Funk tune mixing feedback

J

jndietz

The Way It Moves
I'm still pretty fresh when it comes to mixing horns, so I'm looking for some feedback there. I decided to squash them a bit and put a little reverb on it.

Drums
Kick: Sennheiser e602 II
Snare: SM57 top and bottom
Hihat: MXL991
Toms: Sennheiser e609(?)
OH: Rode NT5
Room: CAD M179 mono

Horns
Trumpet: CAD M179
Sax: CADM179 and Rode NT5

Bass
Direct line in from Ampeg SVT
We had a mic on it too but it didn't sound very good. Very farty/underwater sounding. Lol.

Guitar
Mesa Boogie Lonestar Classic with SM57

Keys
Leslie cab mic'd with SM57 top and bottom
Direct keys

What do you guys think?

 
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Layman's opinion... I've seen people speak of "separation" on here, which from context I gather means being able to distinguish each instrument from the others in the mix. I think you've got that here. I could pick out every note of every instrument as well as everything done with the drums.
 
Agreed. Very good separation. Nothing really stands out as being too loud or harsh either. Good mix
 
Really nice mix. Horns could even come up a bit. Organ could come up a tad as well.
At 2:52 feels like it feel apart like a stutter that didn't quite work. Maybe I just didn't get that "crazy" groove (my hipster speak).
Song feels a bit long or not enough going on in between to hold the listener. Once again, this could be I am not listening close enough for the subtle changes.

The above is more of an opinion than issues. Mix sounded really good.
 
The keyboard was so tight, I thought it was MIDI for a while.
Great playing over all. You funk people always amaze me with your tight playing.
Good tones as well.

I think that this tune could benefit from some vocals. I can hear Marvin Gaye around the corner...
 
My ears are exhausted at this point, but I had to at least pipe in and say fantastic job. That kick sound is incredible. And the bass is so balanced. This is just marvelous, not only as a mix but as a performance.

Maybe could use a little more highs in the mix overall, but again my ears are shredded after a long night of over-listening.
 
Really good. Maybe it's too early in the morning and my ears aren't awake. But there isn't much I can find wrong at all. It sounds great. I think the bass level is a bit too high. But that's it. Excellent mix.
 
horns need to come up a little bit ..... when you mix horns think in terms of background vocals. When you mix background vocals you mix them so they're loud enough to understand the words they're saying.
Horns should be about that loud also.
 
Lt. Bob said:
When you mix background vocals you mix them so they're loud enough to understand the words they're saying.
Click to expand...

Not necessarily. I routinely mix backings for for the harmonic effect rather than as intelligible vocal parts. I can imagine treating a horn section the same way if the song called for that.
 
bouldersoundguy said:
Not necessarily. I routinely mix backings for for the harmonic effect rather than as intelligible vocal parts. I can imagine treating a horn section the same way if the song called for that.
Click to expand...
as a horn player I way disagree ..... if you're gonna use them as a patch then just use a patch ..... it'll accomplish the same thing without wasting a horn players time.
I can guarantee you just about any good horn player feels the same.

I suppose I can see doing that with background vocals because of the uniqueness of the human voice. You almost can't get it any other way.
But for horns at such soft levels a decent patch'll sound just as good.

Not to mention the fact that we're talking about funk tunes with a horn section here .... you do NOT mix them in the background for effect .... they're an integral part of the groove.
 
All the performances were captured very clearly, and there is already great separation here. The playing itself is wonderful. My younger brother is a phenomenal jazz bass player and pianist, and I always feel like I'm standing in clown shoes when I show him my rock/pop stuff :facepalm:

I would work to create a more interesting give and take between the instruments using automation. Throughout the entire song almost everything felt like it was at the same level, which eventually lead to a boring, flat listening experience in spite of all the wonderful performances. I would use a lot more volume automation to bring instruments in louder and softer throughout the song. The very end of the song did this well, building the last 30 seconds in intensity to a great conclusion.
 
Lt. Bob said:
as a horn player I way disagree ..... if you're gonna use them as a patch then just use a patch ..... it'll accomplish the same thing without wasting a horn players time.
I can guarantee you just about any good horn player feels the same.

I suppose I can see doing that with background vocals because of the uniqueness of the human voice. You almost can't get it any other way.
But for horns at such soft levels a decent patch'll sound just as good.

Not to mention the fact that we're talking about funk tunes with a horn section here .... you do NOT mix them in the background for effect .... they're an integral part of the groove.
Click to expand...

Note my words "if the song called for that". I wasn't advocating for anything specific for this song, just countering the "always mix backings so you can understand the words" idea and any "one right way" approach to creative mixing decisions.

For me it would be just about as easy to round up a horn section as program virtual horns or get a keyboard player to do the part, so I'd just as well have real horns, even for a background part.
 
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