First Mix in the New Studio

C

Cloneboy Studio

.
I know I don't post a ton of stuff to share, but these clients were cool with it. I told them I wanted some second opinions on the mix before making it final. As usual, I put a boffo master on it back at home (not to be confused with a real mastering job).

Breaking in a new studio to work at so I'm still getting used to the mics and gear there, using ProTools and my ears are adjusting to the Mackie 824's. I apologize in advance if it's funny.

Few points of contention with the band:

-I think the kick is too loud.
-Drummer insisted on using a piccolo snare. God, how I hate them.
-Bass guitar isn't loud or defined enough. Quote: "I don't want to sound like a Fender Precision!"
-Of course, the guitars are about 1.5db too loud for my tastes. Sigh.
-Unfortunately, the studio doesn't have Antares AutoTune. I apologize for the singer *WAY* in advance.



Hopefully it isn't too god awful.
 
Be nice! That's not Richard Simmons!

But thank you for making me feel better about my singing. I was listening in headphones, so I heard everything you pointed out, and didn't hear much else. If they are happy with it, and paid you, what can you do?

And my congrats on the studio too! :D
 
I'm not digging the guitar tone. Something funny (not ha ha!) in the low mids That could be completely out of your control. Sounds like these guys are kinda of picky. Kick is too loud like you said. I think the snare sounds ok.


[edit]
The picking parts and lead tones are ok I think. It's just during the fast rhythm parts the guitars get real blurry/muddy. No articulation.
[/edit]
 
I'm not going to comment on the mix... I just want to say that I really pity you having to listen to that shit all day!
 
the vocals are hard to hear. i don't understand your choices with the bass guitar. the drums make the mix sound messy. the stereo image is dull. there aren't any dynamics. the background noise at the beginning/end isn't artistic and seems like a half-hearted attempt to inject some creativity into the whole shebang

i think this embodies everything that's wrong with recorded music today. if, financially, i were forced to record like this to stay afloat in the industry, i would gracefully exit the industry. maybe with a tip of the hat, or some kind of wink or something.

you're obviously not happy with this mix. that's why you posted it. but i think it's time for some serious introspection. are you making recordings that you're proud of? do you feel that you're a long way from where you want to be?
 
tryptophan said:
the vocals are hard to hear. i don't understand your choices with the bass guitar. the drums make the mix sound messy. the stereo image is dull. there aren't any dynamics. the background noise at the beginning/end isn't artistic and seems like a half-hearted attempt to inject some creativity into the whole shebang
Click to expand...

Not my choices on bass guitar. I wanted it louder and the drums a bit softer.

Fairly narrow stereo images are part of my mixing style. I can't stand overly wide mixes.

Of course there are no dynamics--everyone wants to be LOUD!!! This wasn't really my call either, but it isn't as loud as they originally wanted it to be.

Background noise was the band's idea, although I don't mind it.

tryptophan said:
i think this embodies everything that's wrong with recorded music today. if, financially, i were forced to record like this to stay afloat in the industry, i would gracefully exit the industry. maybe with a tip of the hat, or some kind of wink or something.
Click to expand...

Do you even work in the industry?

tryptophan said:
you're obviously not happy with this mix. that's why you posted it. but i think it's time for some serious introspection. are you making recordings that you're proud of? do you feel that you're a long way from where you want to be?
Click to expand...

Trust me, there are far worse that walk through the doors of a studio. At least it wasn't rap.

I don't do recording for art. I do it for money. If I don't record, I don't eat.
 
Cloneboy Studio said:
Background noise was the band's idea, although I don't mind it.
Click to expand...
this was the first thing i noticed... i thought it was just a bad recording, but if you say they purposely wanted it in the mix then i have to wonder what it was that they were trying to add. at least the end has the "motor slowing down" sound whereas the beginning just sounds like low-level background hiss.

Cloneboy Studio said:
Trust me, there are far worse that walk through the doors of a studio. At least it wasn't rap.

I don't do recording for art. I do it for money. If I don't record, I don't eat.
Click to expand...
o_O That's an interesting statement about rap, considering you record for money. I'm not sure about your clientele and whether you have the luxury of picking and choosing who you work with, but I'd follow the adage of "Don't bite the hand that feeds you."

bass drum is a bit overbearing... and i'm not sure whether this falls on you to correct or not, but the guitar part at 2:49 and 2:55 sounds a little off to me timing-wise.

sure wish i had me a real studio. :D
 
The band took some time with it and now they don't like it either. Thank god I get to remix this.

I don't think it was recorded badly, but the decision on levels/tones that the band wanted was.... unwise. And they wouldn't listen to me.
 
What is the signal chain for recording the guitars? (amps, mics, exct)
First of all, the song is horrible, very unoriginal....sorry guys but screamo is dead and/or dying. All biases aside, i dont think the recording is your fault. I know what it is like trying to record this style. Like you said, no dynamics. I might add some reverb to the drums. Gosh, as I listen, that snare is awfull. Anyway, if it were me, I would ask these guys to give you a copy of a song they want theirs to sound like. (trust me, they are all trying to emulate each other). Try to listen to what thoes mixes sound like.
Good luck
 
We mixed to:

At the Drive In
Midtown
Senses Fail

Sad to say, this mix is really similar to those artists...

And yeah, piccolo snares should be against the law.

I did put reverb on the drums, but I think I need a bit more. ProTools decided it would be cute to reset my reverb settings 3/4ths of the way thru the mix and I thought I had them wet enough.

I'm going to suggest :-):shudder::) that we mix next to a Blink 182 CD, because those at least sound sorta good.
 
Not that I'm qualified to critique your mixing job but the thing that really jumps out at me is that the drums sound like a hip hop drum machine. The drummer should really rethink that piccalo snare and it sound like the kick needs to be tuned looser or something. Its just too thumpy. I think just reworking the kick and snare would make a big improvement. Just doesnt seem to fit somehow.
 
Shame about the snare and kick because I like the sound from the cymbals and hats.
more bass please. Or less guitar. Maybe a tad more of the toms. You've captured the singer well and the screamer. I quite like the song. The harmony guitar could be tighter.
 
I scheduled a remixing session on Friday with the band and we are going to take care of pretty much everything covered.

The *recorded* data sounds great, it's just a bad mix. Partly my fault and not being used to the room I was mixing in. I think there's probably too much Sonex on the walls for accurate mixing.
 
I love piccolo snares in some funk and R+B, but you're right that it's good here. Love the toms. Can't hear any bass guitar at all here, normally the bass is hyped on my monitors. Around 3mins in the guitars are just a touch out of synch, which makes it labour a little - in fact the guitarist seems generally not to be able to keep up with himself.

Even without re-recording, I reckon if you put the bass in you can take some lowers off the guitars, and have a much more separated sound. At the moment it's probably a little more live that you'd like.

Hope that helps - and of course, YMMV!!:)
 
I'm just thinking of the processed sound that rock seems to having coming out of the States at the moment. It's quite a 'contained' sound, everything in its place. A good exercise in mixing but it can leave the overall mix a little on the heartless side. Yours certainly has energy.
 
yeah this recording doesn't sound too good to me.. if I paid for it I would be real pissed.. and, you can't just blame it on the snare..
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top