mixing help please!
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Posted on Jun 19, 2010 02:28 pm
sirhc
Chris
Member Since: Aug 25, 2008
I just posted my bands song iv been working on..
we havnt tracked bass yet...
so for drums...
so if you took a look at my equipment, i dont have much, so i decided to use sampled drums and i filled in our whole song on the piano roll using ezdrummers pop/rock kit
im liking the sound, especially compared to the recordings i do. My only problem is that the kick drum happens to be in frequencies that arnt very pronounced on alot of speakers!
For example, here on my 5.1 (need moniters i know), i can hear the kick with my sub off just fine, but at work on our little ipod dock speaker, i can barely hear the kick!
so am i supposed to boost the higher frequencies of the kick?
and how do i go about doing that with ezdrummer? (all drums are in one track)
for guitar...
we have two guitarists, and we double tracked both
so i cut 350 down about 4db on everything and was super happy with how much clearer it made the whole song!
but its still kind of muddy/ maybe too much distortion..
so what freq will get rid of a little grit from the distortion?
for vocals
iv never really worked with vocals so iv been messing around with double tracking some parts, and a bit of reverb and iv been using preset compression for them
can anyone point me in a direction here?
and lastly what didnt you like/ what do you like?
how can i fix that stuff you didnt like?
thanks very much in advance!
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olddogMember
Since: Jul 02, 2003
Jun 19, 2010 03:49 pm I think first you really need to track the bass, that will change alot of what you need to do the other parts especially kick & guitars. As for the kick it sounds fine on my system, have you compared similar songs on your ipod deck speaker, it may be it just isn't going to reproduce a kick very well.
Guitar wise you can try boosting with EQ the sounds you like in the distortion and rolling off some higher frequencies you don't like too get rid of the sizzle. Short of that if you recorded with too much distortion, you'll probably have to retrack the guitars with less.
For vocals I think this style often uses fairly heavy compression on the vocals and you might want to boost the higher frequencies around 2k a bit to give a bit more presence.
Dan
sirhcChrisMember
Since: Aug 25, 2008
Jun 19, 2010 10:27 pm okay thanks very much for taking the time, and listening/helping me out!
right after exams were finishing up group vocals and bass, and then i can really get into the mixing, i havnt even started panning as you can tell...
il probably be back with more questions when we finish!
Dematrixhttp://www.reverbnation.com/2ndgMember
Since: Nov 27, 2007
Jun 19, 2010 11:39 pm with your drums try using the O/H's for the staples of your sound to start with and then bring in the close mics to fill out.
sounds like the snare really sticks out (too much close mic) and is the reason the rest of kit seems back in the mix.
I agree with OD though, bass guitar will fill it out a lot more.
vocals just need some mids pulled down, or whatever freq is making them sit ontop and some verb to blend it with the music.
Oh and panning, that will make things alot better.
sirhcChrisMember
Since: Aug 25, 2008
Jun 24, 2010 12:23 am ok, tracked bass, took all the above advice, it helped alot thank you!
now id appreciate some tips or things to do to get rid of the "basement recording" feel....
oh and i re uploaded it so take a listen!
thanks again!
sirhcChrisMember
Since: Aug 25, 2008
Jun 27, 2010 08:19 pm theres no like, main things that stand out to anyone?
like i said im just learning, so i have nothing to reference to anything, so if theres anyy tips or techiniques someone could lead me towards that would be appreciated!
Jun 27, 2010 09:35 pm Mm, I'd do a few more takes on the vocals if i were you. I understand (and totally dig) that this style is meant to be kinda "flat" and it just adds to the vibe of the genre. But more like, power wise. Some parts i felt like you could be giving it a little more. And on the "hey!" parts, maybe layering them a little thicker still and going a bit more intense on the reverb. not much more, just a touch more.
Guitar wise - Too much distortion is the biggest thing. Which, to be honest i've heard some pro albums in a similar style that don't sound much better on the guitars than this, and are tracked with too much distortion. But idk, it would really help (IMHO) if you lowered the gain or considered using a plug in.
(That said, though i do love plug ins on a budget, your amp/mic doesn't really sound that bad, we get a lot of recordings on here that sound many many times worse, and i'm offering this as constructive criticism.)
Bass - mmm... i'm not experienced here but it felt a little thin and a little too "poppy" sometimes. mostly it just feels like the "disappearing bass" syndrome. I can't offer much advice there, just point it out to you.
Drums - sounded ok for the most part. Just kind of... i'm not sure...sloppy some times i guess. more the MIDI programming i think, i'll take another listen another day to point it out a little better. Something just sounds off in certain parts, not the whole thing.
Other random comments, the synth is a little too loud sometimes. Maybe some more vocal harmonies could add a bit. Don't be afraid to experiment and retrack, and above all. Keep in mind, you're doing a good job! i'm just telling you suggestions that may or may not be helping you :P
sirhcChrisMember
Since: Aug 25, 2008
Jun 27, 2010 10:54 pm thank you very much!
il definitely look into all that probably not tonight but thankyou!
for guitars we used a boss digital pedal into my mixer, i dont have the mics/ technique to record, and it was either plug ins or this, and since we can get all the exact sounds we were looking for we did this instead of a plugin... but i deffs see the upside to a plugin!
i agree that bass fell in and out, i guess il look into eq'in better
drums i dont know about since there programmed in...
and vocals i agree with, our singer didnt do so well, so hes comin back in and were gunna hopefully get a way betetr track...
maybe with other things fixed up the drums will sound better!
sirhcChrisMember
Since: Aug 25, 2008
Jun 27, 2010 10:57 pm hey just thought of something for bass....
i duplicated the bass track instead of tracking twice... does a clone of a track automatically reverse phase?
or wait if it did it would cancel out tottaly.. so how do i reverse the phase so that they dont cancel out?
thanks again
Dematrixhttp://www.reverbnation.com/2ndgMember
Since: Nov 27, 2007
Jun 27, 2010 11:23 pm i dont see the point in duping the track. itll just make it louder, itll be exactly the same unless you stagger the waveform.
that in itself could cause grief too.
That just me opinion.
If your bass is dropping in and out take alook at your compression settings.
Can you give me an idea what they are?
attack, release, and when it kicks in?
Bass can easily get muffled if played with too much, Ie; Fx and verb or just eq.
sirhcChrisMember
Since: Aug 25, 2008
Jun 27, 2010 11:39 pm im using presets lol,
maybe il read up on how to use it properly :)
cruxTypo SzarMember
Since: Jul 04, 2002
Jun 28, 2010 12:39 am For rock music id definitely suggest compressing ur bass, quite strongly if i might add. I read recently about the tribulations involved in eqing bass to stay present, but basically if ur looking for the quicker (but not perfect) fix, compressing it quite severely will easier.
Dematrixhttp://www.reverbnation.com/2ndgMember
Since: Nov 27, 2007
Jun 28, 2010 03:09 am yep, you really need it to be there all time so, maybe a longer release time too.
Jun 28, 2010 08:58 am Presents tend to be starting points at best, wrong turns at worst. I'd definitely suggest that over the summer you read up on some stuff and learn as much as you can. But, that said. Hands on experimentation is even more important. Try reading the tips and tricks section of the HRC and maybe this forum if you have the time.
forum.cockos.com/showthread.php?t=29283
Its 1.5k posts, and it draggggssss on. But it will give you an in depth overview of home recording.
sirhcChrisMember
Since: Aug 25, 2008
Jun 29, 2010 07:18 pm ok thank you very much!:)
sirhcChrisMember
Since: Aug 25, 2008
Jul 07, 2010 09:21 pm so i did my best, and i also gave mastering a try, i think i did okay for my first go ???
one thing though
so i turned the mixdown down for headroom while mastering, then i used a rms plugin to get averages and the peak, my average was like -24 db but my peak as at -4, so i used a heavy ratio on the compression with a threshold just above the majority of the song, trying to get rid of what ever was peaking so high...
i was only able to get my song to an average of -18 or something which unfortunately isnt very good for pop punk..
im out of space on my profile here so
if you wanna give me advice on my first go at mastering or even my mixing
www.myspace.com/wearetruthbetold
thanks
