Dream- rough mix

C

Crycookie

New member
Hello All,

I have just finished the arrangement on this song and before I start the full mixing side, I would like some insight on the arrangements as I believe I lost perspective. been working on it for a good 2 months now. (not the best guitar player on the planet so had to practice some parts for a good while, still not perfect but that's the best I can do for now )

I did some EQ and compress on guitars,keyboard and vocals. I would appreciate some insight too before I bounce the tracks. I have a tendency to over use the high ends so any tips will be appreciate .

There is only a very simple EQ on the drums group as I have not yet work on the separate kit drum set(I used the drummer from Logic x)

The bass line was recorded with my electric guitar not ideal but wanted to avoid the keyboard for that matter.

I only have studio monitors headphones and a normal speaker to work with so the overall balance and EQing might not be accurate.

Any tips greatly appreciate :)

A Big thanks

https://soundcloud.com/crycookie/dream-rough-mix
 
Hi Crycookie, good to see you back. I remember your last song.

This is promising. Your voice is appealing, melody is nice. The electric guitar has good tone. However, I found some of the guitar fills distracting. Right at the very beginning of the song (0:05), one of the string bends is noticeably sharp. Not the statement you want to make at the start of the song. In other places, the guitar fills made it more difficult for me to hear the underlying harmony, or clashed with the harmony (for example, the one on the right side that begins around 0:32). In general, the fills seem a unfocused and meandering. My suggestion would be to mute the fills until you've got the rhythm, harmonic, and melodic foundations of the song nailed down, then perhaps add back fewer fills or record a few new ones, making sure that each fill accentuates a chord change or provides a melodic counterpoint to the vocal. Less is more. I do think the fills work better later in your song, in the part that starts around 1:50.

You should get yourself a bass. You can plug it straight into your interface for recording. The quality of inexpensive ones sold these days is better than ever.
 
Hi Robus,

Good to be back :)

yeah the 0.05 sound was my attempt of starting the song with a bass slide, I do admit this one sounds wierd, will see if I can silent it, or l'll do a new take.

Regarding the guitar at 0.32 I really appreciate your insight on this one as I could not make up my mind if it was blending or not. It was one of the first part I recorded before the vocals, with only the drums and bass line . It is only a A shape chords that I used to go along the fret as a single solo lead ,and then built the rest separately. I will definitely give it a shot as you suggested.

I will definitely look into a bass

Thank you very much for listening and taking the time to provide helpful advice :)
 
The drums are too quiet.

The dueling lead guitars sound random and are not supporting your vocal.

I would start with the drums and add a bassline that adds heft and counterpoint to whatever melodic structure you want to deliver.

Then add vocals. Then add guitar lines that complement your vocal.
 
Hi Supercreep,

just wondering which part of the song you are referring too regarding the guitar verse or guitar

i will definitely try this approach

Thanks a lot for your time and listening
 
I agree that the guitar parts clash with the vocals rather than accenting them and mostly they sound Died with not much good tone to them. It sounds like it was all tracked without thinking of the whole, and the vocals were added after the fact. The drums and bass are not in synch at the start. The 2nd verse is a little better this way. In the chorus the vocals get louder for accent, but the music doesn't match in volume.
 
Hi mjbphotos,

It is indeed what happened , I had the first part layed out intro,verse and first chorus,without any idea yet where the vocals will go. I will re track the whole thing with the vocal in mind. Thanks a lot for your time and listening greatly appreciate it.
 
ok, i thought this was really good. clearly, there are some vocal issues in regards to volume. it was sounding good to me until the louder section after the first verse. the guitar as a bass isn't ideal, but it doesn't sit too poorly here. it would just sound much more rounded with an actual bass. the guitars at 3:05-ish have timing issues. the vocals are top end heavy. most drums are quiet. good tones on the guitars. there is a nice ambiance here that works well for this song. some guitar slides are off key - i'm hearing a major chord when it should be a minor, for example.

please, understand that I think this is a great song and vocal performance. i listened 4 times. i'll probably listen more. this is very catchy and your voice is unique/pleasant. good phrasing, top lines, and ending lines. i hope you make some changes and get this up and going...it's a great song.
 
I LOVED the abrupt change from 16th to swing at the beginning of the song. These guys are doing some great guidance. There are spots where the leads are actually helping, but they're rare. :)
Now that you have the idea of the song...and it is MAJORLY good...it's time to start tracking the instruments and vocals to make the song you want. This one is definitely worth some effort.
 
Overall it sounded OK.

The kick is too loud and the rest of the kit is too soft.

The singer has a nice voice. But I'd have her work on mic technique. Some words are barely audible, and others are too loud.

The guitars have a bit of a glassy sound. I'd like some warmer tones.

The bass is surprisingly convincing. I guess it's missing a bit of the low-low end. But the tone was bass-guitar-y.
 
Sounds good....I probably would of moved the guitars maybe just a little more toward center versus directly 45 degrees....Or maybe something to fill up every now and then a little more toward center

Nice tune. Vocalist has shades of that 80's sound...like her
 
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