Basic tricks

[Rich b]

Hi there, I just wondered if anyone could give me a few basic tricks to make a song sound even half decent?
I'm using cakewalk with reason, i sometimes record vocals and guitars and usually try to tidy it all up in sound forge.
I know this subject is probably the most complex but as soon as I export everthing to mp3 and play it , it sounds flat.
Another aspect which I think is my main problem is that I usually record and mix in headphones.. not good right?

Anyway, without getting too complex, are there any basic tricks? just to make my songs sound less flat..
I usually add a bit of reverb, I pan, but it's like there's no beef in it

Thanks a lot

 

[Massive Master]

Getting everything right at the source is 95% of everything. "Beef" is in the core sounds and the creative use of distance and space.

 

[Dogbreath]

IMO, John is spot on. In fact, John's the one who finally got it thru my head a few years ago.

Get it right at the source. How well a project is tracked determines much of what quality you'll have at mixdown.

So I started spending more time playin with mic placement and amp/guitar settings. Takin the extra time to find that particular sound you're lookin for. And my distorted guitar gets alot less distortion than it used to. Comes out fuller that way. I also double track all my guitar parts. Playing the same part twice makes a much better, fuller guitar than copy/paste does.

The other part is tracking at lower levels. This gives you more clarity at mixdown and leaves headroom for the ME. I have mine at around -18 and peaks at around -12 or -10. The only time I go higher than that is when I screw up.

Hi pass filtering is your friend. Cut the low freqs that do nothing for that particular track. If the frequency isn't part of the fundamentals of that instrument or vocal, it gets cut. Clears up the lo-mid mud.

Hope it helps man...
Kel

 

[mixsit]

..Another aspect which I think is my main problem is that I usually record and mix in headphones.. not good right?

Gee, we just had this chat around here a bit ago. Coincidentally, I just got to talk to a dear old picker friend of mine that's just got into trackin on his one-mic Fostex four tracker set up. Tossing it around, right off he says 'what is it with 'phones? everything sounds great, then on speakers it sucks. Even the computer speakers work better.' (+/- 3db, WMMV

 

[mackin]

Srry found in another post.

 

[recordist87]

thanks..good info in this thread