My songs never sound right

I have been recording since I got my Fostex X15 back in 1984, I used to just record, sometimes bounce and mix out to a cassette tape. Always sounded a bit crappy (especially to my 2018 ears) but I blamed it on the technology of the time. Fast forward to now and I decided to re-record an old song I wrote and recorded in 1988. It was mostly a spoof and totally different than anything I would normally record. I decided to put many of my old songs on a cd. My two young kids heard this song in my car and loved it. Since the original song had some strong words for my kids to hear, I decided to re-do it with some kid friendly words.

I brought the song into Sonar Platinum. I then re-did everything and it spans 20 tracks. Now I have no excuse for bad quality. While everything is loud and clear, I cannot mix it where it all falls into place. I know enough to know that certain instruments sit in certain areas of the eq spectrum. When I listen to songs I purchase, I am amazed how the drums have so much space and I can hear everything. My mixes sound like a flat piece of paper where everything is just there. Adjusting the volume does not help. Is there a simple chart or something that says the bass should be in this range and the synth should be in this one? Something General would be a great start. I understand that the individual tracks can sound like crap but sound great together. I cant help but think I am missing some fundamentals.

Anyone have any tips to get me started?
 
That is really a tough thing to call without hearing it man. There are so many factors that make a mix work... 35 years recording and I still look for answers.

You can look at a chart that tells you the predominantly used spectrum of most instruments but it does not tell you how any individual reacts with another. That is the human side to music/mixing and why it is more of a personal taste sort of thing.

I would suggest posting up a sample of one of the songs you have issue with. Surely some general advice from others could be gained by doing so. Totally impossible to guess without hearing what you are...

:)
 
Hearing it would be a great idea. One thing that I've seen happen when people first get the power to fool with every little detail is, they try to make each instrument sound as good as possible when rolled.

The problem with that is that the instruments don't necessarily work together. Think of it like this:

Bonham drum sound
Dimebag guitar tone
Geddy lee bass tone
Bob Dylan vocals

All perfectly good sounds, but won't work together
 
...Geddy lee bass tone...


One thing that impresses me with Rush is that their fans think of them as 3 of the greatest musicians of all time.
But Lifeson is actually a fairly underwhelming guitarist. He's not that stellar, but that's exactly what Rush needed. If he'd been trying to outdoo Lee and Pert, the songs would have turned into a garbled mess.

But more on topic. +1 for posting to the mp3 clinic. You can get a lot of great tips there.
 
I guess I can post it but as I said, it was main written as a spoof and I would hate to get mocked for a style of music that I do not normally write. It may be in the vein of You Can't Touch This by MC Hammer, though my song precedes his by two years. Are readers able to offer advice about the mix while not liking the song?
 
I guess I can post it but as I said, it was main written as a spoof and I would hate to get mocked for a style of music that I do not normally write. It may be in the vein of You Can't Touch This by MC Hammer, though my song precedes his by two years. Are readers able to offer advice about the mix while not liking the song?

Bring it! People here don't judge others music genres. Well, not anymore.

I work with many genres. I would give honest opinion of the mix, not the song. Unless you ask for advice on song itself, the MP3 Clinic is mostly about mix and tone advice.

Let me know here when you post a link in the Clinic. I don't always see them. I look forward to hearing this. :)
 
Mixing music is not just about getting frequencies balanced-if it was then all those single plug in "mastering" suites would turn everything into a masterpiece. The goal for most of us is more complex. Starting with-what is my goal! Am I mixing for me, friends and family, the forum community, commercial release ? What is the song "about"? Am I trying for an accurate representation of a live performance or am I creating a soundscape of my own design? What should be the focus at any given point in the song? Yes the lead vocal , but when it's not in front you cant just let the rest of the instruments run in circles til it returns. You would lose your listener if there isn't something else to focus on. Repetition is necessary to pull a listener in but slight changes in arrangement hold their interest so the focus should move smoothly where you want it from moment to moment. to that end we have to use delays, reverb, panning, frequency changes(including automating dynamic changes) and volume and compression to move parts front and back , left and right , up and down. If you just get a balanced tonality without any dynamic changes you will be board silly after the first 20 seconds. Seriously, people have short attention spans!
Lifeson's gift AFIK was the same as his cronies-great arranging skills.Play what needs to be played and no more, Drenched with chorus, :facepalm:
 
mixing is creating expressive sound scapes that enhance the gist of the lyrical and music concept..you take sections and infuse you subjective emotional "picture" to enhance and embellish the musical story
 
I mean, we kind of do, but most of us have the courtesy to just quietly ignore threads in genres we don't like. :D

Quite correct. :D

---------- Update ----------

mixing is creating expressive sound scapes that enhance the gist of the lyrical and music concept..you take sections and infuse you subjective emotional "picture" to enhance and embellish the musical story

Whoa! Than was deep. :)
 
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