thin

[carvin]

I am having a little trouble trying to figure out how to make my recordings sound a little thicker. Not so empty. I use Sonar 2.0, Sound Forge, Carvin Mixer, and I do not have monitors. I know that is one of my biggest problems. I am sure that some of you will tell me that the other biggest problem is my Behringer compressors. I think that maybe I might be missing something in the mix. If anybody has any thoughts or suggestions that would be great.

[Stealthtech]

Try a multiband EQ.....SF has plenty of good plugs for beefin up a freq.
A good monitor source is essential for doing this.

[starch]

What are you using to monitor? That will definitely be a problem as you need to be able to hear if things you may try in the mix actually work. As far as making your mix sound 'thicker' you can try doubling or a short delay. Reverb may also give you some ambience to thicken things up. It also depends on what you are trying to fatten up as what might work for vox may not work for guitar or drums.

Good luck

[Phosphene]

do you have any clips we can hear?

[Bulls Hit]

Originally Posted by carvin

...and I do not have monitors .... I think that maybe I might be missing something in the mix. If anybody has any thoughts or suggestions that would be great.

Yep, get some monitors. You'll be amazed at how much better your mixes will sound

[distortedrumble]

i agree....i'm one of those people that cuts corners everywhere i can. i was even debating using the home theater speakers. after having it drilled into my head here, i decided to go ahead and get them and it was worth every penny....i have some samson resolv 65as. take a look on www.americanmusical.com if you decide to get some monitors then anything over $249 you can make payments on it. its 0% financing so my monitors came out to 3 payments of $93.33 and you can get them in 2-3 plus its free shipping. and if your worried about being approved, I'm $8k in debt including a bank note for almost $4k and i still got approved. anyway i used some 4.1 multimedia speakers before i got the monitors and my mixes came out really bassy but my guitars were really thin.

[mixsit]

Originally Posted by carvin

I am having a little trouble trying to figure out how to make my recordings sound a little thicker. Not so empty. I use Sonar 2.0, Sound Forge, Carvin Mixer, and I do not have monitors. I know that is one of my biggest problems. I am sure that some of you will tell me that the other biggest problem is my Behringer compressors. I think that maybe I might be missing something in the mix. If anybody has any thoughts or suggestions that would be great.

What's your recording chain? -both on tracking and on mix down?
Are you having to use a lot of eq now? (Sometimes that's a sign that pops up as an indication the gathering' phase is not going well..(?) in which case, more fixes' needed?
Wayne

[carvin]

It sounds like monitors are probably the most important part. I do not have any tracks with vocals on them because I always get frustrated to the point of "DELETE THE DAMN THING" "START OVER" I do have some instrumental tracks on my website. www.puppysnot.com I should have something with some vocals on it next week.

any suggestions would help. Thanks again. This site has made my recordings sound much better. If you think they are bad now you should have heard them three months ago.

[Cloneboy Studio]

Generally "thinness" is something that happens more during the RECORDING process than during the mixing process. Get some better preamps, record more layers of tracks (double, triple and quadruple parts), get better microphones, learn to optimize your gain/SNR/signal levels and you'll find your mixes get fatter.

With that said, you DO need some monitors anyways. Otherwise you'll never get the stereo spectrum correct. Getting the volume levels mixed with headphones is no easy feat either.

But if your stuff is sounding 'thin' 90% of the time it has to do more with what you tracked and less with what you did with it. When I record I've already thought about the finished product--post mastering and mixing. So I record accordingly. If a snare has to be fat then I'm going to record the fattest sounding snare I can get: over mic, positioned overheads w/ a 3rd overhead for the snare, underneath the snare, plus triggers... and I'm going to use a high quality drum kit in a decent room. That is, if I have all those things at my disposal... I'm not tied to any particular, nor do I own my own studio, so what I get to work with varies each session.

[chessrock]

I think for your situation, it's not just a matter of one or two things.

Obviously, the monitoring situation will make an immediate difference. But so will just about everything else. It's just a matter of starting from scratch and learning; and by learning I mean everything from proper mic technique to gain staging, to EQ to compression to mixing technique to production to everything.

Improvements in your gear will also make a difference. And by that I mean everything from better mics to better pres to better recording medium to better accoustics to better monitoring and the list goes on.

Over time, your ears will also get better. For now, I'd just focus on having fun with it all. Have fun with the recording process . . . have fun asking questions, learning and (hopefully) solving problems.