Video: https://youtu.be/28Rj35DzWEA
Recorded & produced: Sep-Nov 2021, Jan-Mar 2022
This is my favorite version of Fingertips. Reproducing it required however a lot of instrument tracks, quite more than I though initially.
I recorded the performance after a vocals lesson when I was already warmed up. Yet because I was tired it sounds a bit tranquil. Also my Per Gessle voice impression isn't there yet but at least I could hit high pitches more pleasantly. I got help with the backing vocals.
This song is a favorite practice song of mine because it alternates slow and fast sections. It also has some drum fills that are really pleasant to play.
On the low side, I do not like the sound I got from Superior Drummer 3. The kick drum sounds in particular too echoey. I'll need to learn to better make use of it.
There's a simple solo but there are several lead riffs in the song. I recorded each part in isolation just to simplify things.
For the guitars to fill up the space I had to use two rhythm guitars, one electric and one acoustic. Also a third electric one was needed in the high energy parts.
Analyzing the original song I noticed that a mandolin had a noticeable impact on the song's energy buildup. Having watched a few online videos I figured that I could play some basic chords to achieve the same impact. So I bought an acoustic electric mandolin, practiced it for a week or two and I was able to achieve a satisfactory effect.
I fished in my soundbanks to find something resembling the sound of the original. It was an Arturia V sound that caught my attention.
After mixing the tracks it became obvious that I needed additional filler sounds to accompany the rhythm. I started with a pair of shakers but I decided to also include a tambourine. In Roxette - Here comes the weekend - v1.2 I used a digital tambourine and digital shakers (MIDI from a drum pad + synthesized sounds) but playing them didn't feel natural and it was hard to keep the rhythm steady. I much better enjoyed the actual instruments.
With this many tracks mixing became more challenging. I never had a song with so many tracks. Luckily the timings were reasonably in sync but carving out space in the stereo sound landscape for all the tracks wasn't easy. It was good learning though.
For the drums I used a pretty stage light with spinning light beams that were a nice sight in the smoke. Yet that device was way too bulky to be practical so I got rid of it.