Strawberry Fields Forever (Completed)
This is a Bandhug.com cover of The Beatles' masterpiece, "Strawberry Fields Forever." It features CopyCat on vocals; Michael Dixon on multiple keyboard instruments; Michmuch on guitar; and DrumrDad on drums and percussion. This was a musically and technically intensive project requiring many hours of listening, performing, and technical wizardry. Outside websites were utilized to create special effects and make the impossible possible. The Beatles themselves had no comparable technical luxuries in their time so this project felt a bit like 'cheating,' but just as they made the most of the tools at their disposal during their time so did we make the best use of ours. This song was part of The Beatles' second "Double A-side" release on February 13, !967.
The original was recorded with - what? A four track system? They must have bounced tracks like crazy to pull this off! Back in the day I cut my teeth on multitrack recording with an old Teac reel-to-reel 4 track recorder (I think it was an A-3440). And when I bounced tracks much I started losing audio fidelity noticeably. I'm sure an audio engineer (like George Martin) would have done way better than I did with his mad skills and way better microphones (and soundproof booths). It's a completely different world today with digital recording! I think back to those days sometimes and smile at my earnest early efforts and the amazing tools available to us today.
Wowie! Thanks for putting this one on my radar screen michaeldixon . This is a super ambitious undertaking performed with great attention to detail. Your love for the source material shines through. Bravo you guys!
So how did you prepare Copycat's doubled lead vocal? Is it the John Lennon recording trick (so I've been told) of simply using two copies of one vocal performance and putting the second one a little out of sync with the first? Always taking notes on recording and mixing technique...
Greatness!
This is a new mix as of 10/15/23. I used the new DAW screen and pushed boosting beyond recommended limits to achieve better balance. Thanks go to CopyCat for his invaluable advice and help at every stage. I hope you like it a little better! Michael Dixon.
Wow! Fantastic work, lads! Quite an accomplishment. Congrats to all!