First mix bad!!

Clip is slang for an audio or video selection - as in maybe even chopped out of something longer. In your second example - if you chopped off the beginning and end, it would be a 'clip'. I thought you'd actually started the clip in the middle - I didn't realise it was the intro, only when it was the same in the second version did I realise it was just a er, unique start to a song. I honestly thought you'd sort of top and tailed a longer section for us to hear.

I don't think you need to do it again - just make it so we can hear the words.
Re: 'the master' - he means apply compression to the master faders - as in the output stereo channel. This is pretty obvious I would have thought?

You also have better ears than you think - clearly you've made some good decisions on what we are hearing and you have mastered it. Remember that the old fashioned stages of production with the mix engineer and the mastering engineer don't really exist any longer - if one person does both, it's mastered - the final tweak before it goes out to the world.
 
Dogooder, Rob hits the mark.

You have good tracks, just tweaks, which really is the difference in mixing.
 
Okay, that is why I was confused about clipped. I did no editing, that is the intro. One person tells me the vocals are too loud. The snare too loud and not enough bottom.Do you mean they are two low in the mix or you just cant understand them? If you can't understand them it may be just my diction? All the engineering on my previous work was done by the bass player who knows his way around. I am quite new to any recording actually. I have sent the mix to him, we are now 800 miles apart and asked him for feedback. He is a professional guitarist and bass player and engineer and quite busy. He doesn't get back to me often. I eqed the stereo output, didn't like it and shut it off. I didn't try any compression on it. I will give that a shot and see if evens things out a bit? I am in uncharted waters here. I did copy the vocal track onto another track and panned each a bit left and right. I eqed and compressed them as closely to each other as I could. I was hoping it would beef it up a bit. I am using a Yamaha O2R and an Alesis HD24.
 
Last edited:
Nothing wrong with the gear - although the 02 EQ can be a bit harsh if used to excess.
1. Take a friend you trust - not a musical one, just an ordinary listener. Play them the start - the odd bit. Ask them what the vocals are saying. You know, so you will struggle - but the sort of machine gun delivery is a kind of sound all of its own - the words get lost. You have choices - eq, level and compression, and perhaps removal of any effects that might be blurring the diction. It's a bit like the old Brian Ferry song Let's stick together - we made a vow then a sentence nobody understands.
 
For me it's your diction/enunciation. It can be tough with the way this one is written, mainly the titular Bigger Better Younger Faster - that's a tongue twister at the speed you're singing it. Then your vocals clear up nicely but go right back into less intelligible. The vocal seems to drift away in spots, as if you're pulling away from the mic.

I wasn't focusing on the music as much as the vocal. Nothing seemed awful or jumped out at me.
 
rob aylestone said:
Nothing wrong with the gear - although the 02 EQ can be a bit harsh if used to excess.
1. Take a friend you trust - not a musical one, just an ordinary listener. Play them the start - the odd bit. Ask them what the vocals are saying. You know, so you will struggle - but the sort of machine gun delivery is a kind of sound all of its own - the words get lost. You have choices - eq, level and compression, and perhaps removal of any effects that might be blurring the diction. It's a bit like the old Brian Ferry song Let's stick together - we made a vow then a sentence nobody understands.
Click to expand...
spantini said:
For me it's your diction/enunciation. It can be tough with the way this one is written, mainly the titular Bigger Better Younger Faster - that's a tongue twister at the speed you're singing it. Then your vocals clear up nicely but go right back into less intelligible. The vocal seems to drift away in spots, as if you're pulling away from the mic.

I wasn't focusing on the music as much as the vocal. Nothing seemed awful or jumped out at me.
Click to expand...
I have eq, quite a bit of compression and a low amount of delay on the vocal parts. I could take a lot more time than I have planned and learn how to run the,
I think it is automix on the O2R. I could take the vocal track, copy it again to another track. Take the FX off and put it subliminally down the middle. I have my vocals without reverb or delay. Since I don't really know what I am doing with the compressor I can go back in and test the attack and release which I didn't really mess with. As Spantini noticed, that was a first take scratch track intended to be replaced and I was playing and singing and not concentrating on the mic and I did pull off here and there. If you listen to the first mix it drops out quite a bit and this mix the compression setting I did use got it to where it is. To me it was like a miracle, I was quite a surprised, I had never really played with one.
I got feedback from the gent I spoke about who did most of the engineering on most of my previous endeavors. I was taken aback! This guy has done lots of recordings for lots of people, always in demand, plays on a lot of peoples stuff, has built pretty large studios and other projects. I played with him for about ten years and never had a clue he worked this way. Here is the advice he gave me on the mix.

"I don't really have a decent critical listening ability. It'd be impossible for me to troubleshoot. The best advice I can give you is to listen back to back with another song that sounds the way you want this one to sound . I used to compare snare drum sounds using AC/DC records because I like the drum sounds on their records. Believe me, this helps!"

 
Last edited:
dogooder said:
. . . The best advice I can give you is to listen back to back with another song that sounds the way you want this one to sound . I used to compare snare drum sounds using AC/DC records because I like the drum sounds on their records. Believe me, this helps!"
Click to expand...
This is often recommended, it's referred to as a reference track. You try to get your instrument (voice, gutar, etc.) to sound like the one on that reference track. You can add that song as a track in the project you're working on and A/B it with what you're recording after tweaking, or have the song loaded on some other player next to your DAW for quick reference. Then all you have to do is figure out how to work all the plugins to get you there.
 
MIX3
Took the FX off the vocals and fooled with the attack and release, redid the EQ. EQed the bass again. He is playing in the upper registers on the bass a lot. EQed the
drums again and upped the kick in the mix, backed off the keys, applied a bit of compression on the stereo out.
 

Attachments

  • UTOPIAMIX3.mp3
    6.5 MB
This latest mix sounds more polished. The vocal sounds better EQ-wise, but there's still the lack of enunciation. Overall, this mix is less fatiguing on the ears. The first mix had more of an open feel, whereas this latest one sounds more like a studio production with slightly sterile tracks. I reckon this is where Reverb comes in.
 
Last edited:
Wow, much better, more punch, drums sounding much better.

I still say vocals could come down a bit and sit in the pocket.

I would say you could now play with the compression to give it less squeeze (more dynamics/more life), but it is going to be a balance. A tad more brightness (4K and above, but really just season to taste).

Really much better. Nice work.
 
dogooder said:
MIX3
Took the FX off the vocals and fooled with the attack and release, redid the EQ. EQed the bass again. He is playing in the upper registers on the bass a lot. EQed the
drums again and upped the kick in the mix, backed off the keys, applied a bit of compression on the stereo out.
Click to expand...
It's good but I find that the kick drum is just too prominent and uneven in a bad way. Maybe a bit of transient shaping and limiting? But yeah it's getting better!
 
Serendipity Records said:
It's good but I find that the kick drum is just too prominent and uneven in a bad way. Maybe a bit of transient shaping and limiting? But yeah it's getting better!
Click to expand...
I don't think there is any compression on the kick to even it out, I will have to take a look. Thank you.
I think I will read up on the automix and see what can be done. Once everything is set I haven't touched anything.
I think the automix will memorize fader changes, fx on off etc. I have never used it. If anyone knows the 02R, now
it the time for some advice.
Thanx again all.
 
Last edited:
DM60 said:
Wow, much better, more punch, drums sounding much better.

I still say vocals could come down a bit and sit in the pocket.

I would say you could now play with the compression to give it less squeeze (more dynamics/more life), but it is going to be a balance. A tad more brightness (4K and above, but really just season to taste).

Really much better. Nice work.
Click to expand...
I brought the vocals down. I am a gravelly singer, I can't clean up the vocal much more. Did some other tweaking. I think I can work with this for now. Should be last mix posted until after I finish the Video unless anything glaring is pointed out. One thing I didn't mention is when the first line is delivered the words will flash across the video as close as I can get them. One thing I have learned over the years is once you know the lyric, you hear it. The rest of the video is all symbolic of the words being said or the words in image form of one kind or another. It shouldn't be hard to follow?
Thanks again one and all.
 

Attachments

  • UTOPIAMIX4.mp3
    6.5 MB
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top