My buddy & former bandmate started a new band & I agreed to make his demo. This track is a jazz/jam arrangement of Wayne Shorter's Speak No Evil. These guys are very much in the Soulive and Medeski, Martin & Wood vein.
How is the mix? Good? Bad? Improvements?
I also did a bit of my own pseduo-mastering, so I'm curious what you think of that as well.
Thanks!!
Here's the track.
I recorded it in the drummer's home using the following:
- Soundcraft EPM8 mixer
- Tascam 1800 interface
- Reaper on Win XP SP2
Drums:
- OH: Cascade Victor w/Lundahl
- Inside Kick: Heil PR48
- Snare: Heil PR35 about 6-8 inches back from snare, at mid-snare level, pointing slightly between kick drum & snare
Keys: DI
Bass: DI
Gutiar:
- CAD e100 (-10db pad)
- Cascade Vin-Jet
both about 4 inches back from cab grill
I think I put a little compression on the guitar mics while tracking. Otherwise, no compression during tracking.
HYBRID MIX:
- Reaper out via M-AUDIO Profire 610 to Soundcraft EPM8
- stereo out from mixer back into Profile 610 to PC
- for mastering, rendered stereo tracks down with L1 plug on stereo buss
Reverb:
- Snare ran through Lexicon MX200 (Studio setting)
- ran a guitar Vin Jet through MX200 (Studio setting) & panned hard right, in parallel to Vin Jet & e100 panned left (which had cab reverb).
- Keys had own reverb, but also ran through an Intersound RV100 at mix
Compression
- Bass and Kick through TC C300
- Drum OH, Keys, & Guitar mics through DBX 166XL and DBX 166A units
ITB:
- a few notch filters on drums, guitar, and keys
- Waves MaxxBass on bass
- Liteon/presenceeq on snare, both guitar mics, and keys
MASTERING:
- on stereo buss, Waves' L1 Ultramaximizer+
- no additional EQ or compression at mastering
Might want to consider putting on soundcloud or similar where it can stream remotely.
I'm sure I'm not alone in refusing to download on anything on a computer that contains my entire livelihood.
__________________ .
PRODUCTION GOAL: Blend ridiculously diverse musical influences into a viable pop signature sound that works for top 40 radio, clubs, earbuds, computer speakers, car stereos, submarine galleys, Australian walkabouts, Turkish prisons, skydiving simulators, volcanic craters, anechoic chambers, Martian discotheques, and all other known and unknown playback scenarios in perpetuity throughout the universe. - AINT NOBODY
Personally, I'd prefer a bit more (or any) meat to the kick. I'm a huge MMW fan, and although they're jazzy to the bone, there's some chest-thumping grooves in there too. Meaty bass tone here, so kick is really overshadowed.
Not entirely crazy about the guitar processing. Not the prettiest chorus to my ears, but that may be coming out of the rig.
Keys sound good.
Panning sounds a bit distracting on phones (listening on senn 595's), but haven't heard on speakers, and given the syncopated interplay between the guitar and keys, I understand why it's there, and can't say for sure the "conversation" between them wouldn't suffer a bit if in tighter.
LOVE the bass tone.
Drums sound otherwise quite good.
Good air and space overall to the mix.
Decent modern rms without killing the vibe.
And, of course... good to hear the MMW torch being carried any day of the week.
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