attempt at a heavy metal mix

cally312 · 13th March 2006, 04:17 AM

hey guys, heres a song from a band who i recently mixed the demo for. i was just wandering if anyone could give me some advice on how to make them sound better?

the biggest problem i had was that the electric guitars seem too muddy and the notes dont really shine through so help on this would be much appreciated

thanks for your time

rainsinvelvet · 13th March 2006, 05:28 AM

Man..

Maybe it's the mp3 conversion, but the guitars are the least of the problems I'm hearing. The snare is needing some major attention. I'm not sure whats going on with the cymbals either..
after thinking about it some more my main issues are with the drums. get them jelling and things might be better.

Snare. get some snap in there. it goes *boink* at the momment.
the cymbals are killing me. maybe someone can chime in on this. I'm at a loss for advise in this area.

Don't be bummed out, I just think its really rough at this stage. Some work is needed.

ERic

cally312 · 13th March 2006, 10:30 PM

yeah the mp3 compression really killed some of it.

oh yeah and i forgot to mention that there wasnt actually any crash or splash cymbles used just a ride and a ride/crash which sucked, that would have helped the overall sound of the drums.

thanks for the advice about the snare i will try and get it more "snappy"

i am only just starting out so i just have to try a bit ( or a lot ) harder next time i guess lol

any other tips even for tracking or mic placement or anything for this kind of music really would be much appreciated.

thanks again

feefifofum · 14th March 2006, 12:13 AM

I agree, the drums need work, and can really make or break a metal recording. The kick sounds very muddy, try filtering some of the low-mid content and kicking up the 3-5kHz area. Most of the kit sounds like it needs cleaning up, especially the toms. Again, try filtering some of the woofier frequencies to clean up the attack. If you're using a DAW, I've found a very useful trick is to copy a good tom hit and paste it about 80 times, so you have time to really play with the EQ and find the magic spot.
How many mics did you use on the kit?

For the guitars, I'd just ask the guitarists to dip the ol' gain knob back just a tiny bit. It's not absolutely terrible, but they are suffering from wall-of-white-noise syndrome, especially when they start doing chords. Doing a double of the rhythm parts with a more classic-rock kind of crunchy distortion and blending the two together might do wonders, too.

cally312 · 14th March 2006, 03:16 AM

thanks for the helpfull feedback.

yeah the kit was mic'd using 8 mics:

kik was double mic'd with a shure kik mic (PG52 i think) and an SM57 to give click
snare was SM57
all toms were the rest of the Shure drum set of mics - PG56
overheads were AKG C1000s if my memory serves me correctly

cool ill try the trick with the toms and also try tightening up the kik.

illl also try the classic rock distortion over the top before i get them to completely re-track the guitars from scratch.

thanks for the advice, its much appreciated

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13th March 2006, 05:28 AM	#2
rainsinvelvet Lives for gear Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: California Posts: 1,036	Man.. Maybe it's the mp3 conversion, but the guitars are the least of the problems I'm hearing. The snare is needing some major attention. I'm not sure whats going on with the cymbals either.. after thinking about it some more my main issues are with the drums. get them jelling and things might be better. Snare. get some snap in there. it goes boink at the momment. the cymbals are killing me. maybe someone can chime in on this. I'm at a loss for advise in this area. Don't be bummed out, I just think its really rough at this stage. Some work is needed. ERic __________________ http://www.thesleepoverdisaster.com (my Band) http://www.myspace.com/thesleepoverdisaster It is a very mixed blessing to be brought back from the dead. Kurt Vonnegut

13th March 2006, 10:30 PM	#3
cally312 Gear interested Join Date: Mar 2006 Posts: 3	cheers yeah the mp3 compression really killed some of it. oh yeah and i forgot to mention that there wasnt actually any crash or splash cymbles used just a ride and a ride/crash which sucked, that would have helped the overall sound of the drums. thanks for the advice about the snare i will try and get it more "snappy" i am only just starting out so i just have to try a bit ( or a lot ) harder next time i guess lol any other tips even for tracking or mic placement or anything for this kind of music really would be much appreciated. thanks again

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14th March 2006, 12:13 AM	#4
feefifofum Gear interested Join Date: Mar 2006 Posts: 4	I agree, the drums need work, and can really make or break a metal recording. The kick sounds very muddy, try filtering some of the low-mid content and kicking up the 3-5kHz area. Most of the kit sounds like it needs cleaning up, especially the toms. Again, try filtering some of the woofier frequencies to clean up the attack. If you're using a DAW, I've found a very useful trick is to copy a good tom hit and paste it about 80 times, so you have time to really play with the EQ and find the magic spot. How many mics did you use on the kit? For the guitars, I'd just ask the guitarists to dip the ol' gain knob back just a tiny bit. It's not absolutely terrible, but they are suffering from wall-of-white-noise syndrome, especially when they start doing chords. Doing a double of the rhythm parts with a more classic-rock kind of crunchy distortion and blending the two together might do wonders, too.

14th March 2006, 03:16 AM	#5
cally312 Gear interested Join Date: Mar 2006 Posts: 3	thanks for the helpfull feedback. yeah the kit was mic'd using 8 mics: kik was double mic'd with a shure kik mic (PG52 i think) and an SM57 to give click snare was SM57 all toms were the rest of the Shure drum set of mics - PG56 overheads were AKG C1000s if my memory serves me correctly cool ill try the trick with the toms and also try tightening up the kik. illl also try the classic rock distortion over the top before i get them to completely re-track the guitars from scratch. thanks for the advice, its much appreciated