C
CMB Studios
New member
or does anything stick out?
aside from that... how do you like the vocal? cause this time its me!!!
aside from that... how do you like the vocal? cause this time its me!!!
dobro
Well-known member
A bit pitchy at 1.32?
The high notes sound a bit uh...penetrating. Ease back on the highs?
An overall impression is that the drum track is a bit of a distraction from the vocal, so... turn it down?
The high notes sound a bit uh...penetrating. Ease back on the highs?
An overall impression is that the drum track is a bit of a distraction from the vocal, so... turn it down?
C
Cloneboy Studio
.
Wow, really diverse range of instruments on the track. It must have taken a lot of hard work to lay everything down. Speaking specifically to the vocals, I feel they are a bit dominant through most of the track. The first 30 or 40 seconds they "fight" with the backing track a bit. Towards the end the vocals are a bit over and out of the mix. So no, in my opinion the vocals don't sit well. They aren't disastrous, but they overshadow everything else that's going on and I believe it is a detriment to the track.
I believe the culprit aren't balance/levels so much as the need for more dynamics. For a song of this nature it seems too compressed. Too limited. Too, shall we say, loud? I'd be curious to see the dynamic range of the track. Something like this should have about 12-14db of dynamic range. My guess would be it has about 7 or 8 dbs (dunno, would have to analyze it, I'm just ballparkin' here).
Download this:
KVR: TT Dynamic Range Meter by Pleasurize Music Foundation - Details
Run it as the last plugin on your mix buss. Keep your eye on it. Almost all mastering experts agree the "sweet spot" for modern recordings ranges from around 8-12 of dynamic range throughout a typical song length. That's for a rock/metal type of production. For a mostly acoustic, laid back track like this you should have a bit more... say 10-14db of range. Peak limiting should be minimal, say 1-2 db reduction at peak moments.
I'm just guessing here, but I think as the audio tracks were being mixed they got a little overly compressed. This resulted in having to compress/limit the vocals even harder than normal to get them to compete. Personally, I would like to hear everything "breathe" more.... the music, the vocals, everything. Use positive and negative space. You don't have to fill up every last bit with sound, despite what record labels seem to tell us with ear-piercing albums like Death Magnetic.
For what it's worth, this is what I would do:
1.) de-compress the track to have around 12db dynamic range
2.) loosen up on the vocal compression a bit (this will help with the stridency in some parts)
3.) personally, I'd turn UP the drums. They are hardly there. They either need to make their presence known a bit more OR gotten rid of. Me, I'd turn them up. Easy on the hats/cymbals; focus on kick/snare/toms more.
4.) strap on a chewy compressor like the Waves V-Comp on the master buss, with around 1.5-2.5 db of gain reduction at peak points (tickle it, don't punch it)
5.) ride the vocal levels with automation part to part--always just above the music and in the zone, letting a combination of the constant compression on the track and the "variable" gain reduction from the master buss compressor do all the work. This should glue it together nicely.
Let us know when you have another mix to check out to see what you come up with!
I believe the culprit aren't balance/levels so much as the need for more dynamics. For a song of this nature it seems too compressed. Too limited. Too, shall we say, loud? I'd be curious to see the dynamic range of the track. Something like this should have about 12-14db of dynamic range. My guess would be it has about 7 or 8 dbs (dunno, would have to analyze it, I'm just ballparkin' here).
Download this:
KVR: TT Dynamic Range Meter by Pleasurize Music Foundation - Details
Run it as the last plugin on your mix buss. Keep your eye on it. Almost all mastering experts agree the "sweet spot" for modern recordings ranges from around 8-12 of dynamic range throughout a typical song length. That's for a rock/metal type of production. For a mostly acoustic, laid back track like this you should have a bit more... say 10-14db of range. Peak limiting should be minimal, say 1-2 db reduction at peak moments.
I'm just guessing here, but I think as the audio tracks were being mixed they got a little overly compressed. This resulted in having to compress/limit the vocals even harder than normal to get them to compete. Personally, I would like to hear everything "breathe" more.... the music, the vocals, everything. Use positive and negative space. You don't have to fill up every last bit with sound, despite what record labels seem to tell us with ear-piercing albums like Death Magnetic.
For what it's worth, this is what I would do:
1.) de-compress the track to have around 12db dynamic range
2.) loosen up on the vocal compression a bit (this will help with the stridency in some parts)
3.) personally, I'd turn UP the drums. They are hardly there. They either need to make their presence known a bit more OR gotten rid of. Me, I'd turn them up. Easy on the hats/cymbals; focus on kick/snare/toms more.
4.) strap on a chewy compressor like the Waves V-Comp on the master buss, with around 1.5-2.5 db of gain reduction at peak points (tickle it, don't punch it)
5.) ride the vocal levels with automation part to part--always just above the music and in the zone, letting a combination of the constant compression on the track and the "variable" gain reduction from the master buss compressor do all the work. This should glue it together nicely.
Let us know when you have another mix to check out to see what you come up with!
mixmkr
we don't need rest!!
vocal levels jump pretty hot at times. Maybe come back to it in a couple days and listen as a listener and not the musician. Nice backing music. I like the ear candy.
T
Tobe
Simon
Kudos for the ambition here CMB. Most of the time I feel the vocal is about right but the instrumentation on the sides is too close. Then you have a few sections where the vocal goes to the sides which could also be pushed back. I would like to hear it with less reverse drum sounds and watery effects and such and a simple dry drum. It's a nice melody that might enjoy a simple treatment.