Sometimes, in the dead of night or wee hours of the morning, I clear the mixing board of my own crap and pull up a favorite song by another artist. As I begin twisting the knobs and adjusting the faders, I imagine that my life turned had out differently and that, instead of operating in complete obscurity, I'm one of those in-demand mix engineers whose name in the credits of a song fills you with glee, knowing that what you're about to here will be a beer buffet for the ears.
Of course, I'm no recording engineer, much less a skilled mixologist, but I do enjoy playing with effects and think that more artists should indulge themselves when it comes to incorporating effects into their mix.
The common rule of thumb is that you're supposed to "keep things tasteful", or bury such effects so far down in the mix that most folks will never even know its there. To this I simply say, "Why bother?" If, at the end of the day, you, the mix engineer, are the only one who knows that you added a smidge of digital delay to the lead vocal in the chorus, then you need to CRANK IT UP.
With that in mind, I give you my interpretation of this lo-fi gem of a tune by national treasure and all-around great guy Paul Westerberg.
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just listen