First Decent Mix

P

ProgMetalGuy

Rock Star wanna be
Hey guys recently got a lot of new stuff to upgrede my home recording

This is a mix and recording I just finished last night. Didnt added vocals yet
Just Guitars, Bass Drums (drum maching) Also used a Digital Fiber Optical cable to mix to my PC thru a Sound Blaster Audigy 2 ZS sound card



Tascam DP01 Digital Recorder
Jackson DKMG Guitar
Ibanez TB100 Amp
Marshall 1960a 4x12 Cabinet
BOSS MT-2 Distortion
BOSS GE-7 EQ
BOSS RV-5 Reverb
BOSS NS-2 Noise Suppressor
Squier Precision P-Bass Guitar
Zoom RhythemTrak RT-223 Drum Machine
ART Tube MP Studio Mic Preamp
Sennheiser E609 Silver Cabinet Mic
Sure Beta 58A Mic
Mogami Mic Cables
Planet Waves Guitar Cables
 
Once the two guitars begin together the whole thngs gets a "generic" sound. It turns good when the change happens BUT those easy patch/FX pedal sounds don't do a thing for the song.
The two dist/o'driven guitars should have at least slightly different lines to play. for the sake of interest & texture. The gap in timing is good enouigh to separate them but more could be done.
Where's the proggie solo? You'll need to mix the 3rd guitar in more carefully it sits on top without fitting in.
A good start some of the pauses will probably make more sense when a vocal line is added.
Cheers
rayC
 
Thanks for the reply. What easy patch/FX pedal sounds are you talking bout, read the list of equipment again, all real efx. All guitar recordings where made at TV volume thru a real Amp and 4x12 cab. If I could record at louder volumes it may sound better. also what 3rd guitar are you talking bout? If you mean the clean guitar? The sections where it is played on top of the distorted guitar are meant to be that way, as far are the mellow verses its just the 2 clean guitars playing. Oh and the 2 distorted guitars are meant to be the same part are well. Think Preist, Maidden, Slayer. With the vocals it does sond better lol Well as far a prog solos....in time lol

Thanks for the input
 
The mix itself is pretty clear... th eindividual elements are all decent. The biggest problem is a perfomance issue on this with timing. The drums break the track up by being very loose. Did you hand play on pads?

The bass is fat enough but the low-mids on it the track up a bit.

The guitars are good and clean dirty but you might want to make them a bit less dry.

All in all though the clarity and recording quality is better than alot of home stuff I hear.
 
Proggi.
the guitars just sound like they've been played through the same distortion pedal or plug in as everyone else who's attempting metal.
3rd guitar - the third one as in ditortion 1, same distortion but guitar 2 & then clean guitar is 3.
If I think Judas Priest, Iron Maiden & Slayer I think S.S.A.M.E: Same Sound As Mainly Everyone-else or NWOBHM - same thing but an era that produced nothing I like the sound of sorry.
Loud, overdriven, but not played through digital/distortion pedal, guitars would make the song sound ferocious.
Just my opinion mind you. There are a lot of folk putting stuff up for an airing that have the same, & to my mind generic, guitar sounds. I just happen to like the metal era that was subsumed by the 1st wave of real punk. Oh, and I do love variety & originality in sound.
It's a good song, I just wanted you to make it the best it could be.
Cheers
rayC
 
Hey guys thanks for the input, thats what I'm looking for honest ears. I'm certainly am not an engineer lol

Mark you hit the nail on the head!! Drums are hand tapped! but I did play to a click track. and by no means am a drummer. As far as bass and guitar performance as far as I can tell the timming is very good with the click track. I just got the drum machine and didn't want to go thru the programing hastle right away. lol The Bass I just got as well Squire P-Bass I recorded it directly into the recorder. Think I do need an Bass amp

Ray, thanks again I'm still missing you point about 3rd guitar. There are 2 clean guitars panned hard left and right, same thing with the distorted guitars, made to sound like 2 guitar players. As far as the tone, I get what you are saying. remember the was done at TV volume, not full bore Marsahll Stacks, which I have. I just can record with that equipment. Oh and Yes I'm a Metal Guy!!!!! lol so getting a generic Metal Tone, is ok by me lol

All in all I think I just want to make sure What I'm recording sounds mixed ok? I can alway play better or go to a real studio to trac guitars louder so they sound better.

The recording quality is what I liked. I think it has something to with the sound card I have and the audio cable I used between the recorder and the PC. I use a Digital Fiber Optical cable, which is way better then analog l/r.
My sound card is a Sound Blaster Audigy 2 ZS Platinum sound card. It has 24 bit 98k recording. It really is an awesome card. Also its not just a sound card. Comes with a Drive bay that goes next to your CD and DVD on the PC It has many i/o connections Optical SPDIF In/Out connectors (OPTICAL IN/OUT) This is what I used to mix to my PC from the recorder.

All in all I had so much new stuff. I just wanted to make sure I'm using it correct

Thanks guys
Larry
 
Well, the individual tones are pretty good. The guitar tone doesn't floor me but it's not bad. The main problem as stated before is the timing. The drum performance is pretty off. You mentioned that you're using a Zoom Rhythm Trak. I used to use one of those and the programming is pretty straight forward. You should consider delving into that for a while because the results could really turn a song like this around.
My suggestion would be to program the drums first and then play the guitar to that so that you can play with a little more "feel".

Also, if you've got a digital input in your soundcard, understand that the soundcard itself is not contributing anything to the sound. The fact that you are bypassing the a/d convertors going in to your PC is a blessing because the convertors on the Soundblaster would probably have a negative impact on the sound quality, regardless of the sampling rate (They are not generally regarded as good for recording applications)
 
Hey thanks for the input metalhead28. Yes I know about the drum machine timming. This is the 1st recording with all instruments and mics and was more concerned with how it all sounded. I plan on programming the drum machine for everything in the future. I wanted to make sure it sounded ok with bass and guitars thats why I did the quicky tap methood.

About the sound card The point about not adding anything, isn't that the point? lol generally speaking tho the songs I have mixed to the PC sound awesome 24 bit 98k is what it is so I would hope the quality is there

Also I have done studio recording, spent big bucks and to me I think the home recording sounds as good as my full blown studio stuff I'm aware I have to play better but I'm more conserned with how it is going to sound recording at home



This is a link to something that was recorded in a 24 trac studio in the 80s

Thanks for all your help guys
 
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Bit of crackle at 2:18-2:24 left side in headphones.....some further along as well. I get that intermitently, and have yet to figure out how to completely eliminate that...You're right, this is pretty good sound for home recording. You've picked up some nice gear there and it makes for a nice mix..... I think everything else I was thinking has already been said... looking forward to more from your studio.. :)
 
Yes I noticed that as well, the crackle, I think its when I mixed to the PC, maybe a bit too hot!!!! if I remix again I'll turn down the master. All in all I think if I can get the mixing down everything else should go ok. I have lots to record too, just gonna have to spend time doing it. Oh I also have a Quadra Verb II I might use for final mixes

BTW: thanks for you input, every bit helps
 
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