Rough Mix....Was Board Mix

DarthFaders

New member
Worked a bit on this mix...but not too much. It's only the first real mix...usually takes me at least 4 mixes to get it right!

Lemme know what you think....

Newer mix...

Darth
 
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I like what you've done with the kick. Even though that sound might be a little overdone, I still think it fits this particular style of music a little better. Actually, you might even try backing up some of the extra click I'm hearing now . . . you might have done just a little bit too good of a job on it. :D

If I were mastering this (which I'm not much qualified to do, so take with a sizeable grain of salt), I would take a very small chunk out of the high-mids. Just a tiny hair. It's just one of those things where I can see it possibly getting fatiguing to the ear after a while. I would try a wider Q (about 1.0) at 4,000 hz, and bring that down 1 db to 1.5 db at the most. I'd also try an even narrower one at 2.5k (Q factor of 4 or so), and take that down 1 db or so.

I'd also jack up 71 hz by 2 (might add a little bottom to the kick) . . . maybe even 3 db (Q factor of 3).

I'd also try just a touch of multiband compression at 10khz.

My thinking is this kinda' stuff might balance it out just a tad, and give it a little extra meat at the same time. But what the hell do I know anyway? :D This sounds really good.
 
You know, I don't have much more to add than this: Hearing someone making such great recordings from a bedroom is really very inspiring. At least it is to me. It's like "See? It can be done!". It just shows that talent and skills are way more important than having worth >$100k of equipment. You sir, are OK!
 
great clean gtr breaks in the beginning. this is great.. good balance amongst everything...and its LOUD. no complaints of any importance.

chess...eat it:D
 
Still love the tune but I can hear a lot of sibilance on the vocals in this mix.

Guitars seem to cut a little better in this mix.
 
Darth:
Since your stuff is alot better than the average stuff here, I try will toss in some picky opinions.

Something is fighting with the rhythm guitars, but I wouldn't know what. The snare still sounds a bit "live", either caused by some reverb/delay or mic placement, but I am used to hearing snare straight upfront, especially for this type of music, so, the snare in this mix doesn't work %100 to me. On the other hand, the vocal and just about everyhting else in this mix is a killer!!

AL
 
Okay man...take this for what it's worth. I think there's too much high end in the mix. I'm hearing what Kramer's hearing on the vox, but I don't think it's sibilance per se...it's just a tweak right where his "S" is... but it really is most annoying to me on the snare. I didn't mention it in the first mix, b/c I figured you'd get around to it, and it DOES sound better (snare) than I remember it sounding in the first mix. You either brought the snare down some, or EQ'd it differently...and it IS better, I just think it needs more shaved off the top end. I don't know the frequency Kenneth (little joke), but it's high, and it's abrasive at VERY HIGH VOLUMES.

The kick sounds a lot better in this mix (I can hear it :D).

The vocals still sound great for the most part.

They've still got the wrong word in there...LOL. "Compromised of the less..." It's just wrong. :D :D

For what it's worth, I got actual monitors a few weeks ago, so I'm not just shooting completely in the dark. :p

This is damned close, I think
 
i like this mix better.

i'm hearing things in here i didn't hear in the first mix - the drummer does really cool fills involving the kick that i couldn't hear before, the synth/moog type thing comes through now (didn't even know it was there before), backup vocals sound better.

i too am still not really digging the snare sound. it's perfectly acceptable, it's just that it's a little strange. if you didn't mix your top and bottom mics together as one track already, i would give the snare a lot more top and a lot less bottom. it has a really loose snare-wire sound and not enough bangy explosion for me. i don't think this is necessarily an EQ issue, as other are suggesting, but rather a mix between your two mics.
or actually, you could try putting a gate on the bottom mic to tighten the sound up, so those snare wires don't rattle on too long.

there are a couple other things that i'm reluctant to mention, because they're better than they were before, but somehow strange.
the first thing is the synth - while it cuts through the mix now, it has too much high end. it sounds way too electric and right in the same range as the guitar. i imagine it in my mind as fitting in with a smoother, darker sound.
the other thing, that i'm REALLY reluctant to mention, is that the kick drum sounds slightly "cheap"... it's way better than it was before, but something about the click of it sounds unnatural. it's not that there's too much click sound, it's that it's in a somewhat strange, harsh frequency or something. maybe try playing with the frequency placement of the EQ boost you have going there... i don't know.


excellent work.
 
chrisharris said:
Okay man...take this for what it's worth. I think there's too much high end in the mix.
Thats what I was thinkin too.That might be the cause of the supposed sibilance that I "think" Im hearing on the Vocals.LOL....sort of a slight high end shrill to the whole mix....not much but enough to notice it.....slightly.
 
dude this sounds awesome. i shouldnt be putting anything because you're way above me and shit...
but the snare sounds kinda weird? what's goin on with that?

T
 
mixmkr said:
chess...eat it:D

:D Alright, mix, I know this was just tongue-in-cheeck and all, but it looks to me like we have a few people who agree with me. Chriss Harris noticed the same stuff. There's just a hair too much action going on around 2.5 to 4k (making the mix a tad tiring to the ears, particularly @ higher volumes -- it's mostly a snare and kick thing), and there's a bit of harshness in the consonants and esses at 10k. And Blyerad's observations about the kick could also be helped by a boost @ 71 hz to balance it out. That's not to say it isn't a great mix. I wouldn't have done nearly as well, but then I don't work with that kind of talen either. :D Darth is the shit, but he can be even better.
 
And it will be better! Damn, guys...I think, for the record, I should wait until my 3rd or 4th mix to post anything! That's what I've done in the past, but I tried to give a 'work in progress thing' this time.

You guys had great observations. But at the same time, it's things that I would catch a night or two later anyways....well hell....let me give you an example!

I mixed this (roughly) on my monitors. I posted it. Next day: listened in my car/other stereos, and hear that the snare needs some serious top end tailoring. At the same time...you guys all say..."TAME THE SNARE AND THE VOX!!!!"....

Such is life, I guess...the snare and vox are always bitches!!!!

What I'm going to do with the snare is give a slight bit less bottom mic, and some serious EQ on the top mic. You must remember, though, this band is not going for the modern rock sound....no "Creed," no "Default," no "Puddle of Mud" going on here. This is "New Found Glory" meets "Beach Boys." A cracking snare drum doesn't fit.

What I think it needs right now is a boost in the kick in the SERIOUS low end, de-ess the vox a bit more (especially the BG vox), and compress the piss out of the keys (I think so.)

You might be surprised to know that I cranked to bass guitar 3 dB since the last mix...it WAS way too low. I think it's okay...or at least it should be after I'm done with it!

Thanks for listening...I'm gonna keep with my new theme of posting as I mix....cause it's been pretty interesing so far.

I'll post the latest mix when it's done...

Thanks again,
Darth

(PS...I initially I thought I had come close to replicating the Pixies snare drum sound off of Doolittle...which I was pumped about....but you guys seem to hate it!...if you have heard the Doolittle record from the Pixies...let me know it you think it's comparable!)
 
DarthFaders said:
(PS...I initially I thought I had come close to replicating the Pixies snare drum sound off of Doolittle...if you have heard the Doolittle record from the Pixies...let me know it you think it's comparable!)
Definitely...it's that freakin' "snappy snare," LOL. If that's what you're going for, then you're just about there...But I think if you're gonna' go with such a live snare sound, you gotta' kinda' bury it just a little bit more. If you've got a copy of DooLittle, (first, my hat's off to you :D), listen to "Debaser." The snare was a little lower, and it seems like it was bone freakin' dry.

And "Darth," if I didn't mention it in my previous post, you hopefully know that I'm a few years away from being able to attain a mix anywhere close to this. LOL. I mean, I'm not saying I know HOW to change it...so if I came across as some kind of a know-it-all...hell, you've heard my turds. I just listen to a ton of music.

Keep posting
 
I guess this is all a matter of personal preference.

Personally, I think that every Pixies album sounds like absolute shit (the recordings, not the songs :) ), so I wouldn't try to copy ANYTHING they do. In fact, I'd do about the exact opposite.
Secondly, these guys are straight-up Power Pop, just like my band. And in my band, I MUCH prefer a crack snare sound.... and that's just the way it is with pretty much any power pop band these days. It's also what I imagine in my mind as sounding best with this song. I'm not sure why you think it won't fit.

That said, it's all personal preference, and your mix is killer as-is.
 
bleyrad said:
Secondly, these guys are straight-up Power Pop, just like my band. And in my band, I MUCH prefer a crack snare sound.... and that's just the way it is with pretty much any power pop band these days. It's also what I imagine in my mind as sounding best with this song. I'm not sure why you think it won't fit.

It wasn't my choice. I never said that I didn't think a crackin' snare drum wouldn't work. That's what the band said. They wanted this sound...so I gave it to them.

And about the Pixies...how could you possible hear "Where is my mind" and not like the sound of it? I take it that you don't like Albini at all...This puts you and I in two completely different places! :D

Darth
 
Awsome tune! Do you play all the instruments? Sounds just like something that you would here on the Radio. Sounds as good as some of the professionaly recorded punk albums I own. Of course, you are always cranking out great mixes.

What kind of Gear are you using? etc?

Thanks,

Rich
 
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