Demo Quality for New Song?

powderfinger

powderfinger

New member
So, I just recorded this song. I'm trying to get a good demo/semi-pro sounding recording for my band. Given that I'm doing the mixing and what not, I want to make sure I can do one quality recording before I take on all of our songs.

please give me feedback on the song "pictures of you" from the following link:

http://www.nowhereradio.com/artists/album.php?aid=1642&alid=154

What are the noticable strengths and weaknesses of the track?

This is my first recording using EQ, did i do an ok job?

I think it sounds a little too 'in your face' for a pro recording, any tips for making it more pro quality?
 
I'm listening as I type...

The guitars are eating up the mix, way too loud in relation to everything else. The drums need to be the foundation of the mix and they're getting lost. The vocal recording is pretty good but they hurt at times (too sharp). The vocal verb is a little retro for me, sounds like a spring. Overall the sounds themselves are pretty decent but the mix itself is harsh, try getting away from boosting the high mids.

Build a good drum, bass guitar mix, add the vocals and finally the guitars on the left and right.

By the way, "in your face" isn't a bad thing, especially in this genre.

Jon
 
Ditto on everything jjtcorsair said.The levels are off on everything.The solo guitar would probably sound better brought back towards the center of the mix and the ryhthm guitar in the right could stand to be in both sides when the solo is going.Is the solo being played as a live take on the same track as the rhythm guitar in the left side?.......it sounds like you need to do what jjtcorsair suggested and get a solid rhythm section mixed and go from there.
 
Everybody is right on the money. The strength is you have a good melody, which is important. Just work on the mix a bit and you'll do fine. Good Luck!
 
My impressions are much the same, the Vox seeem a bit dry for the track and the guitars are to aggresive and LOUD especially on the solo. I like the sterio mix for the guitars. Just drop the guitar level and see how everything else sounds. It would be interesting to hear it again with the changes suggested, as there seems nothing fundementally wrong with the tune, or the recorded quality of the individual instruments
 
Well, I'm going to remix and then post to see if there are any improvements.

What would a good vocal reverb setting be for this voice?
 
powderfinger said:
What would a good vocal reverb setting be for this voice?
Click to expand...

I tend to use what's required to site the vocal in the track. If the guitar level is lowered, the Vox will sit higher and so it may be that the existing setting will be more affective. I know I'm not being very prescriptive but I always use the "suck it and see" principle.
It seems to me that all the ingredients are there already I reckon with some level adjustements the tune will provide the quality you're looking for
 
Drums are too far back in the mix. It feels like all the instruments and vocal are all in different places. The guitars panned hard left and right just doesn't work for me and they seem a bit too far out front (personally I like to put them in the middle and treat them in terms of different stereo width and not so much all left or all right). It's not a bad tune at all. A remix coulcd fix most all the problems I hear. Just my humble opinion, YMMV.
 
the remix

Ok, i remixed the song taking in suggestions...

http://www.nowhereradio.com/artists/album.php?aid=1642&alid=154


1) all levels were dropped except for the drums

2) i panned in the guitars to their respective %80 instead of %100, i didn't move the solo up front because of personal preference

3) tooled with the vocal reverb, probably with little success

4) i wasn't aware that i was boosting mids so i don't quite know how to fix that, right now all i do for eq (i have sonar) is go to the eq plugin and click on the respective instrument preset


i know that it's still far from perfect, any other suggestions
 
I'm checking out the new mix...

It's much better but the drums are still getting somewhat lost. It may be the verb you're using- try the drums drier. You might try a reverb with a shorter tail- like a room preset for both the drums and the vocals. This kind of song is supposed to have a raw unproduced sound and a long verb kind of defeats that. I like the guitar sound and the pan, kind of Thin Lizzy, Corrosion of Conformity.

Good job,
Jon
 
This is much better, musically it reminds me a little of Oasis / Paul Weller with a different vocalist. I can hear vocal hook but it isn't grabbing me. Its got something to do with the way they are sat in the mix. I mostly record female vocals so I cant put my finger on what it is. If I was to speculate I would say experiment with the EQ in the mid range and add a bit more compression, try to get a bit more detail.
Overall I think this mix is much better
 
Matt,
I agree with the part about the vocal hook just not setting in right. When played acoustically, I think that the vocal hook sounds quite nice, but has completely lost effect in this mix. Does anyone have any further suggestions about getting the vocals to sit better? I've got EQ and compression, and am usually pretty hesitant to do much more than the presets due to lack of knowledge, but I'll changing them up..........
 
It's coming together man.;)This mix is a lot better than the original one.The first one wasnt glued together and this one seems to be headed toward a more cohesive sound.Keep tweaking and listening.Then vocal might work better with a different reverb.....see what it sounds like dry and then gradually bring the verb on if it needs it.
 
reverb question

what are some fairly standard settings for a vocal reverb for this style of music....i hate just trying different presets to see how they work....is their a fairly standard setting for this? i know that this might be a nearly impossible question to answer because many different reverbs might work, any ideas would help though.
 
* The guitars sound a little dry and one-dimensional. Did you just record them direct? Did you use a POD or any other type of amp modeler? Particularly on the left side, it almost sounds like they were recorded direct, and the sound is a little too "driven" for this song. They need more space and dimension to them.

* The reverb on the vocals sounds kind of cheap. Again, what kind of verb are you using? I might suggest trying a room reverb. Just something modest and less assuming.

* The strength of the tune is in it's style. It's a very unique, melodic yet raw sound that I think you can really build on.
 
ok,
i think i got the vocals sounding good, they fit a lot better, the reverb is much more subtle and sounds good i think

http://www.nowhereradio.com/artists/album.php?aid=1642&alid=154

chessrock.......as for the guitars, both were recorded off real amps, but not with a mic.....with the output going into the board....they are completely dry, no reverb.....just eq and compression.....do you think i should add reverb? if so, what kind? room?
 
Thats better!!

What did you do the Vox??

I guess if you took reverb off that shows I dont know what I'm talking about. Sounds great anyway

Nice job
 
matt,
i didn't remove the reverb, i found a better setting and lowered the volume ever so slightly...
as i am a poor man's mixer and rely for the most part on presets, i used a setting called 'live ambience' with the sonic foundry reverb plugin that seems to be much more subtle but not as harsh as the dry sound....it sounds great compared to what it was like at the beginning of the day.......thanks everyone
 
I dig this song, especially the vocal...has just the right attitude. Drums and bass are sitting ok to my ears, but I'd like the guitars better if they weren't direct. They lose ambience, the "live" feel.
The band sounds very cool, I'd go for a live sound. Maybe a little less processing on the guitars (but that might be the result of going direct). I want to hear the amps.
I like to hear it raw, warts and all!

Mark
 
powderfinger said:
chessrock.......as for the guitars, both were recorded off real amps, but not with a mic.....with the output going into the board....they are completely dry, no reverb.....just eq and compression.....do you think i should add reverb? if so, what kind? room?
Click to expand...

First off, you need to either re-amp them, or do them over again, only this time use a mic. :D A 57 pressed up against the grill is fine.

Either that or use a POD or other similar amp modeler. I've actually heard some decent things out of the Behringer V-amp for $130. It's not the greatest, but it's an improvement over direct outs from the amp.
 
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