Feedback would be appreciated

C

ChrisVoss

New member
This is one of the demos I've recorded on my home computer. I'm considering recording my band's album this way as opposed to paying a stranger to do it in a studio. I like how this demo came out but there are little things that are keeping it from sounding as professional as i'd like, so hopefully you guys can help me fix those things.

Stay Forever

It just doesnt.... shimmer, i guess? I've also had a hard time putting the bass guitar in the mix in a way that doesnt muddy it up. The drums were made in fruity loops... how noticeable is that?

Any tips would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!
Chris
 
Hey if this is a start on pc recording for you, you're off to a good start.

I thought some of the pads in the beginning and the drums at the break were more recognizable as a sequencer, but i never would've been looking for this is you hadn't pointed it out to begin with and it doesn't bother me that it is anyway.

For the bass i might try scooping out a low end spike frequency on the guitars and filling it in with the treble range of the bass. This might have the effect of giving it that punch you were talking about. maybe?? i dunno.


but good effort, sounds like you'll be saving money and you can work on this all the time without needing to book the studio.
 
Good job

I would bring the vocals up just a bit, maybe slightly pan the instruments left and right(not a lot) to make a sonic hole in the center for the vocals. This could also help the bass not muddy up the mix.

Overall I think you are doing great.
 
I think this 'sound effect' at the beginning is out of context with the piece of music in general, you are better than a 'cheap effect'.

This is a very 'musical song', dump the effect.

The lead vocal is mixed so I can understand every word on the first listen, for a first effort that is absolutely fantastic, that gives you plenty of room to screw it up :D ! Just kidding, good job.

I would bring the drums down a touch, because when they come in, there starts to be some issues with the vocal level.

Always try sending all the instruments to one 'bus' and then compressing that bus, send the lead vocal to it's own bus, and don't compress it, look at and compare the meters, this will tell you a lot about the 'character' of the mix and can provide good reference later.

I like the harmony backup vocal, but it is mixed at the extreme lower right quadrant of the stereo field, and that's annoying I hate to say, it needs to come in closer to the lead vocal. You could begin it in the lower left quadrant and 'automate' a pan with an 'envelope' moving it ... and your listener ... closer to center.

At 2:00 when the lead moves to the same position as the backup vocal, that's cool, it's a nice technique, but too extreme, move it closer to center, or automate the pan to create some 'flow' in the structure of the song. Remember, your listener's 'head' moves with the stereo field, but never abuse automated panning, too much can be a huge turnoff.

At 2:32, the vocal is not mixed loud enough, and if you can't seem to make the vocal louder, the instruments need to come down, and many years of trouble can convince you, or you just go ahead and do that now and learn that.

I like the bell taking it out that' nice, it's really very cute.

I think you have one of the songs for your 'CD', good job. Move on to the next tune and come back to this one. What you learn in the next one, will come back tenfold in the maturity of the first when you come back to it.

I think if you start the tune directly with the guitars, you will have a much more effective 'piece of music'.

At 0:30, the backup vocal needs more reverb as well as coming towards center.

Keep the lead vocal dry as it is, that's a good stylistic thing. Listen to 'Copeland' the lead vocalist is similar, and you can easily see some of the mistakes they make mixing their vocal. Copeland really pisses me off, because they have incredibly lush vocals, but their engineer bury's the vocals in the wash of the guitar. They could really be superstars with a better vocal mix, and they are getting there ... and they seem to sell well already.

At 2:00 I really love this 'soliloqy' in the right stereo field, bring it closer to center, or automate it's panning.

You see, I'm listening again, I like this song. Read this board, I am learning a HUGE amount from the board, don't just post and run off, I think you have a nice song here, and a lot of potential, the lead vocalist is very, very good.
 
damn son... nice first go at recording, and a good song too.

a few things.

1. the hi-hats are way too brite and fizzy. tone them down a bit. i'm thinking you've shelved 7k5 a few too many dB. if you bring those down, you won't have to boost the hi-end in the guitar as much, whcih also seemed a bit fizzy.

2. chop the low end off the guitars and let your bass ride down there. 50-100 hz hi-pass. also trim a dB or two off 250 hz... that's precious real-estate that everything is battling for. you don't need to turn the bass up perse, you need to allow it to be heard.

and i'll go ahead and agree with most of the earlier comments on the vocal panning, although i love the far right pan of the 'breakdown' of the vocal. i wouldn't change that, just make it louder.

great song! keep it up.
 
Volthause :

I really like posts like yours which point specifically to frequency areas and relate them with a specific instrument to the mix, this is the area I am sorely lacking in and I am convinced this knowledge and how to use it is key in bringing a good mix forth.

To know instinctively that a frequency range is 'challenging' another, and when it is appropriate to adjust it to help the mix, the song, the arrangement or just a part ... god , it really is complicated.
 
studioviols said:
Volthause :

I really like posts like yours which point specifically to frequency areas and relate them with a specific instrument to the mix, this is the area I am sorely lacking in and I am convinced this knowledge and how to use it is key in bringing a good mix forth.

To know instinctively that a frequency range is 'challenging' another, and when it is appropriate to adjust it to help the mix, the song, the arrangement or just a part ... god , it really is complicated.
Click to expand...

this is stuff that i've struggled with, and continue to struggle with on every mix i do.

but once you start looking past the "this needs to be louder" thing, you start saying to yourself, if only this could come through better.

finding the frequency center for an instrument and carving a hole for it to come through is one of the greatest challenges, but can recieve the biggest benefit.

now, some people don't subscribe to that theory, but it serves me well.

anyway, glad to be of help.
 
thanks a lot guys. i think that i'm going to use the money i had saved to go into a studio to buy the best mic i can. the vocals are the only things recorded thru a mic. the guitars are thru a behringer v-amp amp modeler. could you be more specific on how much i should compress the instruments? i've only been using compressor on vocals, sometimes bass, sometimes drums and a little on the final mix. also, does anyone have tips on the best way to EQ the drums?
 
are they real drums? i can throw out some 'rule of thumbs' that i play with, but mixing by numbers is a dangerous game to play.

kick = this is the meat. usually needs a boost in the lower octaves. start shelving 90 hz by a few db. if you need to, creep it up a little, but don't shelve over 120-150hz. you're entering mud territory. i usually find that a mic'd bass (depending on mic, positioin, tuning, blah blah) has a lot too much 800 hz. we're talking way murky here. trim it down, and don't be bashful. i'll often slam a couple of db off 250 (notch) while i'm at it. next thing is a nice bell boost around 8k-10k. move it around and try to find the *thwak* or *click* of the beater. that's your definition.

snare = generally, 500 is the body of the sound, 5k is the crack of the stick. i usually boost both of these (bell) by a few db.

toms = boost 5k (bell) for the stick attack, and roll of anything that's offensive, i.e. booming resonance, annoying ring. you're going to have to sweep the knob around for this one, because they're all tuned differently. hi-passing rack toms at 120-150 hz has worked for me on some drums. depends on their tuning.

overheads = what can you say about overheads? listen to em. do the cymbals sound splashy? too much hi-hat? sorry, no amount of eq will save you. move the mics, try again. after you get the balance you need, you can shelve 10k to 14k and above by a few db. don't go overboard or you'll likely cut peoples heads off with the hi-end smear.

like i said, mixing by numbers is a dangerous game, but if you start with these, you might be able to find what works for you... your ears are different than mine, and you no doubt like a different drum sound than i do.

one more thing, about micing drums. i usually mic the top, side and bottom of a snare and mix to taste. i don't think i've ever gotten a snare sound that i loved using just one mic. if you have to use one mic, mic the side of the snare, 6 to 8 inches away aiming at the *shell*. it's a beautiful thing. captures *thwak*, body and the snare rattles.

good luck.
 
volthause : you may notice I reviewed your song before I made the comment on your mixing skills, it is obvious in your mix that you are getting very good at identifying the 'frequent sonic' role of each instrument in the mix. I look forward to more of your posts of this nature.

What you are doing in the post above is awesome ... I can 'see' this, and it is like the sun coming through the clouds for me.
 
Volthause :

What is the best software based EQ to use, to help me easily identify the frequency areas that I am adjusting, and could you point to a good chart on the internet for frequency ranges of instruments please, thanks.
 
First listen:

Like the beginning. Can't hear the snare very well when the drums kick in. Hi-Hat's a bit bright and prominent in the mix.

This is cool! Nice alterna-pop feel.

You got some serious issues with being in tune vocally. No offense, 'cause I have the same problem. But there's some flat notes in the vocals.

I really like the guitar riffs.

You need some new drum samples (see my posts, everyone says the same thing about me).

Second listen, a little louder: The bass sounded a bit weak at lower volumes, it sounds better now.

Guitars are a bit thin for my tastes. Wrap some bacon around them and they'll get fat real quick.

Just kidding. Kick up the lower end on those guitars and make them punch us in the gut a bit.

The hi-hat is WAY too loud in the "interlude." It practically drowns out your vocals.

I love your guitar riffs. Have I said that already? :-)

This could be a really fun catchy song with a little work.

By the way, I personally don't care for the ending. I'd fade out that guitar thing and lose the "jingle bells," but that's just me.

Thanks for posting!

Piltdown Man
 
ooooooeoeeeoeoeoeoowwooeoeeeooeoeoeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeooeoeoooooooooooooooooooooeoooooooooooooooeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeoooooooooooooowwwwwwwwwwwwwwwoeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeooooooooooeo



Oh....Not that kind of feedback
 
Some harshness in your guitar/cymbal trax... are you making EQ boosts on
highs, anywhere? If so... take them out and see what you get... if you're
going for some nice highs, boosting EQ on the guits isn't going to help anyway...
since electric gtr rarely has anything but amp noise above 3.5k... if you
need the highs once you've removed the boosts, you probably need to retrack
vocs and drums (esp. b/c of the overheads).

Nice song, btw... as-is... the harsh gtr/cymbals make it difficult to
repeat-listen... but it's a nice composition. (Is that a flanger/phaser on
your tambo track in the outro? That could be affecting some highs/clarity
in your mix, too)

Continued luck on this!


Chad
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top