Is this reggae beat thin sounding? I think it needs mojo distortion to fatten it up

[Roman]

Hello gear heads, I made this reggae beat with an MPC60II triggering an Akai Z8 sampler for the drums. Everything else is recorded live one track at a time by me. The timing is not as relaxed and groovy as I want. My guitar playing is amateur.

But I am happy enough with the general sound of the mix and instruments used.
I record using an M-Audio Delta 44 soundcard. Mackie 1604VLZ mixer, TLM103 into a focusrite voicemaster. I have UAD-1 plug ins in Logic.

I have this uneducated idea that I could upgrade my sound by buying Apogee ensemble soundcard and process my sounds through a FATSO and Anamod to make them more like old school fat tape sound. I am saving for these very items.

I do want to keep perspective because I know that music is more about playing and being good at making music. But being a typical male and this music thing being my main hobby I just can't resist seeing what the sound would be like recorded through Neve 1073 to Fatso to Anamod to Apogee converters.

Hopefully Logic's 'Space designer' convolution reverb will give me realistic depth along with the analogue distortion when tracking sounds.

Plus I really want to master to a professional 2 track tape machine. I am going to do this when I can afford the gear.

Am I right in thinking this production sounds thin. I listen to alot of 70's reggae and it is very distorted tape sounding and meatier sounding.

What would you guys recommend from listening to this 320kps MP3 of my sound.
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Ideally I would get a reply from people that have experience recording and have used gear to fatten up sounds tracked to digital. I have mentioned I am saving for a FATSO and Anamod and a 2 track tape machine. Yeah maybe I have answered my question myself but until have this equipment I would like an objective comment on if this mix is thin sounding and would benefit from analogue distortion boxes.

[Willis Knight]

The track does sound thin although I like what youre playing. I think the guitar needs another layer. Everything else can be mixed around it but because the guitar is the main sound, that definately needs to have more weight.
The bass sounds too clean but that can be fixed with a good mix. The drums need work but all that comes with a good mix and effects.

[Roman]

It's interesting you say the bass is too clean. It's a Korg MS20 analogue synth. If I set it up right it is the biggest sounding bass I have.

[Willis Knight]

Normally reggae tracks, especially in this style, use a live bass. The fact that youre using a synth is why it sounds too clean. I didnt say it didnt sound fat, just sounds clean. But not clean to the point where it cant be worked with.

[Roman]

The bass has alot of harmonics or fluffyness but it doesn't really show in this beat.
I have it in my head that the cheapish converters I use are robbing me of special sound. If I play the MS20 live it is a huge analogue bass.
I intend to get a Kenton Pro Mk2 MIDI to CV converter so I can sequence the MS20 and have it pumping it's sound live in Logic through Apogee ensemble converters.
I think we talk about gear and which is best but there is alot just in how you use equipment.
I suspect my cheapish converters are slightly shrinking my sound.

[Ricey]

sounds to me like the bass and kick are living in the same place, frequency-wise.
like living with two girlfriends under one roof. did you know the chinese character for tension is two woman characters under the roof character?
ok, enough machismo - try high-passing the bass at 40, kick at 80. just a suggestion and definitely biased on my part!
meanwhile i found the guitar to be wikked!

[simonv]

I also think your guitar sounds great. Keep that guitar chain as it is!

As for the drum and bass, it seems that you're trying to achieve an old school vibe by using synths and drum machines that are used for modern stuff. And it shows.

I think that from here you could only get closer to "that" reggae sound with a real drummer and bassist. If you can't record them yourself, you could lookup online drum/bass recording services. Some of these folks could get you awesome drums and bass on there, while you wait and pay a few bucks.

Apart from that, you have the feel. Keep it up!

[Dave Derr]

I love the groove. Been a big Reggae and Ska fan forever. You can probably turn down the hat some so its not so pointy, and definitely add some distortion to the bass or 1 - 2KHZ to make it cut on small speakers. Or you could add another bass sound to double it. The bass disappears on small speakers so maybe doubling it up an octave or giving it some grunge and tons of compression to cut.

Dont be afraid to pan things hard, sometimes, especially little percusion parts.

If you listen on teeny speakers and try to make things work there, the whole thing will probably come together nice. Is there gonna be vocals? They will change everything.

Good Luck!

[Roman]

I agreed with everything in the reply I got in my email notification and then I clicked on the link and it is the mad scientist behind the highly praised analogue boxes that allow pleasing distortion and other things.

I boosted the low frequencies in the bass line from the MS20 heaps and that meant it was no longer as fluffy with mid and high range distortion to make it speak on small speakers.
I think less eq would let the naturally noisy bass from the Korg MS20 speak through small speakers.

Your bang on about mixing on small speakers to monitor such things. Many pros start on small speakers from what I've read. Drums and vocals as well are good on small speakers.

Some reggae has loud hihat but it is smoother sounding and that's where I thought a FATSO might help.

The main thing I was thinking was the bass disappears on small speakers or when turned down low.

[Roman]

This MP3 is 320 kps sounds the same to my ears as the bounce. Hang on let me check again right now.Shiit too close to talk about. Listening on my Genelec 1031's/

I have been reading and imagining what this production would sound like tracked through a 1073 mic pre, FATSO a little bit into Apogees.

Would it sound twice as big? What would it sound like? Can someone run my Beat through a 1073 and FATSO for me and send me an MP3?
romanp@xtra.co.nz
Smoke some weed and compare the two. I deserve it because of all the ferfin 1073 posts on GS I've read.

Oops, proof weed affects your brain. I forgot to mantion I remixed this with a little ghettoblaster radio. Sounds better. I'm even gonna hook up some little auxilary computer speakers because the ghettoblaster is capable of a little bit of power.
But this is reggae, kinda big speaker music. But Dave Derr was bang on about small speakers and it get's the balance you want quicker. Then listen on the big speakers and everything sounded proper. And blended. The link is:
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Roman.