Greg_L mix contest/clinic/critique - just for shits and grins

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Because a drum kit has sounds coming from all over the place, the overheads will never truly be in phase with each another all the time. If you tune the overheads to receive the signal from the snare at the exact same moment, then the OH will be in perfect phase only when the snare drum is hit. As soon as you hit one of your toms, your OHs will be out of phase for that drum. Same for any drum, but because the kit isn't all in the exact same space, it's impossible to tune the overheads to the entire kit.
Great point, Poet.:cool:

nevermind. i'm retarded AND i don't know what i'm talking about. :p
You too??? It's fun, ain't it???:p
 
All I worry about are the overheads. I'm not into shifting tracks around anymore. It just doesn't matter that much.
 
All I worry about are the overheads. I'm not into shifting tracks around anymore. It just doesn't matter that much.
Well the overheads were only very very slightly out of phase for the snare but it didn't bother me when I was mixing. I don't think it matters a great deal unless it's really bad.
 
I am a little late for this one, but after mixing Greg’s other song I really wanted to take a crack at it. After reading how this song almost mixes itself, I decided to do two very different mixes. The first mix is closer to the submitted mixes of the contest (at least the ones I am still able to download) and the other, no so much.

In the first version (Simple), I did not use any EQ or compression on the individual tracks (I did edit out the bleed of the Tom tracks.) I also used a single reverb that was applied to several of the tracks. I mixed though a bus compressor with very low ratio and DB reduction. I then did my normal mastering to the mixed track.

With the second mix (Extreme), I did the opposite on the individual tracks, used EQ, compression, etc. The mix buss and mastering processes are the same.
 
Too much reverb! :laughings:

The only major difference between the two mixes seems to be the drums. The dums on the "extreme" mix are bad. Way too processed sounding. Too one-dimensional and reverby. The "simple" mix sounds and seems to breathe much better. Still too much reverb though. :D
 
Screw it, even if this is done and somebody won, I'm still going to try it.... :rolleyes:
 
Maybe try tracking the kick on linked stereo tracks, panning one far right and one far left.

I know, it's sounds crazy. But it's so crazy that it just might work?

:confused:
 
Maybe try tracking the kick on linked stereo tracks, panning one far right and one far left.

I know, it's sounds crazy. But it's so crazy that it just might work?

:confused:

Might work for what? Sounding like one mono kick track? :laughings:
 
Yeah, that's what I discovered, eventually. I have no idea what I was thinking. :rolleyes:

I could throw out a question asking what the best use of linked stereo tracks might be, but I reckon I won't soil the thread w/ knube cluelessness.
 
Ha ha!!! I am having a blast mixing this! I love the machine gun kick, Greg!

As I suspected, I didn't have to do much to this. Only a little reverb (very little) and a smidgen of compression (which after I listen with fresh ears, may go away. Your playing is really consistant, which makes things really nice).

I'll post in a few hours when it's done. I know it won't win any awards, but it was fun.
 
Yeah, that's what I discovered, eventually. I have no idea what I was thinking. :rolleyes:

I could throw out a question asking what the best use of linked stereo tracks might be, but I reckon I won't soil the thread w/ knube cluelessness.

Stereo tracks are great for stereo instruments - like for drum overheads - but not necessary for one piece of the kit. A kick drum is a mono source, recording it in stereo is pointless and will only be more headache than useful.

Doubling and panning a mono track to "stereo" does absolutely nothing but make it mono again. Try it and see for yourself.
 
Im not sure but with standalone recorders theres some kinda problem with the way they treat mono tracks...Id look into the manual in depth as even Heatmeister had troubles...Id send him a stereo wave then the stanadalone would split it in two again....


Im sure there has to be some mono setting and it may be worthwhile posting the question elsewhere in the forum

Gregs right, other than the haas trick, which you dont use on drums, any panning of the same wave just increases its volume and it retains its characteristics as a mono file
 
Try it and see for yourself.

Yeah, I did try it. Eventually realized that it was doing nothing a single mono track wouldn't do on it's own. Not sure what I was initially thinking other than trying to utilize those linked stereo tracks. I have 6 sets of 2 (stereo tracks?), and I just put all the drums on those(13/14, 15/16, and so on), then started back at mono track one recording guits, bass,..panning those for space in the stereo field.

Anyway, thanks, pardon for mucking up the thread.
 
Seriously?!?!?!?!


:D

yes unless the mono wave is treated by completely separate effects/filters, so in a words making two different sound waves, and/or delayed by up to 35ms...which is inaudible to the human ear and so will slightly "fatten" or widen the note..known as the Haas trick


glad you're paying attention :)
 
Yeah, I did try it. Eventually realized that it was doing nothing a single mono track wouldn't do on it's own. Not sure what I was initially thinking other than trying to utilize those linked stereo tracks. I have 6 sets of 2 (stereo tracks?), and I just put all the drums on those(13/14, 15/16, and so on), then started back at mono track one recording guits, bass,..panning those for space in the stereo field.

Anyway, thanks, pardon for mucking up the thread.

In my experience with basic home recording, there are very few instances where you'd truly need or want stereo mic anything. Drum overheads, a choir, a whole band, piano in a nice room, etc, could all benefit from stereo miking - if done right. A guitar amp, a bass amp, kick drum, or a vocal take really only needs to be done in mono. One sound source = mono. A mouth, a speaker, a drum, all one sound source, all mono. Drums are a stereo instrument made up of several mono instruments. Treat each drum like a mono source with a spot mic, and then capture the whole thing with stereo mics. Each drum mic is a mono track, and the overheads can be a stereo track, or two monos panned to stereo. Overheads don't really pick up the same thing equally all the time, so panning them as mono tracks is okay and gives you a stereo image. Having two mics in a kick drum is pointless and not stereo. It's equally as pointless to record a kick in mono, and duplicate and pan that track. Some people mic the inside of the kick and also externally mic the beater. That's cool too, but it's not stereo. You don't want spread in that instance. You would just correct the phase and blend the two to taste. You'd pan them equally - hopefully center or damn close to center.
 
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