Starting Final Mixes Song 6 - For My

BroKen_H

BroKen_H

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Okay, serious struggle (and quite a bit of fun, actually) for me to get this many vocal tracks to play nice. We all know my struggles with my voice...lots of retracking and punch-ins, pitch adjuster on every track, the lot.
Little play with a wah in the bridge just to see what I could do with it.
Anyway, give a listen with particular ears toward vocals and vocal balance throughout. Nit the whole effort as well (like usual) :)



Second try



Third (not much change)



New Mix: Left the instruments basically alone. Retracked and cleaned up a lot on the vocals. Running almost naked (pitch adjustment), cut a LOT of effects off or way down. Let me know!

 
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I would pull down the vocals and get the acoustic (if it is still there) and the vocals to work together. Then bring the drums up to compliment that. Can't say the distorted guitar is working for this mix. I like the wah wah, little loud. Also, sounds like string squeak in a few places.

Overall, the vocals seemed to not have a good higher end. Try some air on them. I always group my background vocals, get them to sit together, then bring them into the main mix as a group. Easier to treat them as a group, than all those faders and plug ins.

That is about all I have.
 
Yeah. There's like 10 channels of vocal (never at the same time)...I've been up and down on the wah part and I guess I was just a little too proud of it :) Thanks. I keep raising the acoustic. It's still not loud enough. Raised 150Hz (narrow) and 600 (wider) to boost it's good character without pushing the 300Hz mud in between. I'll keep pushing the fader up.

Okay from what you've said: Pulled the vocals back a bit and added some 10k shelf. Pushed the acoustic up harder, pulled back on the organ (not due to your comments, but because it started to hang out with the rest of the fixes). Pulled both the distorted guitars back a lot. Fixing a timing issue on the acoustic...didn't hear before making them this loud.

 
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I usually cut on my acoustic below 300, I can never get a good bottom on my acoustic. Boost around 3-5K. I try some kind of spreader to get it to sit left and right to the vocals.

Vocals are sitting too low. Just a tad. Acoustic sounds better, probably just a smidge too high until about 3/4 through, during the quiet part, it sounded really good.

Overall it sounds too narrow. Not very well spread out. Try panning the background vocals and get them to spread out. You can take tow different vocals if they are in a different spectrum and use the same panning, high/low left, high/low right, then move to the next group and try to keep them out of the middle, except maybe a vocal or two that doesn't fight the lead vocal.

That seems to be the biggest issue I hear right now. Maybe get the mix of the instruments, then come back and find places for the vocals. I am probably not helping much, but right now, it sounds like a crowd. But you should be able to get all of the vocals in, just have to fight with them to find their places.
 
I like the way the acoustic sounds in the mix now, too. I'll probably work around that. My Yamaha has a great tone, pleasure to record. :) One of my great joys...now if I could just play it better. Working on it! I shoved it back in the mix during the bridge (wah). Maybe bring that back up a hair.
The organ moved into a pretty good place there...audible and clear, but no threat to anything else (maybe one more dB down). I'm kind of using it for the backbone to the song: helping the vocals and stabilizing the chords.

Okay widened the verse vocals. Tweaked a few others. Got the guitar sitting about 35% left (except in the two spots it's highlighted).

 
Much better to my ears. Now you can bring the background vocals down (they don't sound crowded). Bring some bass up. Lead vocal down a bit more. Your voice really cuts through.

Getting there.
 
What I hear is a need for the lead vocal track to be defined separately from all the backing vocal harmonies. You have a slapback echo on the main vocal and I don't feel that is working well. It isn't 'in your face' like it needs to be. Especially when the chorus harmonies come in. Then it becomes mush instead of being something special. I am also wishing for that highest harmony more prevalent once the vocals sit well.

Now that middle part would be really cool if the main vocal was not a part of that chorus/flange effect. It just comes across as overdone because it is.

Sorry for my slang, but pththpth to you. I listened to this early this morning and the hook has been in my head all day...All day! :)

I have some free time this week if you would wish to send the tracks over and I can have a play at the mix or some tuning/placement.
 
DM60 said:
Much better to my ears. Now you can bring the background vocals down (they don't sound crowded). Bring some bass up. Lead vocal down a bit more. Your voice really cuts through.

Getting there.
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jimmys69 said:
What I hear is a need for the lead vocal track to be defined separately from all the backing vocal harmonies. You have a slapback echo on the main vocal and I don't feel that is working well. It isn't 'in your face' like it needs to be. Especially when the chorus harmonies come in. Then it becomes mush instead of being something special. I am also wishing for that highest harmony more prevalent once the vocals sit well.

Now that middle part would be really cool if the main vocal was not a part of that chorus/flange effect. It just comes across as overdone because it is.

Sorry for my slang, but pththpth to you. I listened to this early this morning and the hook has been in my head all day...All day! :)

I have some free time this week if you would wish to send the tracks over and I can have a play at the mix or some tuning/placement.
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@both;
Ways to go yet. I'm not happy with a lot of things on the track yet...including the bass is too quiet compared to the rest of the tracks on this endeavor. Possible I can cut some of the harsher frequencies from the main vocal and get the chorus-y Polar thing off that for this track so the main vocal sets aside, but I really like Polar and what it does for my lousy voice.

The highest vocal part is the lowest vocal part (just used the pitch adjuster to shove it up there), so it's really not great quality (like my voice ever is :)). Hard to bring that too far forward without it sounding like a vocorder (remember those?)

Jimmy;
Glad you like the hook (well, you didn't say you liked it exactly...). I'd be glad to try to dry up the vocals and ship them your way. There are 5 tracks on the bridge, three on the main verses (the harmonies are on the verse and none on the chorus just as an experiment) and one in the chorus. Then, they're all doubled or tripled (depending on the part). Lots of fun. I'll try to get it all sorted back out (I've done some bouncing and I'm not sure I saved the original...bad recording habit, BAD :rolls up newspaper and whaps habit on the nose:). I'll see what I can find. Do you want all the tracks or just the vocal? Hope you have a good pitch adjuster as they're all pretty hard to listen to. :D Let me get a package together tomorrow before work...and BTW, thanks! You are always helping others. I admire that.
 
BroKen_H said:
Jimmy;
Glad you like the hook (well, you didn't say you liked it exactly...). I'd be glad to try to dry up the vocals and ship them your way. There are 5 tracks on the bridge, three on the main verses (the harmonies are on the verse and none on the chorus just as an experiment) and one in the chorus. Then, they're all doubled or tripled (depending on the part). Lots of fun. I'll try to get it all sorted back out (I've done some bouncing and I'm not sure I saved the original...bad recording habit, BAD :rolls up newspaper and whaps habit on the nose:). I'll see what I can find. Do you want all the tracks or just the vocal? Hope you have a good pitch adjuster as they're all pretty hard to listen to. :D Let me get a package together tomorrow before work...and BTW, thanks! You are always helping others. I admire that.
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Just my nature man. :)

Send me an MP3 of the mix without vocals. Then the individual vocal tracks (24-bit wav) without effects. The music is sounding good already. See no need to mess with that.

I use the full version of Melodyne and 3 video monitors. Makes it easy to tune multiple tracks quite quickly. Willing to spend some time for ya. :)

You have my email? PM me if not.


Cheers!
 
I've got Neptune (Reason's built it) and two monitors. It works, but I'm seriously looking at Melodyne after seeing what Crazy Luke could do with that track in an hour...My birthday's in February, maybe my wife will allow a $200 birthday gift. :D
 
New Mix: Left the instruments basically alone. Retracked and cleaned up a lot on the vocals. Running almost naked (pitch adjustment), cut a LOT of effects off or way down. Let me know!

 
I'd automate the acoustic manually (lower it) when the vocals come in. There's some masking with the acoustic and the other vocal tracks. It's also very dry overall and lacking low end.
 
I love the arrangement and the vocal work; the song is really good. There are mixing issues . . . I would do a lot of things differently, to bring out the various elements, especially the vocals. What jimmy said is mostly what I feel about it as well, especially the treated vocal part there midway in or so. A really good song that drew me in immediately, and yeah, I'll be singing that melody for a while . . . .
 
TimOD said:
I love the arrangement and the vocal work; the song is really good. There are mixing issues . . . I would do a lot of things differently, to bring out the various elements, especially the vocals. What jimmy said is mostly what I feel about it as well, especially the treated vocal part there midway in or so. A really good song that drew me in immediately, and yeah, I'll be singing that melody for a while . . . .
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Mixing issues or production issues. There is a fine line.
 
Which mix are we talking? I addressed the bridge vocal bit in FM3. Maybe I'm missing what we're talking about? Waiting on the corrected vocals back from James, but I'm working on how the effects will affect because pitch correct or not, the effects are a production problem.
Nola-thank you for the listen! I've gone too far drying out the vocals? That's what I'd thought as well. There's a blanket reverb on everything in varying amounts, have I dried up the mix? or did you mean the vocals?
 
Sorry about that! I was listening to the first mix. I just listened to the better, newer mix (For My FM3). Mixing issues or production? I just call the whole thing mixing, because I'm doing it all by myself, and those two things get rolled into one.
 
Me too! I understand the difference (and I'm sure you do, too) between mixing (getting the balance) and production (adding the flavor), so I don't argue with Dave when he insinuates (he didn't actually say it) the effects are a production issue...like a baker and a cake decorator are sometimes the same person, yeah? Wow, I like that analogy...really emphasizes that those should be kept mostly separate.

Anyway, I appreciate that the hook of the song sticks with people. As a songwriter, that's what's actually important to me. Getting the rest right is the icing on the cake. :D
 
not sure how i missed this, sorry for the late comment.

listening to mix 3. vocals kinda low, ya? there's some strings on the acoustics that are popping out at me. I'd just look at levels overall and get those vocals up front more by bringing the guitars down a bit.

good melody. wish i could hear the lyrics more :)
 
andrushkiwt said:
not sure how i missed this, sorry for the late comment.

listening to mix 3. vocals kinda low, ya? there's some strings on the acoustics that are popping out at me. I'd just look at levels overall and get those vocals up front more by bringing the guitars down a bit.

good melody. wish i could hear the lyrics more :)
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Thanks Taras! Yes, I'm a little tentative on the vocals yet. James (mr. 69) was going to autotune them for me so I could better push them. Just trying to get the effects set. I'll listen to those acoustics! My playing is not great, but I'll see what I can do about the levels. Balance OHM!
 
BroKen_H said:
Yes, I'm a little tentative on the vocals yet. James (mr. 69) was going to autotune them for me so I could better push them.
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Oh shoot buddy! I got caught up at work and spaced out.

It is already loaded into Cubase. I have a session tonight but should be able to get to them tomorrow. :)

Sorry man.
 
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