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Author Topic: Rolling your own SMiLE – Tips for a novice?  (Read 1681 times)
Tristero
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« on: February 24, 2012, 05:36:26 AM »

After taking some time to digest the SMiLE Sessions set, I think I’m about ready to get down to business with some editing and I was hoping to get some advice from the experts.  I have to admit that I’m not the most technologically savvy guy in the world, though I’ve done my own crude SMiLE mixes in the past.  I’m not planning on doing anything too revolutionary here, no vocal fly ins and such, mainly just some cutting and pasting, but I do have a few questions.

What’s the best program to use for editing?  I downloaded Audacity and have played with that a little bit, though I find the controls to be a little clumsy.  Is there anything better out there?

This may be a dumb question, but what’s the best file format to work in for optimal sound quality?  I downloaded TSS into my iTunes using Apple Lossless, but then Audacity said it couldn’t work with that.  So should I use MP3 or WAV?  (Told you I’m a luddite!)

Here’s the big question: Mono or stereo?  Since some of the tracks are only available in mono (and I will likely be using Disc 1 of TSS as my primary source in most cases), I’m inclined to go for a mono mix, which leads to my next question:  How does one make a “fold down” mono mix out of a stereo track? 

Do you have any other helpful tips for a beginner?  Your feedback would be greatly appreciated.
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hypehat
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« Reply #1 on: February 24, 2012, 05:48:27 AM »

With Audacity, you can fold the stereo down to mono easily enough - click on the little drop down menu on the stereo track and use 'Split Stereo to Mono', and then adjust the levels if need be. Then, in the tracks menu up top, clicking on 'mix and render' should turn it into one mono track.

Audacity is good enough for what you're doing, so I wouldn't bother with owt else. It does take a little getting used to (Jay knows enough about this  LOL) but it's perfectly serviceable.

(I haven't used Audacity in two years, why do I still remember how it works?  LOL)

WAV is the best sound quality.

If disc one is your primary source, stick with mono - just make sure you're vigilant with checking the levels when you fold down stereo recordings from the box. For instance, something like Dada (Rhodes), the piano in the left channel would bury the Rhodes mixed to mono as it's already at a much higher volume. Simple things like that.

Hope this helps!


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Tristero
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« Reply #2 on: February 24, 2012, 06:27:14 AM »


If disc one is your primary source, stick with mono - just make sure you're vigilant with checking the levels when you fold down stereo recordings from the box. For instance, something like Dada (Rhodes), the piano in the left channel would bury the Rhodes mixed to mono as it's already at a much higher volume. Simple things like that.


So if one channel is noticeably louder in stereo, you should just manually bring down the volume or even the two channels out before converting to mono? 

Do people ever mix and match mono and stereo?  I want to go for a unified sound, but there are some tracks where stereo might work better.  I plan to end with Surf's Up, but rather than trying to do something fancy, I think I'll just start with the instrumental backing to the first part and then go into piano demo--simple, powerful.  I suppose I could convert the tracks from Disc 3 to mono, but I love the way it sounds as is.  Of course, this will likely be preceded by Child, which would need to be in mono, so the transition might be jarring.  (I really love disc 1 of TSS, but the new Child mix was a disappointment to me, so that's one of the key tracks I want to play with.)

Thanks for your advice, hypehat.  I imagine with a little practice, Audacity will be easy enough to use.
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meltedwhiskeyinmyhand
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« Reply #3 on: February 24, 2012, 07:00:08 AM »


If disc one is your primary source, stick with mono - just make sure you're vigilant with checking the levels when you fold down stereo recordings from the box. For instance, something like Dada (Rhodes), the piano in the left channel would bury the Rhodes mixed to mono as it's already at a much higher volume. Simple things like that.


So if one channel is noticeably louder in stereo, you should just manually bring down the volume or even the two channels out before converting to mono?  


anyone done this in garageband before?
Do people ever mix and match mono and stereo?  I want to go for a unified sound, but there are some tracks where stereo might work better.  I plan to end with Surf's Up, but rather than trying to do something fancy, I think I'll just start with the instrumental backing to the first part and then go into piano demo--simple, powerful.  I suppose I could convert the tracks from Disc 3 to mono, but I love the way it sounds as is.  Of course, this will likely be preceded by Child, which would need to be in mono, so the transition might be jarring.  (I really love disc 1 of TSS, but the new Child mix was a disappointment to me, so that's one of the key tracks I want to play with.)

Thanks for your advice, hypehat.  I imagine with a little practice, Audacity will be easy enough to use.

Has anyone done this with garageband?
« Last Edit: February 24, 2012, 12:37:13 PM by meltedwhiskeyinmyhand » Logged
Tristero
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« Reply #4 on: February 24, 2012, 02:45:31 PM »

Interestingly, I've discovered that iTunes has a function whereby I can simply import wav files in mono.  Has anybody used this extensively?  Is that a reliable way to go for converting to mono?
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anazgnos
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« Reply #5 on: February 24, 2012, 05:00:39 PM »

Interestingly, I've discovered that iTunes has a function whereby I can simply import wav files in mono.  Has anybody used this extensively?  Is that a reliable way to go for converting to mono?

Probably better to do it yourself.  There are parameters you'd probably want to have some control over and see the results of before committing, rather than leaving it to a blind process like that.
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Jay
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« Reply #6 on: February 25, 2012, 02:55:21 AM »

With Audacity, you can fold the stereo down to mono easily enough - click on the little drop down menu on the stereo track and use 'Split Stereo to Mono', and then adjust the levels if need be. Then, in the tracks menu up top, clicking on 'mix and render' should turn it into one mono track.

Audacity is good enough for what you're doing, so I wouldn't bother with owt else. It does take a little getting used to (Jay knows enough about this  LOL) but it's perfectly serviceable.

(I haven't used Audacity in two years, why do I still remember how it works?  LOL)

WAV is the best sound quality.

If disc one is your primary source, stick with mono - just make sure you're vigilant with checking the levels when you fold down stereo recordings from the box. For instance, something like Dada (Rhodes), the piano in the left channel would bury the Rhodes mixed to mono as it's already at a much higher volume. Simple things like that.

Hope this helps!



Audacity is a pain to figure out, but once you know what the basic controls are and what they do, it can be kind of fun. I've done a few mixes and edits with it.
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« Reply #7 on: May 09, 2012, 04:59:36 PM »

I've made my own SMiLE Mix using Audacity, if you want to hear the results just type in "Smile Mujan Remix" into youtube. As someone else said, it's not perfect and can be a little frustrating but it's usable. There's some things I'm not happy with on my own mix (mostly switching between Mono and Stereo in some tracks) but you do the best you can.

Like you, my biggest gripe with Disc 1 was the abrupt CIFOTM version they used, so on my mix it's fleshed out into a 3 and a half minute mix. The problem is the stuff on the bonus discs is in stereo but not Disc 1 and that can be a pain to work around (I didn't know how to deal with it when I made my mix so I left it as is)
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Here are my SMiLE Mixes. All are 2 suite, but still vastly different in several ways. Be on the lookout for another, someday.

Aquarian SMiLE>HERE
Dumb Angel (Olorin Edition)>HERE
Dumb Angel [the Romestamo Cut]>HERE

& This is a new pet project Ive worked on, which combines Fritz Lang's classic film, Metropolis (1927) with The United States of America (1968) as a new soundtrack. More info is in the video description.
The American Metropolitan Circus>HERE
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runnersdialzero
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« Reply #8 on: May 09, 2012, 05:05:18 PM »

No need to fold stereo down to mono.

Also, good luck - in making my own mix, the box set wasn't adequate in giving me all the pieces I need. Several of the pieces I needed to make a fairly simple mix are either not there or they've been edited for time.
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« Reply #9 on: May 09, 2012, 05:18:55 PM »

Don't think it has to be tracked a certain way because of other mixes or releases. My mixes use to be all over the place. The fun of it is you can make your own.
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