Comments on my first "full" mix?

A

adam

New member
Hey guys - here is my newest mix attempt. Your thoughts are much appreciated.

This arrangement had lots of vocals, bass, drums, keys, guitars etc. so it was my first attempt at something beyond my 1 man band stuff. I spent more time with eq and compression in order to carve space out for each instrument.

There are some things in the song that were challenging and frustrating, but I don't want to bias anyone who listens yet.


Let me know what you think!

Adam

http://adamrose.iuma.com - it is the first song on the featured page, called "procession".
 
Mix still needs work

Bring the vocals up front. They are so buried in the mix I have no idea what they are. The guitar is not balanced with the rest--way too hot.

As a start it isn't bad, but your not done.
 
Re: Mix still needs work

sloop said:
Bring the vocals up front. They are so buried in the mix I have no idea what they are. The guitar is not balanced with the rest--way too hot.

As a start it isn't bad, but your not done.
Click to expand...

Haha, the only consistent comments I was getting in prior mixes was that the vocals were too up front. Maybe they are just uneven in places - too loud then too soft.

Which guitar? there is acoustic and a clean electric?

Thanks for the comments.
 
Sloop : are we going to start a new 'movement' on the bbs ;-)

Adam : as I download your song, I see Sloops comment and I know exactly what to expect. Sloop and I sing with really good pronunciation, we mix the vocal out front of all the other instruments. Ask yourself Adam, how important is it that others understand the words you have written and are now singing ?

01. Words are critical, crucial and important, the listener should never, ever, approach a point where they would feel they have to 'struggle' to understand the words. The song is mixed so that the vocal is more than self evident, the listener can follow the story easily, the vocal is obvioulsly the most important 'instrument'
02. The words are not critical and crucial to the enjoyment of the song on the first listening. The listener will listen a second time, and continue to listen to this because the actual arrangement, playing, and all the elements combined make a good song, a 'piece of music' that is enjoyable.
03. The words are not very important, it's ok if there are some words that the listener never understands even if they listen 10 times, carefully. The song is more a piece of music, and other elements in the song, like a killer drum hook, or a dynamite guitar solo, or a beautiful and lush 'soundscape' captivate the listener and keep them coming back.
04. The vocal is used as an instrument, sometimes not only are the words not understandable, but the actual presence of the vocal is in doubt, it is used to color the piece just as any other instrument.

So Adam, which is this song ?
 
Uh, yeah. Thanks for your thoughts. I find mixing my own vocals to be a tough job of balancing my performance biases with the mix. I think that there is a vocal sound that is appropriate for the song. For this song it is somewhat breathy vs. belting out. I had them up too loud before, that was a consensus opionion, but perhaps it was something with the performance in some spots.

I would go with door # 2. :)


BTW - I know this is a stylistic thing, but IMO sloop's approach (VERY upfront, reverb, over-pronounciation) is not my thing in general, or would it be appropriate for my vision for the song. Of all instruments, I find the voice to be most subjective. So much variety in timbre, pronunciation, chest vs. head etc. - so many variables.
 
Kind of Pink Floydish. Cool vibe.

I agree with earlier posters - the guitars really jump out and cover the vocals. It's an easy mistake to make when you're the songwriter and/or singer because you already know what the lyrics are and they're plain as day to you.

Not sure this is the best vocal performance. The performance seems a little "flat" in spots. Don't know a better way to describe it than that. A few spots where the harmonies could have been a bit tighter.

That one buzzy guitar was a little too buzzy for my personal taste. It was also way back in the mix. I didn't even notice it was there until near the end.

But as I said, cool vibe. A song and a sound worth working on.
 
Thanks TripleM. "Flat" is a good way to describe it in parts. There are a few lines/words that I just couldn't nail to my satisfaction. I know they could be better, but maybe I couldn't sing them better at the time. But, if you knew me and listened to me a year ago, I think there is a good directional improvement. Gotta practice, practice, practice

I had the hardest time making the vocals sit well in the mix. I think they are sitting well now, but maybe too far back volume-wise and a few lines that aren't the greatest performance. Does that sum up your thoughts? I can work on those. I swear, I wished someone else could mix my songs - I get trapped between hiding performances I think I aren't the greatest (regardless of their purpose in the arrangement) and overcompensating for those performances (doubling, making too loud etc.)

The buzzy guitar - I actually had a solo on the entire end section and thought it took away from the vibe, so I took it out. When you hear it come in I had faded back in for effect as the other things fade out. I agree it is too buzzy. I was surprised by that, as it sounds much different on playback than when it was recorded.

Thanks again.
 
Whoa... really good sounding drums so far... vocal is buried... must agree
with the other comments so far... should come up on the order of 2db... really...
the music bed sounds good from here... maybe bass up, as well... or just
try it the easier way... gtrs down 2db...

Nice xylo... cool meandering vibe here... almost a Radiohead feel... after
1:30 the voice is at the right level... but when the stereo acoustic comes
in, the voice is difficult to follow...

This is different enough to merit some more listens... dobro, in particular,
may appreciate this... it's cool that you've gone in a lesser traveled direction
musically, here... almost everyone can play straight-up rock. Good efforts.


Chad
 
Re: Re: Mix still needs work

adam said:
Haha, the only consistent comments I was getting in prior mixes was that the vocals were too up front. Maybe they are just uneven in places - too loud then too soft.

Which guitar? there is acoustic and a clean electric?

Thanks for the comments.
Click to expand...

Oops, sorry. Its the acoustic that comes in with the vocals. It pretty much buries everything else. I think the tune has potential, nice sound--it just needs to get balanced out.
 
Thanks again for all the comments. Listening to the mix, I hear what you all are saying. The acoustic part is too loud. Again, since I was there when it was recorded I think somewhere in my mind I am thinking "this acoustic sound is really neat, I need to turn it up! :D " vs. where it fits in the mix.

I think I pinpointed 3-4 lines that I kinda cringe at. Hopefully I can improve my performance of them. Then I can bump up the vox or turn down the guitars.

Turning down the guitars might also help solve my bass problems - getting the bass line more prominent.

Participant -- thanks for the comments. It is funny, to me this is my most traditional "rock" song. :D I am happy with the drum sound, especially as I have limited experience with traditional drum sounds. I eq'ed them and compressed them to bring out the snare, and cut the mud out of the bass drum.

Thanks again!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top