was a "PMSCH" but not the "BUUMP" to make the strong beat. -With the vocals, song like 'Dancer', 'Action This Day', etc... didn't had the vocals centered, that's why they were so ghostly, because they were there, but not really, they are, again, a sensation, there's no definition. A karaoke function never would work with those songs. -Other songs like 'Staying Power', which needed that expansion between the vocals to create an ambient, had all the Freddies singing "See what I got" together in the center. But songs like 'Las Palabras de Amor' had two uneccesary Freddies singing together, one on each channel. -The percussion sounds really weird during all the album. 'Calling All Girls' have really flat drums, like if the snare were sunken into a lows flood, the same with 'Staying Power', 'Body Language' and others. -Is hard to me to understand how some songs like 'Cool Cat' and the others which had machine drums have missing hits, missing hi-hats or snares which were perfectly played by a machine. -The EQ between all the songs is really really strange. ATD or 'Cool Cat' are really dry and opaque. -'Life Is Real' mastering is something I'll never understand. -There are strange mastering differences between the same song. The three POtF choruses sounds really different one from each other, or the 'Staying Power's "See what I got" verse sounds empty, lower and weaker that the other ones with the same style. -There are some strange volume issues, abrupt ups and downs. For example the first verse in 'Calling All Girls', the start from 'Las Palabras del Amor', a dry explosion at "mad masquerade" in POtF. It's hard to understand this having some previous albums so much better quality and mixing. I think this is one strong reason the album didn't have that love other had, beside the music style thing. Anyway, thanks a lot to everyone again! I started working with 'You and I'. Enjoy 'Hot Space' very very much! |
Blaise Pascal 01.09.2013 09:48 |
Las Parlabas De Amor very outstanding Very good Staying Power and Back Chat As usually a very good job ;) |
C_Matt 15.10.2013 14:24 |
Hi, Blaise! I really like how those three sounds now too, veing LPdA my favorite. Thank you so very much for your comment! And sorry for all the delay in the answer. I'm trying my best now with ADatR. |
Vali 16.10.2013 11:19 |
...and we'll be awaiting impatiently the outcome, Matt ! your ADATR will be another gem, I'm sure ! I've listened to Hot Space.... I don't know, 10 times maybe, since you released it and it's getting better and better after each listening, One good friend of mine is getting really into Queen these days, listening to complete albums for the first time and .... guess what version of HS I passed to him? ;) |
Blaise Pascal 16.10.2013 13:21 |
ciber_mato wrote: Hi, Blaise! I really like how those three sounds now too, veing LPdA my favorite. Thank you so very much for your comment! And sorry for all the delay in the answer. I'm trying my best now with ADatR.I'm sure that you'll do the best ;) |
Blaise Pascal 01.11.2013 15:33 |
Good news about ADATR? |
C_Matt 05.11.2013 23:43 |
I'm sorry, now I created the corresponding post for the album, please, comment there, thank you very much! link |