A relatively accurate representation of my current abilities

This is a recording of some of my band's most recent material. I worked pretty hard to get this mix, and I'm pretty proud of it, but I know there are just a ridiculously huge amount of things to work on. I've only been mixing "for real" for the last month or so, before that it was mostly fooling around with a four-track and whatnot.

Please don't bullshit me at all: I need as much feedback as possible, preferably both positive and negative/constructive so I can get better!





*Disclaimer: there are some things that need to be edited, specifically the drum beats in certain areas, and I'm aware of that. I just haven't gotten around to it, which is stupid 'cause it should've been one of the first things I did. Anyway, recording to a click for the first time is hard: give the guy a break :)


*edit: Things I need to fix that I'm aware of, but am not necessarily aware of how to fix:

- no matter what I do, I can't get the kick to stand out like it should
- I love the guitar sound, but I think the amount of midrange is killing other things like the snare, and there's certainly not much room for vocals
- I forgot to compress the cleans. Silly me...
- I don't really know much about using reverb. That's a problem.


*edit 2: are the low-mids/upper-lows missing? Should the bass guitar maybe take up those frequencies?
 
Last edited:
Its good. Nice vibe to it. I can hear the kick TOO much. :D Dont worry about it, its coming through. The main thing it needs is to be a lil tighter and a tad more in tune at the beginning.

Musically, I suggest some variance. A few keyboards wouldnt hurt, even if it was just some pads. Its epic, but not 100% holding my attention. Err, I am waiting for something to happen, it seems like an overture that never gets to the punch line. There are some good musical ideas, just not enough of them.

I couldnt get through the whole thing, I did about 6 minutes. It needs to DO something.
 
I completely agree with the variance: Keyboards were the first thing that came to mind for sure. The vocals are also going to be a large part of reducing the boring. As for "doing something", it has a huge epic culminating major part a little after where you stopped listening! I'll do my best to make it easier to get there. Perhaps messing with effects & dynamics?

I noticed the out-of-tune ness at the beginning too. I'm wondering if some stronger keyboards at the beginning might actually make it way less obvious, but worst-case scenario, the clean guitars are pretty easy to re-do.

Thanks for the critique, keep 'em coming!
 
Hi Steve...some cool stuff happening but I agree w/ DavidK that it kinda stays in one place too long. The power guitar has a lot of splatter which tends to mask detail on the other instruments. Maybe eq along with level adjustment will fix it .
Chazba
 
Sounds good to me-Nice full guitar sound, good mix on my speakers.

Couple things about the playing: The drums are doing something wierd on beat 2. Not every beat 2 but when it does happen it's always on beat 2. It's like the drummer rushes into that beat and then is forced to compensate before 3, so you guys are actually tighter on beats 1 3 and 4 than you are on beat two.

On guitar there are a few times when I can hear you fingers sliding on the strings. In the part where it sticks out the most it actually sounds kinda cool but I'm not sure if that was intentional.

Overall I like this style of song but structurally, I think you guys need to move it along a little quicker. Perhaps shorten it up a bit by eliminating a few repeats here and there. It gets a little static so maybe a few curveball change-ups would help.

Anyway, good song, good mix. Nice job.
 
chazba said:
...The power guitar has a lot of splatter which tends to mask detail on the other instruments. Maybe eq along with level adjustment will fix it .
Chazba

What kind of eq are you thinkin'?

everybody said:
Too long/gets boring/change it up

I agree: I'll mess around with maybe throwing some keyboards in there, some select effects, taking out a couple repeats, etc. Once I get vocals in here, I have a feeling the whole mix will come crashing down... :(
 
steve.h said:
This is a recording of some of my band's most recent material. I worked pretty hard to get this mix, and I'm pretty proud of it, but I know there are just a ridiculously huge amount of things to work on. I've only been mixing "for real" for the last month or so, before that it was mostly fooling around with a four-track and whatnot.

Please don't bullshit me at all: I need as much feedback as possible, preferably both positive and negative/constructive so I can get better!





*Disclaimer: there are some things that need to be edited, specifically the drum beats in certain areas, and I'm aware of that. I just haven't gotten around to it, which is stupid 'cause it should've been one of the first things I did. Anyway, recording to a click for the first time is hard: give the guy a break :)


*edit: Things I need to fix that I'm aware of, but am not necessarily aware of how to fix:

- no matter what I do, I can't get the kick to stand out like it should
- I love the guitar sound, but I think the amount of midrange is killing other things like the snare, and there's certainly not much room for vocals
- I forgot to compress the cleans. Silly me...
- I don't really know much about using reverb. That's a problem.


*edit 2: are the low-mids/upper-lows missing? Should the bass guitar maybe take up those frequencies?

First things first, I noticed you were from Minniapolis (YAY) I'm moving there in a few months. anyways, now onto what I had to say, helpful or not.

I was a drummer in a band, not too long ago. So I do know that it is hard to stay on 'beat' when you don't really know how the guitar riff goes. So the drummer in this part, has to MEMORIZE the guitar riff, and the way it goes, before you can record it. The first part of the guitar was an awesome layout, but the drummer was confused alot and it made it sound like you didn't know what you were doing, when in reality I know you probably do.

Too much guitar. Way too much guitar, it cuts anything else out, alot of repeats, also. Which was mentioned.

I would work on the getting the guitar toned down a bit, for those of us that don't run a Subwoofer (I do, but I'm on the laptop right now), it makes it sound like FSHHHHHH, almost through the whole guitar part.

Also, remind the drummer that the Cymbal isn't the only part to his drumset, get some more toms in there, get this thing goin', it's a rock song as far as I'm concerned, and it needs more rock to it...

I think alot of the Guitar has to do with your amp not being all that jazzy and a bag of chips. In my opinion, the drummers snare has to be tightened up a bit to fit the genre, at least. But if he hits it harder, it sounds perfect, but the light roll makes it sound shhhy, I guess you could say.

I loved the idea, the way it was played out wasn't exactly what I was expecting, it's a good start, though. You need a bass guitar in there too, so it levels out, cus I can't hear one, at all. But, I might be missing it.

Also, as they stated, a keyboard would be really good for this type of song, get that in there and work it man.

Don't get discouraged, keep up the good work, it's an awesome start, can't wait to hear the final product. But, as I said, I was in a band once upon a time, so I know it's easier said than done.

Fairly well recording, over all. Good job :D

P.S. - We'll have to meet up when I move to Minnesota :).
 
Re-Lapse said:
First things first, I noticed you were from Minniapolis (YAY) I'm moving there in a few months. anyways, now onto what I had to say, helpful or not.
Yeah man, MN is sweet! Burnsville's pretty close (~20-30 min. away)

Re-Lapse said:
I was a drummer in a band, not too long ago. So I do know that it is hard to stay on 'beat' when you don't really know how the guitar riff goes. So the drummer in this part, has to MEMORIZE the guitar riff, and the way it goes, before you can record it. The first part of the guitar was an awesome layout, but the drummer was confused alot and it made it sound like you didn't know what you were doing, when in reality I know you probably do.
Yeah, part of it was the fact that he'd never recorded to a click before, and doesn't really have the best rhythm (not a great combo haha). I've worked with this guy for like four years, and he's always trying to do some goofy shit instead of just making them f***ing heavy!

Re-Lapse said:
Too much guitar. Way too much guitar, it cuts anything else out, alot of repeats, also. Which was mentioned.

I would work on the getting the guitar toned down a bit, for those of us that don't run a Subwoofer (I do, but I'm on the laptop right now), it makes it sound like FSHHHHHH, almost through the whole guitar part.
Fair enough, will do

Re-Lapse said:
Also, remind the drummer that the Cymbal isn't the only part to his drumset, get some more toms in there, get this thing goin', it's a rock song as far as I'm concerned, and it needs more rock to it...
Again, I agree!

Re-Lapse said:
I think alot of the Guitar has to do with your amp not being all that jazzy and a bag of chips.
Actually, it's a Mesa Triple Rec w/ new tubes and a 4x12: I just eq'ed the shit out of the guitars 'cause I don't know what I'm doing! I got way too much midrange and low-end when I tracked (didn't know what I was doing again), so I've been trying to fiddle with the sound to get it to fit. I'll have to listen to it through some other systems though, as my RP5's represent the guitar pretty well I thought...

Re-Lapse said:
You need a bass guitar in there too, so it levels out, cus I can't hear one, at all. But, I might be missing it.
It's there man, just not very well represented. I should've tracked through his rig instead of direct-in then through an amp modeler. Live and learn I guess.

Re-Lapse said:
Fairly well recording, over all. Good job :D

P.S. - We'll have to meet up when I move to Minnesota :).
Thanks man, will do!
 
Whe the ride cymbal kicks in its not the tightest. More about just for a moment that it kicks in though.
Clean guitar sounds ok. It lacks character and warmth and depth, although their arent really any problem frequnecies.
Sounds cool when it kicks in, but the guitars are a bit too grainy. Id like to hear a smoother distortion. Not sure if cutting slightly around 1-3K and or 5-8k would smooth tihngs out.
Good mix for sure. Snare could do wth volume automation as its real quiet on some hits.
Eck
 
ecktronic said:
Whe the ride cymbal kicks in its not the tightest. More about just for a moment that it kicks in though.
Clean guitar sounds ok. It lacks character and warmth and depth, although their arent really any problem frequnecies.
Sounds cool when it kicks in, but the guitars are a bit too grainy. Id like to hear a smoother distortion. Not sure if cutting slightly around 1-3K and or 5-8k would smooth tihngs out.
Good mix for sure. Snare could do wth volume automation as its real quiet on some hits.
Eck

Good call on the cleans, they definitely need some work I know. I kinda wish I'd had my KSM27 when I recorded it, instead of the 57. No biggie though, throw some compression and some nice eq on it, and some keyboards, it'll sit well I hope :)

As for the snare, I'm using Sonar 4: is there a way to do volume automation on it? I'm sure there is, I just haven't messed with it yet.

I'll cut those guitars too, see if I can increase the butter and decrease the grit!
 
For an 11 minute song you chose an epic for your first "new" mix..... There's lost of good suggestions above so I won't repeat them. I just think the compression was little high on this at times - 2:58 was when I first noticed/felt it. The drums could come forward a bit for me. Overall though I think the mix is pretty good - i've done severely worse with my first non-4-track mixes..... The great advice here really helps....and we're pretty friendly too !

:) :D :) :D
 
steve.h said:
Good call on the cleans, they definitely need some work I know. I kinda wish I'd had my KSM27 when I recorded it, instead of the 57. No biggie though, throw some compression and some nice eq on it, and some keyboards, it'll sit well I hope :)

As for the snare, I'm using Sonar 4: is there a way to do volume automation on it? I'm sure there is, I just haven't messed with it yet.

I'll cut those guitars too, see if I can increase the butter and decrease the grit!
Nice.
Your distorted guitars kinda sound like mine. I think yours sound fuller though. I have the harshness on my distortion guitars which I cant get rid of without them being totally mush! Let us know what you think: http://www.homerecording.com/bbs/showthread.php?t=227030

There should be a volume automation function on Sonar, although What I do is cut each bad snare hit and change the volume with the volume handles on the wave. Makes things faster I think.
Eck
 
Enjoyed it. The density in the 300-800 Hz range is clouding up the mix. Probably mostly from the gtrs.
 
steve.h said:
Yeah man, MN is sweet! Burnsville's pretty close (~20-30 min. away)


Yeah, part of it was the fact that he'd never recorded to a click before, and doesn't really have the best rhythm (not a great combo haha). I've worked with this guy for like four years, and he's always trying to do some goofy shit instead of just making them f***ing heavy!


Fair enough, will do


Again, I agree!


Actually, it's a Mesa Triple Rec w/ new tubes and a 4x12: I just eq'ed the shit out of the guitars 'cause I don't know what I'm doing! I got way too much midrange and low-end when I tracked (didn't know what I was doing again), so I've been trying to fiddle with the sound to get it to fit. I'll have to listen to it through some other systems though, as my RP5's represent the guitar pretty well I thought...


It's there man, just not very well represented. I should've tracked through his rig instead of direct-in then through an amp modeler. Live and learn I guess.


Thanks man, will do!

Make sure you message me when you get the new one recorded, I'd like to see the difference between them. I really want to see the final track, but, make sure that you get ahold of me by message, I can't necessarily keep track of all your posts, if you know what I mean ;).

Take care, and good luck, Keep up the great work, you can get somewhere if you keep trying!
 
Its a really good idea and I love the emotion in the song at the start. As the song goes on it loses a lot of the feel and energy. Did you do this in parts? You might want to try doing it in full takes so you can capture emotion and energy.

May I suggest tracking the song over. You are now a lot more expierenced you might find that youll get a much tighter track doing it over again. (If you have the time that is)

I was never a fan for reverb on guitars to much but thats just me.

Keep at it.
Dave
 
At times it sounds like the drummer's dropped a stik and he's playing with one hand while he rummages around on the floor for a replacement. Can't hear alot of bass going on. The kick is dropping away in the heavier parts. You could try a low cut on all the guitars to make room for the bass, compress the bass and bring it up a tad, double the kick & snare tracks and compress/EQ to taste
 
Hey man, so I went into this thread thinking..."blahblahblah ok what do we have here?" I started listening and was thinking "okay this sounds alright", but as soon as that heavy guitar kicked in it hit me hard! THE POWER was great. The song kept my interest all the way through, and this is not my general style of music. I normally wouldn't listen to this sort of thing, but I thoroughly enjoyed it. Great work! The beginning power in the guitar reminded me of Rammstein.

Anyway, yea so I just wanted to give an opinion on the music as opposed to the technical side because I don't have any pointers for you. You know what was weird is that I listened to this three times and the second time I was down stairs brushing my teeth in the bathroom and whenever I flushed the toilet, turned on the faucet, or brushed I SWEAR I could hear singing in your music. I may be delusional because it's like 3:30am, but I'm not drunk...it was intense...it happened more than once.
 
pretty feckin sweet sound you've got going there....

you not got a vocalist? that track is crying out for some killer vocals on it if you ask me, theres only so long a purely instrumental track (in that style) can hold my attention, but thats clearly a personal thing. as someone else said, if its your thing to keep it all instrumental then maybe there needs to be more going on to hold peoples interest more, but again this is only a personal thing.

someone said theres too much guitar in the mix...i disagree entirely, i think the guitar sound overall is damn good.

timing i thought was an issue at some points, like the odd snare hit seemed to be out...maybe this is an issue for the guitarist not playing in time with the drums, or possibly the drummer himself being out of time.

overall i liked it...but kept on waiting for chino moreno or someone to come blasting over it. not in a sexual way mind...
 
Back
Top