Almost all the time that I hear other people´s mixes I think theirs to sound better than what I am doing.
So I´m really interested to hear suggestions and impressions, though I know that people can kill you.
Granted the pieces of this band have been of the harder category. It´s only a trio and they have none of the "sunshine" instruments that spice up a song in mids to highs like acustic guitars, synths, shakers or shells. But we know from The Police and other examples with too hardly any of those sounds that still a whole lot can be done with just bass guitar and and electrical axe.
And I think their arrangement is fine, so I blame it on my mixing why there is too little sweetness in there.
I´ve been lying, BTW.
This is both me, first being the original mix, number two the remix. The difference has been that no.1 was ITB and the other mix introduced spatial software, while for FX and EQ going through outboard this time. The other point has been aiming to keep tracks as low in amount as possible with that version.
- And guitars were panned differently.
I think the procedere on the second example has been to the better in general. Only not to the lows, due to the 3D FX.
For the spatial software I must say that I was really thrilled at first for always having been crazy for 3D effects in sound. However, the tool showed to bring in some sonical loss. Still, it helped in spicing the stereo image when mixed under the original in a cautious measure. Unfortunately it eats up especially of the lows and I have overdone it with the kick. Just wanted the effect so badly for putting the bass drum closer to ground level "below" the singer. ( But as I read, bottom level placement generally is regarded the hardest to achieve with spatial applications, anyway.)
Too bad I missed out an rss for only 200 bucks days ago. :°(
In the original mix without the 3D trial you can hear the kick sufficiently - if not a bit too much already ( some stereos would take it as boomy. Seems too much LF and a bit too loud too maybe.)
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Originally Posted by NeoVXR
what if you unite forces? heh
generally I like the 2. better, but from the 1. the softer parts without the drums are clearer/more modern and could be useful...
Hi Neo,
Thanks, that sound s like a great idea to me. I was trying to have the tracks together in a room and thus applied a grain more verb, but too much yet. Will be backing it off a bit on those parts.
Thanks for the input!
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Originally Posted by djui5
Ruphus,
Song 2.
Vocals sit back a bit, like they have some strange effect on them. I don't know if this is the room they were tracked in, the mic, the mixing, but I would like to hear them with a lot more presence and add some well placed verb or something to set them back a bit. In the first verse I'm hearing some delays on the vocals in a few places.
I´m very interested to hear that on the hunt for improvement. And also for the very interesting differences in taste, which is great too.
Here my intensions have been the opposite of what you like.
I was going for a somewhat stage like image, and besides of that, am done to a degree with the close miking thing.
I put her about 40 / 50 cm back from the mic and would had liked to track her from even further, but that was the max without getting too much of the damn booth ghost into the mic. It is such a pity that it couldn´t be done outside the booth in the good sounding but just too noisy room.
The FX is a delay at the lowest mix-in level possible ( "1" in that case ) and followed by a Roland reverb. The verb could be a bit too wet still, but if it was sounding bad then I can´t hear it.
I could think of that others would had broadened the vocal a bit more, but I nudged it back to smallest width thinking it to be hitting nicely between the ears and allowing the other tracks more room ( maybe that´s what you don´t like?) Shall be listening into it again.
BTW, I havn´t mentioned yet, no. 2 was intended for stereo speakers, not phones.
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Also I'd mute the vocal mic between takes. The singer keeps hitting the mic or breathing into it or something. I hear this in a couple of places in the song and it takes away from the song. The throat clearing thing in the beginning is cool though.
This must be phantom noise. heh Because funnily she caused some rumble indeed, but it got cut out when the parts between takes were removed. Yet, just listened again through phones and couldn´t hear any rumble. (?)
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The drums don't sound big enough. The kick is too low and lacking everything a kick should have. It needs more punch, more "ummph", more snap. The cymballs sound a touch harsh but it's not really that bad. They could use some well placed effects and some proper compression. Maybe a cut around 4-7Khz wouldn't hurt. The toms...I don't know. I'd work on those a bit. I like the snare, but might work a little of my compressor flavor into it. Just a personal thing. The ride in the chorus sounds too gritty I think. It could be a bit more "crispy".
The drum kit is a Ddrum. And you are so right, the plates are the weakest part of it. Most annoyingly often too short in tails. Had to replace a couple of hits and most urgently the very last one at the end of the song. The replacement was a most suiting of the samples I own, but still to bright I believe. EQ helped only little.
Also agree on the toms. They are washed out. Originally, like on mix 1 they were much more solid. Same with the kick.
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The distorted guitars in the chorus are my biggest issue. They sound a lot better in mix 1. But even in that mix they could be bigger and wider. They need to be really powerfull to convey what the song is saying. I'm cool with the verse guitars, but might see what a little chorus would sound like on them. If it works I'd leave it..if not I'd leave them alone.
Can´t agree on this one. They couldn´t take a chorus by all means. Its layered to help the very bad amd weak sound of the blown amp ( Had also recorded them very badly on top of it.

If you only knew how they sounded originally you´d be calling me an EQ talent now, hihi ) and would become sole mush with a chorus on them.
To my ears on mix1 they sound even much worse, totally mud. I was so thankful that the Roland reverb helped it to breath a little bit.
Completely agrred though that they should be much bigger for the song. But with that crappy source material ... Messed that one up at recording stage already.
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The sound of the bass is awesome, but I feel it could be a little bigger and maybe even a bit wider.
Something you like on it, that´s great!

Does me poor fella good.
I had it much wider but with that it lost definition in the same time and I was also concerned about boom when being too broad. ( I´m still finding sometimes things booming in the outside world, despite the Adams. Prolly due to my crappy placement here.)
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Regarding performance, the drummers timing is pretty shaky in a lot of places and there are quite a few spots where the band as a whole could tighten up. I would probably see about nudging some things around without killing the vibe of the song.
The singer is the drummer in the same time. I think she to be doing pretty well for only one year druming agenda.
Sure, I tightened up their songs somewhat, but the band wanted it to stay roughly in the imperfect state. Some track parts even went back in original shape as they thought it too much made up ( not to grid though ).
They wanted to have it close to stage performance and I can respect the thought.
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That pretty much sum's up my thoughts. Hope that helps a little. I'm fine with the current arrangement and order of things.
Thanks a bunch for your thoughts, very appreciated.
thumbsup
Ruphus