I mixed a singer/songwriter today. Looking for critique on mix.

RawDepth

New member
The guitar tracks just don't sound completely natural to me. Maybe too much in the vocal tracks causing phase or eq problems. Maybe it's just not a good sounding guitar. I don't know.

 
vox sound great, yeah that guitar is a little weird sounding...did it sound anything like that live? it's like, honky? i think that's a good word for it, not sure. someone good with acoustic g will chime in i'm sure.
 
vox sound great, yeah that guitar is a little weird sounding...did it sound anything like that live? it's like, honky? i think that's a good word for it, not sure. someone good with acoustic g will chime in i'm sure.

Yes, it sounded pretty crappy. I think that she used her old cheapo starter guitar. She said that her good Martin needed fret work or something due to a buzz.

I assumed that I could fix this one up with eq, but that's not turning out to be as easy as I thought because there is a ton of guitar in the vocal mics. I think I am getting cancellation between the guitar pair and the guitar in the vocal track. I really need to find and make use of the mic dead zones for better isolation.

Thanks.
 
Yes, it sounded pretty crappy. I think that she used her old cheapo starter guitar. She said that her good Martin needed fret work or something due to a buzz.

I assumed that I could fix this one up with eq, but that's not turning out to be as easy as I thought because there is a ton of guitar in the vocal mics. I think I am getting cancellation between the guitar pair and the guitar in the vocal track. I really need to find and make use of the mic dead zones for better isolation.

Thanks.

It's hard enough just getting a great sound when everything is isolated, but with enough practice I'm sure you'll get there.
 
Man, I think the mix sounds fine and though the guitar sounds kind of weird, I love it. Its very mid rangey, but man, I think that if the singer didnt mind it, you should keep it like that.
 
From what I can tell, I don't hear phasing issue with the guitar but it does sound tubby. Like if I get a mic too close to the sound hole of a dreadnaught.
 
Vox seem a little boxy, sounds like you're aware of the challenges there though. I actually didn't think the guitar was unpleasant. Sounds kind of cheap but maybe eq can help that too. What a great performance, sounds like she's right on stage (if she isn't, choice reverb!)
 
the only thing I noticed is a little burp every so often at around 200khz, and a slight tone buildup at around 500. the vocal sounds awesome. she can sing. not sure what you had on the vocal but it is perfect.:thumbs up:
 
Sounds like a cheap guitar with old strings...or nylons maybe? It's also out of tune.

It's fine for what it is. It's all about the vocal, and I think you did a nice job with that.
 
The guitar sounds good and musical. Sounds like nylon strings on the lower strings, dead steel strings on the treble. So what?

I'd take a little low-mid out of the guitar. Somewhere between 200-500 maybe -2db. I think that's all it needs. But that might thin it out too much, but that's about all I'd thinker with. Don't hear the phase issue mentioned.
 
I thought the vocal sounded pretty decent. Nice singing voice. I thought the high midrange was a little over-hyped. Gave it just a bit of a crispy feel. I would have gone for a smaller reverb.

The super-boxy guitar worked for me. Most mixes it wouldn't. It had a string or two out of tune. But I thought it was kind of quaint and worked well. Just back off the big-ish reverb and make the mix more intimate.

A couple of little pops around :48.
 
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