Same song, same mix.

I took the comp and EQ off the bus for the bass and punched in the same settings on MH Channel Strip. Ditto for the main mix bus. Oh, and I boosted the fader on the bass bus 1.5 dB on the MH Channel Strip version.

FWIW, the bass is a Carvin 5-string fretless played with a pick through a GK700RB and GK NEO 4x10. Nady RSM-4 ribbon mic about IIRC a foot off the cab. DI through a Groove Tubes DI, taken before the amp. Blended to taste, DI for the top end and the ribbon for girth.

W/o MH Channel Strip:
https://dl.dropbox.com/u/13184331/03%20confabulated_edison_v5.mp3

W/ MH Channel Strip:
https://dl.dropbox.com/u/13184331/confabulated_edison_v5_MH.mp3

Initial thoughts: Channel Strip is not a biggermaker. It is a narrowermaker. Sometimes this is useful. It added focus to an overbearing bass tone and cleared up low-mid murk on the main mix. I did not like it on the drum bus; it seemed too small and squashed sounding for my taste, though it did add punch. I wouldn't use it on everything, but it has its uses.

Also: I noticed on the MH Channel Strip version I can hear bleed from the bass into a Beta 58A that was on my AC30 when we were tracking. It's panned hard left. It makes me want to have stereo room ambience mics when recording the bass properly. And guitars for some stuff, too. I like the vibe. Not always useful or desirable, but cool for some stuff.

I actually prefer the hugebass on the first one?

The bass seems too low in the mix on the MH one.

Also the celeste/bell bit is pretty sweet. Was that in there before? Or is that a geetar+verbyness?

I have been meaning to listen to this, when I have the time and good sound and patience to read about what the hell is going on here.

Yeah, the MH Channel Strip, even with the same settings, took the bass level way way down. I'm thinking of doing a third mix as an experiment using Channel Strip solely on the mix bus, where it does a good job of separating things to my ears.

I still hate it on drums. At least, on the drum bus. I could parallel comp with it for Massive Attack (not the band) and blend that back in to a big wide-open drum sound, though, which could be really interesting.

That is not a synth-celeste. That's a Tele on the middle position --> EHX Cathedral on the Flerb setting --> Really loud AC30. I'm keeping that in the song for sure. We're giving it a once-over on Tuesday to arrange the live version. But that stays.

The bass smallerness is not as cool. It did however bring a lot more attention to the rest of what was going on, which I do enjoy a lot. If think I enjoyed also what it did to the main mix, if I understand you correctly?

I think you understand correctly. Like I said, I think I'll make another version with the original stuff on bass and MH Channel Strip on the mix bus. It's definitely a utility piece, I think. But it has its uses. The EQ is nice and clean, and the whole thing isn't very processor-intensive. It's kinda like the anti-Decapitator in that it's a smallerizer. But sometimes things need to get smaller.

I am not in possession of high quality audio speakers (I'm at my buddy's house listening on shitty Dell desktop monitors with my headphones) so I can't give a good judgement on which track is better production-wise but this song is badass.
I am excited to hear this after the recording process is over.

https://dl.dropbox.com/u/13184331/confabulated_edison_v5_mh2b.mp3

The original signal chain for the bass, with MH Channel Strip on the main bus.

This is badass.

I liked that last version a lot.

Oh.

I thought this would be you covering a Metric song.


That first clip...

noises.

The noise loop is me smashing my broken A string against my pickups, through a bitcrusher.