Please critique my first paying mix!

Poopants · 6th February 2006, 08:57 AM

This isn't my first engineering project but it is the first project I've done after getting some fun stuff like Mytek converters and a Fatso and Seventh Circle pres and the first one where the band is paying me.

I am recording/mixing 10 songs and this is the first one. Everything was recorded either in the singer's livingroom or my bedroom which I acoustically treated to the best of my ability. We had to rush to get the guitars and Vox done to get the song on a compilation so we're re-doing the guitars at least (I'm not happy with how they turned out). I also had to rush to get the mix done because the deadline for the compilation is 5:00 tomorrow and I have class till 3! So it's obviously not mastered, just a little L2 thrown on at the end.

Please don't be nice I'm still only 21 and can afford to learn what I'm doing wrong, tell me if it sucks/what sucks!

Thanks guys :)

btw it is copyrighted

Almost Human · 6th February 2006, 02:48 PM

Keeping in mind it's unmastered, I think it sounds pretty good. I think the vocals sound pretty good...

The guitars are a little weak sounding, so I agree with you that I don't care for how they turned out. But if you're working on a deadline, what can you do? I think after a nice mastering job, it'll sound pretty good.

Would you care you share your signal chain used for everything?

Almost Human · 6th February 2006, 03:11 PM

I gave it a few more listens after I posted. I stuck it in an editor to try and anticipate how everything would act once it's mastered. Once I did that, the guitars actually sounded better than I anticipated that they would. So, I wouldn't worry too much about them. If it's gonna get EQ'd and squashed on par with current modern radio rock, then they actually fattened up some once you started heading in that direction.

However, the vocals ended up getting a little loud in the intro. I used a couple comparison CD's of modern rock (Nickelback and Alter Bridge), and the vocals seemed to be a little more present. Overall, pretty good job...

Poopants · 6th February 2006, 06:02 PM

Thanks for the opinion!

Yeah after playing it on some different systems I think the guitars don't sound TOO bad, but I wanted them to be more powerful, they're trying to lean more towards a hardcore sound and I need all those chugs and stuff to be more powerful. So we'll probably end up recording them again.

In terms of the recording, everything went through a Mytek 8X96 and some extras when needed (just for extra drum tracks) went through the Digi002 converters.

Kick In - Senn e609 - SCA A12
Kick Out - Yamaha Subkick - SCA A12
Snare Top - Beyer 201 - SCA N12
Snare Bottom - 57 - Sytek
Floor & Rack Tom - 421's -SCA A12's
HiHat - SM7 - Sytek
OH's - Oktava 012's - SCA N72's
Room - MXL mics (like the okatavas, can't remember the model #) - Sytek's
FOK - AT4047 - SCA J99

Bass DI - LL IBP - SCA N72 - EL Lil Freq - Fatso

Guitars - Combination of Beyer 201 & 421 through Lil Freq, Fatso, N72's

Vox - SM7 - N72 - Lil Freq - Fatso (4047 for quiet parts)

Any more opinions? I want to know what parts are weak. Do any parts of the song stand out as sucking or less than desired??

Almost Human · 6th February 2006, 07:14 PM

Thanks for the info...the guitars sound good for a heavy song in that Foo Fighter-ish sort of way, but I don't think the heaviness lends itself to something a little more hardcore during the chugs. They definitely lack a bit of power or definition there. But honestly, I'm digging the guitars and vibe they have for this track now. If the band wants a heavier, more hardcore sound, they might not be appropriate, but they definitely work well in the context of the track. Here's a really quick sample for the track I stuck below that has more of that that "in your face, way too loud, is this song over yet" Nickelback vibe that's all over modern radio now...

(Never realized how loud and abrasive that stuff was till I listened in comparison). Maybe the guitars will seem different to you then. I'd hate to see you have to redo the guitars on a track when you may actually dig them as is!

The snare sound nice. The kick seems to fit well with what the band is doing. It's interesting you're using a 604 with the kick. I've not seen too many people do that before...

The vocals sound really nice and very appropriate for this type of music. Overall, considering you said that this was recorded in a living room and bedroom, I think the kit sounds pretty good.

Poopants · 6th February 2006, 08:41 PM

Thanks for the kind words.

I used a 609 on the kick, not a 604

I still want the guitars to be bigger. Think Finch, that's more of the sound they're going for rather than hardcore, I should've given that example before.

Almost Human · 6th February 2006, 09:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Poopants

Thanks for the kind words.

I used a 609 on the kick, not a 604

I still want the guitars to be bigger. Think Finch, that's more of the sound they're going for rather than hardcore, I should've given that example before.

Ah, 609...I should learn to read...

Would you care to talk a little more about the vocal processing? Things like how it was EQ'd, type of 'verb used or other effects used, etc.

It's good to hear a recording done with a lot of the gear from Seventh Circle. I've heard lots of talk about their pre's, but this is the first time I've really heard anything done with them...

kats · 7th February 2006, 12:28 AM

Sounds like a record to me. Sorry I couldn't be more of a prick but c'est la vie!

The mix style suits the genre. It's a bit harsh and flat IE radio ready (and I'm not being faceitous). The ME can make it thump proper...I'd rubber stamp it done.

Poopants · 7th February 2006, 02:34 AM

For the vocals I have Waves C4 on them, then a De-esser, then EQ with some top boost, Waves RVox, I think thats it...The Lead and double are both processed like this then the BGV's and harmonies each have RVox/De-Esser/EQ. The FX track has Waves Supertap/MetaFlanger/Altiverb with a 480L Plate patch (i think)/EQ/McDSP AC1

Poopants · 7th February 2006, 03:01 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kats

Sounds like a record to me. Sorry I couldn't be more of a prick but c'est la vie!

The mix style suits the genre. It's a bit harsh and flat IE radio ready (and I'm not being faceitous). The ME can make it thump proper...I'd rubber stamp it done.

Thanks kats! When you say harsh do you mean like digital harshness? I was going to run it through a tape saturation plugin and/or the Fatso but didn't have time really. I've never had my stuff professionally mastered before, will that really make up the difference between my mix and a commercial cd? Can they remedy that harshness or does it have to do with my equipment and/or EQ? The band is going to send it out to West West Side Music when the album's done.

I'm very excited with the results and your feedback, this is only the 5th project I've done since I started f*cking around in high school and only the 3rd with vocals lol...
started with a Tascam US-428 and some horrendous recordings of a horrendous band (that I was a part of...)
I guess it pays to be obsessive about learning gear/techniques and blowing all your college money on slutty toys

I would however like to hear some criticism, I really appreciate the positive comments but I know someone will hear something that needs improvement in the mix, I want it to be judged by the highest standards not by the situation around the recording. If you were Andy Wallace what would you say about my mix?

I'm sorry if I'm asking for too much, I know some people have better things to do than analyze some kids mix...but as Slippy says I have to get failing...

Almost Human · 7th February 2006, 04:26 AM

A good mastering job will make all the difference in the world. You sound like me when it comes to the criticisms...I always ask for a lot of it, but everyone always focuses on the positives!

To be more critical...I'd definitely go back to the guitars and say they could have been recorded a little better. It's not that they're bad by any means, but they do sound a little thin in comparison to a lof of modern productions. For my own personal taste, I like to have a bass tone that has some more definition to it. Something along the lines of the bass tone on AIC's "Dirt" album. While the tone fills out the bottom end nicely, I like to hear that extra "punch" and bite in a bass. But, not everyone is that way.

The drums do sound nice, as well as the vox. In fact, I think the vox sound excellent. Probably the best thing on the recording, which is often the hardest thing to nail down. That's why I was inquisitive as to what your chain was and how you processed them. Great job, there...

How many vocal tracks did you record? It sounds like it my be doubled, and I can hear the extra BGV's in there. Just curious as to how many tracks and what your panning scheme was. Everyone seems to have a different take on those things.

kats · 7th February 2006, 04:27 AM

You know take what I say with a grain of salt, I'm no Grammy winning pro here. I've also been working on something that's crazy bottom heavy and it's screwing with my head.

Having said that, by harsh I wouldn't say digital harshness. IIRC (I'm not at the studio) more of a compression by-product. Not only that, the format we are judging your mix by doesn't lend itself o nitpicking (which is what we're doing). I wouldn't take that too negatively, it's a sound and style you come to expect with this genre of music. I think you nailed it right by putting some blame on the gtr's. Ideally you'd like a little more "fatness" there, but it's totally workable.

I think you have a good set of ears, and should trust yourself. I think that if your totally happy with the mix, it's probably good.

DP40oz · 7th February 2006, 04:53 AM

Hey man gotta say im really impressed. Do you have any mix buss compression happening, i think i hear some but i can't tell. What type of drum processing did you do they sound great?

Poopants · 7th February 2006, 06:04 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Almost Human

A good mastering job will make all the difference in the world. You sound like me when it comes to the criticisms...I always ask for a lot of it, but everyone always focuses on the positives!

To be more critical...I'd definitely go back to the guitars and say they could have been recorded a little better. It's not that they're bad by any means, but they do sound a little thin in comparison to a lof of modern productions. For my own personal taste, I like to have a bass tone that has some more definition to it. Something along the lines of the bass tone on AIC's "Dirt" album. While the tone fills out the bottom end nicely, I like to hear that extra "punch" and bite in a bass. But, not everyone is that way.

The drums do sound nice, as well as the vox. In fact, I think the vox sound excellent. Probably the best thing on the recording, which is often the hardest thing to nail down. That's why I was inquisitive as to what your chain was and how you processed them. Great job, there...

How many vocal tracks did you record? It sounds like it my be doubled, and I can hear the extra BGV's in there. Just curious as to how many tracks and what your panning scheme was. Everyone seems to have a different take on those things.

Yeah, I'm listening through headphones now and it seems like the bass could be a little punchier. It's also a little loud in the sub frequencies. I meant to re-amp the bass DI into a rig and mic it but I didn't have time and I was missing ONE cable I needed to do it.

There are 6 Vox tracks. During the choruses the lead is doubled with the double like 6 dB lower, there is a harmony track which is doubled and panned at <45 and >45, and at the end chorus with the extra line it's doubled and panned hard L and R.

Poopants · 7th February 2006, 06:28 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DP40oz

Hey man gotta say im really impressed. Do you have any mix buss compression happening, i think i hear some but i can't tell. What type of drum processing did you do they sound great?

Yeah I mixed through the Waves RennComp, I basically used the Charles Dye MILAR mixbus setup thingy with AC1 and tweaked the compression/saturation to fit the song.

After that, since they had to get the song out and it's rough anyway (so no mastering) I just threw an L2 on it with max 1.5dB reduction.

Lots of things for the drums even though I'm not fully happy with them. It's funny how when you complete a mix and think it's the best thing ever until you've listened to it 50 times and you start noticing more and more things and then it doesn't sound so good.

I guess my ear is just developing. Next time when we re-do the guitars and I mix the song again I'm going to do more cymbal rides and automate the toms a bit more....

Kick snare and toms all have samples behind them (sampled from the actual kit), all run through the fatso and distorted slightly with AC1 and eq'd/compressed etc. Snare is going through Altiverb with the EMT 140 plate adjusted to fit, the reverb is coming off of the sample about 60% and the real snare 40%. Snare is multed once and compressed/eq'ed differently. Hihat eq'd and I rode the fader, overheads low in the mix & compressed, room mics slammed through a limiter and automated. OH's and room mics lowpassed at like 12k and highpassed at around 3-400
Again, should have brought the cymbals out more.
Reverb on the whole kit with emphasis on the toms

Man I'm really breakin this mix down for you guys!

Any more criticisms?

Where I'm at now with this is that the drums and vox sound great, drums need a little work level wise, guitars need to be bigger like Finch guitars, and bass needs more lower midrange/midbass, which may be accomplished when I re-amp later. Plus the automation needs more polishing.

And...the band needs a good producer.

indie · 7th February 2006, 07:10 AM

Hey man, it sounds good. Listening on headphones... I think overall it sounds a little too crushed on the L2 maybe?...the width of the mix seems to be lacking like it should be well, wider.
I would take a little low mid out of the kick and boost around 200hz on a couple of the main chunky gtrs.
I particularly like the gtr sound on the left side in the chorus.
I like where you placed things in the mix...it just needs to breathe a bit more...maybe a little more top to open it up.
my 2 headphone cents

Micah

Poopants · 7th February 2006, 07:28 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by indie

Hey man, it sounds good. Listening on headphones... I think overall it sounds a little too crushed on the L2 maybe?...the width of the mix seems to be lacking like it should be well, wider.
I would take a little low mid out of the kick and boost around 200hz on a couple of the main chunky gtrs.
I particularly like the gtr sound on the left side in the chorus.
I like where you placed things in the mix...it just needs to breathe a bit more...maybe a little more top to open it up.
my 2 headphone cents

Micah

About the L2, that may very well be - I threw it on 10 minutes before we had to post it online! So it was a rushed decision, much like the whole mix and recording lol

About the width, do you have any tips on that? I'm getting a DUY plugin bundle in the mail in a few days that has the Wide plugin, aside from that, why do you think it's not as wide as it should be (I agree BTW)? The guitars are panned hard for the most part.

I'm afraid to boost high end with an eq on the mix, I've had some bad experiences with digital harshness that seem to follow me in that area...maybe it won't be so bad now that I've recorded with better converters and have better plugs and ears.
I figured I'd best leave that to the mastering guy though. I'm sure he won't be using a waves plugin to eq my mix!

Thanks for the feedback indie, I'll check out the kick EQ. I agree about the guitars, I just didn't have time to be that thorough with the guitar parts. Hopefully they'll be better when I re-record them.

indie · 7th February 2006, 07:50 AM

Oh man...as far as width, I don't mix in the box, so I don't know any ITB tricks. I have heard that the width plugin you're talking about is cool. BTW, you're right to leave the eq to the mastering guy.

Poopants · 7th February 2006, 08:12 AM

What are some OTB tricks you might use?

ramjet · 7th February 2006, 10:43 AM

hi

dude that sounds great. i am only listening on walkman headphones but it still sounds good. good luck with your future endevours

cheers ramjet

PT User · 8th February 2006, 05:55 AM

Ben,
This sounds excellent, great job. I hope your enjoying the DAC-1 because I sure do miss her:) Again excellent job

Peace
Eddie

Poopants · 8th February 2006, 08:39 PM

Eddie,

I sure am enjoying the DAC-1! What a difference from my 002 converters. I will be selling it soon though, I have one of those new Mytek 8X192 converters on order and I need the money, plus the 8X192 has headphone & monitor outs anyway. I'm sure the conversion is at least on par with the DAC-1, even though if I could afford it, I'd keep it...

Poopants · 8th February 2006, 08:40 PM

I'll be posting an updated mix tonight or tomorrow, and since it turned out so well the band is getting it mastered at Sony, I'll let you know how it turns out! I'm excited to finally hear one of my mixes professionally mastered!! I just hope they don't crush it to death...

Almost Human · 8th February 2006, 09:48 PM

Definitely keep us updated with the new mix...I'll also be interested to hear the pro-mastered version!

heartofantares · 9th February 2006, 05:51 AM

Wow, nice job with the mix... We randomly have a ton of things in common, I'm 23 so limited gear selection SM57s, SM7, Mytek Converters, Seventh Circle Pre's and fatso is almost next on my list... just thought it was weird we had so much similar gear.

anyways, my 2 suggestions for the guitars would be to add energy from 800hz - 2.5k or so.. its very hard to do this without pushing the vocals out of the mix a bit, but its a trade off between what you want to have focused and the vocals sound really clear now so maybe they can take a bit less room in the mix and still be clear...

the next thing would be to use a decent compressor with a longer attack time and lower threshold/high ratio to make the guitar have more transient bite (unflatten the rectification) and that will bring them forward in the mix without as much eq.

not sure if you've tried any of this but it couldn't hurt, everythings always a trade off though, and i also agree the ME should be able to take care of it as is. good mix.

Poopants · 9th February 2006, 10:59 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by heartofantares

Wow, nice job with the mix... We randomly have a ton of things in common, I'm 23 so limited gear selection SM57s, SM7, Mytek Converters, Seventh Circle Pre's and fatso is almost next on my list... just thought it was weird we had so much similar gear.

anyways, my 2 suggestions for the guitars would be to add energy from 800hz - 2.5k or so.. its very hard to do this without pushing the vocals out of the mix a bit, but its a trade off between what you want to have focused and the vocals sound really clear now so maybe they can take a bit less room in the mix and still be clear...

the next thing would be to use a decent compressor with a longer attack time and lower threshold/high ratio to make the guitar have more transient bite (unflatten the rectification) and that will bring them forward in the mix without as much eq.

not sure if you've tried any of this but it couldn't hurt, everythings always a trade off though, and i also agree the ME should be able to take care of it as is. good mix.

Hey,

That's pretty random, mostly the same gear down to the SCA pres...
Where are you from & how long have you been engineering?

Thanks for your suggestions, I ended up using multiband compression on the guitars and I think they sound much better now, plus I added a little beef to the bass, it was mostly in the sub-range before, so the mix is a little more filled out now. Overall I think this mix is a big improvement. There's no L2 on it this time so the volume is a little lower.

Now that I've listened to it in the car and on my iPod headphones I've realized a couple things that still need tweaking, for example on the headphones the toms seem just a bit too loud. I think I need to go in and automate them so they're emphasized more in certain parts & less in others.
The other thing is that I can't get the snare exactly how I want it, partially because nobody knew how to properly tune a f*cking snare drum (or any of the drums for that matter) so it's hard to compress & eq it the way I want. I've tried to eq it out a bit and it's helped but it's coming through more than just the snare mic. I distorted the snare sample a bit to help it stand out but now it's just bothering me.

Anyway I'm staying with my girlfriend until sunday, but when I get home I'm going to do one final tweak before I send it out to get mastered, so any final opinions would be very helpful

Jeez what would I do without the internet...

prismtheory · 9th February 2006, 12:12 PM

Wow much more improved than the first version.

Overall the drums fit nice. Too much verb on the very first version.

The only thing that sticks out to me on this mix is the hats are a little bit out of control.

I would also do some things too make the mix a little bit more exciting. It's a cool song. Good musicians too.

Everything's there. Good job man.

i51423 · 9th February 2006, 12:16 PM

Damn, man. Good work. Sounds great. You really nailed the modern pop/rock/emo/indie/whatever you want to call it sound. I think I like the first one more than the second.

Seriously, man. Good work. I imagine you have a positive future with recording if you continue doing this well.

Similar Threads
Thread	Thread Starter	Forum	Replies	Last Post
Critique this mix	NowandThen	Work in progress / advice requested / Show & Tell / Artist showcase	9	9th September 2006 07:20 PM
Critique my 2nd paying mix! (Rock/metal/progressive/hardcore/...emo?)	Poopants	Work in progress / advice requested / Show & Tell / Artist showcase	7	29th June 2006 08:11 PM
My First MIX.. Looking for serious critique	Jako Bee	Work in progress / advice requested / Show & Tell / Artist showcase	13	19th November 2005 12:20 PM
Critique This Mix Please	MarathonMan	Work in progress / advice requested / Show & Tell / Artist showcase	3	12th April 2005 11:16 PM
critique my mix	rynugz007	So much gear, so little time!	1	20th April 2004 02:56 PM

8th February 2006, 05:55 AM	#21
PT User Gear maniac Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: Cincinnati Posts: 231	Ben, This sounds excellent, great job. I hope your enjoying the DAC-1 because I sure do miss her:) Again excellent job Peace Eddie __________________ Who ever said this would be Easy! http://www.myspace.com/sightthrusound

9th February 2006, 12:16 PM	#28
i51423 Gear maniac Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Hatfield, PA Posts: 250	Damn, man. Good work. Sounds great. You really nailed the modern pop/rock/emo/indie/whatever you want to call it sound. I think I like the first one more than the second. Seriously, man. Good work. I imagine you have a positive future with recording if you continue doing this well. __________________ Hi, I'm Nick.

6th February 2006, 02:48 PM	#2
Almost Human Gear addict Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: Germantown, MD Posts: 402	Keeping in mind it's unmastered, I think it sounds pretty good. I think the vocals sound pretty good... The guitars are a little weak sounding, so I agree with you that I don't care for how they turned out. But if you're working on a deadline, what can you do? I think after a nice mastering job, it'll sound pretty good. Would you care you share your signal chain used for everything?

6th February 2006, 03:11 PM	#3
Almost Human Gear addict Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: Germantown, MD Posts: 402	I gave it a few more listens after I posted. I stuck it in an editor to try and anticipate how everything would act once it's mastered. Once I did that, the guitars actually sounded better than I anticipated that they would. So, I wouldn't worry too much about them. If it's gonna get EQ'd and squashed on par with current modern radio rock, then they actually fattened up some once you started heading in that direction. However, the vocals ended up getting a little loud in the intro. I used a couple comparison CD's of modern rock (Nickelback and Alter Bridge), and the vocals seemed to be a little more present. Overall, pretty good job...

6th February 2006, 06:02 PM	#4
Poopants Lives for gear Join Date: Jan 2005 Posts: 525	Thanks for the opinion! Yeah after playing it on some different systems I think the guitars don't sound TOO bad, but I wanted them to be more powerful, they're trying to lean more towards a hardcore sound and I need all those chugs and stuff to be more powerful. So we'll probably end up recording them again. In terms of the recording, everything went through a Mytek 8X96 and some extras when needed (just for extra drum tracks) went through the Digi002 converters. Kick In - Senn e609 - SCA A12 Kick Out - Yamaha Subkick - SCA A12 Snare Top - Beyer 201 - SCA N12 Snare Bottom - 57 - Sytek Floor & Rack Tom - 421's -SCA A12's HiHat - SM7 - Sytek OH's - Oktava 012's - SCA N72's Room - MXL mics (like the okatavas, can't remember the model #) - Sytek's FOK - AT4047 - SCA J99 Bass DI - LL IBP - SCA N72 - EL Lil Freq - Fatso Guitars - Combination of Beyer 201 & 421 through Lil Freq, Fatso, N72's Vox - SM7 - N72 - Lil Freq - Fatso (4047 for quiet parts) Any more opinions? I want to know what parts are weak. Do any parts of the song stand out as sucking or less than desired??

6th February 2006, 07:14 PM	#5
Almost Human Gear addict Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: Germantown, MD Posts: 402	Thanks for the info...the guitars sound good for a heavy song in that Foo Fighter-ish sort of way, but I don't think the heaviness lends itself to something a little more hardcore during the chugs. They definitely lack a bit of power or definition there. But honestly, I'm digging the guitars and vibe they have for this track now. If the band wants a heavier, more hardcore sound, they might not be appropriate, but they definitely work well in the context of the track. Here's a really quick sample for the track I stuck below that has more of that that "in your face, way too loud, is this song over yet" Nickelback vibe that's all over modern radio now... (Never realized how loud and abrasive that stuff was till I listened in comparison). Maybe the guitars will seem different to you then. I'd hate to see you have to redo the guitars on a track when you may actually dig them as is! The snare sound nice. The kick seems to fit well with what the band is doing. It's interesting you're using a 604 with the kick. I've not seen too many people do that before... The vocals sound really nice and very appropriate for this type of music. Overall, considering you said that this was recorded in a living room and bedroom, I think the kit sounds pretty good.

6th February 2006, 08:41 PM	#6
Poopants Lives for gear Join Date: Jan 2005 Posts: 525	Thanks for the kind words. I used a 609 on the kick, not a 604 I still want the guitars to be bigger. Think Finch, that's more of the sound they're going for rather than hardcore, I should've given that example before.

7th February 2006, 12:28 AM	#8
kats Lives for gear Join Date: May 2005 Posts: 2,356	Sounds like a record to me. Sorry I couldn't be more of a prick but c'est la vie! The mix style suits the genre. It's a bit harsh and flat IE radio ready (and I'm not being faceitous). The ME can make it thump proper...I'd rubber stamp it done.

7th February 2006, 02:34 AM	#9
Poopants Lives for gear Join Date: Jan 2005 Posts: 525	For the vocals I have Waves C4 on them, then a De-esser, then EQ with some top boost, Waves RVox, I think thats it...The Lead and double are both processed like this then the BGV's and harmonies each have RVox/De-Esser/EQ. The FX track has Waves Supertap/MetaFlanger/Altiverb with a 480L Plate patch (i think)/EQ/McDSP AC1

7th February 2006, 04:26 AM	#11
Almost Human Gear addict Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: Germantown, MD Posts: 402	A good mastering job will make all the difference in the world. You sound like me when it comes to the criticisms...I always ask for a lot of it, but everyone always focuses on the positives! To be more critical...I'd definitely go back to the guitars and say they could have been recorded a little better. It's not that they're bad by any means, but they do sound a little thin in comparison to a lof of modern productions. For my own personal taste, I like to have a bass tone that has some more definition to it. Something along the lines of the bass tone on AIC's "Dirt" album. While the tone fills out the bottom end nicely, I like to hear that extra "punch" and bite in a bass. But, not everyone is that way. The drums do sound nice, as well as the vox. In fact, I think the vox sound excellent. Probably the best thing on the recording, which is often the hardest thing to nail down. That's why I was inquisitive as to what your chain was and how you processed them. Great job, there... How many vocal tracks did you record? It sounds like it my be doubled, and I can hear the extra BGV's in there. Just curious as to how many tracks and what your panning scheme was. Everyone seems to have a different take on those things.

7th February 2006, 04:27 AM	#12
kats Lives for gear Join Date: May 2005 Posts: 2,356	You know take what I say with a grain of salt, I'm no Grammy winning pro here. I've also been working on something that's crazy bottom heavy and it's screwing with my head. Having said that, by harsh I wouldn't say digital harshness. IIRC (I'm not at the studio) more of a compression by-product. Not only that, the format we are judging your mix by doesn't lend itself o nitpicking (which is what we're doing). I wouldn't take that too negatively, it's a sound and style you come to expect with this genre of music. I think you nailed it right by putting some blame on the gtr's. Ideally you'd like a little more "fatness" there, but it's totally workable. I think you have a good set of ears, and should trust yourself. I think that if your totally happy with the mix, it's probably good.

7th February 2006, 04:53 AM	#13
DP40oz Gear nut Join Date: Jul 2005 Posts: 146	Hey man gotta say im really impressed. Do you have any mix buss compression happening, i think i hear some but i can't tell. What type of drum processing did you do they sound great?

7th February 2006, 07:10 AM	#16
indie Lives for gear Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: C-ville area VA Posts: 1,272	Hey man, it sounds good. Listening on headphones... I think overall it sounds a little too crushed on the L2 maybe?...the width of the mix seems to be lacking like it should be well, wider. I would take a little low mid out of the kick and boost around 200hz on a couple of the main chunky gtrs. I particularly like the gtr sound on the left side in the chorus. I like where you placed things in the mix...it just needs to breathe a bit more...maybe a little more top to open it up. my 2 headphone cents Micah

7th February 2006, 07:50 AM	#18
indie Lives for gear Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: C-ville area VA Posts: 1,272	Oh man...as far as width, I don't mix in the box, so I don't know any ITB tricks. I have heard that the width plugin you're talking about is cool. BTW, you're right to leave the eq to the mastering guy.

7th February 2006, 08:12 AM	#19
Poopants Lives for gear Join Date: Jan 2005 Posts: 525	What are some OTB tricks you might use?

7th February 2006, 10:43 AM	#20
ramjet Gear addict Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: ayr, north queensland, australia Posts: 400	hi dude that sounds great. i am only listening on walkman headphones but it still sounds good. good luck with your future endevours cheers ramjet

8th February 2006, 08:39 PM	#22
Poopants Lives for gear Join Date: Jan 2005 Posts: 525	Eddie, I sure am enjoying the DAC-1! What a difference from my 002 converters. I will be selling it soon though, I have one of those new Mytek 8X192 converters on order and I need the money, plus the 8X192 has headphone & monitor outs anyway. I'm sure the conversion is at least on par with the DAC-1, even though if I could afford it, I'd keep it...

8th February 2006, 08:40 PM	#23
Poopants Lives for gear Join Date: Jan 2005 Posts: 525	I'll be posting an updated mix tonight or tomorrow, and since it turned out so well the band is getting it mastered at Sony, I'll let you know how it turns out! I'm excited to finally hear one of my mixes professionally mastered!! I just hope they don't crush it to death...

8th February 2006, 09:48 PM	#24
Almost Human Gear addict Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: Germantown, MD Posts: 402	Definitely keep us updated with the new mix...I'll also be interested to hear the pro-mastered version!

9th February 2006, 05:51 AM	#25
heartofantares Gear interested Join Date: Jan 2006 Posts: 12	Wow, nice job with the mix... We randomly have a ton of things in common, I'm 23 so limited gear selection SM57s, SM7, Mytek Converters, Seventh Circle Pre's and fatso is almost next on my list... just thought it was weird we had so much similar gear. anyways, my 2 suggestions for the guitars would be to add energy from 800hz - 2.5k or so.. its very hard to do this without pushing the vocals out of the mix a bit, but its a trade off between what you want to have focused and the vocals sound really clear now so maybe they can take a bit less room in the mix and still be clear... the next thing would be to use a decent compressor with a longer attack time and lower threshold/high ratio to make the guitar have more transient bite (unflatten the rectification) and that will bring them forward in the mix without as much eq. not sure if you've tried any of this but it couldn't hurt, everythings always a trade off though, and i also agree the ME should be able to take care of it as is. good mix.

9th February 2006, 12:12 PM	#27
prismtheory Gear maniac Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: Cleveland, OH Posts: 228	Wow much more improved than the first version. Overall the drums fit nice. Too much verb on the very first version. The only thing that sticks out to me on this mix is the hats are a little bit out of control. I would also do some things too make the mix a little bit more exciting. It's a cool song. Good musicians too. Everything's there. Good job man.