For your review... Please!

gregsk777

gregsk777

...
Hello everyone,

I am learning how to mix and master as I go through trial and error, experimentation and from reading hundreds of post on this great forum!

My friend and I are going for the simple DIY punk sound with no over-processed frills. Still needs some vocals and bass.

Here is a quick master of something we recorded this weekend: http://www.soundclick.com/gregsk777

We go for a simple setup because too much is far beyond our limits for now. Basically guitar - amp - mic - one take into Tascam. Exported to computer - mixed with no eqing just simple panning - then all compressed to add volume in the mastering phase.

Any and all comments welcome.

Thanks,
Greg
 
Those guitars are brutal. As in bad. Very hard on the ears. Harsh and fizzy. I'm a fan of DIY punk, but it has to be listenable. This isn't. And don't hide behind the excuse that punk can't have good production value. It can. Your song is a tribute to Lemmy, right? Have you heard Motorhead recently? They sound pretty polished. If you want to sound like an early DK demo, then fine. But there's nothing wrong with wanting to make a good mix. You can still be punk as fuck while making a good mix.
 
Brutal and bad are two adjectives I like!

So you think the guitars should be recorded with less distortion/treble and then boosted to get a thick sound?

We just thought part of the chord progression had a Motorhead vibe to it and there are no lyrics yet so it is a tribute to Lemmy for now.
 
gregsk777 said:
Brutal and bad are two adjectives I like!

So you think the guitars should be recorded with less distortion/treble and then boosted to get a thick sound?
.
Click to expand...

No, don't "boost" anything. I don't know what you mean exactly, but based on what you posted, "boost" shouldn't be in your vocabulary right now.

Cut down on the gain/distortion and the highs/presence. Record with about half the distortion you'd use live, and then record it again. Multitrack and layers are your friend.
 
I meant when I go to master it. The compression will do its thing and my guitar (which will be recorded with less distortion initially) will sound boosted and bigger as a final product.
 
gregsk777 said:
I meant when I go to master it. The compression will do its thing and my guitar (which will be recorded with less distortion initially) will sound boosted and bigger as a final product.
Click to expand...

Forget "mastering". You're not mastering anything. One step at a time, bro. Work on your guitar sound and drums first.
 
So how do you get an aggressive hardcore guitar sound if you don't record an aggresive sound? I understand distortion and treble overload a mic so how do you get that distortion back in if you record fairly clean?

Recordings of live punk/rock type bands can sound good and they are playing with full out distortion?
 
gregsk777 said:
So how do you get an aggressive hardcore guitar sound if you don't record an aggresive sound? I understand distortion and treble overload a mic so how do you get that distortion back in if you record fairly clean?
Click to expand...
I just told you. I'm not saying to record clean guitar, just dial it back a little and layer two tracks together. If you can play worth a shit it's not a problem.

Recordings of live punk/rock type bands can sound good and they are playing with full out distortion?
Click to expand...

They're also usually done with pro or at least really good equipment.
 
I think I may have been a little too influenced by the "big mess of noise" called punk during my childhood!

My biggest trouble is that if I record cleaner or very midrange heavy I end up with a nice rock sound but no were near as aggressive as the punk I grew up with or would like hear in my music.

I guess it is time to experiment some more. Back to the drawing board...
 
Firstly - keep up the playing and recording. I applaud you for your efforts to get a new original song down.

Secondly - tighten up the sync between the guitar and drum rolls. Your song is good but when the drum rolls it would be cool if the guitars follow that a bit more.

Thirdly - yep too much distortion on the guitar, too much compression on the mastering. I'd suggest you get a nice tone to the drums and guitars first, then do some mixing. The mastering you're doing is just upping the volume.

Fourthly - Greg L is the punk master heed his advice and you will learn lots. Have you heard some of his classics? If not you should!
 
gregsk777 said:
I think I may have been a little too influenced by the "big mess of noise" called punk during my childhood!

My biggest trouble is that if I record cleaner or very midrange heavy I end up with a nice rock sound but no were near as aggressive as the punk I grew up with or would like hear in my music.

I guess it is time to experiment some more. Back to the drawing board...
Click to expand...

Define "aggressive". East Bay Ray had a guitar sound that wasn't very overdriven at all, but it was pretty damn aggressive. Johnny Thunders didn't use any distortion at all. He just turned his amp loud. Most punk groups had mediocre equipment at best and poor production. You can do that too. But good is good and bad is bad. If you like your guitar sound, then run with it. It's tough on the ears though.
 
Well I specialize in mediocre equipment! I use my rundown Dual Showman and a Marshall Guv'nor in a Tascam miced with a SM57 and a Shure KSM32 both 5" from the grill. It sounds killer to my ears in my little practice space but I guess I need to try some recordings with the distortion turned down and the midrange up on the amp.

When I think aggressive the distortion of Naked Raygun, Fugazi, Conflict and the Bad Brains come to mind.
 
gregsk777 said:
Well I specialize in mediocre equipment! I use my rundown Dual Showman and a Marshall Guv'nor in a Tascam miced with a SM57 and a Shure KSM32 both 5" from the grill. It sounds killer to my ears in my little practice space but I guess I need to try some recordings with the distortion turned down and the midrange up on the amp.

When I think aggressive the distortion of Naked Raygun, Fugazi, Conflict and the Bad Brains come to mind.
Click to expand...

A 57 sounds pretty fizzy regardless of what tone you dial in the amp. Experiment with placement. I saw your Mike Ness thread. That's an example of good equipment. He plays real Goldtops, and uses a Bassman head into a Marshall cab. Really good stuff. Listen to his tone. It's nowhere near as fizzy and obnoxious as what you recorded. His shit is high gain but smooth. You can listen to it loud as hell and not do ear damage. I've seen Social D about 20 times. They have a great guitar sound. Try for something like that. Bands like Naked Raygun and Fugazi have just regular overdriven tones. They're not especially over the top. Maybe lose the pedal and go for pure amp distortion instead. Crank that bitch into tube breakup.
 
ido1957 said:
Secondly - tighten up the sync between the guitar and drum rolls. Your song is good but when the drum rolls it would be cool if the guitars follow that a bit more.
Click to expand...

Well I have hopes to improve my mixing & recording skills drastically but as far as technique and playing goes I believe you are hearing us at our technical peak so to speak! Creativity is the only factor we have control over.

We have no intentions of going commercial or selling music. Now that you mention it we have trouble giving it away for free! It is all for our personal edification, an escape from working 40+ hour weeks and an alternative to getting :drunk:.
 
I think "agression" will come through in the way you play. There's a lot of energy to this. Which, of course, is good.

The trouble is, like others have said, the guitar is very fizzy and thin. I'll echo other advice - dial the distortion way back from what you would use in a live situation. You might also experiment with mic position - moving the mic from the center of the speaker cone out toward the speaker's edge will remove some high end. Also just dialing in better tones will help. I also suspect you're using a solid state amp or amp modeler. Those things often have a fizz all their own. They can sometimes be tough to record.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top