Live (mostly) in the studio video

[Aled Hughes]

I haven't posted this before,. It's from a few years ago, with one of my absolute favourite artists. I loved the sessions for this album - what you see in the video was live, with piano and electric guitar overdubbed later.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9kK7LGZGO10

[James Perrett]

That sounds (and looks) great. I'm a little intrigued - which mic was actually recording the vocals?

[Aled Hughes]

That sounds (and looks) great. I'm a little intrigued - which mic was actually recording the vocals?

Guess

[James Perrett]

It sounds like the large diaphragm condenser (U87?) due to the smoother high end and lack of proximity effect when she comes in closer to the mic but I've been surprised at just how good an SM58 can sound under the right circumstances.

[Aled Hughes]

It sounds like the large diaphragm condenser (U87?) due to the smoother high end and lack of proximity effect when she comes in closer to the mic but I've been surprised at just how good an SM58 can sound under the right circumstances.

Yes, it is the U87 you’re hearing. I’d say 80% of the drum sound is also spill into the back end of the vocal mic!

The Shure was used as a “comfort mic” of sorts for her monitoring, as she had been rehearsing the songs with an SM58 through a cheap little amp with a huge overblown reverb and had gotten very used to performing that way, so that’s what she had in the headphones!

Thanks for listening, and for the kind words.

[Folderol]

Thanks for posting that. Very enjoyable

[shufflebeat]

V cool. Thanks for that.

[awjoe]

It sounds like the large diaphragm condenser (U87?) due to the smoother high end and lack of proximity effect when she comes in closer to the mic but I've been surprised at just how good an SM58 can sound under the right circumstances.

Yes, it is the U87 you’re hearing...

The Shure was used as a “comfort mic” of sorts for her monitoring, as she had been rehearsing the songs with an SM58 through a cheap little amp with a huge overblown reverb and had gotten very used to performing that way, so that’s what she had in the headphones!

I'm glad you reported that, because there was something about the audio/video connection that didn't convince re: the singing into the 58 - it didn't sound close enough.

So, two things. First, I wanted the fiddle louder. I'm talking 2 dB at least. Just saying. Second, I'm in love. Maybe you think I'm exaggerating or something, but now I have to follow that singer, because she moved me on that one. 72 years old and falling in love with a woman in a video. Pathetic. I wish I understood what she was singing about.

Oh, there's a third thing. I'm all about music videos for presenting music these days, and this one is five stars for me. Thanks very much for posting. This is pretty much the best I've seen so far in this forum.

[Drew Stephenson]

I wish I understood what she was singing about.

If you still spend your time hiding, remember,
I know all the streets of your mind.
I know this city, the dust and the chaos,
I know the straight and narrow paths
And gorgeous gardens of your skin while you sleep.

Three hundred and forty six thousand
People are living in Cardiff
Yet not one knows the way
The way to you.
Three hundred and forty six thousand.

When we were spent I went as far as I could, far away,
But there was traffic on the roads and traffic on my phone.
Traffic in my mind and traffic in my veins
Driving me back to Cardiff -
One way diversion to your kingdom.

Three hundred and forty six thousand
People are living in Cardiff
Yet not one knows the way
The way to you.
Three hundred and forty six thousand.

Lovely work that Aled.

[awjoe]

Yes, I saw the translation of the Welsh into English, and it gives me the impression that the song is as good as the performance of it. But what I meant was I wish I knew which word she was leaning into with each note and inflection. I've got the macro understanding of the lyrics, but the it micro delivery that I want. This recording really landed in me with impact. It's been echoing in my mind since I heard it. Hey - maybe that's because I don't understand Welsh!

[Drew Stephenson]

Gotcha. Though I find that there are enough non-welsh words and / or understandable ones that I can broadly follow the translation and work out where the emphasis is generally sitting.
The finer detail remains, satisfyingly, a mystery.

[Folderol]

Thanks a lot for that translation Drew. Definitely add an extra dimension

[Aled Hughes]

I wish I understood what she was singing about.

If you still spend your time hiding, remember,
I know all the streets of your mind.
I know this city, the dust and the chaos,
I know the straight and narrow paths
And gorgeous gardens of your skin while you sleep.

Three hundred and forty six thousand
People are living in Cardiff
Yet not one knows the way
The way to you.
Three hundred and forty six thousand.

When we were spent I went as far as I could, far away,
But there was traffic on the roads and traffic on my phone.
Traffic in my mind and traffic in my veins
Driving me back to Cardiff -
One way diversion to your kingdom.

Three hundred and forty six thousand
People are living in Cardiff
Yet not one knows the way
The way to you.
Three hundred and forty six thousand.

Lovely work that Aled.

Crikey, that's damn close! A bit clunky, but it certainly gets the message. It even rhymes "spent" and "went" in the right place?

Was it Google Translate or similar?

That whole album ('Gwn Glan Beibl Budur') is one of the most overwhelmingly mesmerizing things I've ever worked on, and I'm so glad that it has the same effect even if you can't speak Welsh. Her other albums are also superb, especially 'Duw a Wyr' - a dark jazzy reworking of old Welsh hymns.

[Drew Stephenson]

Wish I could take credit but it's from one of the comments on the video.