Seven Ocean (original song from the band I'm playing drums).

CMolena

CMolena

Active member
Hey!

I'm playing in this band called Red Tapes, from Brazil. We did some gigs already and we decided that it would be cool if we'd release an EP.

So I demoed two songs. I recorded the drums first, with four mics (Recorderman, kick and snare) first with the band playing live and tried to get the maximum isolation I could so then we could overdub the rest.

Guitars we partially recorded with my Blues Jr (we used a blues overdrive pedal with max gain so we could achieve that fuzzy sound) and with an old Peavey Bandit (which I love).

Bass I blended the DI signal with a amp mic.

Vox were recorded with MXL V67.

I was thinking, do you guys think that this version could be a cool final product to share? The band and I are not worried about sounding comercial and radio friendly. We are really inspired by early QOTSA and stuff like that.

Here is the link: https://soundcloud.com/caio-molena/seven-oceans-red-tapes-mix-2/s-F9YsV
 
I think your vocalist is pretty good although he does take liberties with the pitch at times. Is there something weird going on with the cymbal crashes/guitar stabs like at 2.14, 2.17? Like the guitar is being jumped on by a compressor, robbing the power. The tune seems to meander a little. I really like the falsetto vocal towards the end. If the singer did another verse like that and you blend into the arrangement it could be cool...
 
For whatever reason it reminds me a little of Audioslave. However, just a quick disclaimer... I'm listening on my laptop's onboard speakers (JBL, nonetheless, but still). Guitars sound great man. My only thing is that sometimes the vocal doesn't sit with the rest of the mix... I've always been picky about vocals and I don't know if it's me or what. But my opinion is that the vocal doesn't really sound like it's in the same space as everything else. It may be too loud which is causing it, or it may be a reverb/eq thing. I'm not sure, this one is hard to pinpoint. Hopefully that is helpful... I'll think more about it and try and pinpoint it.

TheLurker
 
I agree that the tune meanders somewhat. The vocalist is out front as he should be, but might need something to get him sitting in the mix better. Good job.
 
The hard-panning on the lead guitar starting around 1:03 is probably a bad choice. I recommend never assuming that your listener is hearing in stereo, which means that a part that's important (such as the lead, which is the only melodic voice at that point) may not be heard at all.

Plus, it unbalances the mix in general.

The fuzzed-out tones are pretty cool tho. You did a good job with the drums. (Though, those could stand to be panned a little farther out if you can)
 
Funny you mentioned Queens because I was thinking that as I was listening. I hear it in pretty much every aspect of the song, especially in the vocal phrasing. Note that I am not at all implying any negativity in this comment. In fact, Queens is up there with my top favourite 2 or 3 bands of all time. They are amazing live.

Needless to say perhaps, but I really enjoy this track.

Anyway. I think the lead guitar sounded better panned out to the side. IMO, you should move it back. It made the mix much more interesting and I think it worked much better than the current placement.

Of course someone would chime in and say this, eh?

You can't please everyone. Just do what you think sounds best, not what we think sounds best. It's your art, and it's cool.

Overall, I like the mix. It sounds well done. That bass in particular is really big and meaty, while still really controlled. Me likey.
 
I like this mix too. The bass does sound big. There are a few places where it turns flabby on the low notes, for example the first few bars of the fast section that begins around 2:13, and the same part earlier in the song. Guitars and vocals are about right.
 
This sounds great, Cmo. Not a fan of the song, but the recording is well executed and thoughtful -- good taste and decisions shown throughout.

Definitely does not sound like 4 mics and limited gear setup, which means you're a good engineer (much of this is good taste/decisions, imo, not just technical stuff).

I'm noticing big improvement as you keep working on these projects. I don't think you're far from doing this for a living.
 
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