This was a fun mix. It’s as simple as you can get; 2 mono tracks, piano and vocals, reasonably well recorded with a nice microphone. The piano is a stunning 1893 Steinway Model A with a gorgeous tone, and Zoë is in full command of her voice. There were a few bumps and background noises that needed some repair, but the biggest challenge was to add a sense of spaciousness to the song, given the mono character of the sources. Also, the vocal track is a quite dynamic performance that required a bit of taming to get it to sit well with the piano. I used a lot of techniques, including EQ, a few different compression schemes, reverb, saturation, and delay. The final mix has a lot of ambience in it, perhaps a bit much for some but I thought the song called for it.
I’m happy with how this came out. It’s a real testament to the fact that if you have a decent mic, a great-sounding instrument, and a good mix, anyone can make great recordings. This Syren’s song is an appropriate song for Valentine’s Day, so give it a listen!