EQ, final mixdown

[BillyTheKid]

I have a small problem when I'm recording stuff (mostly my band). The problem is that I record tracks (guitar, piano or whatever) directly into my computer. Save as was and burn on a cd. Now, when you listen to it, it will sound a bit "boomy" or perhaps you could say that it lacks of good top. If you go back to the mixer in the computer, EQ it until it sound even better in my mackie speakers, it still sounds a bit boomy with addition that it also sound "noisy" at the top. What could do this problem? Something in the recording stage or what?

Thanks for helping out!

 

[bennychico11]

are you listening to the "boomy" CD on completely different speakers in a completely different room?

 

[jmorris]

define your mixing environment. Sounds like maybe bass traps would help.

 

[Massive Master]

Also your chain before the computer... Nice "top end" and good focus comes from nice microphones and nice preamps.

 

[BillyTheKid]

My studio is defenetley not good from a "sound-nazi" perspective. It is our rehersal room (67 square m) including a studio room. Every wall is padded with isolation and cloth. Perhaps it takes up too much of the high frequencies? But it shouldn't? I think?

The reply that took up mics and preamps. I use a Röde NT1A for some guitar amps and vocals. I also use sm57 (who doesn't...hehe). The preamps are the built-in ones in a Mackie 1604VLZ-Pro. I guess that this ponit is the weak one. Mics and preamps. Makes sense to me now...

My soundcard is a MOTU 828MKII, so that should be a problem. I Go like this MIC - Mackie mixer, I use the direct out into my soundcard with balanced TRS cables. The soundcards input set to +4. Is this a correct setup? Has it anything to do with the quality as well? The +4, -10 thing. Never really understood it... what the difference is. When to use what and so on.

Well, for those of you who have the time to answer some of the above, I thank you alot!

 

[BillyTheKid]

and yes, I listen in different rooms, cars... everywhere possible =)

 

[BillyTheKid]

hehe, one thing too. What is "bass traps"??

 

[timboZ]

Are you using any low cut when recording and/or mixing?

 

[bennychico11]

and yes, I listen in different rooms, cars... everywhere possible =)

that's the reason then. your music will sound different on different speakers in different environments, it's just a fact of life. Your car speakers are not going to reproduce your music like your mackies do in the room you mix in. Also, unless you have the money to correct the acoustics in your room, you're going to have to learn to live with it. And even if you were able to get a perfect sounding room....there is no guarantee that your CD is going to sound perfect on every other system. You just need to learn how to correct for it and find a middle ground. If your Mackies aren't accurately reproducing the lows in your room (which is a very very common case in many home studios), then correct the room problem or learn to listen back on a variety of systems in different places and fix accordingly.

 

[soundchaser59]

1. Your room has nothing to deal with bass pooling, low freqs that stand around and cause listening hell.

2. The VLZ preamps are good enough for what you are doing, very clean. Good enough mics too.

3. Sounds like you are using Mackie monitors to mix, but then it sounds boomy when you take it back out to listen on another system???

That is definitely a symptom of bad room acoustics. Not that your monitors are lying to you, but that the room makes it sound like the monitors are lying.

Try mixing without eq'ing anything at all and go from there.

 

[BillyTheKid]

Thanks for all the support guys. I'm using roll of from 100Hz on basicly everything but the bass and kick. But I don't think that the problem is those really low frequencies. I'm just missing some sweet highs, that sound clear and crisp and still won't hurt your ears. I mean, when you listen too any kind of music, you can hear of it has been eq:d up or if the recording Really sounds that good.

But I guess that the bottom of this problem is that I lack some (ahem) experience.

I've been thinking of getting a JoeMeek preamp. What do you all think of that? A better choice than the mackie ones?