Acoustic Rock mix suggestions?

[Dugar]

Hey guys, this is my first post here. I'm taking a recording class, and this is a rough mix of my tracking project. It was recorded in a converted dorm room (maybe a 11'x13' space or thereabouts) into a Radar 24 hard disk recorder and mixed on a Sony DMX R100. There are many, many things musically wrong with this recording (i.e. wrong notes, timing issues, etc.), but given the limited amounts of time in which we had to track, I couldn't afford to be picky about them. I also have more work to do on many things like gating, automation, and EQ.

I have listened to many of the things posted here, and I know you guys have some valuable knowledge to pass on, so any and all contructive criticism would be greatly appreciated!

[norman_nomad]

Cool song. I think you have a good start on things!

I'd like to hear a little more creative use of compression... the drums could reigned in a bit. Are you compressing the master drum buss channel? I'd like to hear a little more mid-range definition from the kick.

The vocals aren't pulling the song along; is this a creative decision on your part? I'd like to hear the vocals upfront a bit more, and "finessed" with the light use of reverb/delay/effects.

Right now the tune has the "band playing in a room” vibe... which I think works. Maybe just a few nudges here and there.

My 2 cents. Post any changes you make... would be good to hear!!

- Damon

[Dugar]

Thanks so much for the feedback, norman_nomad. Yes, I'm compressing the kick, but only chopping off the top a bit. The drummer had a very dynamic perfromance, going from all-out smacking the hell out of the kit to just barely tapping, so I wanted to preserve some of that quality, but am having trouble finding just the right balance of dynamic control and "flow," I guess you could say. The vocals are a bit low right now and the 'verb isn't kicking in that hard, but that should be fixed at some point. During the bridge (the vocal "aaahs"), they are intentionally pulled down and I plan to soak it in some more reverb to give it that "corridor" sound while the cello takes the spotlight for a bit. I will also try to make the kick a little punchier with some EQ. I usually go for a high-end punchy kick sound since I usually play metal, but I figured I would try a different approach for this song.

This is my first time tracking in a studio environment (project or otherwise), so keep the feedback rolling 'cause I can use all the help I can get!

[DeeDrive]

Work on the drums a bit more, really try to pull the snare out, and probably compress the whole drum buss to bring the whole kit out. Also, the guitars seem to be fighting with each other for space, maybe try to pan and eq them to seperate them a little bit. The violin gets a little buried in there too. Looks like your on the right track though.

[balkanboy]

Dugar,

You have a nice tune to work on.. As other said work on the drums-all the proposels work. Pan the guitars and eq them right - they sound horrible to me at this time. Pull the vocal more up front and give her some space! I think that would be nice. Also all the string should have more defined space in the mix- and automation -as you said...
Overall you're heading there...

Cheers!
Grega

[opentune]

Hey, maybe you can do a new mix with a different approach.

Try starting with the vocals, then place the other instruments around it.
Might be easier for you to create space for the different instruments, when
you do it this way. You will notice immediately whenever a new track (which
you add to your mixdown) collides with what you already have.

Just a thought...