bunch of new mp3's - need comments and advise.

[alecmcmahon]

hey guys....


sound click music

i have two songs of a friend of mine that came in to record a song or two for fun.

first one is BREAKAWAY , its a kelly clarkson cover done on acoustic.
i'd like some comments on how the mix his..... and a little advise about the compression on the vocals ... when she gets louder and stuff.

the 2nd is SWAY another acoustic cover..... this was really just done in one take not much eq or anything done.

both the acoustic songs were done with a studio projects b1 on guitar and vocals.





now this is really where im looking for the most help.... a drum mix..

the mp3 is called DRUM SAMPLE or something on sound click . mixing and recording is all new to me but im trying my best... i'd like to know what you guys think it needs, what can improve, etc , etc....

drum mics-

kick - shure beta 52a
snare - shure sm57
overheads - mxl 603's
rack toms - shure sm57
floor tom - cad 22 (dynamic )

again... im a total noob, but im asking for help - so thanks.



http://www.soundclick.com/bands/9/alecmcmahonmusic.htm

[alecmcmahon]

anybody ?????????????????????

[bigwillz24]

I'd give a listen but soundclick is blocked here where i work maybe when i get home

[stoctony]

Me Likeeee...Guitar could use a little eq. Voxs flat is some spots. Voice 7 out of 10. Very.....I cant think of her name. The "shit on the radio" girl. Definetly a start. well done

[alecmcmahon]

i gotta question..... during both songs.... when she sings loud at like chourus and stuff.... i think the compression kinda like compacts it all to much and sounds kinda distorted or something

its really hard to explain

i just put on the " Vocal Levaler " preset in pro tools compression plug in.

[Halion]

Break away:
Vocals are not pure at some points (0:50 and then the jump to the high note struck me with an "ouch, almost!".
Guitars sound really dark, but good. If that's your intention, keep it like that. If you were going for a more pop sound, move the mic more towards the neck (it's pointing at the soundhole now right?) and add a little boost around 8k. Verb on the vocals could be bigger if you ask me. Would have said "great songwriting skills", but they're covers, hehehe

Sway:
Same story, but the guitars sound bright enough now. Vocals sound very dry but it seems to really fit with the song, I'd keep it like that. You do need to take care of that distortion on the vox though. A limiter on the main out should take care of it.

Drum test:
Everything sound a bit far away. Try removing all the reverb (if it's coming from the recording room itself, your screwed. Your kick needs work, it's way too small, and there's no decay at all. It's just, "bump." The overall sound seems nice, don't think you need to change much about your mic, setup, exept for the bass. How are you micing it? I guess you would have very little control over the volume of your hats now, because the main mics that are picking it up are the overheads. Maybe throwing another mic on the hats (if you have any left) would help in the mixing process? Otherwise, you could get in trouble if you want to do anything about the hats, because the cymbals seem loud enough. Also, the hats and cymbals seem to come from either the center or the left. Try panning them about better.

[alecmcmahon]

Originally Posted by Halion

Break away:
Vocals are not pure at some points (0:50 and then the jump to the high note struck me with an "ouch, almost!".
Guitars sound really dark, but good. If that's your intention, keep it like that. If you were going for a more pop sound, move the mic more towards the neck (it's pointing at the soundhole now right?) and add a little boost around 8k. Verb on the vocals could be bigger if you ask me. Would have said "great songwriting skills", but they're covers, hehehe

Sway:
Same story, but the guitars sound bright enough now. Vocals sound very dry but it seems to really fit with the song, I'd keep it like that. You do need to take care of that distortion on the vox though. A limiter on the main out should take care of it.

Drum test:
Everything sound a bit far away. Try removing all the reverb (if it's coming from the recording room itself, your screwed. Your kick needs work, it's way too small, and there's no decay at all. It's just, "bump." The overall sound seems nice, don't think you need to change much about your mic, setup, exept for the bass. How are you micing it? I guess you would have very little control over the volume of your hats now, because the main mics that are picking it up are the overheads. Maybe throwing another mic on the hats (if you have any left) would help in the mixing process? Otherwise, you could get in trouble if you want to do anything about the hats, because the cymbals seem loud enough. Also, the hats and cymbals seem to come from either the center or the left. Try panning them about better.

thanks for the reply



with breakawy and the " ouch " factor when she sings loud... is there any way to get rid of that? does she have to move back from the mic during high parts? like i said i just used ' vocal levaler ' preset under compression, and for some reason i think its that... cause its not " so distorted " when its off, but the peaks are WAYYYY to loud then.

yeh, for the guitar the B1 was just kinda thrown in front of the sound hole... ( this was a couple weeks ago ).... and i do agree its kinda airy and to bassy.

i got those mxl 603's now... maybe i'll retrack it with those mics.


for the bass drum im micing it with the shure beta52a.... in the hole about 3-4 inches on an axis pointed at like 11 o clock '. i did a high pass on it to take out some high pitched squeeks ( he has a squeky pedal ) and to try to make it more of a big bass thump, of course it didnt work.

with overhead placement that i see now... it seems that i just want them to pick up the cymbals and less of the overall drum mix ,but i shouldnt be aiming for that right ?...

[Halion]

Vocals:
She could try backing up from the mic when she hits the loud high notes, but that's not really the biggers problem. She just kinda shoots her voice somewhere in that area and then when she's there she tries to go for the right now as fast as possible, while she should hit the right note right away. That's really just a practice.

Guitar:
The boominess is very common if you mic it that way. It would seem like the natural way at first, but it's a common mistake that alot of people make. Point the mic at the 12th fret. A little more towards the sounds hole for more "boom" and bass, a little more towards the neck to pick up more strings sound, treble.

Bassdrum:
Try just sticking the mic right in front of the batter head. It might squeek, but if it's a problem you should be able to take that out with some smart EQing. Should be alot punchier. Remember that the punch of the kick is not just the amount or attack of the low end. The mids play a great role in that aswell. You said you used a high-pass, I pressume you meant low pass? Because you describe getting rid of the high end, meaning you let the low end pass

About the overhead. Just hang 'em above the cymbal, pointing somewhat to the middle of drumset (where you sit, but a little less that way). Make sure they are standing symetrical.

[alecmcmahon]

excuse my lack of drum knowledge, but the batter head is the side that the kick pedal strikes ?? ( in the drum )

or is it the front outside of the drum???

[Halion]

Yes, just stick the mic through the hole in the kickdrum, an inch or 2 off the place where the pedal hits the drum, pointing right at it.