Major help needed!

Posted on Feb 07, 2010 12:13 pm
allthatendswell
Member Since: Feb 07, 2010

Ive only been trying to mix for about 4 months now i have pro tools 8, m-box mini and an mxl 990 thats about it ahah. But here is one of my bands songs (the intsrumental mix). It needs major work and i need trying to figure out excatly what. Also the guitar tone is awful how can i improve this www.sendspace.com/file/myjiiq

[ Back to Top ]

pjk
Prince CZAR-ming
Member
Since: Apr 08, 2004

Feb 07, 2010 01:34 pm

Hello all, welcome to the HRC.

Listening to the song, i think first, there's a lot of low end content, probably from several sources. Maybe you're mixing on speakers that aren't very strong in the low end, so you're compensating by turning up the low end.

I guess I should ask first, are you multitracking? or room recording? How is all the parts getting to the PC? how is each part getting to the PC? direct on gits & bass? or mic for everything? how are the drums tracked? or are they canned?

You can fill in a few of those questions, and we can get more detailed on some answers.

For what it's worth, I think you can work with what you have. Some EQ, shelving, and other tweaks can bring this into good shape.

allthatendswell
Member
Since: Feb 07, 2010

Feb 07, 2010 09:15 pm

I just did a new version of it, with new guitars. The bass was direct the guitars were mic'd. the drums are midi programmed Its the full song. And I need help fixing the clean vocals
www.sendspace.com/file/5h9qv0

Lee-L6MM
Digital Mixing and Mastering
Member
Since: Feb 08, 2010

Feb 08, 2010 09:11 am

Just had a listen to both tracks. The updated on has a much improved guitar tone and much more clarity. Well done!

A good trick for the drums is to “Re-Wire” the midi tracks into Reason and trigger actual drum samples in the ReDrum sampler. Add some reverb to these samples and you will have a far more realistic drum sound.

I struggle to hear the bass guitar in the mix. Maybe tighten the bass frequencies with a high pass around 30-60Hz and enhancement of 1-2dB around 100Hz. See how it sounds in the mix. A good trick I learnt a while ago is to apply a very subtle flanger effect to the bass on a low to moderate phase cycle. This modulates the frequency a little and allows your ears to pick it out more readily.

I like the change in vocal effect at 1:10 Very effective in drawing the listener in. Maybe tweak the reverb setting to make it sound more natural. Concentrate on the early reflections.

For the vocals I would try to give the main vocal more presence by increasing its mid tones. Also add some compression to give it more body. I would reduce the backing vocal by about 1-2dB just to give the main some room. Also use slightly more panning to add space to the mix.

I like the break down at 2:22. Add an extra dimension to the song a give it more dynamics. Finally be careful when limiting. You have done a good job but there is a very notable click at 3:26.50

If you want any more detail feel free to PM me, email me via my website or message on here. Keep at it. With your own Pro Tools setup won’t be long before you producing top mixes!

Lee Giacopazzi
Lucky 6 Music Mix