How to create different moods from similar recordings

M

Maxwelllll

New member
I'm going to be releasing a mixtape with my band. Two of the tracks i have recorded drums and guitar for so far in my home studio shed thing (I still have bass, vocals, melodica etc. to record). The problem is I would like one song to be a lot more mellow than another song, but still retaining the same sort of sound. How can i achieve this through the mixing alone? The recordings are done with the same setup on amps and everything, as i still want it to have the gainy guitar sound.

How would I go about achieving this?

Don't Cry by Deerhunter is the sort of sound i would like from the mellower track - it has a focus on gainy guitars but sounds rather mellow. What steps should I take to try and get a mix like that from the track i have?

I have the two tracks on soundcloud but unfortunately i cant post links until i have posted five times.

All help is hugely appreciated, thank you.

Edit:
Would one way of doing it simply be to turn down all instruments and turn up vocals?
 
We probably really need to hear what you're trying to do...

Just answer a few times and you'll have 5 posts in no time at all, and then you can post links... no one will mind...
 
What makes the Deerhunter song "mellow" is mostly the tempo and vocal style, not so much the mix. By mixing time it's too late to make a song mellow if it isn't already.
 
bouldersoundguy said:
What makes the Deerhunter song "mellow" is mostly the tempo and vocal style, not so much the mix. By mixing time it's too late to make a song mellow if it isn't already.
Click to expand...

thats true, the vocals are a big part in creating the mood. are there any specific techniques used on the vocals that create that, or is it just a soft style of singing?
 
Maxwelllll said:
thats true, the vocals are a big part in creating the mood. are there any specific techniques used on the vocals that create that, or is it just a soft style of singing?
Click to expand...





Imagine ACDC with that kind of vocal processing...it would sound like it was under water and therefore out of place. Of course vocal delivery and instrumentation is crucial.
 
What you want to accomplish should be tackled in the tracking stage. It's the playing, the speed, the dynamics,the delivery, etc...that make a song "mellow" or not. Like Boulder said, it's too late to try to create a mood by the time you get to mixing.

Many bands use the same gear to record, yet still manage to create different moods. It's about the tune, the playing, etc....

"Stairway to Heaven", "Misty Mountain Hop", and "Black Dog" are all on the same album, are played using the same instruments, probably all recorded in the same studio by the same musicians. Yet, they all have completely different moods to them.

I think you're making a typical noob mistake by hoping there are "tricks" and "secrets" that go on in the studio to create what should be created right at the source, AKA by the musicians and their instruments.
 
Maxwelllll said:
thats true, the vocals are a big part in creating the mood. are there any specific techniques used on the vocals that create that, or is it just a soft style of singing?
Click to expand...

It's 99% performance. There's no plugin that will turn a scream into a whisper. If you want a mellow song then go write, arrange and record a mellow song.
 
bouldersoundguy said:
It's 99% performance. There's no plugin that will turn a scream into a whisper. If you want a mellow song then go write, arrange and record a mellow song.
Click to expand...

Thats the thing, i wrote it as a mellow song but when i recorded it I wanted to have lots of gain on the guitars. im being stupid though, it is down to the majority of the instruments creating a mellow feel and im going to have to make sure the other instruments can give that, even if the guitar sounds heavy

CFox said:
You being sincere ?
Click to expand...

sorry, the buddy made me seem sarcastic. i was actually just calling you buddy. hopefully this doesnt sound sarcastic too...

RAMI said:
What you want to accomplish should be tackled in the tracking stage. It's the playing, the speed, the dynamics,the delivery, etc...that make a song "mellow" or not. Like Boulder said, it's too late to try to create a mood by the time you get to mixing.

Many bands use the same gear to record, yet still manage to create different moods. It's about the tune, the playing, etc....

"Stairway to Heaven", "Misty Mountain Hop", and "Black Dog" are all on the same album, are played using the same instruments, probably all recorded in the same studio by the same musicians. Yet, they all have completely different moods to them.

I think you're making a typical noob mistake by hoping there are "tricks" and "secrets" that go on in the studio to create what should be created right at the source, AKA by the musicians and their instruments.
Click to expand...

i hear everything you are saying. would it make a difference if i were to make sure the vocals fitted a mellow mood and than had them higher in the mix than other songs?
 
You could record a couple of different guitar takes - more gain, less gain - and different vocal takes - one more relaxed, another more high energy, and thus mix two different takes of the same song, if you wished.

But as everyone is pointing out, this means going back to the source and getting it right there, and also knowing what you want to do ahead of time...
 
Armistice said:
You could record a couple of different guitar takes - more gain, less gain - and different vocal takes - one more relaxed, another more high energy, and thus mix two different takes of the same song, if you wished.

But as everyone is pointing out, this means going back to the source and getting it right there, and also knowing what you want to do ahead of time...
Click to expand...

Yeah, i think the best idea is to do multiple takes and see what gives the mood i'm going for. I'll probably go back to recording, but it might be difficult to get a mellow sound with such high gain.
 
Maxwelllll said:
Yeah, i think the best idea is to do multiple takes and see what gives the mood i'm going for. I'll probably go back to recording, but it might be difficult to get a mellow sound with such high gain.
Click to expand...


Mellow = dreamy and dreamy = reverb and long delays and other blurred imagery....

Roll off the highs, smother it in verb and lush delay.
 
Having now listened to your tune and the Deerhunter tune, I'd say:

1. You're using a guitar sound that has a reasonable degree of high end to it, which makes it sound a bit harsher. Deerhunter seem to be using a more old skool fuzz type sound... and it's got the highs rolled off a lot. Try using a different distortion device.

2. You're always going to struggle to get a song to sound mellow with that level of snare drum action that kicks in regularly... it's just not mellow drumming.

3. The pace of the song doesn't really suggest mellow either. Deerhunter is a bit slower. And the playing is "loose"

4. Add some bass - this will make it seem less harsh as there's no bottom end happening there - again, that makes everything a bit brittle

5. Pan - everything's in the centre... hits you in the head. Turn the gain down and double track and stick them either side, or (gasp - heresy) move the guitar off to one side - have a close listen to Deerhunter and you'll see it's not in the centre.

6. Acoustic guitar - use one and stick it off to the side. Again, listen to Deerhunter.

7. Deerhunter's "vibe" is also somewhat dependent upon the voice. You don't have a voice yet...

8. Some of the guitaring is quite discordant in the noisier section - makes it difficult to be mellow - not impossible, but difficult.

That enough to be going on with? I can see where you're trying to go... it's not impossible. Dandy Warhols have a similar vibe sometimes... :drunk:
 
CFox said:
Roll off the highs, smother it in verb and lush delay.
Click to expand...

+1 ^^^

take out some highs so it IS more mellow.

Performance wise (pre-capture) you'd generally slow the tempo down. And maybe fill it in with more voices to thicken the mix / muddy it up. Otherwise EQ and reverb.

As I watch some youtube on guys that do pitch shifting an octave up and mixing that back on top of the original track, some chorus stuff and other crazy edits / layering. Not an ideal way to do it IMO, but I guess if that's your preference, not much to really say that it's wrong. Unless it sounds wrong.

P.S. Loved me some Mazzy Star BITD. Sweet Mary of Silence. An old juke box favorite in the bar years.
 
These are all fantastic suggestions, thank you very very much for your help. I shall have to try all of these and see which fit the song best. The level of help in this forum really is fantastic, i'm definitely going to be sticking around.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top