Critique my mix

  • Thread starter Thread starter balls1299
  • Start date Start date
sounds pretty good to my ears.

Its a nice song too.

The level is a bit low. I think the mix needs some limiting.
THe bass does not have enough balls. THe limiting might fix this or it might need some volume.

The vox was good. It sounded a tad bit midrangey though.

Very good mix. Also very well recorded. Who mixed it?
 
I arranged, recorded and mixed the tune. I am still trying to get comfortable with my monitors though. I do a mix and then try it out in cars, boom boxes, etc and then try to tweak the EQ to find a happy medium. Thanks for the response. I'll keep plugging away.
 
Sounds good to me....

I agree that the vocal is a bit midrangey it could be softer to match more the rest of the mix.

And the backround vocal that is panned sounds more in front than the lead vocal.

But everything else is in place imo and the suggestions a I made are totally subjective anyway :).

Keijo
 
smooth mix

To my old ears, this is an excellent mix. Each instrument and voice seems smoothly placed and easy to distinguish. IF I was gonna offer any suggestion it would be to at a touch more reverb to the snare drum. Sax solo has a LUSCIOUS reverb in it!!!

Great work.
 
Wow! This is really great stuff!

I'm listening right now and I can't hear one thing that I would touch, except that the piano seems just a bit too compressed.
Possibly a bit more upper-end EQ would bring back some of the sparkle to it.

Other than that, it's a stellar recording.

Great performances (especially the vocals) and a wonderful mix.
The bass was especially sweet and smooth.... perfect! ;)

You got a real winner here. Excellent job!

Buck
 
I listened to both Walk On By and I Can't Make You Love Me. The mix was decent. I DO NOT agree about the vocals needing any adjustment in the mix. They sit well, are very smooth, and articulate. I don't hear the midrange problems described at all. Do share what mic and preamp you used. I did detect just a bit of mud in I Can't Make You Love Me mainly during the transitions.

I think the piano could use a little space around it. It is very dry. In the intro, it is OBVIOUSLY a synth module piano sound. Don't dig that too much......

I think the comment about the bass is somewhat on the mark. I was thinking more that it needs a little more presence. Maybe a hair of boost around 300Hz. A bit more compression. Although, the compression and eq idea may not work so well as this soundsl like a soundfont or synth module, and usually those kinds of sounds don't lend themselves to eq/compression so well....:( I am no fan of the whole soundfont/synth module thing. Drum machines either.

But all in all, not a bad mix.

From a producers stand point. The singer really needs to work her upper and lower ranges before she is ready for the next step up. She doesn't sound comfortable when she goes low, and the higher notes seem to be a little too "cut loose". I also hear a few diction problems. Some of the ways she is pronouncing words makes them sound sort of weird. I wouldn't even share this if I didn't think she had some potential. I sounds like she is nearing the point where she is stretching her talent. Generally, for this kind of music, that is not such a good thing. Command is what this all about! Command comes from preforming what is well below the extent of your talent.

Autotune on the voice? I detect a bit of the hash it can create, but I don't hear it totally abused either. Hard to tell from a mp3. Oh, and the encoder you used would seem to be pretty decent. Stick with it...:)

Ed
 
Thanks to all for the compliments..

Ed:

I am using Protools LE with the DIGI001. I am also using a Presonus Blue tube. The mic is a Rode NT1.

The vocalist is definately stretching her range on Walk on By, but that's my fault, not hers. I arranged the song too high for her natural range and she does have a tough time during the chorus. A lesson well learned there.

As far as I can't make you love Me, there is some mud in the transitions. It's distortion. I'll have to go back and check to see if it happened when I mastered it or during conversion. It's definitely not in the final mix. I am also not happy with the cymbals. I am having a rough time smoothing them out. Any suggestions? I want them to be a seamless part of the mix and right now they grab my attention at times.

Also, Ed.. Any suggestions for a quality, yet affordable mastering system? Outboard or digital, it doesn't matter. I really would like to widen my mixes and add presence.
 
Well, that is about as good as I have ever heard a NT1 sound. Congratulations!!! :)

I think you might get a lot farther going into that chorus if you didn't have EVERYTHING trying to get louder by quite so much. The vocals indeed need to get louder their, but the rest of the music could do so by a little by less. This should help the vocals stick out a little better right there, and as well, you will not have as much level hitting the comp/limiters you might be using while mastering.

Mastering gear that will open up your sound? Trust me, you don't want to pay the price right now, unless you are REALLY loaded, and you being a police officer, I would wonder how that could be....;)

Look at the stuff from GML, Manley, and Cranesong if you decided to have the local mob pay you off for "ignoring" them....;)

Good luck.

Ed
 
Heh! Nice that you have a wife that will do that!!! :)

I tried one right against a 797 Audio 998. It didn't even come close!

Ed
 
Cann't believe that's a NT1. Been thinking of getting me the Presounus Bluetube, and this convinced me even more.

Keijo
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top