...if it sounds good in this system, will it sound ok in this one...
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Posted on Jul 10, 2006 03:31 pm
sdp530
Member Since: Jan 19, 2005
I have been mixing hip hop music for a little over a year now and I have really only scratched the surface of this art. I am always looking for input on my mixes to help me learn and improve my future mixing. I know that one of the most important pieces to a good mix is having good ears and the ability to tell what will and will not work. Anyways I am in the process of putting the final mix on our cd and I am running into a slight problem. I have been listening to my mixes in all different types of systems, from boombox's to home theater. Some systems it sounds great, real clean and the vocals sound just right, in others the vocals sound drowned out and at times real ear splitting with some of the higher tone vocals. Most of the time the stereos that have a close left and right speakers it sounds good, but when you put it in a large room with speakers spread quite a ways apart, thats when they sound drowned out by the beat. I would really appreciate it if you could lend me your ears to get a few different opinions on the mixes. I put up four diverse sounding tracks on our page so feel free to check them out and let me know if there is something I am not hearing.
www.myspace.com/shutdownproductions
I really appreciate your time and any feedback is welcome. I also want to warn you that there is explicit lyrics so please don't check out the tracks if that is going to offend you.
-C
Also....this is just a small hometown project that is going to be burnt on cd-rs so we are not planning on getting it mastered professionally so keep that in mind.
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Jul 10, 2006 08:40 pm I am listening on headphones. The intro track sounds like it has alot of high end in the vocals. It seems like they recorded well in tracking so you may have not bothered to eq them. But it seems like rolling off some of the high freqs would help. It is kind of piercing just enough to cause me fatigue from listening.
If all of the tracks in general are giving you problems, then perhaps more eq comprimise is in order. Also, I have not tried it myself, but it seems that many people turn to the balancing power of the "Har-Bal" software to get things sounding right overall. That pretty much is mastering software, so that could be your alternative to getting your material done professionally.
sdp530Member
Since: Jan 19, 2005
Jul 10, 2006 08:45 pm Yeah, I will definately roll of those highs on the intro. I will look into that Har-bal, sounds like something that might help me. Thanks for checkin' out the songs.
-C
Jul 10, 2006 08:48 pm No problem. Other than just getting these mixes all prepped for listening on many systems, you have done a great job. The overall quality is fantastic. Here is the Har-Bal website if you have not already checked it out.
www.har-bal.com/
sdp530Member
Since: Jan 19, 2005
Jul 10, 2006 10:00 pm Hey thanks again, I read about Har-Bal on their site and it sounds like one of the better things you can do if your not going to have it mastered professionally.
-C
CptTrippsCzar of Turd PolishMember
Since: Jun 20, 2006
Jul 11, 2006 11:50 am I will listen to these when I get home after work. On the Harbal thing..
I haven't had much time to play with it since purchase, but the one track I ran it on proved it's worth. The mix is not done by any means, but I do have guitar/bass/drums laid. I played it on my PC, on my wifes car stereo which is stock and has no low end, my home stereo which has a very wide field and on my car stereo which is all amped up with a pair o 10's and tweeters.
I was astounded how well it worked, I could hear all instruments on all systems where before it seems I was making a mix per stereo system.
Goooooo HARBAL!!
sdp530Member
Since: Jan 19, 2005
Jul 11, 2006 04:45 pm Hey I just now purchased that Har-Bal 2.0 and with just that IntuitQ preset thing it really makes a difference. Cleans it up. When I switch back and forth from the old to the Har-Bal tweak I'm pretty much amazed, can't wait to get crackin on the rest of them.
-C
CptTrippsCzar of Turd PolishMember
Since: Jun 20, 2006
Jul 11, 2006 06:00 pm Too cool. Earl has a free training video on their site that is kinda rough but it did give me a nice lil overview of the functions.
Noize2uCzar of MidiAdministrator
Since: Apr 04, 2002
Jul 11, 2006 08:27 pm sdp, you may wnat to experiment with your panning as well. It sounds like you have the vox panned pretty hard witha bit of a gap in the middle.
What software/hardware are you mixing this on, Sonar Cubase or whatever. If you have a an aylizer that will show you wear your panning is try soloing the vocal tracks one at a time and take alook and see where exactly they are in the mix. Then bring all the vox in together and view it again to make sure you arent leavng any empty wholes in the mix. The farther apart the speakers are the weaker things that are panned drastically become.
But it works along side the way it is EQ'd as well. So you will definately want to check both. And indeed, you will like HarBal for getting things straight.
Noize
Noize2uCzar of MidiAdministrator
Since: Apr 04, 2002
Jul 11, 2006 08:33 pm Oh ya, I forgot to add the tues soudn pretty good. I think with a little bit of tweaking you'll have a few good mixes on your hands. Nice simple sound by the way as well. Not too busy on the beats, and the female vox sounded really good.
CptTrippsCzar of Turd PolishMember
Since: Jun 20, 2006
Jul 12, 2006 01:31 am Good work. I am no mix master but that sounded pretty cool. I added you on myspace.
sdp530Member
Since: Jan 19, 2005
Jul 12, 2006 11:10 pm Hey, just droppin in to let you know that I have done some tweaks on the songs that I originally posted on here and I am pretty sure they sound a lot better than they did the first time so check em out again if you get a minute….
www.myspace.com/shutdownproductions
Thanks Again
-C
Jul 13, 2006 12:49 am Yeahh dude, you rounded off that piercing edge. I have that intro track at max level and it sounds nice and level, no more piercing lyrics. Did you just use a preset in Har-Bal?
sdp530Member
Since: Jan 19, 2005
Jul 13, 2006 01:02 am I pretty much just used that IntuitQ button and took a little off above 10k. Still have a slight problem with them. When I used that loudness match referencing a local hip hop act I am getting some volume pulsing from the built in limiter. But I just read and article from a guy that uses Har-Bal and he just uses that loudness match to find out how many decibels he has to go up or down then exports it into a better limiter and inputs the numbers from Har-bal. Anways probably do that tommorrow and try to get this done!!
-C
Noize2uCzar of MidiAdministrator
Since: Apr 04, 2002
Jul 13, 2006 05:44 pm I'll give em another shot tonight or tommorrow. Lookin forward to hearing them.
Noize
