"AM radio" sounding mix

  • Thread starter Thread starter ChristopherM
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ChristopherM

ChristopherM

New member
Pseudo-crosspost here, I apologize...

Anyway, I did this mix that seems to have an "AM radio" sound to it.
Any suggestions on how I polish that out? Aside from re-tracking the whole thing, that is... :D
Santa Inc (second take)

Thanks in advance.

PS- Anyone want to volunteer any tips on Waves De-esser?
The manual is a bit simplistic and everything I've tried on the vox just makes 'em sound dead and leaves the SSSS sounds in there.
 
Hi there,

I am at work at the moment, so can't download your file until later.

I too have got the telephone effect, (along with the box, down-in-a-hole and tinny effects), on some mixes. People on here have normally nominated a bunch of competing frequencies building up around the 300-900Hz range as being the culprits.

Digging into my tracks showed that when I had doubled acoustic guitar lines with lead and bg vocals (baritone/tenor), a bass and a piano playing I ended up with a huge amount of energy in that 200-1200Hz range. Putting some effort into controlling that region has helped somewhat.

Try EQ'ing individual tracks to match that spectrum area better or try a multiband compressor set tightly on the sibilant section on the entire track. Run it up the flag pole and see if it flies.

Waves De-Esser - My sibilance is normally around 5.2kHz so I normally just use a tight multiband compressor on this section.

From memory of using Waves, you set the de-esser to the offensive freq. and loop a section of sss'ey audio. Then drag the threshold slider downwards until you see/hear reduction taking place. Do it on the vocal track/subgroup itself, not on the entire mix.

You might also or only use the de-esser before a reverb on a aux bus to kill those esses in your reverb wash if you are using a longer reverb program.

:) Q.
 
Hey Christopher -

Are you using Sonar? v3?

Try dumping all of the big demo files out to .WAV's, add your tracks you think sound "AM-ish" and burn 'em all to a CD.

Hear a pattern developing here?

Q.
 
Qwerty said:
Hey Christopher -

Are you using Sonar? v3?

Try dumping all of the big demo files out to .WAV's, add your tracks you think sound "AM-ish" and burn 'em all to a CD.

Hear a pattern developing here?

Q.
Click to expand...

I'm using Sonar 2.2 XL. Haven't gotten around to upgrading to version three yet.

Regarding the "big demo files" and burning 'em to a CD, I'm not following you here. Which "demo files?"

It's the whole mix that I think sounds like AM radio. Really, this particular song is the only one I've done that has sounded like this to me.
 
Yep - I know it's your whole mix. My first post still applies. I saw you over in the Cakewalk forum and put two and two together.

There are two "big" demoes in Sonar 3. To my ears, these also have that same boxy, telephone like quality when you dump them to CD.......

I guess the question is whether or not there is something inherent within Sonar that is colouring the sound or if they are simply poorly mixed files.

Just another thing to consider in the "why doesn't my mix sound good" stakes.....


:( Q.
 
Qwerty said:
There are two "big" demoes in Sonar 3. To my ears, these also have that same boxy, telephone like quality when you dump them to CD...
Click to expand...

Ahh! I gotcha!
Anyway...I've been using Sonar for over a year now and have recorded several mixes with it. This is the first one I've had end up sounding like this (I've had some crappy mixes...but not this sound).
 
I don't see the track you're asking about the page you linked to, but AM radio qualities *could* be referring to phase issues. Remove mic's one at a time and see how they effect that sound. When you find the culprit(s), EQ the most effected frequencies out of that mic/those mic's.
 
Just bec recording software packages are cheap, doesnt mean everyone should have one.
 
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