advice on mixing/fx for horn section

[williamconifer]

Greets,

I did a live recording of the 10 R&B band I do sound for. Blues Brothers type stuff. I did the recording on 4 tracks using Sonar 3 and PC. Tracks are Vocals, Horns, Rythm (keys/gtr/bass), drums. The recording is clear and natural sounding. Now I have to mix/EQ it and apply fx.

My Q is how do you folks eq and affect horn sections? My horns in question are2 trumpets and a tenor sax. One of the trumpets is a real "hot" trilley player that sounds great. Like I said all the horns are together on one track.

I want a Van Morrison horn section sound. What eq characteristics should I apply and what kind of fx will give it that real nice "solid" and full sound without sounding to brash?

Any ideas or tips?

thanks
jack

[Shailat]

Originally posted by williamconifer
Greets,

I did a live recording of the 10 R&B band I do sound for. Blues Brothers type stuff. I did the recording on 4 tracks using Sonar 3 and PC. Tracks are Vocals, Horns, Rythm (keys/gtr/bass), drums. The recording is clear and natural sounding. Now I have to mix/EQ it and apply fx.

My Q is how do you folks eq and affect horn sections? My horns in question are2 trumpets and a tenor sax. One of the trumpets is a real "hot" trilley player that sounds great. Like I said all the horns are together on one track.

I want a Van Morrison horn section sound. What eq characteristics should I apply and what kind of fx will give it that real nice "solid" and full sound without sounding to brash?

Any ideas or tips?

thanks
jack

I can't say all that much with out hearing the tracks in the context of the mix so here are a few tips to think about and experiment with.

If your worried about the brash side beware of any boosting from 4-10kHz. You might try a cut though below 100-200Hz if that area is covered by the rest of the R. Section (as it should be).

Try a short plate for reverb to add interest It can add a bright end with out sounding harsh.

Also try if you have, an Exciter. It can help the brass cut through the mix with out the brashness your worried about and with out touching the EQ. When you apply the exciter, do it as you hear it in the context of the whole mix, not by itself.

Try some subtle Chorus if the sound is to thin or small. To extreme an effect will give you bad results..subtle is the key word. All flanging or phase shifting somebody might suggest....drop it fast . Since you recorded the brass all to one track, you might benefit from the use of dealy to enlarge the sound a drop with out the harmonic chaos of a chorus effect. Using a delay under 35ms combined with the original track and panned, will get you there.