a general noob. looking for contstructive criticism on post-emo mix

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daszweiten

New member
this is my first "completed" song. i have done everything that i can think of to maximize the quality of sound.

i am looking for all those bits of advice and information that i have not learned yet that im lacking in this mix so that i can gain knowledge.

my only obvious roadblock is the acoustic tracks. i could not keep the signal from either clipping...or being too far away. frustrating.

cmon guys, break me down.

cubase 3
1 sm57
no monitors...just headphones
using pc laptop

 
This is good work for a first effort.

The instruments sound pretty good.

The double tracked vocals don't seem to be playing nicely together. It's obviously two separate takes panned away from each other instead of sounding like a single, full and warm-sounding take.

Was the filtered effect on the vocals intentional, or is that a product of your equipment?
 
ah.

so is it not kosher to hard pan two vocal tracks? it seemed to just make it fuller to me...but i will definitely try centering them now that you insist.

i'm not exactly sure what you mean by 'filter'...if you're referring to general plugins/(inserts?) , i believe all i have on them is some compression and a dab of reverb.

i wish i could see exactly but i was so ignorant when i laid them down that i was applying the 'filters' by individually selecting the waves as apposed to setting up an 'insert' on the track itself.

i really appreciate the feedback
 
daszweiten;3296598 i'm not exactly sure what you mean by 'filter'...if you're referring to general plugins/(inserts?) said:
he could mean a high-pass filter or low-pass filter or maybe some type of processing? just a guess :) i like how you got the song mixed...a good balance--however, i noticed the same thing with the vocals. i would use less panning or no panning...welcome to the board :)
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hey man...sounds much better! one thing that jumped out was that some guitar sounds jump in at the end that sounded too loud and too panned...those could probably brought down a bit and still bring you the kick you're looking for.
 
daszweiten said:
ok, you guys have been so helpful, thanks again.

and for those of you who have additional comments here is my latest version.

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Double tracking vocals is a hard job. The classic example of it done pretty well is Brian Wilson/Beach Boys. You have to be meticulous about matching the parts. Hard panning is OK, IF the parts don't corrupt one another in any way.

I'm listening to the new posting. You're off to a fine start. Drums are a little underneath, the two guitars really dominate, so it doesn't quite get the push it needs. The drums sound distant with the level they are, plus the bigger reverb field they have. Bass could be bigger too. Really, you

Vocals need to come WAY up, I think. Don't be 'fraid, you sing just fine. You've got that 80s delay thing going with the double-tracking... The talk-over vocal part needs to be more subtle.

WHOA, the vocal in the last section is where they need to be.

You really solve most of your problems if you pull the rhythm guitars way back, them bring the master level up, rather than bringing everything else up... :)

Welcome to the board!
 
Ok, I've got a cd you need to listen to daszweiten, Say Anything "is a Real Boy" this is one of the best modern rock cd's of the last decade. I think this is the sound that you are looking for, and I hope this cd helps you find your sound. You are off to a great start. A lot better then what I was doing at the beginning. Probably better than most of my stuff now. Good job.
Say Anything cute Disney version
 
Yeah, the vocals sound better panned closer. My general goal with doubling up the melody line like that is to make it sound more full without making it obvious that you doubled up the vocals.

Yeah, the last vocal section is much better than the rest. Actually, when you have the two distinct vocal parts at the end is probably when you want to try harder pans. Put the two separate vocal lines on different parts of the "stage" by panning them out a little.

What I meant by filter: If you listen closely to the vocals, can you hear how it doesn't really sound like someone's natural voice? If you compare how a recording of your voice with someone just standing in your recording space, you'll hear some significant differences. It sounds like some of the more extreme frequencies (high or low) have been filtered out. This can be a cool effect if used correctly, but in your case, it's probably an equipment issue.
 
wow great first song! well done for starters


vocals were too quiet and the drums were way buried in the guitars imo (which were excellently played btw) I think the guitars sounded way too up front compared to everything else

good composition what I could hear...I liked the guitars tone as well

I think this is a fantastic spring board to be jumping off...Llarions right...you nail the vocal level at the end but you bring the guitars up with them..

just some tweaking required:)
 
I pretty much agree with everything that has been said.

If I were you, I'd take that last section of the song with the louder/clearer vocals and shoot for getting something more like that for the whole song. The only problem with the last part of the song is the drums are quite buried. I'd set the drums as loud as I could without clipping and then set all other levels against that. I'm guessing that your desire to get the mix sounding louder, louder, louder was why you ended up pushing the guitars and everything up so high. But it's all for naught if you mask the drums.

Cool tune, you're off to a great start.

Matt
 
mattdee1 said:
I pretty much agree with everything that has been said.

If I were you, I'd take that last section of the song with the louder/clearer vocals and shoot for getting something more like that for the whole song. The only problem with the last part of the song is the drums are quite buried. I'd set the drums as loud as I could without clipping and then set all other levels against that. I'm guessing that your desire to get the mix sounding louder, louder, louder was why you ended up pushing the guitars and everything up so high. But it's all for naught if you mask the drums.

Cool tune, you're off to a great start.

Matt
Click to expand...

On the money

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what Ive found as a relative n00b to mixing is just to set the drums at -14db then bring in the bass...then work everything around them...if i do it from the guitar or vocals first perspective i always end up losing the bass and drums...and these seem to be the instruments missing more in mixes in the clinic than any others

also if you want a certain instrument to stand out more bring others down rather than push it up or you'll just end up pushing all the faders up and ruining the mix
 
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