Opinions on a mix
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Posted on Feb 25, 2004 06:28 pm
BAN5150
Member Since: Feb 25, 2004
Hey guys,
My first post here. I'm pretty new to recording my own stuff, recorded in plenty of real recording studios, but not doing stuff on my own at home. So go easy on me when you hear this. :)
Anyway, can you guys have a listen to this and let me know what you think of the mix. The song has no vocals recorded yet, I just kind of want to a decent instrumental sound on it first. I know the snare is too loud, but what other suggestions do you have, like reverb or more compression. Or even EQ's. I just want to get a good idea what doesn't sound right.
Thanks!
File: www.vhforums.com/lfd.mp3
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TadpuiI am not a crook's headMember
Since: Mar 14, 2003
Feb 25, 2004 06:45 pm Sounds good to me. EVerything sits well in the mix. The guitar and bass seem to be competing for some of the low frequencies, but I can understand why since that is one MEAN guitar sound you've got going! Its just that it makes the bass kind of disappear when the guitar palm mutes during the verses.
Good job, this'll sound great with a vocal track on it.
Feb 25, 2004 08:23 pm I don't know if you double tracked the guitar, but a good way to separate the bass and guitar would be to double track the guitar and pan it 80% left and right to get you a fuller and more spacious sound. Personally I'd probably cut down on the reverb on the snare a bit. The guitar does have a nice, smooth tone. It may be a bit muddy-- you could roll off some of the lows around 75 Hz and lower to bring out the bass and kick drum (also cut the bass a bit around 80 hz for the kick drum). The cymbals sound a bit thin. Some more mid-range (mid-mids, not low mids... Sorry, I'm still working on taking better notice of frequency numbers...). I listened to the song a little while ago before I wrote this post so I may have to go back and check again. Anyway, I hope I am of some use :)
-Porp
Noize2uCzar of MidiAdministrator
Since: Apr 04, 2002
Feb 25, 2004 08:40 pm WEll the kick and the toms are very hard to hear. Some judicious use of compression and a bit of EQ work on the individual tracks to get them alive again would be a good place to start. Porps suggestions are a good start to fiddle a bit with the EQ in places. I put it up on an anilyzer and it seems to be very bottom heavy with now weighting on the scan, but in a weighting it looks pretty good. I also noticed a very deep scoop right smack at 1000khz of about 20 or 30 dB. I dont know if you have cut EQ on everything there but that is very strange to have that much missing at that frequancy. And it is a fairly wide scoop as well. I agree with cutting back on the reverb on the snare as well. The guitar tone is pretty good but again rolling off a bit of the bottom might let the bass and kick and toms through a little more. You may need to experiment a bit with that. I would also maybe compress the bass guitar as well and maybe give it a tiny boost around 100hz and 350hz and see if that brings it a bit of life among the guitar sound.
Like prop sadi as well, the track is very bottom heavy so I would start there and try tweaking each instrument a bit via comp and EQ to try and get them to fit.
Otherwise, I like the tune and the arrangement very much. Look forward to hearing were you go with it.
Peace
olddogMember
Since: Jul 02, 2003
Feb 25, 2004 11:54 pm I pretty much agree with Porp and Noize, but I think the snare is too loud in comparison to the rest (which may be why the reverb on it stands out to much). For my taste it's also a bit sharp, but that may be what your going for. Very nice sound on the guitars.
Dan
Feb 26, 2004 03:23 am Hey guys, I really appreciate all the responses and feedback, considering I'm pretty new at tracking and mixing my own stuff like this. Those are exactly the kind of responses I wanted so thanks!
Ok this is what I did. I basiclly put everything flat and started over with the EQ's, the reverb, and the compression.
So click the link above again, I just re-uploaded the file. I think I got the bass better (it may actually be too loud now), you can hear the kick (I think it still isn't loud enough though). Take a listen, I think the overall sound is better, the guitars to seem to have lost a little of the punch since I took the bottom out though.
What I did was double one guitar track, and then set the right side one off with a little chorus and delay. Think that spaced it out a little better.
But have a listen again if you can and tell me if I'm on the right track. :)
TheTincanbugsloppy dice, drinks twiceMember
Since: Aug 05, 2003
Feb 26, 2004 06:13 am ...just wanted to chime in and say, I like the feel of the song a lot. I can't wait to hear it when it's finished. I agree with the other commenters on the problem parts, but overall I'd say good job. Great playing! I love a good, chunky guitar with palm mutes... ah... chugga chugga indeed. :)
fyi - comments were on the first mix, haven't heard the other yet.
Feb 26, 2004 02:47 pm It sounds better, man. I would suggest that you go a little lighter on the chorus effect on the guitar. It's cool, but a little to obvious in the beginning of the song. Also, the hi-hat sounds a bit loud (The other cymbals might be a little loud, too). Either turn it down or cut some of the high end a bit (search around for that real piercing frequency). The snare could actually be a bit brigher now, or maybe a tad louder. It definately sits better now, though. Good work.
Feb 26, 2004 03:09 pm Thanks man, yeah I think the snare is too low now, I'll have to tweak it a little. You think the open heavy high hat is too loud? What I'm worried about is that I don't seem to have many highs, and if I take them away from the hats, I'm afraid it's going to be very mid-rangey. It's like when the song kicks in, it just sounds dead to me. Maybe it's cause the snare is too low. Or maybe it's my guitar. But I don't want to take off anymore low from the guitar or it just seems to lose the "balls."
As far as that chorus goes, yeah I know it's heavy. I just did that intro with my Pod and threw the chorus on there when I recorded to save time. I know it's pretty blatant, that was kinda the point. I may change it.
Feb 26, 2004 03:13 pm I don't think the open heavy hi-hat is too loud. I only think that the closed hi-hat and one of the crash cymbals is loud. The open hat sounds really good, actually.
Feb 26, 2004 03:50 pm Cool, because I was like..."Damn and I worked hard on that heavy hat." :) Yeah the closed one sucks, I have to sit with it a little, it's definitely too loud, and yep I need to work with the crashes a little too. This is what happens when a guitar player has to mix drums. :)
But thanks for the advice, it's totally helping me.
Feb 26, 2004 04:46 pm man, i like that descending bit in the intro. i can't be of much mixing help (im listening through losuy computer speakers) but it sounds fine through them
you sound like you might be a danzig fan. all those pinch harmonics. nice! how did you get your guitar tone?
Feb 26, 2004 05:14 pm HAHA nope not much of Danzig fan, die hard Van Halen fan though, so it's more EVH's influence I would say. Actually I was going for more the Zakk Wylde thing on that song. I use a Pod XT to record at home, and basically I used Zakk Wylde patch I found on the Line 6 site that I liked, and then tweaked it some. Figured it would work good for this song.
